RAVENI leaned back against the wooden frame of the window, watching the quiet bustle of the pack grounds, pretending like everything was fine, even though my chest was tight with unease. I could feel it, Kieran’s eyes weren’t just on me, they were everywhere, scattered like shards of glass in the bodies of his spies. Every laugh I shared, every step I took, even the way I breathed sometimes, it all felt monitored. I pressed my lips together and whispered under my breath,“Damn you, Kieran, you’re not as subtle as you think.”“Talking to yourself again?” Rowena’s voice startled me. She slipped into the room without knocking, her eyes sharp, her smirk even sharper.I exhaled heavily. “You could try making noise, you know. Sneaking in like that is a good way to get yourself killed.”“Or,” she leaned against the doorframe, folding her arms, “it’s a good way to test just how jumpy you’ve gotten. Which, by the way, is very.”I glared at her but couldn’t hold it long. “He knows,” I whispere
LUCIANI didn’t know if I could trust Raven with carrying out our plans in Kieran’s pack, and the uncertainty gnawed at me far more than I wanted to admit. Some of my rogues had told me countless times that she was someone I could rely on, that she hated Kieran enough to risk everything for us, but there was still that gnawing hesitation in my chest. Trust was a dangerous thing to hand out so freely, especially when the fate of everything I had been building was resting on this fragile alliance. But I couldn’t pull her out now, not when the wheel had already been set in motion. All I could do was wait, watch, and see how events would unfold, and that thought alone nearly drove me mad.“Lucian,” one of the rogues, Bronn, muttered as he leaned against the tree trunk next to me.“You’re thinking too much again. I can see it in your face.”I turned sharply toward him. “And what would you have me do, Bronn? Sit here twiddling my thumbs while she could be selling us out to Kieran this very
ROWENAI was arranging some herbs in the storage room when one of the guards came to tell me that Alpha Kieran wanted to see me. My hands froze on the stalk of lavender I was tying, because nothing good ever came from being summoned by him in such a way. I dusted my hands against my dress and followed, trying to keep my face neutral, but inside my thoughts were running like fire. When I stepped into his chambers, he was leaning against his desk, arms folded, his eyes watching me the way a hawk studies prey. He didn’t speak immediately, which only made my pulse quicken, and then in that measured tone of his, he said.“Rowena… tell me, how has Raven been since she returned?”The question hit me hard, though he had asked it with such casual ease, as if it was nothing more than a passing inquiry. But I wasn’t a fool—I knew Alpha Kieran never asked anything without reason. My lips parted, but no sound came at first, and he noticed. His eyebrow arched slightly, like he was daring me to stum
ROWENAI caught her just outside the old hall, the cold air biting against my skin, and when I saw Raven standing there as if she had no worries in the world, something inside of me snapped. “So that’s it?” I called out, my voice sharper than I intended, but I didn’t care.“You just walk out? You just vanish when everything we planned was supposed to be done together?” She turned slowly, her eyes narrowing on me, and I swear there wasn’t a single flicker of guilt in them. “Rowena,” she said calmly, almost too calmly, “don’t make it sound like I owe you something. I don’t.”I clenched my fists and walked closer, refusing to back down. “You do owe me, Raven. You dragged me into this mess. You looked me in the eye and told me we were in this together, and now you’re acting like I don’t even exist. Why? Why now?” She smirked, tilting her head just slightly, and her tone grew cold.“Because I finally realized something important. Out here, it’s every man for himself. If you’re smart, you’l
RAVENI walked slowly toward Kieran, each step heavier than the last, and yet I kept my chin up, even though inside, my chest felt like it was caving in. His eyes locked on me the moment I stopped a few feet away, and I swear I could almost feel the heat of his rage from where I stood. His jaw tightened, his shoulders squared, and the silence between us was so loud it hurt. Then his voice cut through the air, sharp and merciless.“You betrayed us, Raven. You went behind our backs, and you think you can just walk up here and look me in the eye like nothing happened?”I swallowed hard, shaking my head, my words rushing out before I could even think them through.“No, Kieran, you don’t understand— I didn’t betray anyone. It was Lucian. He— he lured me into it, he made it seem like I didn’t have a choice. He tricked me.” I hated how desperate I sounded, but I had to cling to something, even if it was a lie.Kieran’s laugh was bitter, hollow, the kind of laugh that made you wish you’d neve
KIERANI stood there frozen for a moment, my eyes fixed on her as Vee walked toward me with that same calm but unapproachable air, and the silence between us was thick, like it had been waiting for this moment to choke me. I forced myself to breathe, and when she finally stopped a few feet away from me, I said.“So… you finally decided to show up.” My voice came out harsher than I intended, but I didn’t regret it. She raised her chin slightly, her lips curling into something that wasn’t exactly a smile but more of a challenge, and she answered softly, “I wasn’t hiding, Kieran. I just didn’t think you were ready to see me yet.” I let out a bitter laugh, shaking my head, “Not ready? You almost destroyed everything with what you did, and you think I wouldn’t be ready? You should’ve been the one not ready to face me.”Her eyes narrowed, and I could see her stiffen like she had expected this and already had her reply ready. “Don’t twist it, Kieran. I did what I thought was necessary, and I