LOGINKaden's POVShe was listing everything she needed from me. The audacity of it. Standing there in my study, in front of Isolde, telling me exactly what I needed to do."I need you to get close to Thorne," she said. "Not just proximity—I need you to earn his trust. I need you to make him believe you're on his side. You're the heir. You have access to things no one else does. He'll want to keep you close."I stared at her. She kept going."I need you to find out where he's keeping Marcus's sister. Marcus doesn't know where she is. Thorne has kept that information secret. But he'll talk to you. If he trusts you, he'll let something slip. A location. A name. Anything."I opened my mouth to speak. She wasn't finished."I need you to feed me information. Anything you learn. Any movement he makes. Any conversation you overhear. Anything that could help us find her and get her out."She paused. Her eyes met mine."And I need you to do it fast. Every day we wait, that girl is in more danger. Th
Kaden's POVThe words hung in the air between us.She needed my help. Ciara. The same woman who had looked at me with nothing but disgust and anger in that corridor. The same woman who had told me to my face that I was a fool, that I had ruined any chance I ever had with her. The same woman who had walked away from me without a second glance, leaving me standing there like a pathetic fool.And now she was here. In my study. Asking for my help.I stared at her, trying to process what I had just heard. My mind was spinning. This was the last thing I had expected. The last thing I had prepared for.Isolde laughed. It was a sharp, mocking sound that cut through the silence."Oh, this is rich," she said, her voice dripping with contempt. "She comes here, insults you, calls you a fool in front of everyone, and now she wants your help? You're not actually going to listen to her, are you?"I turned to Isolde. My voice was flat. Cold."One more word and I will have guards drag you out of here.
Ciara's POVI pushed the door open and stepped inside.The sight that greeted me made me stop cold. Kaden was behind his desk, looking like he hadn't slept in days. His hair was disheveled. His shirt was wrinkled. Dark circles rimmed his eyes. He looked like a man who had been fighting a war against himself and losing.And Isolde was leaning over his desk, her hands flat on the surface, her face too close to his. She was wearing something low-cut. Her hair was loose. She looked like she had just walked out of a dream—or a nightmare, depending on who you asked.My stomach turned.For a moment, I couldn't move. Couldn't think. Couldn't do anything but stare at the two of them. Kaden, the man who had rejected me so cruelly. And Isolde, the woman who had been in Draven's bed. The woman who was doing everything she could to tear us apart.What the hell was going on here?Was this some kind of alliance? A partnership? Or something worse? The thought made my skin crawl. Isolde had been obses
Kaden's POVThe documents blurred in front of me.I had been staring at them for the better part of an hour, and they still didn't make sense. Land disputes. Trade agreements. Council minutes. All the things that Draven used to handle. All the things that had fallen to me now that he was confined to his quarters.I pushed the papers aside and rubbed my temples.It wasn't supposed to be like this.I leaned back in my chair and stared at the ceiling. The weight of everything pressed down on me—the responsibilities, the expectations, the constant feeling that I was drowning in things I didn't want to do. The council meetings that dragged on for hours. The endless petitions from pack members who expected me to solve their problems. The way my father looked at me now—like I was failing at something I hadn't even asked for.And then there was her.Ciara.Her face kept surfacing in my mind. The way she had looked at me in the corridor. The coldness in her voice. The way she had said never. T
Ciara’s POVI walked out of Marcus's quarters with my mind spinning. The corridor was empty. Silent. I leaned against the wall for a moment and closed my eyes.I had made a promise. A vow. On my soul. I would save Marcus's sister. I didn't know how. I didn't know where she was being held. But I had sworn I would do it.And I had no plan.I pushed off the wall and started walking. I needed to think. I needed to clear my head. I needed someone to talk to—someone who wasn't caught up in this mess.I found myself heading toward the training yard.Serafine was there, as always. She was standing in the center of the yard, her arms crossed, watching a group of young wolves run through their forms. Her eyes were sharp, missing nothing. She saw me the moment I stepped through the gate.She dismissed the young wolves with a wave of her hand and walked toward me."You look terrible," she said."Thank you." I managed a weak smile. "I feel terrible."She studied me for a moment. Her eyes narrowed.
Ciara's POVHe did. His eyes were glassy with fear."I know you're scared," I said. "I know you're terrified for your sister. And I know you think you have no way out. But you do. There is a way out. And I'm going to help you find it. But I can't help you if you don't tell me the truth."He swallowed hard. His throat bobbed."He told me..." He stopped. Started again. "He told me exactly what to say. Word for word. He made me practice it. Over and over again until I could say it without hesitating."My blood went cold. "What did he make you say?"Marcus closed his eyes. His voice was hollow when he spoke."That I helped Draven build the network. That I helped him cover his tracks. That I helped him fabricate the evidence against Thorne. He gave me names. Dates. Account numbers. Everything I needed to make it sound real.""What names?""Intermediaries. People who didn't exist. He said if anyone asked about them, I should say they were paid off and disappeared. He told me to say that Dra







