Aries – POVThe journey to the Association grounds didn’t take long, thanks to our small group and the efficiency of our pace. Lilly had made sure everything was prepped before we left, and Robin had discreetly included some of the former banished warriors among the guards. Smart move, considering how uncertain this trip already felt.Still, all I wanted was to get this over with and return to Rex. Even my wolf had been restless the entire journey, his instincts clawing at the edges of my mind like a caged animal sensing something was wrong. But there wasn’t much I could do,yet.“Are we going straight to the meeting room?” I asked Lilly as we approached the pack’s main entrance.“According to Regal’s update, the meeting won’t start until tomorrow morning,” she replied. “So we’re expected to settle into our accommodations first.”“No formal greeting from Alpha Levon?” I asked, frowning.She shook her head. “None.”That was odd. A meeting of this magnitude, and not even the courtesy of
Rex's POVThe uneasy feeling still hadn’t left.It sat in my chest like a growing knot tight, pulsing, impossible to ignore. I tried to bury it under the day’s responsibilities, under the laughter I shared with Rose during morning rounds, under the calm of watching our warriors train.But it lingered.And I wasn’t the only one who felt it.Knowing Julian sensed it too made me even more certain this wasn’t nerves from Aries being away, or stress from filling in as Luna.Something was off.I found Julian alone in the strategy room, arms folded, his gaze fixed on nothing in particular.“You’re still feeling it too, right?” I asked, skipping the pleasantries.It had been a full day since that strange feeling swept through the pack. And still, no clarity. Ria had spent the entire night trying to sort through it with me, but we’d come up with nothing.Julian nodded once. “It’s the same as yesterday, Rex. I positioned more guards like you asked. Still, nothing unusual.”Robin walked in not l
Rex’s POVI didn’t realize how quickly I’d gotten used to Aries being around until he wasn’t.The house felt quieter.The halls, a little too still.And even though I knew exactly where he was and why, it didn’t make the absence any easier to swallow.Julian, of course, wasted no time snapping everything back into place.“Again,” he said voice sharp but patient, like always.I lunged, dodged left, and narrowly missed Robin’s elbow as it swept past my shoulder. We circled each other in the clearing behind the training grounds, sweat clinging to my skin like second nature.Robin grinned, sounding cocky.Too cocky.Too much time around Julian was definitely rubbing off on him.“You’re slower today, Luna.”“I’m holding back so you don’t cry,” I shot back—and lunged again.This time, I got him. Knees to chest, using his momentum against him, just like Julian drilled into me. Robin hit the ground with a grunt and a laugh.“Better,” Julian called from the sidelines. “But keep your center tig
Rex’s POVAries and I spent the next two days together, just as we’d planned.It was almost cruel, how fast the hours slipped through our fingers once they were numbered.The light outside had begun to dim, casting the room in that golden haze that made everything feel like a memory too soon. Aries sat on the edge of the bed, hunched over a folded note Lilly had handed him, travel details, probably. His brows were drawn together like he could somehow stare hard enough to bend reality to his will.I watched him quietly for a minute before moving toward him.“You overthinking it again?” I asked, stepping in front of him.His eyes met mine, and just like that, the weight he was carrying seemed to settle behind his lashes instead of pressing down on his shoulders.“Maybe,” he admitted. “I just hate the thought of leaving.”I cupped the side of his face, brushing my thumb gently along the short stubble at his jaw.“You’ll come back,” I said softly. “And I’ll be here when you do.”He leaned
ARIES POV:That call was not one I was expecting.As I stepped out to take it, I could feel Rex and Julian standing just behind the door, their presence a quiet weight in the room. I focused instead on the voice at the other end of the line.The last time the Association called, Ron and Maron showed up at my doorstep.I had no idea what to expect this time.“Alpha Aries,” came the voice crisp, formal, unmistakable.“To what do I owe this pleasure, Regal?” I replied, matching his tone word for word.“There will be a mandatory summit for all high-ranking Alphas. It’s been called by the Association. Attendance is not optional.”My jaw tensed.“When?” I asked tightly.“In two days. It’ll be held at the central council grounds of the Association pack. You’re to arrive by sunset and remain for the full duration of the summit. Two days minimum, possibly more.”I already hated this.“Is there any reason for the urgency?” I asked, more out of habit than hope. Summits like this weren’t called o
Rex’s POVThe past week had been nothing but plain normal the kind of normal I’d always wished for but never truly believed I’d get.Waking up without the weight of fear.Eating without silence hovering like a shadow.Laughing… actually laughing.Aries had insisted on keeping things light , training was optional, no strategy meetings, no intense sparring. Just time. Time to breathe. To rest. And for once, we were allowed to.So when he leaned over the table one quiet afternoon, eyes gleaming with that mischievous spark he always got when something was on his mind, I already knew what he was about to say.“Come for a run with me?” he asked, his mouth twitching into a grin.I raised a brow. “Now?”“Now,” he confirmed, already on his feet. “We’ve both been in human skin too long. I need to stretch. You need to shift.”Then, with a tilt of his head, “You haven’t shifted since your first time. I’m sure Ria’s itching to get out too.”I thought about it and of course, he wasn’t wrong. So I n