Aiden POVI wasn’t sure how I made it back to the accommodation. I wasn’t even sure how I packed. Everything moved in a blur, my heart pounding violently against my chest, threatening to crack open. But this wasn’t about me.It was about Rex. About our pack,our people who had been left behind and were now possibly in danger.By the time I stepped out of the house, rage burned through every vein in my body. A kind of fury I hadn’t known existed inside me. And I knew, without doubt there were only two people capable of pulling off such a cowardly stunt.Ron.And Regal.I stormed toward the exit of the pack, Lilly and our warriors close behind. My mind was a single chant: Let her be safe. Let Rex be safe.If anything happened to her again... I wouldn’t hold back. I would burn the entire Blue Crescent pack to ash.We were nearly at the edge of the territory when a wall of warriors rushed out, blocking our path, and of course, Regal stood at their center.I nearly laughed. Did he really th
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