Darius's POV The coffee mug exploded against the wall, sending ceramic shards and hot liquid spraying across my office. Thomas didn't even flinch… after years as my beta, he'd learned to read the warning signs of my temper and position himself accordingly."Say that again," I growled, my wolf clawing at my chest like a caged animal desperate for freedom."Magnus Veyra paid a visit to the Steel Vultures compound three hours ago." Thomas's voice was carefully controlled, professional, but I could smell the concern radiating off him. "He made offers to her but… she refused them."The words hit me like physical blows, each one stoking the fire building in my chest. Magnus. That platinum-haired bastard had dared to approach my mate, my son, on territory I was already claiming as mine."What kind of offers?" I forced the words through gritted teeth.Thomas consulted his phone, reading from the message our human spy had sent. "First, he offered to take the boy and protect them both from you
Kiera's POV The rumble of unfamiliar engines outside made my blood run cold. These weren't the synchronized throats of Darius's Black Howl machines, nor the familiar growl of Steel Vultures bikes. This was something else entirely different, more aggressive, like predators announcing their arrival.I was in the garage with Eli, teaching him how to identify different engine sounds, when the convoy rolled up to our gates. Through the grimy windows, I could see at least fifteen motorcycles, their riders wearing crimson and black patches that made my wolf recoil instinctively.Crimson Howlers."Mama?" Eli looked up from the wrench he'd been pretending to use on an old carburetor. "Those bikes sound angry."He wasn't wrong. Everything about the new arrivals screamed aggression, from the way they'd arranged themselves in attack formation to the casual way their hands rested near concealed weapons. This wasn't a social visit."Stay here," I told Eli, guiding him toward the back of the garage
Kiera's POV "There's something else you all need to know."The words came out heavier than I'd intended, settling over the Steel Vultures like a storm cloud. We were gathered in the main room of the clubhouse, Jack, Sable, Big Mike, Razor Eddie, Tommy, and the handful of others who'd stayed after learning what they were really up against. The ones who'd chosen loyalty over self-preservation.I'd been back for three hours, long enough to check on Eli and grab a cup of coffee that had gone cold in my shaking hands. Long enough to realize that the revelation about Marcus changed everything, but I wasn't sure how.Jack looked up from the map he'd been studying, his pale eyes sharp with attention. "What kind of something else?"I took a breath, tasting motor oil and cigarette smoke and the familiar comfort of home. These people deserved the truth, even if it made them run screaming into the night."The child Sarah was carrying five years ago… Marcus… he's not Darius's son."The silence th
Darius's POV "Know your place, Sarah."The words came out as a low growl, barely containing the fury that had been building in my chest since Kiera's midnight visit. Sarah stood before me in my private office, her chin raised defiantly despite the alpha command radiating from every inch of my body."My place?" Her laugh was bitter, sharp-edged. "I've been by your side for five years, Darius. I've raised your…""Don't." The word cracked like a whip, and she took an involuntary step backward. "Don't stand there and lie to both our faces. We both know Marcus isn't mine."The silence that followed was deafening. For a moment, something almost vulnerable flickered across Sarah's features… fear, or the realization that her carefully constructed world might be crumbling.Then her expression hardened back into the mask of righteous indignation she'd worn for years."I don't know what you're talking about," she said, but I could smell the lie on her, could see it in the way her pulse jumped a
Kiera's POV "Sarah. Leave us."Darius's voice carried the full weight of alpha command, rolling across the compound like thunder. The dominance in his tone was absolute, the kind of order that brooked no argument, no hesitation, no defiance.Sarah's spine stiffened, her newly-turned wolf responding to the authority even as her human side bristled with indignation. "Darius, I don't think…""Now." The single word cracked like a whip, and I saw several pack members in the distance take involuntary steps backward. This was the alpha I remembered, the one who could bend entire rooms to his will with nothing more than his voice.For a moment, Sarah looked like she might argue. Her jaw clenched, her hands curled into fists, and I caught a whiff of the anger radiating off her in waves. But even a newly-turned wolf knew better than to challenge an alpha's direct command in front of his pack."Fine," she said through gritted teeth. But as she passed close to me, she leaned in and whispered jus
Kiera's POV The Harley's engine purred beneath me as I moved from the dark mountain roads leading to Black Howl territory. Three in the morning, and the world was painted in shades of silver and shadow under the full moon. Perfect hunting weather, my wolf whispered, stirring restlessly in my chest after years of forced dormancy.I'd left the Steel Vultures compound while everyone slept, leaving only a brief note for Sable explaining where I'd gone. Not why, I wasn't sure I understood that myself. Maybe it was the memory of Eli's claws extending for the first time, the way his eyes had glowed gold with inherited power or it was the knowledge that every day we delayed meant more danger for the people who'd become my family, or I was just tired of running.The turnoff to the old Ironfang territory came up faster than I remembered, marked now by a new sign: "Black Howl MC - Private Property." The familiar scents hit me as soon as I cut the engine, leather, motor oil, and underneath it a