Chapter 17

Full Circle

Grace's POV

It had taken three hours of gentle persistence and outright manipulation to get Jace onto the cot Dr. Martinez had wheeled into his father's room. Three hours of watching him sway on his feet while stubbornly insisting he was fine, of listening to his voice crack with exhaustion as he tried to maintain the facade of being in control.

In the end, it wasn't logic that convinced him. It was the promise that I would stay, that I would watch over Alpha Storm while he rested. The trust he placed in that promise—in me—was staggering in its completeness, especially given our history.

"You'll wake me if anything changes?" he'd asked for the fifth time as he'd finally lowered himself onto the narrow cot.

"I'll wake you," I'd assured him, and the relief in his eyes had been almost painful to witness.

Now he slept, and even unconscious he looked terrible. Three days of stubble couldn't hide the hollows in his cheeks, and there were dark circles under his eyes that spoke of more than just recent sleeplessness. This was the exhaustion of months, maybe years, of carrying burdens that were slowly crushing him.

His breathing was deep but restless, occasionally interrupted by soft sounds of distress that made my chest tighten with unwanted sympathy. Even in sleep, he couldn't find peace.

I turned my attention to the still form in the hospital bed, and the irony of the situation wasn't lost on me. Here I was, sitting beside Alpha Storm's bedside like a dutiful pack member, watching over the man who'd once been my leader and protector. The same room where I'd been brought after my fall down the school steps, when this very man had questioned the circumstances and set Connor to investigate.

He'd tried to protect me when no one else would. And now I was returning the favor, though he'd never know it.

Alpha Storm looked smaller than I remembered, diminished by the machines and medical equipment surrounding him. But his face in repose still held the strength that had made him one of the most respected leaders in the region. Even unconscious, even broken, he maintained the dignity that had defined his forty-year reign.

The monitors displayed his vital signs in steady lines and numbers—heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen levels, brain activity. All stable, all within acceptable ranges, but Dr. Martinez's words echoed in my mind: *The next 48 hours will determine whether he walks again.*

I glanced at the clock on the wall. 3:17 AM. I'd been here for six hours now, had sent my security detail back to Silver Moon with word that I'd be staying overnight. Grandfather wouldn't approve, but he'd understand. Regional stability required strong allies, and Storm pack needed leadership right now.

At least, that's what I kept telling myself.

The truth was more complicated, layered with emotions I wasn't ready to examine. Sitting in this sterile room, watching the two Storm men who'd shaped so much of my life—one unconscious, one finally getting the rest his body desperately needed—I felt the weight of everything that had brought me to this moment.

Four years ago, I would have done anything to be accepted by this pack, to find my place in their hierarchy. I'd been desperate for belonging, for validation, for someone to see worth in the awkward keeper's daughter. Now I sat here as Alpha Grace Silver, heir to one of the most powerful packs in the region, offering help from a position of strength rather than begging for scraps of kindness.

The transformation should have felt triumphant. Instead, it just felt... sad.

A soft knock at the door interrupted my thoughts, and I looked up to see Mia entering with two cups of coffee and an expression of cautious gratitude.

"I thought you might need this," she said quietly, offering me one of the steaming cups.

"Thank you." I accepted the coffee gratefully, inhaling the rich aroma. "How's the pack holding up?"

"Better now that Jace is finally sleeping." Mia settled into another chair on the opposite side of Alpha Storm's bed. "Connor's been trying to maintain order, but without clear leadership..." She shrugged helplessly.

"The attack was coordinated," I said, keeping my voice low so as not to wake Jace. "Military precision. This wasn't random rogue violence."

Mia nodded grimly. "We figured that much. The question is who's behind it and why now."

I could have shared what Grandfather had told me about the other planned attacks, about the systematic campaign to destabilize regional leadership. But that intelligence was Silver Moon's to control, and despite my presence here, my first loyalty had to be to my own pack.

"Have you had any diplomatic tensions lately? Trade disputes, territorial disagreements?"

"Nothing significant. A few minor border issues with Crescent pack, but nothing worth assassination attempts." Mia studied my face in the dim light. "You think this is bigger than just targeting Storm pack?"

"I think," I said carefully, "that you need to be prepared for the possibility that this won't be the last attack. Professional killers don't usually stop after one job."

Mia's face paled, but she nodded with the grim acceptance of someone who'd already suspected as much. "What would you do? If you were in our position?"

The question surprised me with its directness. Mia was asking me—Grace Silver, former outcast—for strategic advice about protecting her pack. The trust implicit in that request was both humbling and terrifying.

"Increase border patrols, obviously. Establish secure communication protocols with your allies. Create contingency plans for leadership succession if..." I gestured toward the bed where Alpha Storm lay motionless. "And most importantly, present a united front. Your enemies are counting on internal chaos to weaken you."

"Internal chaos," Mia repeated softly. "Like having your heir collapse from exhaustion and guilt?"

I glanced over at Jace, who'd shifted in his sleep but remained unconscious. "He's stronger than he thinks. He just needs time to remember that."

"Is he?" Mia's voice held a note of desperate hope. "Because for the past three years, ever since... well, ever since you left, he's been different. Harder, more driven, but also more isolated. Like he's been punishing himself for something."

The words hit me harder than I expected. I'd been so focused on my own transformation, my own journey from weakness to strength, that I hadn't considered how my absence might have affected the people I'd left behind. Jace's guilt and self-destruction weren't just about his father's injuries—they were about three years of carrying regret for choices he couldn't undo.

"People change," I said carefully. "Trauma shapes us, but it doesn't have to define us."

"You certainly changed." Mia's observation held no judgment, just quiet awe. "When you walked into that reception hall at Silver Moon, I barely recognized you. The confidence, the presence—you've become everything a Luna should be."

Luna. The title I'd once dreamed of, once thought I'd been destined for. Now it felt like something from another lifetime, a role that belonged to a girl who no longer existed.

"I became what I needed to survive," I said simply.

"And what Jace needed to see, apparently." Mia's smile was sad but knowing. "The way he looked at you at the summit... I haven't seen that expression on his face in three years."

I didn't know how to respond to that observation, so I focused on my coffee instead. The bitter warmth was a welcome distraction from the uncomfortable direction the conversation had taken.

We sat in comfortable silence for a while, two women keeping vigil over the men who'd shaped their lives in different ways. The machines continued their steady monitoring, the only sound in the room besides our quiet breathing and Jace's restless sleep.

At some point, Mia dozed off in her chair, leaving me alone with my thoughts and the weight of everything that had brought me back to this place I'd sworn never to return to. The pack hospital where I'd been treated for injuries sustained while being bullied. The territory where I'd lost my parents, been rejected by my mate, cast out like refuse.

But also the place where Alpha Storm had tried to protect me. Where Connor had shown me kindness. Where, despite everything that had gone wrong, some people had tried to do right by a girl who'd had no power to protect herself.

Now I had that power. The question was what I intended to do with it.

As dawn light began to filter through the hospital room windows, I made a decision that would have shocked the broken girl I'd once been. I was going to help Storm pack survive this crisis, not because I owed them anything, but because I was finally strong enough to show mercy to those who'd failed me.

It wasn't forgiveness—that would take more time, if it ever came at all. But it was something else, something that felt like the beginning of healing wounds I'd carried for far too long.

The machines beeped steadily, Alpha Storm slept on in his medically induced peace, and Jace's breathing finally settled into the deep rhythm of true rest.

And I sat between them all, Alpha Grace Silver, no longer the frightened girl seeking acceptance but a woman powerful enough to offer aid without expecting anything in return.

It felt, surprisingly, like coming home.