Writer’s POVThe air in the packhouse had shifted. What had once been filled with tension and uncertainty now felt like a long-awaited sigh of relief. Aurora was alive. Not just alive, but thriving. And Asher was by her side, standing tall, knowing that despite everything, they had survived. The worst had passed, or so they hoped. And now, a new chapter had begun.Yet even as the pack began to settle, there remained one last task to address: Ava’s fate.The room where the council usually convened was heavy with the weight of this decision. Asher stood before his packmates, the authority of his position evident in the way he carried himself. But there was an edge to him, something raw and unyielding. He had always been a strong leader, but there were moments where his heart wavered. This was one of those moments.Ava’s betrayal had cut deeper than any wound. She had come to the pack as family, only to turn on them with the kind of malice that could not be forgiven. The thought of
Aurora’s POVI couldn’t stop smiling.The moment the healer told me I was pregnant again, something inside me shifted—like the sun had finally broken through the clouds after a long storm. I placed a hand over my stomach as I stood in front of the mirror, brushing my hair back. I hadn’t told the twins yet. I hadn’t even had the chance to sit down with Asher and talk about names or what this meant for our future—but it didn’t matter. For the first time in a while, I felt light.Happy.I was carrying life. A piece of us.I hummed softly as I reached for my robe, draping it over my shoulders. I didn’t hear the door creak open. I didn’t sense the danger until it was already inside the room.The moment I turned toward the bed, I froze.Ava stood there.Her eyes were wild—empty, broken, and filled with the kind of rage that couldn’t be reasoned with. And in her hand was a silver knife.“Ava,” I breathed, stepping back instinctively. “You don’t have to do this.”“You took everything,” she h
Asher's POVWeeks had passed since the storm—the kind that didn't tear trees or shatter windows but left scars all the same. The kind that clawed at the inside of your chest, whispering that peace is always temporary.Now, I sat in the council room, the air still and cold.Aurora sat beside me, her presence calm but unreadable, like always. Loid stood at attention to my right, his arms folded, eyes sharp, waiting—ever the watchful shadow.The large oak table between us bore the weight of our responsibilities. On its polished surface were maps, reports, and a folder stamped with a red “X.” That red mark had become all too familiar lately. It meant danger. Uncertainty. Rogues.I let out a breath and stared down at the latest file.A new rogue group had surfaced on the outskirts of the western borders. They weren’t just passing through like most. They were organized. Strategic. And from the signs left behind, they had blood on their hands. Pack blood.“This isn’t just another scattered
Aurora’s POVI don’t remember how long we drove.Time blurred as I clutched Asher’s hand, my heart pounding so hard it hurt. Every minute that passed felt like another moment too late. All I could think about was our children—where they were, what they might be going through, and whether we’d get there in time.Hannah’s last words repeated in my head like a curse.They’re with Ava… She’s planning to trade them for money.It was the kind of betrayal that left a wound deeper than any blade. And it wasn’t just about the betrayal—it was the fear. The unknown. The unbearable thought that we might not get them back.When we arrived at the address Hannah had given us, the place looked abandoned. An old storage facility, quiet, empty, surrounded by nothing but weeds and silence.We rushed through the rusted doors, searching every shadow, every corner. But they weren’t there.No kids. No Ava.My heart dropped to the pit of my stomach.I stood frozen in the middle of the room, struggling to br
Asher POVThere’s a sound that a gun makes when it fires at close range—so loud it eats the world around you. For a moment, that’s all there is. The crack of it rang in my ears long after the trigger had been pulled. I hadn’t even realized I was breathing until I looked down and saw my mother—my own mother—staggering back, her body folding over as blood bloomed beneath her hands.It all happened so fast. My heartbeat was thundering in my chest, drowning everything out. Time had fractured, stretched into pieces that didn’t make sense. One second she was lunging at Aurora, rage wild in her eyes, and the next… I stopped her.I stopped her with a bullet.She dropped to her knees, slow and strangely graceful. Her face wasn’t angry anymore. There was shock in her eyes, yes—but beneath that, I saw something I hadn’t seen since I was a child.Fear. Weakness. And... maybe regret.“Hannah—” I choked out, my voice strangled by guilt and adrenaline.I moved toward her, every inch of me resistin
Aurora POVI didn’t care about the consequences anymore. The moment we received the intel, my body moved on its own. My heart pounded with rage, panic, and a single-minded determination: end this. I was done waiting, done thinking, done planning. Hannah had crossed every line imaginable, and I was going to make her pay—today.“Asher, I’m going.” I snatched my jacket and turned toward the door, fury blazing under my skin like wildfire.He stepped in front of me. “Aurora, wait. We can’t just rush in there without a strategy. You know how she is. She’s expecting this. We need a plan, trust me—”“There’s no time for a damn plan!” I snapped, my voice rising louder than I intended. “She has my family. She’s taken too much already. Every second we sit here talking is another second she’s one step ahead!”His eyes softened, but I didn’t want softness. Not now.I shoved past him, and then I said it—the thing that had been simmering beneath the surface for too long. “All of this… everything… i