LOGINTHE INQUIRY They think I’m fragile,like I would break any second that used to be my weakness until I made it my weapon. The way their hands linger too long on my arms. The way their voices soften when they speak to me. The way the room always goes quiet when I enter, like I’m made of glass instead of bone.It made me smile. I sit in the Alpha’s solar, wrapped in pale blue silk, a cup of herbal tea trembling just enough in my hands to sell the illusion. My hair is still damp, still unbound. My skin is still faintly pale. Perfect, everything was going as planned. Ronan watches me from across the room in a calculating manner like his trying to assess the situation,he has always been too much. “You should still be resting,” he says. I lower my eyes,my lashes tremble as my voice soften. “I couldn’t sleep,” I whispered. “Every time I close my eyes, I see myself in the water.” That was the truth,Just not the way they thought. Florian stands near the window,arms crossed, ja
THE PRICE OF MERCY I didn’t remember falling ,Only the cold. It was probably a bad idea to have refused help before. The cold didn't feel like the sharp kind that burned like silver, but a deep, suffocating cold that crept into my bones and refused to leave. The kind that made breathing feel heavy, like my lungs were filled with water instead of air. Days passed in fragments. Voices blurred together. Hands pressed cool cloths against my skin. Bitter liquid forced past my lips. My body drifted in and out of awareness, fevered and shaking. But my wolf was silent. That terrified me more than the illness. When I finally opened my eyes properly, the light was wrong. Too soft. Too warm. The ceiling above me wasn’t the guest room. This place smelled of old magic and dried herbs. Elder Nelda’s chambers. I tried to move. Pain flooded my body instantly, dull and consuming, as if every muscle had been drained dry. “Don’t,” a familiar voice said quietly. “You’ll make it wo
Her body slammed against mine the second my fingers closed on her fur. She twisted, teeth snapping near my arm, fear so wild it nearly dragged us both under. “Stop fighting me!” I growled through chattering teeth. For one brief second, she froze. That was enough. I hooked my arms around her chest and kicked upward. Every stroke shredded my muscles, the silver current eating through skin and soul alike. Hands reached from above. Wolves pulled Navy out first, her sodden body flopping onto the ice. She whimpered, shivering, eyes darting in dazed panic. I clawed my way out next and collapsed on the frozen ground, chest heaving. My skin smoked faintly where the water had seared it. “Natille!” Not Navy’s voice. Nellie’s. Her boots struck the ice as she stormed toward me, fury rolling off her. “What did you do?” she snarled. “You pushed her in, didn’t you?” I blinked, vision tilting, my body too drained to rise. My wolf bristled weakly, but before I could force a word out, Nena stepp
A sharp laugh ripped from me, hollow and harsh.“Punish you?” I stepped forward, eyes locked on hers. “Do you think that’s why I’m angry? That punishment would fix this?”Her lip trembled. She shook under my words.“Is that all?” I pressed, my wolf rising inside me. “Was that your only betrayal?”Her tears slid freely now. She froze, caught like prey.“When I lost my place to the true daughter, when I still tried to hold onto what we had, why did you destroy me?” My voice cracked but I kept it firm.Her wolf whimpered, faint and pitiful. It stabbed into the wound I carried for years.“My wolf never showed aggression to yours,” I said, stepping closer, towering over her. “Never challenged your place here.”Navy gasped, no words ready this time.“You could have had everything,” I growled. “Without harming me. Without taking my life, my freedom, my future.”Her wolf whimpered again. Her body shook, weak and unsteady.I leaned in, voice low. “Tell me why, Navy. Why break not just the crys
Navy’s eyes flicked toward me, a glimmer of calculation behind her wide expression. Before she could speak, I added, “And I no longer carry the Wilson pack name.” The room shifted. Nicole sucked in a sharp breath, loud enough for everyone to hear. “That isn’t something you can throw away,” a deep voice growled from the doorway. I spun. Ronan stepped inside with Florian close behind. His golden eyes glared, his wolf pressing against his skin. “You’ll always be Wilson blood,” Ronan snapped. “The registry proves it.” A laugh escaped me, bitter and hard. “Is that so?” I asked. “Strange. Three days after I was locked in Moon Shadow Prison, Alpha Sullivan told the council I had no blood rights left. Official. Recorded.” The color drained from Nicole’s face. “Keeping me listed now,” I went on, voice cold, “would mean lying to the Alpha King himself.” The silence that followed was brutal. Nelda let out a low, aching sound, her wolf bleeding grief into the room. Nicole’s fingers clutch
“Why were you really at the gates?” Ronan’s voice hit me like claws scraping stone, low and dangerous. His wolf pressed forward, energy sharp and hot. I kept my hands loose at my sides, shoulders relaxed, not giving him the fight he wanted. “What exactly are you accusing me of?” My tone stayed calm, almost lazy. “Don’t play dumb with me.” He stepped closer, fury rolling off him. “You’re Navy’s intended mate now. Don’t forget your place!” There it was. The jealousy. The way he hid it behind duty. I folded my arms, a smirk tugging at my mouth. “Interesting concern. You’re quick to defend the sister you humiliated a moment ago.” His jaw locked, teeth grinding. “Don’t twist this,” he snapped. “Appearances matter to you,” I said, letting each word drag. “But your sister Natille looked untouched by your little offerings. Those pastries. The stones. She barely glanced at them.” “What are you talking about?” His eyes narrowed. Finch bristled under his skin. “She couldn’t stand their







