Vincent stood in front of a shattered altar within the shadowed ruins of the Black pine temple, his eyes burning with fury. Flames crackled around the walls as he hurled a steel goblet into the stone.“She’s dead,” Alina said calmly, though her own tension was clear.Vincent didn’t turn. “I told her to keep her head down. Blend in and Wait for my signal.”“She panicked.”“She was my only direct link ” he spat. “the closest to the plans, She fed us everything for months and made us two steps ahead. Now she’s ash and we're back to square one”Kyle stood a few steps behind, his arms crossed, blood staining the edge of his clothes. “She was weak. She hesitated.”“And you failed to take the twins when you had the chance, you have no right to speak” Vincent said as he turned sharply. “Are we all just failing now?”Kyle’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t speak.Alina approached the map on the wall, pinning two red flags to new positions.“We underestimated them. Eric’s not just reacting anymore
the fortress buzzed with motion. Blood was still being scrubbed from weapons and armor and an unease clung to the walls like smoke. We had won for now but peace was far from what we felt.Something lingered. Someone.“We need to flush them out,” Maya said flatly as she entered the war room, her silver-streaked braid clinging to her back with sweat and dried blood.Eric nodded, not looking away from the reports that Jaden had posted. “Kyle didn’t work alone. He couldn’t have.”“He had access to someone on our side,” Jaden muttered. “The breach... It was too precise.”I stood near the door, arms crossed.“They knew when we were moving. Where we’d be. Even the disguises”Eric turned to me, eyes sharp. “Then we find who did especially since Kyle escaped.”They nodded, something in their eyes gave me a sense of assurance but I knew how long it would last.Maya began tracing every communication made in the last two weeks. Every person's steps, every word.And soon they finally made
The underground chamber was silent and the children slept uneasily, curled in thick blankets, while I sat on the edge, every muscle in my body wired with tension. Eric stood near the sealed exit, his arms crossed, bruises blooming on his neck and jaw from the earlier attack.We hadn’t spoken much since we were brought to safety. There was no need. The fear in our eyes said it all.“They’ll come again,” I whispered. “Soon.” Eric noddedA soft knock came at the steel door.Jaden entered, his blood-streaked shirt was almost completely torn. “We’re clear, for now, but the western ridge was compromised. It’s only a matter of time before they circle back.” “We will move them tonight.” Eric said silent I shot up. “Tonight? We’re not ready”“We won’t be ready tomorrow either,” he snapped. “I won’t risk them again.”My hands trembled. “And the mole?”Jaden hesitated before answering. “Still sniffing him out. But whoever it is… they knew about the tunnel.”“They knew where to hit.” I didn
Lucas stood barefoot, eyes closed, his lips parted in concentration. I watched him, my heart hammering with unease. He wanted some air, a break from being on lockdown, but he had wandered like someone was calling for him.“Lucas,” I called gently. “Don’t go too far, sweetheart.”“I can feel the wind talking” he said his eyes still shut. I froze. “What… what do you mean?”He lifted a hand slowly, and the wind responded. The leaves stirred at his feet and the air danced around his small fingers.when he opened his eyes they glowed, a faint silver. I stumbled back trying to get hold of something to steady myself “Lucas…” I heard myself call out.Lily came out of the house, skipping toward us, until she saw Lucas. Then she stopped. Her eyes widened and at that moment, I saw it, the same faint silver glimmer in her eyes.Lucas dropped his hand as if realising what had just happened. "I'm sorry"I rushed to him, cradling his cheeks. His eyes had returned to normal. But something insid
Lucas’s scream filled the room, causing me to bolt from the bed, my heart pounding in my chest. I barely had time to register when I heard his terrified voice call out.“Mummy”I didn't think, running towards his scream everything was a blur as I flung the door to the living room open.Lucas was pressed against the window, he was shaking, his finger pointing at the corner of the room.“There was someone there," he sobbed.I gathered him into my arms trying to coax him. “It’s okay, baby, it’s okay.”My eyes snapped to the window, narrowing. Everything looked normal, everything felt normal.But my instincts screamed otherwise.Footsteps thundered from the hall. Eric burst into the room, shirtless, already brimming with fury. “What happened?”I turned to him, as I cradled Lucas. “He says he saw someone. Said a man was right here at this corner.” I said as I pointed.Eric peered out the window, his entire body tensed. He didn’t speak for several seconds. “I smell him.” he said, his voi
Standing at the edge of the penthouse, I watched the children chase each other using the chairs as obstacles. Lucas’s laughter echoed as he darted away from Lily, who giggled in pursuit. For a moment, it was easy to forget everything we had escaped. This life, hidden away in the penthouse was suffocating but dreamlike. Eric had bought it immediately we reached the city, keeping men around the building for our safety. He’d kept his promise to protect us. Since the moment he found us and I agreed to trust him, for the sake of the children. He had done everything to hide them from the world he belonged to. He had kept me a secret, hiding out with unlimited supplies and limited movement. I watched the twins with a bittersweet smile. I still raised them like humans, though their wolf threatened to be exposed every day. It scared me as it was getting harder to hide who they were. Eric never pushed. He respected my decisions and was oddly understand. But there was something, it had