LOGINThe morning of the trial had arrived…A full week had gone by in a blip.The sun had barely begun to climb over the mountains surrounding Nightwing Pack when Damien opened his eyes.He had hardly been able to sleep…in truth not since after that night with Serena.He hadn’t even gone to see her ever since…Not that he didn’t like what happened, he loved it. But that was what scared him the most…that fear that if he lets her in fully, only for her to get executed right in front of him… there would be no recovering from that.He sat at the edge of his bed for several seconds, elbows resting on his knees as he stared at the floor.Today.His eyes slowly lifted toward the window.Today would decide everything.Not just for Serena, but for where both of them stood.A knock sounded.Before he answered, the door opened and Grey stepped in.His movements were still slower than usual after his injuries, though he stood straight.Grey folded his arms at him… "You look terrible, then again, looks
The morning after that….Serena was up first, smuggling her way out of Damein’s hold.And then it really hit her what happened last night.She and Damein…f**ked.For a moment she just stood there in the room, unsure of what to think or say or do.How did she let this happen? How…did she let herself enjoy it so much as well? But that was the thing that really disturbed her the most…she didn’t hate it, or regret that it happened.Infact… She liked it.“No.” She muttered under her breath, picking up her clothes scattered around the room.She couldn’t let herself fall right into him so easily…whether she enjoyed it or not, still she had to keep her boundaries. She couldn’t let him in…again, and then have herself get hurt, again.For now…this was where this ended.Once she finished dressing quietly, she gently pushed the door open and stepped out.The halls of the pack house were quiet by this time, though she could hear some distant steps.She had to sneak back to the cells before anyon
“No… Damein! Stop!” Serena continued to protest right until the gates of the village entrance, where Damein finally stopped and turned to her.“So any second thoughts about this?” He asked, breathing heavily.“Yes! I do!”“Well it’s too late..”“Wait—“Before she could finish, Damein pushed the gates open and pulled her in.“No!!”Then it hit her…The wave of noises and movements… that normalcy that the village always has.The memories slipped in as well… When she was little she would sneak in here to play with the other children.Her dad would be mad when he eventually sends guards to pick her up….How times have changed since.The moment she and Damien stepped further into the village square, conversations slowed down, and went silent in fact..Then the stares began, the whispering..As she walked forward, people stepped aside carrying some sort of bad odor, others looked away completely…Even one woman pulled her daughter closer, like she was genuinely scared Serena would hurt he
Sandy was in the council room barely ten minutes after the arrival of Serena to the pack.The grounds were still buzzing… villagers talking about the return. Some were scared, others more curious… around here, some saw her as a legend now…But for her, Serena not being dead on sight complicates things a lot. Not just for Damein’s conflicting interest… but the risk of her secret.She told Serena that the child wasn’t Damien’s. Maybe she believed it, maybe she didn’t…But she was a walking liability and she could afford that.“What the hell happened?!" Sandy snapped at Elder Marcus. “You said you’d handle it?”“Luna—““Why is she not being planned for execution?! Or dead?!” “Luna—““Order the execution” she snapped, not even allowing Elder Marcus to finish his sentence.“Now! That is an order from Luna.”“And the Alpha’s orders override that…”A voice stilled her to the spot…Damein.She turned slowly to face, his expression cold. “Damein, I didn’t know you were back. I would have—“
“Serena Vale… you are guilty of the charge of treason against both the Alpha and Luna… and by the law you are sentenced to…death.”A heavy silence fell in the grounds after those words came.Serena still… she expected a hostile reception, maybe even jail time…but this, she didn’t. Damein stepped to them immediately, rage shimmering up now.“Stand down! Now!”None of them did at first, then Damein spoke again…“Guards lower your weapons…” his tone was sharper now.Still…no one moved pr back down… it was a tense stand off..Damein stepped towards the lead guard facing him, then his tone dropped lower and deadlier…“I gave an order and I hate to repeat those..”This time his Alpha aura rolled outward hard enough to shake the air itself.His power alone pressed against the warriors instantly, they could each feel it.. like a physical force literally pushing them backward..Then—Reluctantly or not, one by one, each guard began lowering their weapons.The lead guard swallowed a hard lump
The next morning came quickly…The bright sunlight poured down through the abandoned building…When Damein woke up, he still found Serena outside… sitting there, lost in thoughts..He gave himself a moment; then walked up to her. “You didn’t sleep last night I took it?” His tone was clipped.Serena turned partly to him. “No. I couldn’t..”Another silence settled again, then Damein sat himself down next to her.“I thought about what you said last night..” he started. “ you will not be able to be the same again…”He glanced at her briefly, like waiting for her approval to continue.“I think you’re right.. you can’t be the same again.”Serena furrowed her brows, clearly not expecting that answer. “But here’s the thing…it doesn’t have to be bad. I mean… people change, it’s a part of life, but what matters is how and what version of ourselves we change to.”Serena kept her face low as Damein continued.“Whatever sick things they did to you there at the Order, no one should go through th
Warm sunlight filtered through the canopy, as Serena slept peacefully through it.She laid fast asleep inside the tent with one arm flung over her face to block the light. For a moment, there was peace.Then—A splash of icy water hit her square in the face.She bolted upright with a gasp.She gav
The rustling from the trees grew louder and closer and—It stopped, just right behind her...Serena breath stopped instantly.The forest went deadly still, like it was holding its breath.She began to turn—When strong hands slammed into her back.The force sent her flying forward. She barely caugh
Their eyes locked in Ike that for a moment x the tension rising up…And then, he pulled off and walked in the other direction to the door.“I need air.” he muttered before slamming the door shut. The silence stretched long in the room after Damien stepped away.Serena remained exactly where he had
Serene’s POVThe silence in the room felt heavier than armor.Serene sat on the edge of her bed, her fingers curled around the broken pieces of the necklace.Across the room, Damien stood by the window, staring outside.Neither of them had spoken in several minutes.Outside, the academy was awake a







