로그인Elena. I knew her, a middle-aged omega, but like the rest of them, never said a word to me; word must have spread that I was fated to the heir's great.
I hesitated at the door, unsure if I was ready to face anyone from the pack. Elena had always been kind enough; she'd never actively participated in my torment like some others, but she'd also never spoken up for me. None of them had.
"Just a moment," I called, quickly throwing on some clothes before unlocking the door.
Elena stood on the porch, holding a large basket, her weathered face creased with what appeared to be genuine concern. She was probably in her fifties, with greying brown hair pulled back in a practical bun and kind eyes that had seen too much pack drama over the years.
"I hope I'm not disturbing
The command wasn't spoken aloud, but it resonated through me like a struck bell. I closed my eyes, allowing my senses to expand beyond my physical form. The mate bonds appeared in my mind's eye as five distinct threads, each one a different colour and texture, each leading back to the pack house where the quintuplets were gathered.Something had changed. I could feel their agitation, their fear. Something had happened."What are they afraid of?" I murmured, following the threads deeper.An image flashed behind my closed eyelids, a dead rogue wolf with a symbol carved into its chest. The Shadow Alpha. The name came to me without context, ancient and terrifying.My eyes snapped open. "Who is the Shadow Alpha?"
Peter shrugged, though something flickered in his eyes that suggested more turmoil than he was willing to admit. "What do you want me to say? That I feel guilty? That I'm suddenly in love with her because some mate bond says I should be? I'm not going to lie just to make everyone feel better.""No one's asking you to lie," Declan growled. "Just to acknowledge that we were wrong about her. All of us."The tension between the brothers crackled in the morning air. Their wolves were on edge, instincts heightened by the new mate bonds and the lingering threat of the rogues. None of them had fully processed everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours; their entire understanding of the past eleven years had been upended.“Well, ok, we get our own shit sorted out, we can
Meanwhile, back in the packhouse…Peter came down for breakfast, when he went into the kitchen to grab his food Ruby wasn’t there and although he hated to admit it he was wishing that he’d woken up and she would have been there cooking pancake, bacon, eggs and making sure that the cereal bar was stocked. However, today, the omegas that would usually come in later after Ruby had finished cooking were running around trying to do what she did every day.Peter stood in the kitchen doorway, momentarily stunned by the chaotic scene before him. Three omega kitchen staff rushed around, bumping into each other as they attempted to prepare breakfast for the pack. The organised efficiency that had been present every morning for eleven years was conspicuously absent, along with Ruby."Where's the food?" he demand
Elena. I knew her, a middle-aged omega, but like the rest of them, never said a word to me; word must have spread that I was fated to the heir's great.I hesitated at the door, unsure if I was ready to face anyone from the pack. Elena had always been kind enough; she'd never actively participated in my torment like some others, but she'd also never spoken up for me. None of them had."Just a moment," I called, quickly throwing on some clothes before unlocking the door.Elena stood on the porch, holding a large basket, her weathered face creased with what appeared to be genuine concern. She was probably in her fifties, with greying brown hair pulled back in a practical bun and kind eyes that had seen too much pack drama over the years."I hope I'm not disturbing
A stunned silence fell over the room as Francis's words sank in. The revelation about Ruby's lack of food was another piece of the horrifying puzzle they were all struggling to assemble, a picture of systematic abuse that had occurred right under their noses.Declan slammed his fist against the wall, leaving a crater in the plaster. "How could we have been so blind?" His voice shook with barely contained rage, though now it was directed inward rather than at Ruby."The drugs..." Nelson began, but Alpha Marcus cut him off."Were part of it, yes. But they don't excuse everything." The Alpha's shoulders sagged with the weight of his failure. He had promised Ruby's father he would protect her, and instead, he had overseen years of her torment. "We saw what we wante
I waited until I heard his footsteps retreat before cracking open the door. A covered tray sat on the small porch, steam rising from beneath the silver dome. The smell hit me immediately: roasted chicken, buttery potatoes, and fresh bread. My mouth watered embarrassingly.I brought the tray inside and set it on the kitchen table, lifting the cover with suspicious caution. The meal looked like something from a fancy restaurant, not the plain fare I'd been allowed to eat on the rare occasions I had time for a proper meal. Beside the plate sat a folded note.I ignored it at first, focusing on the food. I ate quickly, almost afraid someone would appear and snatch it away. Old habits die hard. Only when I'd cleaned the plate did I pick up the note, my fingers still greasy from the chicken.







