ログインI don’t answer the word, and I don’t move when it hangs there, heavy and wrong, because my knees weaken without warning and the ground rushes up too fast, but Derek catches me before I fall, his arm locking around me as Jax drops with us, his hands already gripping me tight.“Stay with me,” Derek says, his voice sharp, and his hand comes back to my face, forcing my eyes open when they try to close.“I’m fine,” I manage, but my body doesn’t listen, because the strength that held me upright a second ago drains out all at once.Jax swears under his breath as he shifts, pulling me against him, his arm braced behind my back while his other hand presses hard against my stomach again.“You pushed too far,” he says, his voice rough, angry, but his grip is careful, controlled.“I didn’t—” I try, but my breath breaks halfway through.Derek cuts me off, his gaze locked on mine, intense and unyielding. “Don’t speak. Just breathe.”I try to follow it, to match his rhythm, but my chest feels tight,
I don’t get to steady myself before another wave comes, because the moment the last body drops, more of them step out from the shadows, slower this time, but not hesitating, and Jax swears under his breath as he pulls me closer again.“They planned this,” he mutters, his grip tight.Derek’s eyes narrow, his body already shifting into position beside me. “They want her pushed further.”I feel it too, not from them, but from inside me, that rising pressure that hasn’t settled since the last strike, and my fingers curl slightly as my breath grows heavier.“Stay with me,” Derek says, his voice firm as his hand finds mine again.Jax’s hand presses against my stomach, grounding, but it only holds for a moment before the pulse pushes back harder, stronger than before.“They’re not stopping,” Jax growls.One of them lunges first, fast, direct, aiming for me again, and this time Derek intercepts, his movement sharp as he drives the man back, but another follows immediately, then another.They’
I don’t get time to speak before it happens, because the air snaps tight and a body crashes through the line of trees, then another, and another, moving fast and silent until they’re not hiding anymore, and Jax pulls me back hard into him.“Behind me,” he growls, his arm locking around me as Derek steps forward without hesitation.“No,” I say, my hand gripping Jax’s wrist as I twist slightly, refusing to stay fully behind him, and Derek’s gaze flicks to me once before he faces them again.“They’re not scouts,” Derek says, his voice calm but sharp, and I feel the truth of it settle heavy as more figures step out, surrounding without closing in.Jax’s grip tightens. “They’re ready to strike.”One of them steps forward, his stance low, eyes locked on me, not Derek, not Jax, and the pull inside my chest reacts instantly, sharper now, pushing outward as my breath catches.“You shouldn’t exist,” the man says, his voice flat.Jax lets out a low, vicious sound. “Try saying that again.”The ma
I don’t move away from them, and neither of them lets me, because the shift that just happened hasn’t settled yet, it lingers in the air and in my chest, and Derek’s hand stays wrapped around mine while Jax stays close enough that I feel his breath with every step I take.“Stay with us,” Derek says quietly, not a command, but I feel the weight in it, and I nod without speaking because the pulse inside me hasn’t stopped, it just rests, steady and aware.Jax’s hand slides over my stomach again, firm, protective, and this time the reaction comes instantly, a soft push outward that makes his fingers tighten, not in fear, but in focus.“It’s awake,” he murmurs, and his voice drops lower as he leans closer, his forehead brushing the side of my head.Derek exhales slowly, his thumb pressing against my hand as he watches us, calculating, but not distant, not detached, and when he steps closer, he doesn’t take control, he joins us.“Then we stay aligned,” he says.I feel it the moment his hand
I don’t need anyone to say it. I see it in the way the wolves gather, not in lines, not in ranks, but in clusters that don’t follow the old order, and when Derek steps forward, they don’t bow the way they used to.They look at me first.My steps slow, and Jax’s hand presses firmer against my lower back, guiding me forward while Derek watches the crowd, his expression controlled but sharper than before, and I feel the shift clearly, not fear, not rebellion, something else.A pull.One of the Alphas steps out, not kneeling, not lowering his gaze, and Jax tenses instantly beside me, his body leaning forward like he’s ready to snap, but I reach back without thinking and catch his wrist.He stills.“Stay,” I murmur, and his breath hits my neck, rough and uneven, but he doesn’t move again.Derek glances at me once, quick, then back to the Alpha, his voice calm, steady. “You were summoned.”The Alpha doesn’t answer immediately. His eyes move, not to Derek, but to me, and I feel it again, tha
I feel it before anyone speaks, a shift that doesn’t come from inside me this time but from outside, pressing in, quiet but steady, and Derek stops mid-step, his hand tightening around mine while Jax lifts his head sharply, his body going still behind me.“You feel that,” Jax says, not asking, his voice low and sharp, and I nod slowly because the air feels different, heavier, like something is watching without showing itself, and my fingers tighten around Derek’s hand without thinking.Derek doesn’t look at me, his gaze fixed ahead, calculating, and his grip stays firm as he pulls me slightly closer to his side while Jax shifts behind me, closing the space until I’m held between them again without either of them saying it out loud.“They’re not attacking,” Derek says after a moment, his voice controlled, but his shoulders stay tense, and Jax lets out a low breath, something close to a growl, as his hand slides back to my stomach, resting there like instinct guides him more than though
The moonlight poured through the tall windows of the palace, soft and silver, and it touched Raya like a caress. The night was quiet, almost sacred, but beneath the stillness, the air hummed with energy. Ria’s presence had become more than a memory or a shadow inside her; it was alive, a guardian s
Morning came slowly over Montenegro, pale light spilling across the mountains as if the world itself was unsure whether to celebrate or stay quiet. The ritual chamber remained sealed through the night, guarded from outside interference, yet inside it no one had slept.Raya lay on a low cot near the
The night after the council did not feel calm.The fortress was quiet, yet something beneath the silence moved like a slow river under ice. Wolves kept their distance without being told, and even the guards spoke in lower voices as if the air carried memory of what had happened in the chamber.Raya
The palace was quiet in a way that felt sacred, as though the walls themselves held their breath to honor Raya. The day’s tension had been relentless, and now, as she sank into the soft mattress of her private chamber, the weight of every battle, every danger, every claim and counterclaim pressed i







