MasukAeliana's POV
By early morning the next day, I was checking on Peter and Sophie in the secondary treatment room when I heard movement from down the hall. There were raised voices, and one of them was unmistakably Marcus.
My heart jumped. Liora.
I abandoned the two sleeping children and headed toward the recovery room, my injured leg protesting but moving faster than it had in days. When I reached the doorway, I stopped short.
Liora was awake, sitting up in bed, and arguing with Marcus about something. Her face was flushed with color, and her eyes were bright with the kind of fire that told me her wolf was very much present and recovering.
"I'm not going to just lie here while you tell me what I can and can't do," she was saying, her
Aeliana's POVThe planning session stretched late into the night. By the time we'd mapped out preliminary extraction routes, identified personnel requirements, and established communication protocols, exhaustion was settling into my bones like lead.But sleep felt impossible. My mind kept circling back to the same impossible truth: my parents were alive. Although they are suffering, imprisoned, and dying slowly.Caelan sensed my turmoil through our bond. His hand found mine under the table, squeezing gently. We should rest. Tomorrow brings more planning and more preparations. You need sleep."I need answers," I replied him, watching Mara and Aldric debate the merits of magical versus conventional breach points. Twenty years, Caelan. They've been prisoners for twenty years while I lived a normal life, completely oblivious.That's not your fault. His thumb traced circles on my palm. You were a child. They made choices to protect you, and those choices worked. You survived. That's what t
Aeliana's POV"Six initially." Aldric's expression darkened. "We lost three more over the years, either killed by Council agents or Seeker operatives while searching for the princess. Sera, Lyra, Thomas, and I are what remains of the inner palace guard. We have two others from the outer guard who joined us five years ago after we found them."Through the bond, I felt Caelan's careful attention. He was watching this reunion with the same analytical focus he brought to everything, reading the genuine emotion while still assessing for any signs of deception or manipulation.But there was none. This was real: two groups of people who'd loved the same royal family, who'd survived the same tragedy, finally finding each other after decades of believing the other dead.
Aeliana's POV Mara watched me with an expression that was a mix of pride and concern. "You've grown into someone formidable, little star. Your mother would be so proud. And for your father..." her voice caught slightly, "...your father will be overwhelmed to see what kind of Alpha his daughter chose as a mate." "Then let's make sure he gets that chance," Caelan said. "Mara, you'll work with our strategists to provide every detail about the facility. Jolene and Theron start analyzing those wards. I want breach protocols ready within forty-eight hours. Marcus and Liora coordinate with the allied Alphas. I want an emergency summit within twenty-four hours." "What about me?" I asked. "You," he said, pulling me close, "reach out to Sienna through the Entity network. Let her know we're coming to Montana and that we'll provide the guardian support we promised. And start preparing yourself mentally for what we might find when we reach your parents. Twenty years of imprisonment and torture
Aeliana's POV"The vial contains a sample of your mother's blood, preserved with magic the day you were born," Mara explained. "It's keyed to your bloodline. If you open it near your parents, it will react, confirming their identity beyond any doubt or deception.""They knew," I whispered. "They knew I'd become a vessel. Knew what I'd carry. And they've been suffering for twenty years because of it.""Which is why we're getting them out," Caelan said firmly. I could feel his absolute determination. He meant what he said. "We plan carefully, we coordinate with allies, and we extract your parents from that facility. That's not a question. The only question is how we do it without getting everyone killed.""There's one more thing you should know," Mara said quietly. "
Aeliana's POVThe knock on the bedroom door came just as I was pulling on fresh clothes, my body still humming with the afterglow of our night and morning together. Through the bond, I felt Caelan's irritation at the interruption; we'd made it clear we weren't to be disturbed unless absolutely necessary."This better be important," he called out, his voice carrying his Alpha authority even as his hand found the small of my back, in a possessive touch that made me smile."It is, Alpha." Marcus's voice came through the door, carrying an unusual note of urgency. "Mara is here. She's at the main entrance, requesting an immediate audience with you and the Luna. Says she has critical intelligence that couldn
Caelan’s POVThe bond stirs me awake before dawn breaks, a sharp tug laced with distress that has my eyes snapping open in the dim light of the office. Aeliana is restless in my arms on the couch, her body tense against mine, breath coming in short, uneven gasps. Sweat dampens her brow, and through our connection, I catch fragments of her dream, echoes of voices calling her name, like a desperate pull toward something that is just out of reach.I shift carefully, pulling her closer, my hand strokes down her back in slow, soothing circles. “Aeliana,” I whisper, lips brushing her temple. “Wake up, love. It’s just a dream.”Her eyes flutter open, wide and haunted, tears already glistening on her lashes. She clings to me instantly, her fingers digging into my chest as if I’m the only anchor in a storm. “Caelan… it was them. My parents. They were calling me, reaching out to me like they needed me. I tried to run to them... God, I tried so hard, but I couldn’t move. The ground… it was like







