Malakar's POV.I step quietly into the hospital wing, my boots barely making a sound on the cold tile floor. The scent of antiseptic clings to the air, mingling with something heavier - grief, perhaps, or desperation. I expect to find my father resting, maybe dozing under the influence of the pain medication. Instead, I freeze in the doorway at the soft sound of someone crying.My mother sits at his bedside, her back to the door, his hand clutched tightly in hers. Her shoulders tremble as she leans in close to her mate's unconscious form."I don't know what to do," she whispers, her voice breaking. "Everything we've built... everything we've sacrificed for. It's all unraveling. And I need you to wake up, Vlad. I need you to help me fix this before it all comes apart. Before the truth ruins everything."I furrow my brow, jaw tense. "And what truth would that be, mother?"Velara startles, spinning around to look at me with wide, tear-rimmed eyes. "Malakar, I didn't hear you come in.""W
Malachai's POV.The wind howls through the trees as I storm into camp, jaw clenched, fists tight at my sides. Hope's words still echo in my mind - monster, killer, murderer of children.She doesn't understand. She can't understand.I pace the length of the clearing like a caged animal, fury and confusion battling for dominance in my chest. I warned her. I told her exactly what they are. I tried to give her a chance to choose the right side, her own side. But she chose to stand with them.The very thought makes my skin crawl. Wolves. Beasts. Liars. They're dangerous, every last one of them. They kill without mercy. Just like the one that tore my family apart. Just like the one that took everything from me.My boots kick up gravel as I spin on my heel, heart thundering like a war drum. They've poisoned her. Twisted her mind with their silver tongues and false sympathy. They used her compassion and her willingness to help others against her. She's lost. She thinks she's saving them, but
Hope's POV.I adjust the bag on my shoulder, pausing at the treeline where the forest melts into the edge of the hospital's parking lot. Malakar stands beside me, his hand lingering on the small of my back, eyes scanning the surrounding area like a predator hunting for signs of danger."I'll be here." He says quietly, his voice low and protective. "When your shift ends, just come back this way. I'll keep an eye out for anything... or anyone."I nod, my hand brushing against his chest. "I'll be okay. Just don't get caught lurking in the ER parking lot. Pretty sure it'll raise some red flags."He smirks, though his eyes stay sharp. "Only if they can see me."I give him one last smile before crossing the invisible threshold between our worlds. As I step onto the pavement, the weight of my other life settles back onto my shoulders. My white coat billowing lightly in the breeze as I make my way toward the hospital doors. The place looks the same, but I don't feel the same."Hope." A famili
Lucian's POV.The morning air is crisp, biting slightly against my skin as I stand at the edge of the overlook that stretches beyond my territory. The sun is rising slow and golden over the treetops, painting everything in a soft glow that does little to chase away the weight in my chest.We were lucky. My pack. My people. We're safe. The hunters didn't reach us. Not this time. But Malakar's pack hadn't been so fortunate.My jaw tightens as memories of the previous night flick through my mind - screams, blood, the unmistakable stench of burning wood and singed flesh. The hunters didn't fight with honor. They fought with cruelty. Precision. No hesitation. No mercy.Something had to be done. Soon.I glance down at the grounds below, catching sight of a few of Malakar's wolves as they filter quietly from their temporary shelters. Their movements are slow, guarded. Shoulders hunched. Eyes hollow. I recognize the look, they're displaced. Lost. Wounded in ways that goes beyond the physical.
Hope's POV.The hot water pours over my shoulders, tracing rivulets down my back as steam curls around me. I brace my hands against the tile wall, letting the water beat away the ache in my muscles and the weight in my chest. The move had gone smoothly - surprisingly so - but the unease that had taken root in my gut was still there.I think about Velara's face, the way her voice had trembled just slightly as she said, "I'm glad you're here." I had been caught off guard by the sincerity in her eyes. Gratitude. Maybe even a flicker of acceptance. It should have brought comfort, but instead, it brought questions.Why now?Velara never trusted me. She never wanted me here. So, why the sudden shift? Was it simply gratitude for saving Vladimir's life, or something else? Something to do with Lucian.I bite my lip, water sliding down my face. I remember the way Velara had gone still watching Lucian and Malakar together, the moment of frozen panic in her eyes. I don't have any proof, only inst
Velara's POV.No!The word screamed through my mind the moment I heard Lucian's voice, calm and genuine, offering sanctuary. Offering peace. I stand frozen just outside the medical tent, the heavy canvas shielding me from view, but not from sound. Every word that passes between them hits me like a blow, each sentence unraveling the carefully woven lie that I have been living with for years.They can't. They can't live together. Not now. Not like this.My heart thunders in my chest, not from fear of Lucian hurting Malakar - no. That isn't who Lucian is. Not anymore. I can feel it in my bones. But Malakar finding out the truth. That's a different beast entirely.The secret I've buried deeper than any grave. The betrayal I've tried to cloak in silence, guilt, and good intentions. What will he think of me? What will it do the fragile balance we still had left as a family?My breath hitches. No. I can't lose Malakar. Not after everything. Not after what just happened. Not after nearly losi
Malakar's POV.I now stand in the wreckage that had once been our sanctuary, the morning sun casting long shadows over a camp that no longer feels like home.Charred wood. Blood-stained earth. The scent of smoke still clings to the air, mingling with the metallic smell of spilled blood. Every broken tent, every torn banner feels like a personal failure carved into the soil.I can still hear the screams, the sounds that haunt the edges of my memory. Pups crying for their mothers, warriors roaring in agony, the crack of gunfire. The clash of claws against steel.I wasn't here.The truth is a weight that I can't shake. While I was off setting a trap, thinking ten steps ahead, the enemy had walked straight into my home and butchered my family. It doesn't matter that I meant to protect them. It doesn't matter that I thought that I was doing the right thing.The pack had paid the price for my mistake.We lost too many. Some names I can't even whisper yet. Faces I would never see again. Warr
Malachai's POV.The scent of blood still clings to my clothes, rich and coppery. It's the perfume of victory.I stride through the clearing as my hunters regroup, my boots crunching on fallen branches and scorched earth. Behind me, the forest whispers of war and ash and triumph. I can still hear the screams, their fear, their desperation. It's like music ringing in my ears.They ran.The mighty wolves of Malakar's pack had bled. Some had died. Others would never forget what it felt like to lose control over their own territory.I smile to myself.Let them feel fear. Let them feel hunted. For once.This is just the beginning. Tonight proved what I have always known. The wolves aren't Gods. They aren't invincible. They bleed, they burn, they scream just like any other creature when death comes for them.And I am their death.I climb atop a rock outcropping at the center of the hunter camp, where lanterns flicker against the coming dawn. Dozens of eyes turn to me, bloodied, bruised, worn,
Hope's POV.The scout's words echo in my ears like a death knell."They're here! Malachai! Hunters! They found us!"For one long, breathless moment, I can't move. The world seems to narrow, my heart thudding so loud that it drains out everything else. Cold washes through my chest like ice water.No. Not now. Not like this.Panic claws at my throat. Malakar is gone. He is GONE. Out in the woods chasing shadows while the real threat had come crashing down at our doorstep. I press a hand to my chest, as if I could still feel the steady thump of his heart from our last embrace.God, I wish he was here.For a split second, just one, I see myself back in my apartment. Warm. Safe. Quiet. My books, my couch, the hum of traffic below my window. I could have stayed there. I should have stayed there.But I didn't. I came looking for him. And now that choice has teeth.A scream shatters my stillness. I snap back to the present just as the camp erupts into chaos.Morgana is shouting orders. Warrio