LOGINWhen my rough, exhausted voice—little more than a rasp—echoed through the blood-soaked room, it felt as though an endless cycle had finally been broken. Everyone around me let out the breath they'd been holding.
"What happened here?"
The question hung in the air, demanding more than an explanation for the slaughter staining the floor. It asked about the desperate battle that had been fought beyond this room while I had been gone.
&n
After Ivy and Kai finished their final inspection of the security wards surrounding the estate and disappeared into the darkness, the massive wooden front door swung shut behind them with a heavy, resonant thud.The sound seemed to seal the world outside. In an instant, every trace of the busy, protective atmosphere that had filled the house vanished. Silence settled over the rooms so completely that it felt as though the walls themselves were slowly closing in around us.Only moments earlier, Ivy had been hovering over me with steaming herbal tea while Kai stood watch with the alert posture of a soldier prepared for anything. Now they were gone.Only the pale blue glow from the television flickered across the furniture, casting restless shadows through the living room. Neither of us looked at the screen. My back rested against the leather couch as Cassian leaned toward me, his broad frame filling my entire field of visi
By the time we left the pack house's towering office, where authority seemed to seep from every wall, and returned to our room, I was desperately trying to organize the overwhelming flood of thoughts inside my head.The burden of everything the Ancestors had shown me weighed so heavily on my shoulders that even breathing felt difficult. But we didn't have time to stop. Without needing to discuss it, we quietly packed our things.We changed into dark, comfortable clothes that allowed us to move freely if another attack came without warning. Then we began the journey back to the estate. Back to the familiar house where we'd once pretended to be lovers in order to lure the enemy into the open.This time, however, our departure from Alpha Ronan's heavily protected pack house carried an entirely different feeling. There was something wild… Something undeniably regal… About the way we left. I still couldn't shift
After the heavy, tense breakfast, we wasted no time making our way to Alpha Ronan's office on the second floor. The wide room carried the rich scent of aged wood and worn leather.Our footsteps echoed through the silent hallway until the massive wooden door closed behind us. The atmosphere shifted instantly. The warmth of breakfast disappeared, replaced by the weight of an official meeting—and the suffocating seriousness that came with it.Alpha Ronan took his place behind his desk while Luna Sienna settled into the chair beside him. Beta Zane stood near one side of the room, Nova beside him. Carter, his injured arm still secured tightly against his chest, leaned carefully near the opposite wall.Ivy and Kai sat in the chairs directly in front of the desk. Neither of them took their eyes off me. I remained standing before the desk, the burden of everything I had to reveal pressing heavily against my chest.&
The soft morning light filtering through the heavy curtains was enough to coax my eyes open. For a long moment, I simply lay there, taking in the peaceful silence surrounding us.The echoes of last night's battle—the clash of claws, the scent of fresh blood, the chaos that had nearly swallowed us whole—had been replaced by the steady security of the pack house.The exhaustion left behind by the veil, the lingering weight of that endless gray emptiness clinging to my soul, had finally eased after hours of uninterrupted sleep. When I tried to move, I realized a massive, warm arm was wrapped securely around my waist, holding me exactly where I belonged.I was still lying against Cassian's chest.Nestled safely within his protective embrace, I could feel the powerful, steady rhythm of his heartbeat beneath my cheek. Cassian was still asleep.His chest rose and fell with s
My arms tightened a little more around Cassian's neck as the blood-soaked, dimly lit room finally disappeared behind us. The moment we reached the staircase, several pack healers and young warriors, already alerted to the urgency of the situation, rushed toward us.One of them stepped forward, holding out a sturdy stretcher covered with clean, folded blankets, clearly intending to help by taking me from Cass's arms. He never got the chance. A deep, lethal growl rumbled from Cassian's chest, echoing through the stone corridor and freezing everyone where they stood.The overwhelming authority of a future Alpha instantly filled the hallway. Cass locked his eyes on the young wolf. The possessive protectiveness burning in his gaze made one thing painfully clear. He wasn't letting anyone else touch me.Not for a single second. Not under any circumstances. The healers respectfully stepped aside without another word, clearing th
When my rough, exhausted voice—little more than a rasp—echoed through the blood-soaked room, it felt as though an endless cycle had finally been broken. Everyone around me let out the breath they'd been holding."What happened here?"The question hung in the air, demanding more than an explanation for the slaughter staining the floor. It asked about the desperate battle that had been fought beyond this room while I had been gone.The entire team looked shaken beneath the crushing weight of exhaustion, shock, and the realization that they had barely escaped death. No one answered right away. I could see the horror of the battle reflected in every pair of eyes—the brutal stand they had made just outside the sealed door.Cass never let go of my face. His hand tightened around my cheek as if he believed I might slip through his fingers again if he loosened his grip even a little.







