LOGINIrene's POVThe Pack grounds came into view just as the sun began to set.I stopped at the tree line. Hidden in shadow. The concealment cloak wrapped tight around me.Everything looked different.Guard towers that hadn't existed befo
Irene's POVI woke to find the old woman packing supplies into a worn leather bag.My heart jumped. "What are you doing?""Preparing for your departure." She didn't look up from her work. "Your ribs have healed. The burns are closed. Your strength has returned. There's no reason to keep you here any longer."
Irene's POVThe old woman moved like water.Fluid. Effortless. Despite her age and weathered appearance, she demonstrated the combat technique with a grace that took my breath away."You're telegraphing your strikes," she said, circling me in the small clearing outside the cave. "Your shoulders tense before you move. Any experienced fighter will see it coming."
Irene's POVThe days blurred together in the cave.Wake. Eat the bland porridge the old woman made. Drink bitter herbal tea. Sleep. Repeat.Slowly, painfully, my body knitted itself back together.The burns on my back stopped weeping
Irene's POVPain woke me.Sharp and insistent, radiating from my ribs with every shallow breath. My head throbbed. My limbs felt like lead.I tried to open my eyes. The light hurt. Everything hurt.Where was I?
Karson's POVThe war room smelled like blood and smoke.Maps covered every surface. Battle reports stacked in messy piles. Half-empty coffee cups scattered across tables. Nobody had slept properly in days."They're regrouping near the eastern ridge," Ken reported, pointing at the map. "Approximately sixty wolves. Mixed forces from Shadow Pack and Iron Claw."
IRENE A few hours later, the pounding in my skull was unbearable. I knew it wasn't going to be easy to fall into things, but I didn't expect a meeting right away.I was seated at the long wooden table, trying hard to keep a neutral look on my face while the others present tried to tear at me with
IRENE"You may want to sit for this," Alpha Lucas led me to his study room. He didn't bother to go back in to get a shirt. He gave me the full view and now I couldn't get the image of his thing from my mind. He poured himself a glass of water-- two glasses and gulped it down.It was only natural to
IRENEWe each went back to our respective rooms that night, begrudgingly too.I woke up early the next morning, making the snacks for our picnic and finishing up the work from yesterday since my day was ruined and I couldn't be productive anymore.Karson got the car ready and tied up some loose end
IreneFor the next couple of minutes, she stood frozen, a mix of emotions on her face. Her teary eyes flickered between Karson and the kids before she turned to me with a silent question on her face."Really?" She breathed in a shaky whisper, tears filling her eyes and now I caught on it too.I sni







