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"Here it is," Anna opened the door to my office and I walked in. In such a short time they had managed to create a space for me. It wasn't like my old one, but with how fast they cleaned up, it was like I never left.It was just a desk, vase, couch at one corner, TV on the wall and some files
IRENEAunt didn't let me leave until I agreed to keep a promise I didn't even know about. We waited until the kids could shift again and once they did, they burst into tears, sorry for what they did.They hugged my legs tight, throwing their heads back dramatically as they cried with their butt out
KARSON"I still can't believe Irene is back here and she has pups," Ralph said by my side as we walked into the Arena where my warriors were hanging out, shirtless and flexing their muscles in competition."You think she can handle it? I mean it's a lot to take in, the pack too. They won't go easy
IRENE"Mummy! Uwaaaah!"My thoughts scattered, panic and confusion setting in. Where was Mirabel? What happened to them? Did I trust the wrong person?"Let me see you," I cupped their faces, scanning them from head to toe with my heart beating twice as fast. "You're okay, you're okay. What's wrong?







