MasukZaiden POVâYouâre at work,â I said quietly.âYeah,â she replied. âLunch rush. I stepped outside when I saw your name.âI could picture it perfectly â her standing in the alley behind the restaurant, apron still tied around her waist, hair pulled back, phone pressed to her ear like it mattered.âHow are you?â I asked.There was a small pause.âIâm okay,â she said, but her voice softened. âHow are you?ââIâm fine.âShe didnât respond immediately.âYou donât sound fine.âI leaned back against the wall, closing my eyes. âMissionâs over.ââIs everyone okay?ââYeah.âAnother pause.âAnd you?â she asked gently.I hesitated.âIâm still here.âShe exhaled slowly, and I could hear the relief in it. âDonât do that.ââDo what?ââTalk like youâre replaceable.âMy jaw tightened slightly.âI just missed you,â I admitted, my voice lower now.Silence.Then, softer than before, âI missed you too.âGoddess.Those words hit harder than they should have.âI kept checking my phone,â she continued. âEvery
Rudy POVI finally gave my wolf control.A low growl rumbled in my chest before I leaned in, sinking my teeth into the soft skin between her shoulder and neck. Her body tensed, a sharp breath hitching in her throat as my fangs broke through, injecting my Alpha King essence into her. My body trembled at the intensity of the bond forming between us. I was marking her, claiming her as mine.Her muffled cry filled the room. Her hands clutched my shoulders tightly, her nails digging deep. After a few seconds, I withdrew my teeth, licking the wound to help it heal faster.I looked into her eyes, both of us breathless. There was warmth in her gaze now.I brushed my thumb over her lips, tracing their softness. âYouâre mine, Lena.âShe didnât respond, only closing her eyes and nodding.I pulled her into my arms, letting her lean against my chest. My fingers ran through her hair, soothing her. I wouldnât leave her alone.I reached for the blanket and draped it over her. âSleep,â I whispered. âI
Rudyâs POVWe scrutinized the rogue territory quietly, destroyed the buildings, and made sure no one was hiding or would have access to the place again. We checked files in the Rogue Alphaâs office. We made deep searches so as to eliminate everything and everyone who was going to come back against us.We made sure every den was uncovered. We cut every supply route and hidden tunnel. Zaiden commanded the western sweep with ruthless efficiency. Xavier handled the inner clearances, precise and disciplined as ever.I oversaw it all.Rogue lands were rich in a lot of things, and I could tell they spent a lot on their structures. No doubt the Rogue Alpha put his best into making this place this way, but I wasnât going to admire that. He knew very well that it was not acceptable in the werewolf community, but he went ahead to create this pack. There were fancy banners and all. The hospital was well built, and they even had a court too.Wow. This was good, but it would have been better if he
Xavier POVThey told me he had shifted back.That was enough for me to come.The underground chamber smelled like silver, dried blood. The guards stepped aside when I approached, their faces tense.âHe hasnât spoken to anyone,â one of them said quietly.I nodded once.âOpen it.âThe heavy door groaned as it unlocked.He was sitting against the far wall.Bare skin marked with burns where the silver chains wrapped around him. His wrists were raw. His shoulders slumped. His head bowed slightly forward, like something too heavy sat on his spine.For a moment⊠I didnât recognize him.This wasnât the sharp, controlled male I trained.This wasnât the one who sparred without hesitation.This was a man hollowed out from the inside.âEryx,â I said evenly.No response.His breathing didnât change.I stepped inside the chamber.The air felt heavier near him. Like grief had weight.âYouâre starving,â I observed.Still nothing.Then finally, barely, his voice came out.âSheâs goneâŠâ he said, starin
Eryx POV I stopped fighting the silence. Because eventually⊠It answered back. She started coming more often after that first time. At first, it was just her voice â soft, barely there, like wind slipping through cracks in the stone. Then it became more. I would lift my head from the floor, and she would be there, sitting across from me with her knees pulled to her chest, watching me with that quiet concern she always had when I pretended I wasnât hurting. âYou didnât eat again,â sheâd say gently. And I would huff. âIâm not hungry.â âYouâre lying.â âI know.â The chains would rattle when I shifted closer to her, silver biting into my skin. I didnât feel it as much anymore. Pain from metal was nothing. Pain from losing her was everything. Luca stirred inside me, restless. Not raging now. Just⊠broken. Sheâs not real, he would growl weakly. âI know,â I whispered. But I still looked at her. Still spoke to her. Still answered when she talked. Because when she was the
Rudy POV The war wasnât finished. âHalf of you go with the transport,â I commanded the remaining warriors. âThe rest stay with me.â Zaiden and Xavierâs forces were still fighting across the other wings. Rogue fighters could still be hiding. Traps could still be waiting. I glanced across the burning camp, my jaw tightening. âWe clear every inch of this territory,â I said quietly. âNo hidden enemies. No survivors who still plan war. Burn their weapons. Destroy their strongholds. Today⊠this place stops being a threat to anyone.â Steel met steel as warriors tightened their grips on their weapons. And together, we moved deeper into the ruined camp, finishing what had to be done. Zaiden POV At first⊠I thought it was just another wolf losing control. I had seen rage shifts before. Broken mates. Warriors who lost their sanity mid-battle. But this? This was not rage. This was extinction. My men fell like wheat before a storm. Bodies ripped apart before they could even scream.







