LOGINMy eyes still remained on the forest ahead of us as I tried to gather myself before uttering a word. I knew everyone must be confused, wondering what happened to me, why I suddenly collapsed, but I wasn’t sure… I still wasn’t sure if I wanted to tell the truth. “Julian,” Robin called again, his hands on my shoulders as he tried to pull me back to my feet, but I refused to budge. My whole body felt heavy, like the weight I worked so hard to lift from my heart had been replaced tenfold now. “Julian!!” Robin called again, shaking me till my eyes were finally pulled from the forest I was staring at. “What the hell is wrong with you?” he asked, attempting to pull me up—and this time Damon joined him, holding me from the other side. They finally succeeded. “Did you see something?” Lucian asked, approaching me, and I immediately pulled my mind block up—as tightly as I could. I did the same for my bond with Robin too. I couldn’t have him feel what was going through my head… not until I d
The aftermath of the destruction followed us as we walked back to the pack. Smoke still clung to the clothes of the survivors, and even the air was stained. We led them straight to the pack gates, helping the ones who stumbled and running ahead with those who needed urgent treatment. Some clutched onto each other, their eyes blank as they walked in silence. I could tell they hadn’t fully processed all that they had just lost. A whole pack, gone in a matter of hours—it was the worst kind of destruction to witness. “Get them all inside,” Aries ordered sharply, his voice echoing across the grounds. We placed Alpha Levon on a nearby chair before Aries continued again. “Assign rooms to the ones who need a place to rest. Get my mom and the healers too,” he ordered, eyes firm on Zane, who nodded sharply before walking off. The fight was over. We had managed to save those we could, but now we had to try to keep them alive. I watched as Rex walked around, doing her best to heal the wound
It was a battle between keeping the rage in my heart and letting it spill when Raven finally made it to us, her breathing uneven. “The pack is under attack,” she repeated, firmer now. “I wanted to stay and fight, but Levon got me out of there, saying I didn’t deserve to die with them.” She turned to me next. “We need to go save them, Julian,” she breathed harshly. “If we don’t, then nothing will remain of that pack.” Her body shook, and in that moment, my earlier dream flashed in my mind again. Was it a warning? Was that mysterious pack I saw really Levon’s pack? “We’ll go help them,” Aries called as he and Rex approached us, already fully dressed. “The warriors will meet us out front in a couple of minutes,” he added firmly. “The whole fight might not be ours, Julian,” he said, facing me. “But Levon is an ally—the leader of the association of Alphas. We cannot let him die.” “We promised to stay away from your fight,” Rex said calmly, “but not this time.” I gave a sharp nod. I
The sun was already rising as we walked back to the pack in silence. Everyone was lost in their own thoughts, so the silence was less awkward and more comforting, especially after everything that went down earlier. I personally knew that we couldn’t delay this battle any longer. We killed one of them… even if it was the one they cared about the least, but still, they would definitely seek vengeance. I thought Orion’s death, for one, would bring some sort of peace to me—at least we got rid of one—but I felt no change within me. Instead, I was just fueled to take them out even more. Maybe then I could finally rest easy. It had been anything but easy from the time I was thrown in prison till now. The only thing I could ask for going forward was that everyone who had helped me get out of that hell get the freedom and happiness they sought at last. We’re here, Lucian called as we approached the pack gate, and I finally turned my attention back to them. We spent all night on the road,
Lucian’s palm pressed against the rock for a second, and nothing happened. Instead, it felt like the whole forest stilled—until suddenly the surface cracked, and the fog slipped out like it had been waiting for us. Even from where we hid, I could see just how thick the fog was. Lucian glanced back at us for a second, a grin on his face, before he took a step forward, stepping straight into it. The fog enveloped him totally, his form disappearing instantly. Now we wait, Damon muttered, his voice tight, and I nodded as Robin’s hold on me tightened. We held our positions for what felt like hours, but was in fact just a few minutes. Each passing second seemed to stretch endlessly until a loud crash echoed through the forest, followed by screams. Seems like Lucian has finally got to work, Robin muttered, his hands slipping from mine gently as all our attention turned to the opening now. I can feel them coming out, Damon muttered, standing upright now, and as if on cue, figures began
I wasn’t going to mention it because I wasn’t sure, but now that it had come to this, now that we had no other way to identify the source of the fog—I knew I had to speak up. Regardless of my uncertainty, we had no other clues left. "I saw someone," I repeated firmly, my voice cutting through the room. "Someone we didn’t even consider initially." Robin raised a brow, his eyes locking onto mine. "Who did you see?" I exhaled loudly, the image flashing in my mind. "He didn’t look like himself. He looked almost dead... but I’m sure it was him." "Who?" Lucian called out, the impatience obvious in his voice. "Orion," I said finally. Gasps filled the room. "That’s not possible," Robin started, shaking his head. "If he really was the one wielding the fog, then when I almost killed him, he should have used it to protect himself." "Hang on," Damon muttered, standing up abruptly. "He was the only one at Levon’s pack that day, though... and the fog was present then, too. I don’t think we
Two days passed by in the blink of an eye, and before we knew it, it was the last day of the week. Everything was quiet in the Rold Pack, except for the occasional preparations being made to receive those special guests. We still had no idea who they were, and we’d stopped trying to find out as we
I woke up to light streaming in through the creaks of the hut. The warmth hitting my face soothed my skin, and I sat up, staring into nothing for a few seconds as I absorbed everything. This was what warmth felt like, the same feeling I’d been deprived of for months. I glanced beside me. Lucian
I still stood rooted in my spot as they all watched me.“They’re definitely not friendly,” I said one more time. “We might have better luck if we turn back.”“Was the last time you came here really that bad?” Raven asked as she moved to stand beside me.I nodded slowly. “Rex figured out their secre
Damon’s POV I walked into that pack with all the confidence I could muster in that moment. I knew exactly what I was doing when I whispered that I knew their secret to the Alpha. Early, I know—but that was going to be the basis of our negotiation, so it was better to put it out there at once. We







