เข้าสู่ระบบ"What?" I breathed."The Mark doesn't kill the surviving mate," Perla said, stepping closer. Her violet eyes were intense, almost feverish. "That's a myth spread by wolves who feared our power. The truth is far more complex. And far more dangerous."Ares moved to stand beside me, his presence a solid anchor. "Explain. Now."Perla looked between us, then gestured to the chairs near the window. "Sit. This will take a moment, and you need to understand everything before you walk into that canyon."We sat. Perla remained standing, her fingers tracing patterns on the back of the empty chair."The Mark you share," she began, "is called the Soul Tether in the old texts. It's the rarest and most powerful bond that can exist between wolves. It only manifests when two ancient bloodlines—Lycan and First Blood—come together with true mate compatibility.""We know this already," Ares said impatiently. "Get to the part we don't know."Perla's jaw tightened, but she continued. "The Tether has three
"What do you mean, gone?" Ares's voice was deadly calm. The kind of calm that came right before an explosion.The scout gulped, his hands shaking as he tried to catch his breath. "The ruins are empty, Alpha. Completely abandoned. No warriors, no supplies, no signs of life. It's like they just... vanished.""That's not possible," Valerius said, limping forward. "We had eyes on them yesterday. Fifteen hundred warriors don't just disappear overnight.""They did," the scout insisted. "I went into the manor myself. The main hall, the barracks, everything. Empty. They left in a hurry too—there's food still on the tables, weapons abandoned, fires still burning."My stomach dropped. Something was very, very wrong."It's a trap," I said, my voice cutting through the rising murmur of panic. "It has to be. She wants us to think she fled so we'll let our guard down.""Or she's regrouping," one of the commanders suggested. "Gathering more forces before she strikes again.""Or she's already here."
The second day of preparation dawned grey and cold.I woke before Ares, which was unusual. He was always up first, prowling the battlements or checking defenses before the sun had fully cleared the mountains. But this morning, he was still asleep beside me, one arm thrown over my waist, his face buried in my hair.I lay there for a moment, just watching him. In sleep, the hard lines of his face softened. The constant tension he carried as Alpha eased, making him look younger. Almost vulnerable.Tomorrow, we march on Blackthorn.Tomorrow, we face Tiana and Riel.Tomorrow, everything could fall apart.I pushed the thoughts away and carefully slipped out from under his arm. He stirred but didn't wake, and I was grateful. He needed the rest more than I needed his company right now.I dressed quickly in my training leathers.The keep was already buzzing with activity when I stepped into the corridor. Warriors moved with purpose, checking weapons, reviewing maps, saying quiet goodbyes to lo
"Successful meeting."I didn't know how to respond to that. Didn't know if I was supposed to acknowledge her casual attempt at conversation or just walk away like I had been doing for days.Ares solved the problem for me."Come on," he said, his hand finding the small of my back. "You need rest."I let him guide me toward the door, but I felt Perla's eyes on me the entire way.When we finally made it back to our chambers, I collapsed onto the bed fully clothed, too exhausted to even consider changing."That was brutal," I mumbled into the pillow."Which part?" Ares asked, sitting down to unlace his boots. "The tactical planning or your mother?"I turned my head to glare at him. "Both. And she's not my mother.""Yara—""Don't," I interrupted, sitting up. "Please, Ares. Ares finished with his boots and moved to sit beside me. He didn't argue. He just pulled me against his chest and held me."Three days," he murmured into my hair. "In three days, this will be over. Tiana will be dead. R
We walked through the keep together, hand in hand, and for the first time in days, I felt like I could breathe.The pendant from my father rested against my chest, a warm weight that felt oddly comforting. Every few steps, I'd find myself touching it, making sure it was still there.Ares noticed, of course. He noticed everything."It suits you," he said as we descended the tower stairs. "The pendant.""It feels right," I admitted. "Like... I don't know. Like I'm carrying a piece of him with me.""You are." Ares squeezed my hand. "And he'd be proud of the woman you've become. I'm sure of it."We emerged into the courtyard, and the scene that greeted us was almost surreal.Workers swarmed over the broken gate, hauling away splintered wood and measuring for new supports. The scorch marks were being scrubbed from the stone walls. Everywhere I looked, people were rebuilding.And mixed in with our pack members were Perla's warriors—the First Bloods, with their distinctive violet and crimson
The silence that followed Perla's words stretched like a rubber band pulled to its breaking point.I stood there in the courtyard, surrounded by wagons full of supplies we desperately needed, staring at a woman who claimed to be my mother, and I didn't know what to feel.Anger? Yes. That was always there, simmering just below the surface.But underneath that, something else was stirring. "Luna?" Valerius's voice cut through my spiraling thoughts. "What do you want us to do with the supplies?"I looked at the wagons. At the grain that would feed our people. At the medical supplies that would save lives. I wanted to tell them to send it all back. To refuse Perla's charity out of sheer stubbornness.But I wasn't just Yara anymore. I was the Luna. And the Luna didn't get to make decisions based on personal grudges when her pack was starving."Unload them," I said, the words tasting like defeat. "Inventory everything. Make sure it's distributed where it's needed most."Valerius bowed and







