LOGINNo. Absolutely not.“We’re heading to the same place,” he continues before anyone answers. “And apparently it’s easier to get between here and your territory by vehicle, which we didn’t bring.”I stare at him blankly. “Then hire one.”Callen snorts loudly. Traitor.Alaric just grins wider, as if he
** Leo’s POV **The meeting drags on for hours. By the time the sun starts dipping lower outside the lodge windows, every Alpha in the room smells like stress, exhaustion, and brewing aggression. Arguments spark at least every twenty minutes before Alpha Josh, or Ryder manage to drag things back und
The discussion around the table shifts toward territorial alliances and emergency response plans, but my attention keeps dragging back toward them despite myself. Catching Alaric’s amused stare and Bastian’s unsettling calm.“Alpha Ryder, Alpha Callen, I have spoken to everyone here, and we each agr
** Leo’s POV **Alpha Josh finally calls for the meeting to start officially, but I can barely focus on what’s being said because the twins keep watching me. They’re not doing it openly enough for anyone else in the room to notice, but I feel it every damn time I look up.Bastian lounges against the
** Alaric’s POV **Everyone in this room is waiting for the Phoenix Pack alphas to arrive. Not that anyone would openly admit it, because heaven forbid they ask for help from the pack that everyone said was weak and would fail. My brother and I are waiting for them just as eagerly, but for an entir
By the time Callen and Ryder wake up, and we’ve all showered and eaten breakfast, it’s time to leave for the meeting. The main lodge is already crowded when we walk inside. It reeks of alpha power. Wet fur, freshly cut wood, musk, and coffee layered so thick in the air it hits the back of my throat
The pages are old, discoloured, cracked parchment; the ink faded to near-invisible brown. The lighting in the scans is also not great. But it’s all I have.I zoom in on one section, squinting at the looping script. It’s written in a mix of Latin and something even older that is apparently a dialect
“She’d call it a hobby,” I say with mock seriousness. “One that doesn’t come with private healthcare.”That earns another round of laughter until we’re both wiping tears from our eyes. It feels good, like letting sunlight into a dark room.When we finally calm down, I lean my elbows on the counter a
** Ryder’s POV **For a heartbeat, no one speaks.Then I look up at Callen. “Say that again.”He meets my eyes, jaw tight. “I think I just worked out who our traitor is.”The words hang there like a live wire.Jake straightens from where he’s been crouched beside Paige, his expression flickering bet
** Paige’s POV **Through the glass, I see them… Ryder and Remy. Their bodies tense, eyes glowing faintly gold in the darkness. Even from here, I can feel their energy, wild and alive, humming through the air like static before a storm.Relief slams through me so hard my knees almost give way. They’







