LOGINJasmina woke up at dawn with a plan, six days to prove herself to Marcus. Six days before he came back with threats or worse.
She couldn't waste time. Lyanna was already in the training yard when Jasmina arrived. The older woman looked tired but determined. "We're doing this differently," Lyanna said without preamble. "No more trying to suppress the baby's magic. That's impossible. We work with it instead." "How?" "ByThe last day before combat felt both endless and too short. Jasmina woke before dawn. Couldn't sleep anymore. Her mind kept replaying what was coming. Tomorrow at dawn, she'd face Marcus Greythorn in single combat. Win or die. The baby had been restless all night. Kicking constantly. Like it knew something was coming. "We'll be okay," Jasmina whispered to her stomach. "We have to be." She got dressed. Went to the training yard. Lyanna was already there. Had probably been there for hours. "Couldn't sleep either?" Jasmina asked. "Sleep is for people who aren't preparing their Alpha for a death match." Lyanna gestured to the center of the yard. "One last session. Everything we've practiced. All at once." They trained for three hours straight. Lyanna attacking from every angle. Te
Day two before Marcus's deadline brought a surprise. Alpha Erik from Northern Frost arrived unannounced. No delegation this time. Just him and two guards. "Erik," Jasmina said, meeting him at the gates. "I wasn't expecting you for another month." "Plans changed." He looked older than last time. Tired. "We need to talk. Privately." They went to her office. No witnesses except Lyanna, who Erik seemed to accept without complaint. "Marcus Greythorn visited Northern Frost last week," Erik said without preamble. "Tried to recruit us for his war against you." Jasmina's stomach dropped. "And?" "I told him no." Erik sat heavily. "Told him his vendetta against female leadership was his problem, not mine. That Northern Frost doesn't fight other packs' battles." "Thank you." "Don't thank me yet. I'm not fighting with you either. I'm staying neutra
Day three before the deadline, Lyanna woke Jasmina before dawn."Today we test combat," Lyanna said. "Real fighting. Real threats. See if you can keep the baby calm while someone's actually trying to hurt you.""Who's stupid enough to attack a pregnant Alpha?""Me."They went to the private training room. Small space. Padded floors. No windows."Rules," Lyanna said. "I attack. You defend without letting the baby surge. We start slow. Build intensity.""What if I can't control it?""Then I get thrown into a wall and we try again." Lyanna stretched. "Ready?""No.""Good. Fear is honest."Lyanna attacked.Not hard. Just a simple punch. Telegraphed. Easy to dodge.Jasmina moved. Avoided it. The baby kicked but didn't surge."Again."They went back and forth. Lyanna increasing speed gradually. Adding complexity.For ten minutes, Jasmina held control.
Day four before Marcus's deadline, Jasmina woke to chaos. Someone had vandalized the east wing. The section where Elara and her women stayed. Graffiti on the walls. Crude drawings. Words like "traitors" and "whores" and "go back to exile." Elara stood in the corridor looking at the damage. Her face was blank. Too blank. "Who did this?" Jasmina asked. "Don't know. Don't care." Elara's voice was flat. "We've seen worse." "This is unacceptable. I'll find who did it. Punish them." "And then what? They'll just be angrier. Do worse next time." Elara turned to her. "We told you. Some of us said this would happen. That the pack would never accept us back." "The pack will accept you. The ones who did this are cowards. Minority." "Maybe. But they're loud cowards. And loud minorities are dangerous." Jasmina called Jetstar immediately. "Get everyo
Jasmina woke up at dawn with a plan, six days to prove herself to Marcus. Six days before he came back with threats or worse. She couldn't waste time. Lyanna was already in the training yard when Jasmina arrived. The older woman looked tired but determined. "We're doing this differently," Lyanna said without preamble. "No more trying to suppress the baby's magic. That's impossible. We work with it instead." "How?" "By understanding what triggers it. When does the baby surge?" Jasmina thought about it. "When I'm stressed. Threatened. Angry." "So emotional spikes. The baby responds to your feelings." Lyanna started pacing. "We can't eliminate stress. You're Alpha during a crisis. Stress is constant. But we can manage how you respond to it." "You want me to meditate while Alphas threaten war?" "I want you to control your reactions so the baby doesn't fe
Theo returned five days after leaving for the Sisters' Haven.Not alone.Twenty-one wolves traveled with him. All female. All watching the Strong Black Clan territory with wary eyes.Jasmina stood at the packhouse entrance. Waiting.She'd received Theo's message yesterday. Short. Direct. "Bringing them home. Arrive tomorrow. Elara wants to meet you first."Now here they were. Twenty exiled women. Coming home after years of isolation.Led by Theo's sister.The group stopped fifty yards from the packhouse. Organized. Cautious. Ready to run if needed.One woman stepped forward. Mid-twenties. Short dark hair. Scars on her arms. Eyes that had seen too much.Elara.Jasmina recognized her from Theo's description. But also from something deeper. A kinship. The look of someone who'd been betrayed by their own pack."Alpha Supreme Jasmina," Elara said. Not quite respectful. Not quite challenging







