LOGINLeo's Point of View My phone blares on the nightstand, dragging me out of the half sleep I have been stuck in for hours. It is still dark outside, that heavy, colorless kind of dark right before dawn, and for a second I think I imagined the sound. Then it vibrates again. And the word Dad flashes on my screen. A cold weight settles in my stomach before I even answer. He never calls this early unless something is wrong. Really wrong. I swipe the screen. “Dad?” His voice comes through low and tight, clipped in the way it gets when he is forcing himself to stay in control. “Leo. There was another attack last night.” My heart stops. Just, stops. “Another, Dad, what? Where?” My feet hit the floor before I consciously decide to move. I am still in my sweatpants, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, trying to process what he just said. “The Bloodfang pack,” he says. No hesitation. No softening. “It was hit just before midnight. This attack was the worst one yet.” I curse unde
Maddox's Point of View The air in this cabin tastes like smoke and iron. I like it that way. It reminds me of purpose, of power, of everything the Lycans were meant to be before the wolves poisoned it all. The map sprawled out in front of me is covered in red lines and claw marks from where I dragged my finger too hard earlier. I trace the next mark, Silver Mountain Ridge Pack, and feel the familiar rush of anticipation coil tight in my chest. Rhys stands opposite me, tall and patient, waiting for me to speak. He is the only one who does not flinch when I take too long to decide. “They will be an easy strike,” he says finally. “We hit them from the east, through the treeline. They will not...” I cut him off with a shake of my head. “No. They will expect that. We go from the north. Through the ridge.” Rhys hesitates for a second, then nods his head. “Understood.” Good. He does not question me twice. I glance at the map again, at the way the ink bleeds where the paper ha
Aria's Point of View The second the blindfold slips away, the sunlight rushes back into my world, warm, golden, and soft against my skin. I blink a few times before my vision clears, and when it does, I almost forget to breathe. A blanket is spread out over the grass, a basket overflowing with food, two glasses catching the light like little prisms, and the whole clearing surrounded by trees whispering in the breeze. It feels untouched, like a moment pulled straight out of a dream. “Oh,” I whisper. “Cole… you did all this?” He looks almost shy, one hand rubbing the back of his neck. “I, uh… yeah. I thought you could use a break. Something nice. Something that was not… all the stuff you have been dealing with.” For a second, all I can do is stare at him, because the thoughtfulness in his eyes feels like a lifeline after everything that has happened. “This is really sweet,” I say softly. He grins, that easy, boyish grin that has a way of making the world feel lighter. “Then
Cole's Point of View I tighten the straps on the picnic basket one last time, making sure everything inside is steady. The blanket, the sandwiches I woke up early to make, the fruit, the chocolate, covered strawberries I bought because Aria mentioned once, so casually, that she loves them. It is simple. It is definitely not extravagant. But it is… us. Or at least, what I hope we can become. I step back and take in the setup. The little clearing is not far from campus, tucked behind a line of oaks, out of sight, quiet. Peaceful. A place where she can breathe, where the world cannot touch her for a couple of hours. I cannot get her expression out of my mind from the past few days. Something heavy has been clinging to her, weighing her down. Even when she smiles, there is a flicker of something else behind it, worry, fear, even exhaustion. I want today to erase even a little bit of that. I lay out the blanket on the ground, I grab the basket, and carefully place it on the
Aria's Point of View The morning light presses through the thin dorm curtains, it is soft but insistent, brushing warm across my face until I blink awake. For a moment, I just lie still, letting the quiet settle over me. No screams. No smoke. No shattered pack grounds. Just my room. Just morning. But the second I sit up, the memories slam into me, the second attack, the bodies, the survivors huddled together, Griffen’s face when I confronted him, Cole’s steady presence afterward, Leo’s worry. It all piles up inside me like a weight pressing against my ribs. I draw a slow breath, trying to shake it off. Today is a new day. I swing my legs off the bed and stretch. Maren is still asleep, curled in her blankets, one arm thrown over her head as if blocking out the world. I envy her for a second, that peaceful oblivion. I move quietly, grabbing clothes and slipping into the bathroom to get ready. The hot water helps loosen the knot in my chest, the knot that has been tighten
Griffen's Point of View The air inside the library is colder than I expect, sharp enough to raise the hairs on my arms as I step through the doors. It smells like old paper, dust, and something clean. It is early quiet here. I have not slept, not really, and the lack of rest clings to me like a second skin, heavy and tense. But sitting around doing nothing? That is worse. I make my way past the rows of study tables and whispering students until I reach the far corner, where the old geography section is tucked away. The shelves are tall, the lights dimmer here, and no one bothers coming back unless they need something specific. Good. I need privacy. I run my fingers over a row of binders until I find the campus archive maps, territorial spreads, printed geography, old pack alliance routes Jensen’s pack donated years ago. My heart thuds hard when I pull them out, two thick atlases and a folded map of the surrounding states. Perfect. I grab a table by the window, drop everyth







