Huff… our beloved Devon and Jimmie have reached their very first real fight, and emotions are running high. Do you believe Devon deserved that slap from Jimmie, or was it an unfair reaction? I’d truly love to hear your perspective in the comments. Thank you, as always, for reading and sharing this journey with me. —Bliss
Devon POV The SUV skidded into Woodland, tires screeching like Franco couldn’t get us there fast enough. My wolf was already restless, pacing inside me. By the time the car jolted to a halt, my chest felt too tight, like the air itself was bracing for a storm.Franco turned to me, eyes sharp. “Devon… just like we planned, okay? That’s the right way.”I blew out a hard breath. His words dragged me back to the safe house hours earlier, the same argument looping in my head.“I can’t, Devon.” Franco’s voice still echoed. He hadn’t whispered it; he’d said it loud, fierce, unyielding.“You must,” I’d snapped back, adamant. “You have to will your wolf to hate me, Franco. Only then will this plan work!”But he had only shaken his head, his jaw tight. “I can’t. I won’t. There has to be another way. The only way we survive this war is with the pack behind you, not against you. That’s the only guarantee you come out of this alive.”His conviction had cut through me, sharper than I wanted to adm
Jimmie POV—Fara cleared her throat.“Yes, I did take Nadia from Devon’s custody,” she admitted evenly. “But not with the intent of bringing her here.”“Then where is she?” Elder Kael pressed, his eyes narrowing.“Somewhere secure,” Fara answered, her tone clipped, leaving no room for argument. Then, colder: “And that is all I will say on the matter.”The silence that followed was thick, suffocating. I could feel the weight of the elders’ stares, but no one dared push further.Fara leaned forward slightly, voice steady, measured.“We need Devon here. He’s the only one who can tell us what’s truly going on. Any move we make without clarity could be used against us, especially since the Hunters haven’t acted yet, and neither have the humans.”Elder Throne broke the silence. “So… do we wait until they strike first?”Fara shook her head, calm but firm. “No. That’s why we reinforce. Strengthen security and guard details.” Her gaze shifted to the female seated opposite us—the Pack’s genera
JIMMIE POV Sitting beside Fara at the council table, I tried to keep my expression neutral, but when Elder Throne raised the question about Nadia’s whereabouts, my chest tightened. Without meaning to, I glanced at Fara. She caught it, and for the briefest moment, we shared a knowing look—silent, heavy.Earlier on our way to the pack…The vehicle turned sharply onto a lonely path, swallowed by towering trees whose shadows strangled out the last hints of twilight. The deeper we went, the darker it became, until it felt like the world itself was holding its breath. My chest tightened. I thought we were already at Woodland and asked Fara, “Have we arrived?”She only chuckled softly, a sound that didn’t match the weight in her eyes.“No, Jimmie. This is just a slight detour before we continue. I need to see to something first.”The car rolled to a stop in front of a structure that made my skin prickle. A squat stone building crouched in the dark, looking more like a tomb than anything bel
Jimmie’s POV The council chamber was tucked away in the west wing of the pack, standing apart from the rest of the buildings like it had been built solely for judgment. My footsteps echoed behind Karl—Karl, of all people, while Fara walked steadily at my side.For heaven’s sake, I still couldn’t wrap my head around it. Karl… a werewolf? How the hell had I missed that? Looking back, maybe I should have known. He always had that darkly mysterious vibe, all brooding eyes and handsome smirks. That was what pulled me in when he asked me out, what made me say yes to being his boyfriend. Until I realised he was nothing more than a self-absorbed jerk with a fine face. That was when I quit.Now here I was, following him into a werewolf council chamber, wondering how blind I had been.As if he could feel my stare burning into the back of his head, Karl suddenly turned and glanced at me with that same stupid grin I used to fall for. He winked.I groaned mentally and rolled my eyes so hard it al
Jimmie’s POVThe moment Fara’s voice boomed, the air shifted. Elder Kael stood rooted to the ground, unmoving, though I caught the tiniest flinch in his stance. The six guards flanking him parted instantly, like the sound of her command was something their bones recognised— an Alpha’s authority, sharp and undeniable.Fara moved forward with the grace of a predator, closing in on Kael, who refused to step aside. His earlier confidence had faltered, I could see it clear as day, but the man was stubborn—damn stubborn. He stood there like a mountain daring a storm to break against it.“I won’t tell you again, Kael,” Fara said, her voice low, lethal, glowing with the weight of command.Kael answered without looking her in the eye. “Because Devon isn’t here doesn’t automatically make you Alpha.” Then, with a sharp glance her way, he added, “You have to earn it.”Fara chuckled dryly, as though his defiance was beneath her notice. “I have absolutely nothing to prove to you, Kael. Now move… or
DEVON’S POV “Why did you do it, Devon?”My head snapped toward him, even though I knew exactly what he meant. The weight of his stare pressed into me, heavy, unrelenting.“Why did you sell us down the bus?”“Because this was the only way I could think of to save the pack,” I said finally, my throat tight. “To save Jimmie. They had a clip, Franco— a recording of what went down at the old subway that night. Nadia, Clementine, the whole damn ordeal. If that got out…” I shook my head.I swallowed, forcing the words past the lump in my throat. “I had to do what was necessary in that moment. If I’d given myself up, it wouldn’t just have been me; it would have been the pack. Everything I’ve bled for. Everything that mattered. We’d have lost the battle before the war even began.”My voice faltered, softer now, like I was confessing a sin. “But this… this string I pulled… it’ll buy us time. I know it will. I just have to play the part— the part they believe I am. Or worse, the part they want