Se connecterI'm two bites into a bowl of oatmeal when Sage sits down across from me.
I look up. She has her jacket on and her bag over one shoulder and the expression of someone who made a decision between the archive and the cafeteria and is acting on it before she changes her mind.
"I'll eat with you," she says. "And then I need to show you and Dante something together."
"The investigation?"
"There's a piece I didn't include in what I showed you on the riversid
(Kira POV)The memorial grounds, once a place of stagnant grief and ritual silence, erupted into a tumultuous hive of activity. The salute that had honored me moments ago was forgotten, replaced by the sharp, barking orders of enforcers and the frantic scuffle of families rushing toward the safety of the inner compound. The three biers, Silas, Lyra, and Cassidy, were lowered into the earth with a mechanical, unceremonious haste that made my stomach churn."Move! Clear the perimeter! Level five lockdown!" the new Head of Security roared, his voice cutting through the rising wind.Dominic didn’t look back at the graves. He turned on his heel, his heavy black trench coat snapping behind him like the wings of a predatory bird. "Dante. Kira. Sage. Juniper. My office. Now."The walk back to the main house was a blur of steel and shadows. We passed the armory, where the
(Kira POV)The silence that followed Dominic’s declaration was brittle, a thin sheet of ice over a dark, rushing river. I could feel the eyes of the pack on me, heavy, questioning, and for the first time, laced with a reluctant awe. Beside me, Dante’s hand found mine, his grip a solid anchor in the swirling tension of the memorial grounds.Dominic took a breath, his chest expanding as he prepared to deliver the final rite. "Let the record of this day be written not in blood, but in..."A sharp, discordant sound cut through his words.At the edge of the amphitheater, the heavy iron gates groaned. A messenger, dressed in the dark, verdant colors of the Nightbreeze outriders, was sprinting down the central aisle. He wasn't stopping for the guards; he wasn't slowing for the Alpha. His face was a mask of sheer, viscid terror, his breath coming in ragged, shallow
(Kira POV)The silence that followed Selene’s accusation was heavy, a viscid pressure that seemed to suck the oxygen out of the room. Selene didn’t look at us. She looked through us, her eyes fixed on a future that had just been decapitated. Then, the porcelain mask finally cracked.She collapsed back onto the window seat, a small, jagged sob escaping her throat. It wasn't the regal, controlled weeping of a Nightbreeze Alpha; it was the sound of a girl who had just realized she was the last of her line. Her shoulders shook under the fine silk of her robe, and for a moment, the room felt cold, the jasmine scent turning cloying and funereal.I didn't ask Dante for permission. I crossed the room and sat beside her, pulling her into a hug. Selene stiffened for a heartbeat, the instinct of a polished aristocrat, before she buried her face in my shoulder and let out a broken, plaintiv
(Dante POV)The antiseptic chill of the mortuary clung to my skin even after we stepped back into the hallway. My father remained behind the heavy double doors, a solitary figure standing between the bodies of his brother and his greatest ally-turned-enemy. Through the small observation window, I saw him bow his head, the weight of the Silvercrest crown finally looking like the burden it truly was."He looks smaller," Kira whispered, her hand finding mine in the dim light of the corridor. "I didn't think an Alpha could look that small.""He’s not an Alpha right now," I replied, my voice sandpaper-dry. "He’s just a man burying his life."We reached the main foyer, where the morning sun was now streaming through the floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating the dust motes that danced in the air. Sage and Juniper were leaning against the marble staircase, their fa
(Dante POV)The warmth of the embrace lingered for a moment before my father, Dominic Silvercrest, slowly stepped back. He kept his hands on my shoulders, his eyes scanning my face as if searching for the boy I had been and finding the man I had become overnight. He looked past me, his gaze landing on the girl standing by the door.Kira stood there, her clothes torn and stained with the soot of the Spire, her expression a mix of exhaustion and a guarded hope I hadn't seen in weeks."Kira," Dominic said, his voice echoing in the high-ceilinged study. "Come forward."She hesitated, then stepped into the light. The Blood Heir and the Alpha stood face-to-face. Dominic’s expression didn't hold the suspicion or the cold calculation of our first meeting. Instead, there was a profound, weary respect."The enforcement protocol is rescinded," Dominic st
(Dante POV)The wind on the observation deck had turned from a howling beast to a soft, grieving whisper. I stood at the edge, looking at the two women who had bled and fought alongside us through the longest night of our lives. Sage was still trembling, her eyes fixed on the horizon as if she could already see the quiet life she was dreaming of. Juniper looked smaller than I had ever seen her, the weight of the Ironclaw legacy sitting heavy on her slumped shoulders."Sage. Juniper." My voice was a dry rasp, but it carried in the still morning air.They both looked at me."You heard what I told Kira," I said, my chest tight. "The same goes for you. If you want to walk away from this, if you want to leave the Spire and the Depths behind and never look back, you can. I’ll make sure the records reflect that you died in the explosion at the Civic Hall. You can be ghos
My finger hovered over the send button, the text already composed.I'm coming to get you. Just hold on.Just as I was about to tap send, a hand clamped down on my shoulder. I jerked around to find Tyler standing behind me, concern etched across his features. Behind him
My phone buzzed against the bedside table, pulling my attention from the medical chart a nurse had just left. Three texts from Leo, all within the span of two minutes.I'm sorry.I'm going to fix this.Please just hold on.My chest tightened. Fix what? Ho
The warehouse in the Ruins district looked abandoned from the outside, broken windows, rusted metal siding, graffiti that spoke of years without maintenance. Perfect camouflage for what was happening inside.I checked the address Elias had texted me three times before approac
I flipped the business card between my fingers for the hundredth time, watching lamplight catch the embossed lettering. Elias Blackwell. Community Advocate. The Cleansing.Three days since that night outside the diner. Three days since I'd watched my sister get dragged away b







