FAZER LOGINCaden's POV
I’ve got my phone in hand. Maya's sitting next to me, her shoulder nearly brushing against mine. We haven’t said a word in an hour, just stuck in this heavy silence, neither of us sure what to say.
Suddenly, my phone buzzes.
I glance at the screen. It’s a council-wide message. Red letters. The official seal.
Elena Ahearn has been executed by order of the Council. Sentence carried out at Eventide. No further appeals.
<Borgov's POVThis valley feels like hell.The clang of metal fills the air, steel crashing against steel. Wolves twist and claw, their dark forms silhouetted against the fiery sky, while rogues swarm over the ridge like ants from a disturbed hill.I swing my sword—the one with the worn leather grip, the blade I've carried for years—and a man goes down. My left hand grips the pistol, still warm from my last shot. Another blade hangs at my waist, waiting for action.Around me, Gracia's warriors stand firm, sturdy men with steady eyes. My own fighters are holding the left flank, but the line is wavering. Bodies are piling up. The mud is soaked in red.I'm forty-one now. I've witnessed battles and buried friends. But I've never seen hell like this.Then I see him.He’s on the outskirts of the chaos, sword raised, frozen mid-step. Even from a hundred yards away, through the smoke and turmoil, I recognize tho
Maya's POVThe arrow comes out of nowhere.One second, I’m racing toward the supply tent, a message from Damian searing in my pocket. The next, I feel this intense pain shoot through my shoulder. It's like pure fire. I drop to the ground.I hit the mud face-first and taste the metallic tang of blood in my mouth.Get up. I try to push myself off the ground, but my arm is just... not responding. Get up, get up, get up—Then hands are lifting me.Caden.“Maya. Stay with me.” His voice is tight, almost frantic. I’ve never heard him like this before.“I'm fine.” My words spill out all jumbled. “Just a scratch.”“You’re not fine.” He’s already moving, carrying me, racing toward the healers' tent. Everything around me bounces. I catch glimpses of the sky, the trees, and his worried face.“I can walk.”“You
Caden's POVI’ve got my phone in hand. Maya's sitting next to me, her shoulder nearly brushing against mine. We haven’t said a word in an hour, just stuck in this heavy silence, neither of us sure what to say.Suddenly, my phone buzzes.I glance at the screen. It’s a council-wide message. Red letters. The official seal.Elena Ahearn has been executed by order of the Council. Sentence carried out at Eventide. No further appeals.I can’t take my eyes off the words.Executed.Elena Ahearn.My mother.The phone feels like it’s weighing me down. The letters start to blur.Around me, there are more buzzing phones. Warriors check their screens. Healers freeze mid-step. Someone murmurs, “Elena’s dead.”I’m rooted to the spot.Maya leans in, reading over my shoulder. Her expression is unreadable.“Caden.”I don&rsquo
Caden's POVThe fog clears up. The valley is stained red.I’m standing on the eastern ridge, sword resting loosely in my hand. Below, the rogues are regrouping for another assault. Our fighters are battered and worn out, but they’re still holding strong. Damian stands at the center, his dark wolf pacing back and forth, waiting.I scan the slope. There are bodies everywhere.And then, I spot him.Lucas.He’s at the forefront of the enemy line, his shirt ripped, sword held high. His face looks thinner than I remember, eyes hollow yet burning with intensity. He’s shouting something to the rogues behind him, pointing up towards our ridge.My chest tightens.I lift my hand. The archers beside me lower their bows.“Captain,” one of them says. “He’s in range.”“No.”“If we take him out—”“I said no.&rdquo
Selena's POVThe afternoon sun warms the canvas above me.I slowly come to, my body feeling heavy and my head still in a fog. I’m on a cot, a blanket draped over me. Damian's arms are wrapped around me as he sleeps behind, his chest pressed to my back, arm resting over my waist, keeping me snug.I don't move. Honestly, I don’t want to.The tent feels different. It's bigger now. There are more cots—rows of them stretching into the shadows. Most have warriors on them, bandaged and exhausted. The battle is over. We barely made it through, but we won.Greta is curled up on a cot near the entrance, still in her bloodstained apron, snoring softly with her mouth open. She worked all night long without a break, didn’t even eat. I think about waking her, but I don't.I glance around. There are new tents set up outside—I can see them through the gaps in the canvas. New wooden poles, fresh canvas, the red cro
Selena's POVThe scream pierces the air from the ridge.I’m up on my feet before I even fully register what’s happening. Greta’s at the tent entrance, her face ashen, while Rina hurriedly grabs bandages, her hands trembling.I push past them to take a look outside.Fire lights up the eastern valley—torches, hundreds of them, moving up the slope. Viktor didn't wait for dawn to make his move.“Sound the alarm!” someone yells.Horns blast through the night. Warriors spill out of their tents, grabbing weapons, shifting into action, running. At the forefront, Damian's already transformed into his wolf form, his dark fur blending into the shadows.The rogues crash into our line like a relentless wave.Suddenly, the first injured start arriving before I’m even prepared.A warrior stumbles into the tent, his arm missing below the elbow, blood streaming down his side, soakin
Selena's POV~Morning arrives, dreary and chilly. The village slowly comes to life, with smoke drifting from the chimneys and children darting between the huts. Lucy stands by the garden gate, cradling a cup of tea, her gaze fixed on the mountains.We packed in silence
Selena's POV~I wake up before the sun rises.Damian is still sleeping next to me, his arm resting across my waist, his breathing calm and steady. I don’t want to move. I don’t want to wake him. We’re heading to the mountains today, and I’m not sure when we’ll have another morning like this—quiet,
The council room hasn't changed.Same long wooden table. Same older wolves in dark robes. Same smell of old paper and candle wax and fear. I stood here once, years ago, when my mother died and they officially recognized my father as Beta. He held my hand through the whole thing.Now he's in a cell
Dawn comes gray and cold.I haven't slept. Just sat in the corner of the hunting lodge's main room, Mom's bracelet wrapped around my fingers, staring at nothing. Around me, Silvermoon pack members sleep on floors and benches, exhausted from the fire, the fight, the fear.Damian hasn't slept either.







