MasukThe camp fell into a stunned silence after Desmond’s words.It echoed in Ava’s head like a thunderclap, loud and disorienting, refusing to settle. Her breath came out uneven as she stared at him, her eyes wide with disbelief.What is he doing?She took a step forward instinctively, her voice rising before she could stop herself.“My Alpha, this—”“Silence.”Desmond didn’t even look at her but the command was sharp.Ava’s lips parted, the rest of her words dying in her throat as his aura pressed down, not violently, but firmly enough to remind her of her place.Across from them, Skye stepped forward, her shock turning quickly into anger.“You’ve lost your mind. You think you can just walk into our camp and suggest something like that?” she said, her voice sharp with disbelief.Desmond’s expression didn’t change, he didn’t even spare her a glance.“I didn’t come here to speak with you,” he said flatly.Skye’s eyes flashed.“I don’t care who you came to speak with,” she snapped. “This af
Ava could feel the suffocating sense of being watched pressing in on her as she walked with Desmond and their captors.“Move.”The command came from one of the guards behind her, sharp and impatient. Ava flinched slightly and quickened her steps but Desmond, however did not.He walked at his own pace, as though he were not surrounded by enemies.“Keep up,” another guard snapped at him.Desmond didn’t even glance in his direction.“If I wanted to be rushed, I would have come here running” he said calmly.The guard stepped forward, his grip tightening on his weapon.“Watch your tone.”That made Desmond stop. He turned his head just enough for his gaze to meet the guard’s.“You’re speaking to an Alpha King,” Desmond said.The words were quiet but they carried weight.The guard hesitated as Desmond’s aura flared. It rolled off him like an invisible wave, pressing against everyone within range.Desmond let the silence stretch just long enough then turned away.“Lead the way,” he said, as i
The healer’s chamber had grown quiet again but it was no longer the same.Jack stood before Eugene, his chest rising and falling steadily after the boldness of what he had just done. The echo of his oath still lingered in the air, wrapping itself around everyone present like an invisible thread pulling them all into something bigger.Eugene hadn’t moved far from him. His sharp gaze remained fixed on Jack, studying him, not just his words, but the intent behind them.True loyalty was not something he took lightly.“You meant what you said,” Eugene finally spoke, his voice calm but firm.Jack nodded immediately.“I did.”There was no hesitation.Eugene’s eyes narrowed slightly, as if weighing that answer against everything he knew about Jack, about his past and about where he came from.“You understand what you’re asking for. This isn’t just about standing beside me” Eugene continued. Jack swallowed, but he didn’t look away.“I know.”“Then say it clearly, what are you asking?” Eugene
The forest was unforgiving. Dark branches stretched overhead like skeletal fingers, weaving together to block out most of the fading daylight. The deeper Desmond and Ava ventured, the quieter it became, just the faint crunch of leaves beneath their feet and the distant whisper of wind threading through the trees.Ava pulled her cloak tighter around herself as she followed closely behind Desmond, every instinct in her body screamed that this was a mistake, a dangerous one.“My Alpha…” she began cautiously, her voice low as if afraid the forest itself might hear her.Desmond didn’t slow down.“What?” he replied curtly.Ava hesitated for a second, then forced herself to continue.“We’ve been walking for a while now,” she said. “Are you certain this is the right direction?”Desmond’s pace remained steady.“If you were more useful, we wouldn’t have to rely on certainty,” he replied coldly.Ava flinched slightly at the insult.“I told you, I only got close to their camp. I didn’t see the e
The corridors of the estate stretched endlessly before Jack, heavy with the weight of everything that had been said and everything that had not.His footsteps echoed softly against the stone floor, but even that sound felt distant to him, like it didn’t quite belong to the moment because his mind was elsewhere.Jack exhaled sharply, dragging a hand down his face.“Damn it…” he muttered under his breath.He hated that it had gotten to him.His jaw tightened as he turned a corner, his pace quickening slightly.He needed to find Eugene now, not after thinking about it for hours and letting doubt grow.If he didn’t say what he needed to say, If he didn’t make it clear, then those words would keep festering and he refused to let that happen.“I’m not weak,” he muttered but the words felt more like reassurance than truth.He pushed forward turning another corner and then he heard a voice.“Jack.”He stopped instantly, his body tensed slightly before he turned.Mira stood a few steps behind
Seraphina’s chamber was in disarray.Silk drapes had been pulled too harshly to one side, leaving the tall windows exposed to the dimming afternoon light. A delicate vase lay shattered near the far wall, its contents spilled across the polished floor and at the center of it all Seraphina paced back and forth.Her heels struck the marble floor in sharp, uneven rhythms, echoing her thoughts.“How dare he speak to me like that…” she muttered under her breath.Her fingers curled into tight fists at her sides. Her voice rose slightly with each step, the memory replaying in her mind.Her jaw clenched.“I betrayed him?” she scoffed bitterly. “He dares to say that after everything—”She stopped abruptly, her chest rising and falling rapidly.Ava stood a few steps away, watching her cautiously. She had seen Seraphina angry before, plenty of times but this was different.Seraphina turned to her, then exhaled slowly, running a hand through her hair.“I need to think properly” she said.Ava nodd
The fire had burned low by the time Eugene finally spoke.Its embers glowed softly, casting long shadows across the modest room where Becca sat on the edge of the bed, her hands folded protectively over her stomach. The house was quiet, too quiet, as if even the walls were listening. Mira had gone
The moment Jack turned the corner and Ava disappeared from view, relief washed through him.He exhaled slowly, rolling his shoulders as if shedding a weight he had been carrying since dinner. "At least she’s not trying to talk me out of it anymore," Jack thought.Ava meant well, he knew that, but
The great dining hall of Blackwood mansion was filled with sounds of cutlery as dinner was being served.Jack sat three seats away from Desmond, his posture rigid, his expression neutral. He listened as the soft scrape of cutlery began, as conversation rose in polite, measured tones, yet his mind w
Ava moved quickly through the eastern hallway, her soft slippers barely making a sound against the polished floor. Dawn had not yet broken, but the sky beyond the tall windows had begun to change.She had not slept, not properly, not with Jack on her mind.Her fingers curled anxiously around the fo







