LOGINThe sound of the carriage leaving hit Mira heavily, each turn of the wheels pounding deeper into her chest.“No” Mira whispered.Her fingers trembled violently at her sides, nails biting into her palms as if pain might anchor her to reality.She had to do something to help her friend.Becca had helped her too much to just let her be taken by Brian as if she was a sacrificial lamb.Becca was alone, terrified, pregnant and Becca was taken straight into Blackwood Mansion which was equivalent to being taken to hell.Mira’s heart slammed so hard it felt like it might shatter her ribs from the inside.“I can’t let this happen,” she breathed, her voice barely audible even to herself.Her legs shook and her mind screamed reasons for her not to act but her heart had already decided.Before thought could stop her, Mira lifted her skirts and ran.“Mira!” Brian shouted behind her but she didn’t look back.She couldn’t.The carriage was already gaining distance, the guards urging the horses faster
The night held its breath.Torches burned along the stone walls of the hideout, their flames flickering violently as if even fire could sense the fury brewing between the Alphas standing face to face. The cold air was thick with tension, so thick it felt like it could be cut with a blade.Eugene stood rigid, his shoulders squared, fists clenched at his sides.Desmond’s eyes were dark bottomless pits of hatred and madness, glittering with something far more dangerous than anger. They locked onto Eugene with lethal intensity, as if he were staring at the very wolf who had ruined his life.Behind Eugene, Max shifted his weight, his jaw tight, hands already flexing for a fight he knew was coming. He couldn't stop thinking of Becca and Mira.“We need to leave. We're wasting time” Max muttered under his breath, his voice shaking with barely restrained anger.“I know,” Eugene replied quietly, never taking his eyes off Desmond.Desmond smiled and it was slow, mocking his half brother.“Well,
Becca stumbled as rough hands dragged her forward.Her wrists were bound tightly behind her back, iron cuffs biting into her skin with every step. Each tug from the soldiers made the restraints dig deeper, a constant reminder that she was no longer in control.Mira was beside her, pushed forward just as brutally, her shoulder slamming into Becca’s as they were forced through the forest clearing where torches were like watchful stars.Becca’s heart hammered painfully in her chest, not just from fear, but from the desperate ache twisting low in her belly.Her thoughts screamed Eugene’s name over and over, each heartbeat filled with dread.Where was he? Was he alive?“Slow down!” Mira snapped as one of the soliders pushed her forward again, nearly pulling her off her feet. “Are you blind or just stupid?”The soldier answered by pushing her harder.Becca hissed as Mira collided with her again. She twisted her head, trying to see behind them, trying to catch even a glimpse of Eugene or Max
Max ripped his claws free from a soldier’s chest and pushed the body aside with a snarl.The wolf collapsed to the floor, blood already pooling beneath him, dark and steaming in the torchlight. Around him, the resistance hideout had become a battlefield carved straight from hell.Screams echoed through the tunnels, some sharp and defiant, others cut off too quickly.Max turned, searching instinctively then he noticed Eugene had stopped moving.“Eugene!” Max shouted, spinning sharply, his heart slamming into his ribs.Eugene stood frozen in the middle of the chaos, his shoulders squared, his posture rigid. His fists were clenched so tightly his knuckles had gone white, veins standing out starkly against his skin. His breathing was slow, too slow, controlled to the point of danger.His eyes were locked on something across the blood-soaked ground. Max followed his gaze and felt his blood run cold when he saw Desmond.Blackwood soldiers surrounded him in a tight formation, their eyes sh
Becca’s lungs burned as she pressed herself deeper into the narrow space behind the collapsed shelves.Dust clung to her hair and skin, mixing with sweat and blood she didn’t know was hers or someone else’s. The air was thick with smoke, fear, and sickness all feeling choking and heavy. Around her, the orphans whom she was taking care of before the attack huddled together in terrified silence, their small bodies shaking, some too weak even to cry.Mira crouched beside her, one arm protectively curved around a little girl whose skin was far too pale, her breathing shook faintly in her chest.“Quiet,” Mira whispered again, though no one had made a sound.The hideout shook.A distant explosion sent loose stones tumbling from the ceiling. One hit the ground close enough that Becca flinched, instinctively wrapping an arm around her stomach.A fresh wave of fear rolled through her as she thought about her baby.“How did they find us?” Becca whispered, her voice barely more than breath.Mi
The first scream cut through the strategy chamber like a blade.Eugene’s head snapped up instantly, his instincts roaring before his mind could catch up.“That wasn’t from the outer tunnels,” Dorian said sharply. “That was inside.”Robin swore under his breath. Sax straightened from the map table, his eyes hard, disbelief flickering across his face.“That’s impossible,” Sax said. “No one knows this location.”A horn went off, the sound echoing through stone and bone alike.Max’s claws snapped fully free as his senses came into full alert.“They’re here.”For half a heartbeat, no one spoke then the truth slammed into them all at once.Desmond had found the hideout.Eugene’s chest tightened so violently it stole his breath. His mind didn’t go to strategy or formations or counterattacks. It went to Becca, Mira and the child growing inside her.“Becca,” Eugene said, already turning toward the exit.Dorian caught his arm. “Alpha Eugene—”“I know,” Eugene said fiercely. “But if anything ha







