LOGINThe 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
Hadrian stood before Eugene and Max, his posture straight, his presence calm, but his eyes held a gravity that neither of them could ignore.Eugene crossed his arms slowly, his jaw tight, his gaze fixed.“Why shouldn’t I go through with the duel? Explain” he said.Max nodded beside him, his brows furrowed deeply.“Because right now, none of this makes sense.”Hadrian exhaled slowly.“You both don't know of Alpha Leonard,” he said.Eugene nodded once."We know he's powerful.”Hadrian’s gaze sharpened slightly.“That iis closer to the truth than you realize" he said.Eugene’s expression didn’t change but something in his chest tightened.“Then say it clearly,” Eugene said. “What makes him different?”Hadrian took a step closer, lowering his voice slightly, though the weight of his words only seemed to grow heavier.“His power.”Max scoffed faintly.“All Alphas have power.”Hadrian shook his head.“No, not like his. He is one of the very few Alphas in our history whose strength rivals th
The room had not recovered from the shock of his arrival.The former Head Councilor, Hadrian, stood with quiet authority, his presence grounding yet commanding, like a force that did not need to announce itself to be felt.Desmond’s jaw tightened as he adjusted his collar, his gaze sharpening as he looked at the older man.“You shouldn’t be here,” Desmond said flatly.The words carried weight, not just irritation.Hadrian did not flinch. Instead, he stepped forward slowly, his expression calm, almost unreadable.“And yet, here I am” he replied evenly, Desmond’s eyes darkened.“This is my estate. You lost the right to step foot here the moment you were removed” he said. A subtle shift passed through the room.Mira’s brows furrowed slightly, Max straightened while Becca’s gaze flicked between them, tension settling in her chest.Eugene remained still but his presence changed quietly.Hadrian clasped his hands behind his back, his posture composed.“I was not removed, I stepped down” h
Eugene snapped, not the slow, simmering fury that had been burning in his chest since Desmond’s laughter echoed across the resistance hideout, but a violent, instinctive break, the kind that came from a wolf pushed beyond restraint.The soldiers holding him barely had time to react.One moment, the
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,
Jack stood in his chambers, sleeves rolled slightly, preparing for what should have been an ordinary evening by Blackwood standards but tonight, the walls felt thinner.Outside his window, too many torches moved. Guards crossed the courtyard in groups instead of pairs, armor gleaming beneath the mo
At the heart of the mansion, behind thick doors, Desmond had not left his study for long time and the room looked like the aftermath of a storm.Scrolls lay scattered across the massive desk and the floor beside it were maps marked with red ink, troop movements sketched and resketched, weak points







