LOGINTraci’s POV The elevator ride up to our suite felt like it lasted an eternity, a sensory deprivation chamber where the only thing I could process was the ache in my bones and the phantom sensation of someone's hands on my waist. Zayden stood next to me, his arm thrown casually over my shoulders, a silent but heavy presence that usually grounded me. But tonight, my grounding was gone. The chaos of the arena, it all bled together into a headache that throbbed behind my eyes. I just wanted to be anywhere else. Somewhere quiet. Somewhere with them. When the doors finally slid open with that soft, hydraulic sigh, the suite was bathed in a low, amber light that seemed to swallow the shadows. We stepped inside and the door clicked shut, sealing the world out. It wasn't just the luxury of the room that made it feel like home. It was the smell. The distinct, musky scent of Zayden and Raiden. It was primal, territorial, and undeniably safe. I kicked off my boots without ceremony, the leathe
Raiden’s POV We made our way through the palace corridors toward the main office, the exhaustion from the battle settling deeper into my bones with every step. The adrenaline that had carried us through the attack had finally begun to wear off, leaving behind aching muscles and a heaviness that no amount of determination could ignore. When we reached the office, Kael and Ryker were already waiting. Stacks of reports covered the large conference table. Maps had been spread across one end while casualty lists, damage assessments, and security updates occupied nearly every available inch of space. Neither of them looked particularly happy. I couldn’t blame them. No report coming from today’s attack was going to contain good news. Traci walked in beside Zayden and me before taking the chair between us. Even sitting down, I noticed she looked drained. Bringing Kael back had taken more out of her than she wanted anyone to realize, yet she still sat with her shoulders straight, refusin
Zayden’s POV Once Kael was stable enough to stand with assistance, the three of us made our way toward the stage. Traci walked between Raiden and me, her shoulders noticeably heavier than they had been an hour earlier. The glow surrounding us had faded into a soft shimmer beneath our skin, but our life-bond marks still pulsed with warmth, reminding me that whatever had awakened inside us wasn’t going away. The raised platform overlooked the entire arena. From up there, the destruction was impossible to ignore. Sections of seating had collapsed. Burn marks scarred the stone where magic collided with explosives. Weapons, broken shields, and torn banners littered the battlefield while warriors escorted prisoners away and healers continued moving from one injured person to the next. The moment Traci stepped onto the platform, every eye in the arena found her. I picked up the microphone from the podium and handed it to her. She accepted it with a grateful smile before taking a steady
Unknown POV I leaned back in the oversized leather chair and watched the security monitor with quiet amusement. The room remained dim except for the glow pouring from the wall of screens. Every camera fed into the same control center, giving us a view of nearly every location worth watching. Right now, only one screen mattered. Maddox. A slow smile tugged at the corner of my mouth. “Very entertaining, don’t you think?” My brother folded his arms across his chest before letting out a laugh. “I’ll admit, I wasn’t expecting the laptop.” Neither was I. A chuckle escaped me. “I think that was my favorite part.” The image replayed in my mind as the expensive computer slammed into the wall before exploding into a pile of broken plastic and shattered glass. “He really committed to that tantrum.” My brother laughed harder. “I almost feel sorry for whoever has to clean that mess up.” “Almost.” The amusement lingered as I looked down. Darci rested comfortably against my chest with a blan
Maddox’s POV The laptop slammed into the stone wall hard enough to shatter the screen. Plastic exploded across the office. The monitor split down the center before crashing onto the floor in a smoking pile of broken pieces. I stood there breathing slowly through my nose, my hands curled into fists so tightly my fingernails dug into my palms. Every carefully laid plan had collapsed right in front of me. For one glorious stretch of time, everything had gone exactly as intended. My men breached the outer defenses. Panic spread through the arena. Explosions distracted their warriors while confusion swept through the crowd. Their security had fractured, and for a few precious minutes the entire kingdom scrambled to regain control. Victory had been within reach. Then Traci stepped into that damn ring. Everything changed. The men assigned to seize her never even came close. Hell, they didn’t make it inside the ring before they either were flown into the air and fucking killed or were fo
Raiden’s POV The moment Kael sucked in that first desperate breath, relief crashed through me so hard my knees nearly gave out. He was alive. Against every law of nature any of us had ever known, Traci had reached into death itself and pulled him back. That miracle came with a dangerous price. The three of us were still glowing. Silver light pulsed beneath our skin, weaving between us like invisible threads only magic could create. Our life-bond marks burned against our necks, each pulse perfectly synchronized with the others. We no longer looked like three people standing together. We looked like one source of living power. Every eye inside the arena remained fixed on us. Friends. Enemies. Guests. Warriors. No one looked away. They had just watched Traci force an entire army onto its knees before bringing Kael back to life. If word spread, and there wasn’t a chance it wouldn’t, everything had changed. We couldn’t stay here much longer. “Hey, Bright Eyes.” I stepped beside her an
Ralph’s POV I stood near the back of the arena, tucked into a section that most people overlooked. Between the noise from the crowd, the chaos surrounding the tournament, and the attention focused on the royal booth, nobody paid me a second glance. Exactly how I preferred it. From where I stood,
Corbin’s POV The second Traci collapsed in that arena, I knew the day had officially gone to hell. Not that it had been going particularly well before then. Between the assassination attempt, the wolfsbane, the explosion, the kidnapping attempt, and now a fighter throwing powder in her face duri
Raiden’s POV I got Traci and her group upstairs on the king’s floor and left immediately. The second the suite door closed behind them, I grabbed ahold of Zayden’s arm and pulled him along beside me. “Come on,” I muttered. “What?” he asked as he matched my pace. “We have things to do,” I tel
Raiden’s POV Damn that feast felt like it would never end. The noise alone was enough driving me insane. Conversations echoed through the dining hall while pack leaders tried impressing one another with exaggerated stories and fake smiles. Drunken laughter bounced off the walls while palace staf







