LOGINTraci’s POV I stood just outside the entrance to the palace gardens, drawing one slow breath after another as I tried to calm the butterflies fluttering inside my stomach. Yesterday, I had stood in an arena surrounded by bloodshed. Today… I was about to be crowned queen. The contrast wasn’t lost on me. A soft chuckle escaped before I could stop it. Only my life could go from stopping an invading army one day to attending a coronation the next. “Ready?” Corbin’s voice pulled me from my thoughts. I looked over at him and smiled. “As ready as I’ll ever be.” He nodded his head before offering me his hand. Instead of taking his arm, I slipped my fingers into his. Somehow that felt more natural. More like us. Together, we stepped through the archway leading into the gardens. The sight before me stole my breath. Hundreds of chairs stretched across the perfectly manicured grounds, every seat already occupied by guests representing kingdoms, packs, covens, and allied territorie
Raiden’s POV The previous night had been exactly what the three of us needed. After everything we endured inside the arena, it felt good to close the doors to our suite and leave the rest of the world outside, even if it was only for a few hours. There were no warriors asking questions, no reports waiting on my desk, and no enemies trying to destroy everything we loved. There was only us. Peace had become a rare luxury, and I intended to appreciate every second of it whenever it found us. The first rays of morning sunlight slipped through the curtains, bathing the room in a warm glow. I looked down at the beautiful woman sleeping against my chest, and a smile found its way onto my face. She looked different when she slept. The worry disappeared from her expression. The weight of protecting everyone else faded away. She wasn’t the Last White Wolf. She wasn’t the future queen. She wasn’t the woman who stood before an army and made them kneel. She was simply Traci. My Vixen. Careful
Traci’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
Zayden’s POV“Sienna,” I muttered against her neck as she settled herself onto my lap with a satisfied little smirk.Soft music drifted through my chambers while firelight flickered across the walls, casting golden shadows over the room. The scent of vanilla and wine clung heavily to the air. Hones
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
Traci’s POV“Corbin, we have a problem.” The second the words left my mouth through the mindlink, panic nearly swallowed me whole again.“Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” Corbin’s voice came through instantly, calm and steady like always. “Are you okay?”No. Absolutely not.I pressed both hands against t
Raiden’s POVRogue attacks across the kingdom had gotten worse every year.What once started as small raids along distant borders had evolved into organized assaults with strategy behind them. More warriors. Better timing. Stronger fighters. Somebody was building an army in the shadows, and whoever







