LOGINJax walked up the wide stone stairs of the packhouse and headed straight for the Alpha’s private room. He knocked once on the heavy wood before pushing the door open. The main room was completely empty, but the curtains were blowing softly in the breeze near the open back wall.Ronan was standing just outside on the balcony, his back turned to the door as he looked out over the deep forest. He always liked staying out on the balcony whenever he had important things to discuss with Jax. It was far away from the entrance door. Even with the sharp hearing of the other wolves in the house, or anyone trying to listen from the hallway would not be able to hear a single word they said. It was the only place they could speak freely.Jax stepped in through the open glass doors onto the cool stone floor of the balcony. "You wanted to see the layouts, Ronan?"Ronan turned around and took the stack of signed maps from Jax's hand. "Yes. Sit down. We have a lot of things to plan after what happene
"I will definitely need your help, Isolde," Serena said as they stepped back onto the stone path. She fixed her green dress and looked at her friend. "I know how my dad is. He will think I have completely lost my mind for trying to join the security office. But if you stand before Ronan and the elders, they will actually listen to you. They won't just toss my application in the trash if the Luna says I can do it."Isolde walked slowly, her hands moving softly against her white dress. "My word carries weight, Serena, but it only works if you give me a good score to back it up. I can get you through the front door, but you are the one who has to show them you can stay there.""I will do the hard work, I promise," Serena said, her voice full of sudden focus. "I will wake up at dawn for the private lessons with the Crowe Pack trainer you promised. I don't care how much my body hurts, and I don't care about the mud. I just need to make sure I don't look completely foolish on Monday."Isold
The afternoon sun was hot in the sky, lighting up the stone paths of the packhouse garden. Isolde walked slowly down the path, her long white dress moving softly against the clean stone. Serena walked right beside her, touching the leaves of a green bush with her fingers. Over the past few months, the two women had become very close. To Serena, Isolde was perfect. She was beautiful, powerful, and she had successfully taken Ronan away from Liora, which only made Serena admire her more. They reached a wide stone bench under the deep shade of a willow tree. Isolde turned and sat down with perfect posture. "Sit down, Serena. The sun is getting too hot for a long walk." Serena immediately sat down beside her, fixing her green skirt. "Thank you, Isolde. The packhouse has been so quiet today," Serena said, leaning back against the stone. "It is actually nice for a change. It's almost like it's the rest before the storm comes " "Do not get too used to it," Isolde replied with a small smile
The whispers among the elders grew louder, filling the large room with a low, buzzing noise. The long oak table seemed to divide the men into two sides. On one end, some elders nodded their heads in agreement with Garrick’s harsh words about the Crowe Pack. On the other end, a few older wolves looked quite upset by the attack on their royal allies.An elder named Robert tapped his open hand against the table to break the noise. He looked across at Garrick with a sharp glare."You speak too harshly, Garrick!" Robert argued, his voice carrying easily through the room. "Let us look at the bigger picture here. The Crowe Pack is still one of the main reasons why our Voss Pack is still standing strong today. Without their food shipments and their help during the first months of the raids, our people would have struggled. They kept our markets open when we had nothing left to trade.""And at what cost?" Garrick snapped back, his eyes narrowing as he leaned forward. "They help us with one han
The heavy double doors to the Royal council hall swung open, and Ronan walked inside. The large room was quiet and smelled like old wood. A long oak table sat right in the center under a hanging light. The high elders of the Voss Pack were already sitting around it, waiting for him.Among them sat Ronan’s father, Alpha Maxwell, who had ruled the pack for a long time before handing over to Ronan. Next to him was Liora’s father, Franklyn. The Hale family was one of the most respected, elite families in Voss. Franklyn was the chief adviser and treasurer. He had managed the pack’s entire wealth for years, long before Ronan became the new Alpha.Ronan walked to the head of the table and sat down. The elders all bowed their heads to show respect. Their faces looked very serious."Thank you for coming, Alpha," Alpha Kenneth said. He leaned forward and placed his large, scarred hands on the wooden table. "We are finally gaining some stability after the constant raids. Now we need to decide o
The sharp smack of two wooden practice swords resounded through the quiet morning air. Ronan stepped quickly to the side. His boots slid easily on the dirt floor of the training ring. He swung his wooden blade in a fast, smooth circle, aiming straight for Jax’s shoulder.Jax was quick. He raised his own wooden sword just in time to block the hit with a loud crack. The force of the blow pushed him back one step, but he quickly found his footing and smiled."You are pushing hard today, Alpha," Jax said, his breathing only a little heavy. He shifted his weight, getting ready to move again."You are getting slow, Beta," Ronan replied with a small smile. He dropped his shoulders, his eyes watching Jax’s movements without blinking.This had been their regular routine since they were kids. Every morning, before the rest of the pack fully woke up, they met in this private yard to test each other’s speed and strength. It was their regular routine, a habit they never broke.Years ago, Liora use







