LOGINDamon’s POV The morning came quietly. To me it sounded too quiet for a pack that was standing on the edge of a complete fracture. I woke up with Mara curled against my side, her breathing was slow and even, her hair fanned across my chest like she belonged there… which she did. Whether the council agreed or not. For a moment I stayed still, letting the reality of the warmth of her body anchor me. For a while, now, the nights had always been heavy with decisions, with promises that could not be taken back. But waking up beside her felt like confirmation, rather than just comfort. When she stirred, her eyes met mine without hesitation. There was no doubt. There was no fear. We freshened up in silence, a quiet companionship that didn’t need words. Downstairs, the safehouse smelled faintly of freshly brewed roots and strong coffee. The strong coffee was Zeta’s doing, no doubt but the brew was all The Mage. Ryan was already seated, scrolling through reports on his tablet, his postu
Damon’s POV I didn’t say anything after Ryan spoke the words. “The vote is against you.” He has said. That sentence had weight. Not because it surprised me but because it confirmed something I had been feeling in my bones since all these happenings. Since Marius and since the council began moving like a beast with too many heads and no visible spine. I turned away from them all and went into the bedroom. The room was quiet, too quiet for a place that had become a battlefield in everything but blood. I opened the wardrobe and stared at the clothes like they might tell me which version of myself I needed to be right now. Alpha. Weapon. Mate. When my own family was trying to tear me apart, it was hard to be a son or a brother. I pulled out a black outfit. It wasn’t one that showed rank or anything. It wasn’t submissive but it wasn’t defiant either. Just undeniably present. My hands were steady as I dressed. That worried me more than anger ever had. If I could be calm now, t
Damon’s POV The summon arrived without the usual ceremony. There was no knock on the door, no warning howl. It was just a thin, official letter slid beneath the door of the safehouse like a blade meant to test its sharpness before it was sent to its owner. Mara was the one who picked it up. I watched as her fingers went still when she read the seal on the letter, her shoulders tightened in a way that made something ugly coil in my stomach. Zeta and Ryan were already moving around, instincts flaring up and the room filled with that sharp metallic tension that always came from a foreboding moment. “How did anyone get to know about this place?” Ryan said first, voice low. “It isn’t listed, Marius brought me here himself. He told me not to disclose this location… ever.”Zeta leaned in behind Mara, examining the paper as if it might bite him. “This wasn’t delivered through official channels. No pack runner and I don’t think there’s a record of this location anywhere.” I didn’t need
Alpha Harrick Wrenfield’s POV The silence in Stormdawn had become insulting. I stood at the tall windows of my study, my hands clasped behind my back, staring down at the inner courtyard of my palace. My guards moved with too much caution and very little confidence. The stone beneath my feet had been laid by my own grandfather and the banners on the walls carried victories that were older than most packs. And yet, here I was waiting on the news of my own daughter like a man who had misplaced a trinket instead of a whole Alpha Princess. “Still nothing, Alpha,” one of the guards finally said, his voice was careful, as if scared not to annoy me. Too careful. I didn’t turn. “Search again.” “Sire, we have,” another replied quickly. “The outer holdings, the roads the merchants use, even the low territories near the river.” “And what about Redwind?” The first one ales, hesitating. “We could…” I pivoted so sharply that the guard immediately flinched. “No. When did I ask you to do tha
Aiden’s POV I knew something was wrong long before I understood what it was. After I drank whatever was in that bottle, my inside went silent. It wasn’t the type that was quiet, no. It was that one that settles naturally when you’re completely alone. Nothing but a hollow, invasive absence. My wolf, Alvin, had always been loud in my head even when it lost its ability to speak. I felt his anger, his disappointment and when he finally gained his tongue, his sharp mouth when he was afraid of something I was doing. But now his presence was even worse than a dying ember, it was like he was smothered by something that wasn’t supposed to exist inside me. I could still feel him. I just couldn’t reach him. My body moved when I didn’t tell it to, my hands clenched when I didn’t want it to. My legs followed when I wanted to stop and turn back. Every step into the car and down, felt like I was walking half a second behind myself. It was like I was watching through a veil inside of my own
Seraphina’s POV I heard him before I saw him. Darius had a particular laugh when things went exactly how he wanted it, the laugh would start off low, almost disbelieving then it would grow louder and freer like a man who had finally realized he was a winner. It echoed down the corridor before the doors to our living quarters even opened, and by the time he stepped inside the room, his joy shined brightly. He shut the doors behind him and laughed again. I barely had time to rise up from my seat before he crossed the room in three long strides, his hands already on me, lifting me cleanly off the ground. I let out a surprised laugh as he spun me around once then the second time. He had the tail of my dress flaring, my feet leaving all sense of gravity behind and flailing in the air giddily. “Darius,” I said, breathless, laughing despite myself. He set me down only to pull me into a tight embrace, his heart pounding hard against my chest. “We’re in,” he said, almost breathless too







