Ciara's POVI’ve got this little creep by the throat, and I’m struggling not to end him right here. I know exactly why he came, his disgusting intent is written all over him. He deserves to be crushed. I saw it all in his memories while I held him: every twisted thing he’s done to her over the years. I knew it was bad, but I didn't know it was this bad.I may have lied to Ashton when I said I could handle this without seriously hurting him. I haven’t even had the chance to talk to my daughter about what she went through, but I will. Even if she doesn’t want to speak, I can still see her memories. I’m afraid to look, though. Afraid of the truth. Afraid of just how much pain she endured after Jace threw me out of the pack.But that promise I made to him? It’s void now. I made it to protect his mate and children, but after what they did to my daughter, the Blackwood pack is fair game. And I intend to make them suffer.I dragged the piece of filth to the gate and dropped him there. He was
Ashton's POV “I can wait for the investigation,” Ciara replied with a calm smile. “I’ll enjoy watching Damien and his men stripped of their ranks and sentenced to death. They deserve every bit of it. And when the time comes, I might even volunteer to carry out their execution myself.”I nodded slowly. “Alright. I’ll let you handle it. But promise me, no one dies tonight. Damien just entered the hospital. He’ll be here any minute.”“I’ve got it. Don’t worry,” she said, already switching into action mode. “Fiona, Joan, I need you both to stand in the far-left corner. I want you to record everything that happens. That way, the pack has full deniability.”She turned to the rest of the room.“Everyone else, stand along the wall behind the door. When he walks in, he won’t see you. Oliver, stay where you are, by Maya’s side. He’ll expect to see you there anyway.”Then she looked at Maya. “I’ll need you to take the letter back out and start reading it once the recording begins. That will hel
Ashton's POV I kept everyone updated on Damien’s movements after I broke the news that he had returned to the pack, this time to try and take Maya. Oliver was angrier than I had ever seen him. He wanted to kill Damien, but I couldn’t let that happen. As much as I understood his rage, trespassing on my packland wasn’t an offense worthy of death, no matter how infuriating Damien was.Maya placed her hand gently on Oliver’s arm, and though he calmed, the fury never left his eyes. Ciara watched the two of them with quiet interest and smiled. I think she’s fully on board with Oliver being with her daughter.“If you just want him hurt but not dead, I can handle that,” Lauren offered casually. She could sense I was wrestling with how far to go with Damien’s punishment. It was a fine line, I knew the Council didn’t want me to take any serious action against him. But they had been warned to make sure he understood the consequences. I’m positive they tried. What they underestimated was just ho
Wade's POV I had not caught his scent yet, but I knew he was close, antsy, no doubt, and ready to follow through with whatever half-baked plan he had come up with.What I really wanted was to see his face when he opened the door to Maya’s room, completely unaware of the fighters waiting inside. He had no idea what he was walking into. We can’t kill him… but there’s no rule against giving him a proper beating.I slowed my pace and stayed hidden in the treeline, scanning for movement.That’s when I spotted Damien, perched about ten feet up in a tree on the opposite side of the road. He was well-concealed by the leaves, but I wasn’t looking for movement, I was looking for his blue shirt.He was close. Too close. Just biding his time, waiting for the right moment to strike. And he actually thinks he can sneak in without us noticing. 'He did. I was the one who told you he was here,' Timber’s voice sounded smoothly in my mind.'Oh, you knew,' I replied through the link. 'We seem to have a
Wade's POVSomething’s off. I can feel it. I needed to check the perimeter and figure out what it was. Damien and his group finally left just before dusk about thirty minutes ago but I wasn’t convinced they were truly gone. I had patrols increased for the next twenty-four hours. None of us believed he would just walk away and let this go.I don’t know Damien personally, we only just met, but I know men like him. He’s not planning to give up. He won’t leave without making another move to get that injured girl back. I already knew which one he was after, he got furious when I tried to examine her wounds. I can feel it in my bones: he’s not done.Now I’m just trying to figure out how he plans to do it. He doesn’t have many options. It’s just the three of them, so I’m guessing he’ll try to sneak in over the fence at a specific spot, while his men cause a distraction somewhere else. He’s probably waiting for full darkness before making a move toward the hospital.Damien’s angry, and frankl
Maya's POV Her smile returned, soft and sincere. “I promise, I’ll be there for each of you. Always. And if possible, I would love the chance to meet your resident witch. It would be good to connect.”“Ciara, you don’t have to give us anything. Maya is our sister. We love her. We didn’t stand by her for any reason other than that. We never agreed with how Dad treated her when she turned eighteen. He could’ve handled it better, he shouldn’t have allowed her to be bullied. But we can’t change the past. That’s how they raised us. From the moment we were born, they reminded us that we were sisters.Mom may not have loved Maya the way she loved us, but she still cared for her. As we got older, we began to understand how much jealousy played into it. They made mistakes, yes, but they never punished us for defending Maya, no matter who we upset by doing it.I honestly think they realized, deep down, that forcing you to leave Maya behind was a mistake. One they couldn’t take back. I think Mom