You know damn well it'll only make things worse

Four hours later, the jet soared through the clouds.

The skies outside were calm, but inside the plane… it was anything but.

The Crent Festival was over. So was the bond they had dared to believe in.

First, Salem and Orson vanished.

Now the Frost brothers too.

Tara sat by herself, curled tightly under a blanket, her face turned toward the window. The clouds below stretched endlessly, but her mind was stuck behind—trapped in memories that played over and over like a cruel loop.

Their touch and voices, their promises all gone.

She said nothing. Did nothing. Just stared.

Her hand rested on the necklace Amarok had given her, clutching it like it could bring him back.

Stone watched her from across the cabin for a long moment before he finally stood and walked to her. His voice was soft but firm.

“Don’t cry for them, Tara.”

She didn’t answer.

“They didn’t deserve you. Not your heart. Not your body. Not your tears.”

Still, she didn’t say a word.

He sat beside her and pulled her gently into his arms. “I swear to you… we’ll find out why. And if it’s what I think it is—cowardice—then they’ll pay for breaking you like this.”

But Tara remained silent. Her fingers clutched the blanket tighter. And she stayed like that until the plane landed.

When they arrived home, the girls didn’t speak a word to anyone.

They walked straight past Curtis, past Stone, and locked themselves in their room. The door slammed. No goodbyes. No explanations.

Only Vera was allowed in.

She said nothing at first. Just walked in, sat between them, and wrapped her arms around both. And in that silence, the girls broke again.

“I feel empty…” Taylor finally whispered, hours later.

“They took something from us,” Tara murmured. “And I don’t even know what it was.”

“I’m glad you’re both home,” Vera whispered. “But I wish I brought home more than broken pieces.”

Back in his office, Curtis paced the room, hands behind his back. His jaw clenched as he turned to face Stone, who leaned against the bookshelf, arms crossed.

“So they just vanished? Took their pack, their ship, and ran off like nothing happened?”

“That’s exactly what they did,” Stone said flatly.

Curtis cursed under his breath. “Why? Why disappear like that? Were they that scared of this bond?”

“They’re cowards,” Stone said. “They couldn’t handle the weight of it. So they did what cowards do. Run.”

Curtis’s voice hardened. “Do you believe the girls… did something to enrage them?”

Stone straightened, fire lighting in his eyes. “Don’t you dare.”

“I’m not accusing—”

“No, you’re suggesting. That somehow my sisters pushed them away. That’s bullshit. Taylor said nothing happened. She stands by it. She won’t talk about what transpired in that tent, but she said they’re still untouched.”

Curtis rubbed his face. “I just need answers, Stone. My daughters’ lives—this prophecy—can’t be torn apart like this and left to rot.”

Stone nodded slowly. “So what are you going to do?”

“I’m sending word,” Curtis said. “To both the Frost Pack and the Gray Moon Pack. If they won’t speak, I’ll make them. And if that means flying up to their doorsteps myself, then so be it.”

*THE FROST PACK MOUNTAINS*

*Bang!*

The gunshot echoed across the cold forest, scaring away a flock of birds.

Amarok stood with his rifle still raised, smoke curling from the barrel.

Beside him, Geri exhaled sharply, lips tight, eyes darker than usual. His beard had thickened over the last forty-eight hours, his eyes sunken like sleep had become a foreign thing.

“We shouldn’t be here,” Geri snapped.

Amarok didn’t respond.

“We should be with them,” he growled, tossing his weapon to the ground. “You told me this was the only way. That we had no choice. That it was for their safety. But how does it feel now, Amarok? Knowing they’re a hundred miles away and we can’t even fucking smell them?”

Amarok growled low, a warning.

Geri stepped forward. “I swear, if you say one more time that this is what we had to do—”

“What would you have done?” Amarok cut in, voice sharp. “Dragged them into this mess? Told them the truth and watched them beg to follow us into danger? You know them, Geri. You know damn well they would have.”

“I would’ve rather watched them cry in my arms than cry alone,” Geri spat.

Amarok’s fists clenched. His jaw trembled. “You think I’m not dying here too?”

Geri turned away, dragging a hand through his hair. “You should’ve handled it better. You’re the one that said we’d protect them, and now we’ve left them in pieces.”

“You think I don’t know that?” Amarok roared. “You think this doesn’t rip me apart every second?!”

Behind them, Gary and Macon watched with tense eyes.

“Alpha…” Gary called, voice unsure.

Both brothers turned sharply.

“What?!” they snapped in unison.

Their chests heaved, wolves snapping beneath the surface.

Macon stepped forward slowly. “Why don’t we take a break from hunting—”

“We’re not done,” Amarok snarled.

And both men stormed deeper into the forest.

The next morning in the training grounds.

The sun barely broke the horizon when the sound of fists echoed through the cold air.

Amarok and Geri circled each other in the dirt, bare-chested and bloody.

“This isn’t training,” Gary muttered under his breath, watching from the side.

“This is war,” Macon whispered.

“Come on!” Geri shouted, rushing Amarok and slamming his fist into his brother’s jaw.

Amarok growled, catching him by the throat and shoving him back. “You hit like a cub.”

“You cry like a pup,” Geri snapped, spitting blood from his mouth. “We’re both falling apart and this is your damn solution?”

“You want to hit something? Hit me. I can take it,” Amarok gritted.

They charged again, fists flying, blood mixing with sweat.

“Alpha!” Macon’s voice cut through the chaos, breathless.

He walked into the ring, holding a sealed envelope.

Both men stilled.

“It’s from Regal Star Pack.”

Amarok snatched it from his hand, tearing it open. Geri rushed beside him, reading over his shoulder.

As their eyes moved across the page, the fight in their bodies drained.

Curtis had sent word.

Guilt flooded their faces. Then pain. Then rage.

“They want answers,” Macon said quietly. “He wants to talk. He wants to know why.”

Geri started pacing. “Of course he does. And I don’t blame him.”

“Why don’t you reconsider,” Macon added carefully. “Just speak with him. Tell him the truth.”

“No,” Amarok barked. “You know damn well it’ll only make this worse. Curtis will never understand. And neither will the girls… not yet.”

“So what do we do?” Geri asked.

“We ignore them,” Amarok growled. “No messages. Nothing. Not until I handle what’s coming. When the time is right… we’ll go to them.”

Geri didn’t argue.

He followed as Amarok turned and walked away from the field, both men leaving behind blood, silence, and a stunned pack.

Macon watched them go, his heart heavy.

He just hoped the pain tearing them all apart would end, before something even worse began.