جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 90

Cael's POVI should’ve known from the way her shoulders tightened that this wasn’t going to be something light. Mira had that look… the one where her mind was made up before she had even opened her mouth, and nothing short of a war would change it.She looked into my eyes, and I saw hers as clear as moonlight, steady and firm even though her pulse was thrumming faintly in her throat.“Cael,” she finally began. “I think it’s really important… for us to go to Pine Shadows.”There it was. The words landed like a pebble that had been dropped into deep water, sending ripples spreading through my chest. Pine Shadows… The name was seldom mentioned in our pack, but she spoke about it like it was salvation.“Are you being serious?” I asked carefully.She was firm in her reply. “Dead serious.”I laughed at the thought, a funny sort of sound that startled even me. “You want us to just stroll into the den of the wolves who have hated us for decades, even banished you under a false accusation, an

Alpha Rowland’s POVCuriosity danced in Caleb's eyes as he listened with rapt attention, looking as if he was getting ready to pry the words out of me if I delayed any longer. I exhaled calmly, preparing myself for the part of the story that still troubled me each time I thought about it.“We had planned to interrogate the rogues after the birthday,” I began. “I had sent for Mira and Cael to prepare them for it, and our plan was to do anything necessary to learn how they had come into possession of the Thallium, and most importantly… who was supplying them.”Caleb nodded thoughtfully, with his eyes alive with intensity. “Exactly what I would have done, Rowland. You had them in your grasp. So what went wrong?”I let out a bitter laugh, shaking my head at the question. “When I gave the order for them to be brought in, the guard who fetched them came back looking as if he had seen a ghost, trembling, and totally unable to speak a word. He could only signal for us to follow him.”“Rowla

Mira’s POVMorning came far too quickly for my liking. I had barely slept as my brain was filled with tangled thoughts about Pine Shadows, poisoned letters, and the intense conversation I had with Cael. By the time sunlight found its way through the curtains and into my room, I felt both heavy with exhaustion and too restless to stay in bed.The smell of food from the dining hall was what eventually pulled me up however… roasted meat and warm bread, with delicious soups and tasty desserts. Father was already seated in his usual seat, with his friend, Caleb on his right, looking surprisingly refreshed for someone who had ridden so far and so late into the night. His presence brought with it a rare and comfortable warmth that was clearly doing father a lot of good, and I could now fully understand what Cael was talking about… Their bond indeed, carried the kind of ease that made the whole room brighter.Cael was already seated opposite me, wolfing down his food like a starving prisoner

Mira’s POV“You must both be out of your minds,” Father said finally after thinking for a while. “Do you even understand the danger you’re talking about?” His fist struck the table with a dull thud, making the plates rattle. “Pine Shadows is not a playground. It’s a pack with its own laws, its own politics, and right now, its own dark secrets. And you two want to stroll into it like adventurous pups?”I forced myself to remain as calm as possible even though my heart was pounding hard enough to burst through my chest. “It’s not an adventure, Father. It's a strategic move that they wouldn't see coming. No one would suspect two young emissaries to be digging for the truth.”“That’s exactly why it’s foolish,” he snapped back. “You’re both too young to really understand how treacherous that pack can be. If Pine Shadows is behind the thallium smuggling, do you think they’ll hesitate to kill you the moment they suspect your intentions?”Cael's eyes were now fully ablaze with defiance, and h

Alpha Rowland’s POVThe back and forth between them was not new to the council, and the other lords simply watched in stunned silence, fascinated and awed by the continuous battle of words between these two, just as it has been for years.Then Lord Drago spoke to calm the tension, or so it seemed even though his voice sounded deceptively reasonable.“My Alpha,” he began calmly. “There is indeed wisdom in seeking peace, and no one here would deny that war has taken its toll over generations. But…” He spread his hands, exchanging a quick glance with Halvar. “The manner of how we go about it matters a lot. To emissaries into Pine Shadows is a risk too great. Surely there are… safer ways to test Harold’s sincerity first.”There were small murmurs and shaking of heads.I didn't know if the others heard only his words and not the meaning behind them, but I heard it clearly. Drago was on Halvar's side, but was covering his opposition views with a cloak of diplomacy.Halvar on the other hand