All Chapters of Crowned in Fire, Baptized in Blood: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

“Come here, Luna,” I said softly, holding out my hand to the girl.She looks close to my age, just… smaller. Fragile. I already wanted to wrap her in a blanket and rip someone’s throat out.She stepped forward hesitantly, but her mate refused to release her arm.Big mistake.“Get off her and get out — until we’ve spoken to her,” Caden bellows, his voice thunderous and final.The alpha froze for a second, then dropped her arm and left without a word. Good. Coward.As soon as the door shut, she lifts her face… and my heart cracks open.I gently guide her to the sofa. She sat stiffly, trying to disappear into the cushions. I kneel in front of her and tilt her chin so she has no choice but to meet my eyes.She is black and blue.Deep bruises along her jaw. A healing cut across her cheek. Her lip — swollen.“Did he do this to you?”Tears well up instantly and slide down her cheek as she nodes.“Yes,” she whispers. “Him… and his warriors.”

Caden guides me into the kitchen, his arm firm around my waist like he’s holding me together. The room is buzzing with quiet panic—omegas scurry across the space, boarding up shattered windows with sheets of wood. The sharp scent of sawdust mixes with fear in the air. The ranked wolves from my wild pack—Aspen, Sandy, and Lou—follow us in silently, their eyes scanning, protective, ever alert.Aspen stays glued to my side, his energy low and steady, trying to tether me to the earth.Evelin rushes to place coffee mugs in front of us like her hands can fix something. I wrap mine in shaking fingers, grateful for the heat.Caden takes the lead, voice low and commanding as he stares out at the table of gathered alphas, betas, warriors, and friends.“Okay. What the fuck do we do now?”“Go to war with that bastard Kezra,” Ben growls, seething.“No—not war yet,” Matt snaps back, his voice rough with exhaustion. “We don’t even know if that’s where they’re being held. If

The Alpha’s head snaps up the moment he sees Matt enter the office. The recognition is instant—followed by a growl so deep it rattles the walls. Jealousy pours off him in waves, clouding his judgment, sharpening his anger. He thrashes harder against my command, driven by nothing more than blind rage.I laugh, low and amused, watching the struggle unfold. He’s strong—arrogant and angry—but strong. I’ll give him that much. Still, all his resistance is doing is burning him from the inside out. Let him fight. Let him suffer.I turn to Matt, smiling with cold amusement.“Matt, why don’t you stay here with the Alpha while we retrieve my parents? Don’t kill him just yet—I have questions for him when I return. Make sure he can still speak.”Matt grins like a man who’s just been handed a long-awaited gift. Without hesitation, he crosses the room and lands a hard punch straight into the Alpha’s stomach. The man doubles over with a choked gasp, coughing on the floor. Good. Let

I wake up with the aggressive, annoying sensation of something tickling my nose. It’s not a cute feather-light brush either. It’s malicious. Repetitive. Like it has a vendetta.I try to scratch it off, but it comes back. Again. The betrayal. The rage. The mental chess match I’m playing with this invisible tormentor finally drives me to the edge of reason.I wait, lying still like a jungle predator, nostrils flaring. And the second I feel it land—SLAP!I smack myself right in the face.Except… that’s not a fly.It’s foam. Shaving foam.Cold. Wet. Betrayal-scented.I gasp, eyes flying open, only to see tiny footsteps sprinting out of the room, accompanied by high-pitched gremlin giggles.“Little shitheads,” I mumble, scrubbing foam from my nose—and then I cackle when I see Caden.Oh. My. Goddess.The man is peacefully snoring, shirtless, glorious… and stamped across his forehead in giant black marker are the all-caps letters: ASSFACE.I

I spend most of the morning plotting mischief like a woman possessed. I finish my Luna duties with uncharacteristic speed—surprisingly productive when vengeance is on the line—and immediately set my sights on destruction. Well, harmless destruction. Mostly. “Babe,” I say sweetly, padding into the bedroom with the kind of innocent expression that should never be trusted, “I need supplies for my prank. I want to go to town. Will you come with us, please?” I throw in the puppy dog eyes for good measure. Caden doesn’t even try to resist. He stretches with a groan and grins. “Well, how can I say no to that? Who’s coming?” “May and Max. Ryan’s still blue… so.” I snort mid-sentence, already picturing him sulking in a bubble of cobalt rage. Caden chuckles too. It’s a beautiful, casual moment. Easy. Safe. We head downstairs and meet the others at the door. May’s grinning like she’s already halfway through her own plan. Max is in ful