جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 130

Nikolai's POVThe corridor outside was quiet. My pulse was steady now, though the tension still simmered beneath the surface. The walls of the headquarters were lined with old photographs of the pack’s history, alphas before Rhett, betas before me. Every one of them had made decisions that shaped the structure we lived under. Every one of them had sacrificed something for it. I wondered briefly if Rhett felt that weight the same way I did.The elevator took me down to the ground floor. I stepped out into the open hall where a few pack members moved about their duties, offering respectful nods as I passed. I returned them absently. My mind was already elsewhere.The morning air outside was cold, sharp against my skin as I stepped through the main entrance. I inhaled deeply, letting the chill settle my thoughts. The compound stretched wide across the valley, surrounded by forest and stone barriers. From here, the underground cells were just another structure hidden beneath the earth, bu

Killan's POV I sat on the cold floor with the tray of food in front of me, the smell faint and uninviting, but it was the only thing keeping my stomach from turning against itself. The metal spoon felt heavier than usual as I stirred the mashed grains around the edge of the plate. The cell was silent except for the distant dripping of water and the quiet hum of the security lights above. The scent of old iron and damp concrete filled the air. I could almost taste the rust every time I breathed in. I had been here for three days, maybe four. Time moved differently when you were caged. You started to measure it not by hours or sunlight, but by the sound of boots walking past your door. The guards had stopped speaking to me after the second day. I could not blame them. Being accused of betraying the pack carried its own kind of stench. No one wanted to be too close to a traitor, even if they were not sure yet whether he truly was one. I scooped another spoonful of the tasteless food

Declan's POV The door had barely closed behind Rhett when the silence returned heavy, suffocating, familiar. His presence always left an aftertaste, like smoke that lingered in the air even after the fire had gone out. I leaned back against the pillow and stared at the ceiling, listening to the faint buzz of the fluorescent light above me. My body ached, but not as much as my patience. He was always like that stoic, measured, too proud to admit that doubt gnawed at him. I could see it in his eyes even when his voice stayed calm. He thought I didn’t notice, but I always did. Rhett wasn’t the kind of man who faltered easily. If he did, he made sure no one saw it. Not even his Beta. Not even his friend. I sighed and shifted a little, the movement pulling at the bandages around my ribs. A sharp sting shot through me, and I hissed under my breath. The wound was healing, but slowly. Too slowly. The physician said the knife had gone deep enough to graze a rib, and the only reason I was st

Rhett's POV When I left the hospital that evening, the corridors were quiet, too quiet for my liking. The nurses moved about with tired smiles, their shoes making soft sounds against the tiled floor. I had been sitting by Declan’s bedside longer than I planned, watching the machines beep, watching his chest rise and fall, thinking about all the things that were beginning to fall apart. The doctor had said he would be discharged the next day, but I could see the frustration written all over him. Declan wasn’t built to lie in bed. He was a fighter, restless, hard-headed like me. I told him to rest and promised I would come back in the morning. The moment I stepped out of the hospital doors, the evening air hit my face. It was cool and a little heavy, carrying the smell of rain that hadn’t yet fallen. I took a deep breath and looked up at the dark sky. The city lights reflected on the clouds, faint but still visible, and for a second, I wished I could just stay there, in that silence,

Rhett's POV It was the cold that woke me first, that thin chill that seeps into the skin when the night air hangs heavy after rain. My eyes opened to darkness, the faint hum of crickets far away, and a dull ache running down my side. For a moment I could not remember where I was. Then the scent of blood and burned wood reached me, faint but distinct, and everything came rushing back. The ambush, the blades, the heat of battle, the way my strength had slipped from me before I blacked out. I tried to move and felt the protest in my ribs. My wolf stirred weakly inside me, still healing, still mending what it could. The gashes had sealed but the deeper wounds still pulsed with heat. I took a breath and sat up slowly. The night sky stretched wide above me. I was lying on cold ground near the border, the faint silver of the moon spilling across the broken line of trees. Every breath reminded me how close I had come to losing everything. My wolf pushed energy through me, a pulse of warmt