Semua Bab The Alpha's Breeding Pet : Bab 81 - Bab 90

**ARIA'S POV**The war drums stopped.The sudden silence woke me from the shallow sleep I'd finally fallen into after Caelan left. I sat up in bed, my heart already racing, some primal instinct screaming that something was wrong.The drums shouldn't have stopped. They were supposed to keep beating until Ronan's army was visible on the horizon.I threw off the covers and moved to the window. The courtyard below was chaos. Warriors running in all directions. Torches moving frantically along the walls. And then I saw it.Smoke rising from the eastern wall.They were already here.I grabbed my clothes, pulling them on with shaking hands. Caelan had said dawn. The refugees had said dawn. But the sky was still dark, stars visible overhead.Ronan had lied about his timing. Or the refugees had been wrong. Either way, we'd been caught unprepared.I strapped on the knife Kira had given me, the weight of it strange against my thigh. Then I grabbed the small pack Caelan had prepared for me days a

**ARIA'S POV** The north wall loomed ahead, exactly as undefended as the traitor had said. Only three warriors patrolled this section, their attention focused outward toward the forest rather than watching for threats from within. I crept closer, using the pre-dawn shadows as cover. The stolen armor didn't fit properly, hanging loose on my smaller frame, but from a distance it might buy me a few seconds before anyone realized I wasn't supposed to be here. Getting past Ronan's outer scouts had been easier than expected. They were spread thin, most of their forces concentrated on the main assault. And they weren't looking for someone moving toward Ironfang. Everyone assumed I'd run away, not run back. I reached the base of the wall and looked up. The stone was rough, with plenty of handholds. I'd climbed worse back in the human settlements when I'd been younger and stupider. Of course, back then I hadn't been injured and exhausted and wearing armor that threatened to drag me down w

**ARIA'S POV**The infirmary was chaos. Wounded wolves filled every available surface, their groans and cries echoing off the stone walls. Healers rushed between them, trying to save those they could and ease the suffering of those they couldn't.Caelan had brought me here despite my protests that others needed help more than I did. He'd set me down on a bench in a relatively quiet corner and disappeared to help coordinate the defense cleanup, leaving strict orders that I was to be examined by a healer.I sat there for what felt like hours, watching the controlled chaos around me. Warriors with missing limbs. Wolves with gaping wounds that should have been fatal. Servants carrying bodies out the back entrance toward whatever mass grave was being prepared.So many dead. For me.The guilt was suffocating."Stop that." Kira appeared beside me, her own wounds hastily bandaged. "I can see you spiraling. Don't.""How many?" I asked quietly. "How many did we lose?""Too many. Not as many as

CAELAN'S POV The medallion was cold in my palm. Heavy. I'd buried that medallion five years ago. Placed it on Damon's funeral pyre myself, watching the flames consume the last piece of our mother that either of us had left. Except apparently I'd burned a lie. A carefully constructed deception. "Everyone out," I said quietly. The courtyard didn't move fast enough. "I said out!" Warriors scattered. Even Darius hesitated only a moment before retreating, taking Marcus with him. Kira followed reluctantly, shooting worried glances over her shoulder. Only Aria remained, standing a few feet away, watching me with those eyes that saw too much. "You too," I said without looking at her. "No." "Aria—" "I'm not leaving you alone with this." Her voice was firm. "Whatever you're feeling, whatever you're about to do, I'm staying." I wanted to argue. Wanted to send her away so she wouldn't see me fall apart. Because that's what was happening. I could feel it. The careful cont

CAELAN'S POV The camp was burning. Bodies littered the ground, both Silas's wolves and some of mine. The strike team had hit hard and fast, exactly as planned. But something was wrong. Aria wasn't where she was supposed to be. I tore through the chaos, cutting down anyone who got in my way. My wolf was riding too close to the surface, demanding blood, demanding to find our mate. "Caelan!" Kira appeared from the smoke, blood streaking her face. "East side is secured. We've got Silas pinned down." "Where's Aria?" Her expression faltered. "I thought she was with you." Ice flooded my veins. "Find her. Now." I didn't wait for her response. I followed Aria's scent through the burning camp, past dying wolves and collapsing tents. Her trail led toward the edge of the encampment, then stopped abruptly. Like she'd vanished into thin air. No. Not vanished. Taken. I found the spot where she'd been grabbed. The scent of her fear thick in the air. And mixed with it, another scent I kn