All Chapters of Returning in Reverse After Betrayal: Chapter 151 - Chapter 160

The very next morning everything shifted faster than I expected. Three separate groups arrived at our borders. Messengers from neighboring packs stood waiting. They had heard what we offered—refuge for those who fled talk of standing together against common threats. Now they were keen to join the effort.One messenger spoke for Alpha Cassia of Riversong. “She offers full alliance. Warriors, if you need them. Food stores. Anything required to hold the line.”Another came from Ironwood. “We lost strong wolves to the Crimson Moon’s promises. Lies pulled them away. We cannot face this enemy alone anymore.”The third represented Clearwater. “Together we stand. That is what we have always believed. Now we put action behind the words.”I looked at Theron and Kael. Hope rose hard in my chest. This was truly happening. Packs that once kept dist

“Are you crazy?” Theron said. “That place devours wolf souls.”“I know,” Kael answered. “But my ally is different. He can move between realms. He has a way to make Alaric’s wolf soul dormant instead of destroyed.”“Dormant?” I asked, confusion rising. “I have never heard of such magic.”“Because he is not a pure-blood wolf,” Kael explained. “He is mixed. Half wolf, half vampire. During my exile I saved his life. He swore an oath to protect my bloodline.”I stared at Kael. Two hundred years of wandering, and he had spoken little about those days.“Are you sure he can protect Alaric’s wolf soul?” I asked.“I am sure,” he said without hesitation. “The Darklands are the perfect hiding place. No wolf would da

I have not spoken to Kael in three days. Not a single word. Not even through the mind-link. That silence hurts more than I expected. My wolf paces inside my skull and claws at the walls, begging me to reach out, to feel him, to make sure he still breathes. I refuse. Not yet.The great hall of Black River looks different now. Half the furniture lies broken from the wall collapse. Fifty displaced wolves sleep in the corridors while we rebuild the east wing. Every time I walk through this space, I see the exact spot where Helena handed me Alaric for the last time. Three days ago. It feels like three years.“Luna.” Theron’s voice pulls me back. He stands near the main entrance and looks uncomfortable. Whatever he wants to say, I will not like it. “Ironwood’s Alpha is here. He says he needs to speak with you. Urgently.”Of course he is.I glance across the hall. Kael stands there talking to warriors about reconstruction plans. His b

The Ironwood delegation arrives at dawn. That tells me everything I need to know about Donovan’s state of mind. Desperate men come early. Confident ones make you wait.I stand in the great hall when they enter. The same hall where, four days ago, Donovan tried to turn my grief into a power grab. The same hall where I have barely slept since, coordinating reconstruction, managing refugees, and pretending my chest does not feel like it is caving in every time I remember Alaric’s cry fading into the darkness.But Donovan does not need to know that.“Luna Sophia.” He dips his head, barely. His two wolves flank him. Their hands rest on weapons. “Thank you for agreeing to this meeting.”“I did not agree to anything.” I stay where I am, arms crossed. “You demanded an audience. I am giving you five minutes to explain why I should not thr

I find Erica in the corridor. She walks fast, as if fleeing something. “Erica.”She stops and turns. The silver glow has left her eyes. She looks young and drained.“What else did you see?” I ask quietly. “When you looked at Vance.”She hesitates, then glances around to make sure we are alone. “The signature on him… it is similar to something I have felt recently. Lycan magic twisted with something else. Hybrid.”My heart hammers. “You are saying the kidnapper—”“Uses the same magic or is connected to whoever marked Vance. And Sophia…” She meets my eyes. “That same feeling was there the night Alaric was taken.”“Does Kael know?”“I think,” she says slowly, “Kael knows far more than he h