Semua Bab AFTER THE DIVORCE, THE ALPHAS MADE THEIR CLAIMS ON ME. : Bab 81 - Bab 90

A DAY WITHOUT WARNina’s POVFor the first time in what felt like forever, I wasn’t thinking about Nate. Or spies. Or bloodlines. Or any of the hundred things constantly clawing for space in my head.I was thinking about…“Higher!” Malia squealed, her laughter ringing through the air.I pushed the swing again, a little harder this time, watching as she soared forward, her small legs kicking out in excitement.“Careful,” I said, even though I was smiling. “You’re going to try and touch the sky at this rate.”“I want to!” she giggled. “Push me higher, Nina!”I shook my head, but did it anyway.“Don’t tell your dad I’m encouraging this.”“I won’t!” she said immediately. “It’ll be our secret.”“That’s what I’m afraid of.”Malia laughed again, carefree and bright, her joy completely untouched by everything happening in the pack.And for a moment, that joy felt contagious.The playground was lively, filled with children running, climbing, and laughing. Parents stood nearby, chatting or watc

THE COST OF AUTHORITYNina’s POVThe council chamber always felt colder than the rest of the house.Not physically. But in a way that settled under your skin.Heavy. Judging. Unforgiving.By the time I stepped inside, they were already there. Seated around the long wooden table, their expressions ranged from guarded to openly critical.Gina sat near the far end, her posture rigid, her gaze sharp the moment it landed on me.Elder Corvin sat at the head, his presence quieter but no less commanding.The others, too. Watching. Waiting. Judging.Ryan leaned casually against the wall behind me, arms crossed, his expression unreadable. Kaiden stood to my right, steady as ever.Grounded. Present.I walked to the head of the table and took my seat.I made sure there was no hesitation. No uncertainty in my eyes. Because if I showed even a hint of either, they would see it. And they would use it.“You called this meeting,” Elder Corvin said.His voice was calm. Measured.But there was something

WHAT BREAKS IN SILENCENina’s POVBy the time the operations room emptied, I was still standing in the same spot.Staring at the same map. In the same position.But the quiet, the quiet made everything louder.It was so loud that it felt like my thoughts were trying to break free from my head.I clenched my jaw.“No, I’m not,” I muttered under my breath.“You keep saying that.”I didn’t turn.Didn’t need to because I knew it was Kaiden.“I am,” I said.He stepped closer, his presence steady, grounding in a way that didn’t feel intrusive.“You’re holding it together,” he said.“That’s what I’m supposed to do.”“Yes.”“Then what’s the problem?”He didn’t answer immediately. Just watched me.“You’re forcing it,” he said finally.“I’m controlling it.”“There’s a difference.”“Everyone keeps saying that.”“Because it’s true.”I exhaled slowly. “I don’t have time to fall apart.”“You’re not falling apart.”“Feels like it.”“That’s because you’re close.”I stilled. “Close to what?”“Your lim

The Shape of FearNina’s POVEverything after that moved too fast.One second, I was on my knees in the dirt with blood on my hands and Axel barely conscious beneath them.Next, we were running.Kaiden and two guards hauled Axel up as carefully and quickly as they could, his weight sagging between them as they rushed him back toward the pack house.I stayed beside him the entire way.One hand still pressed hard against the wound in his side, the other bracing his shoulder whenever he faltered.Ryan ran ahead, barking orders before we even broke through the tree line.“Move!”“Get Maris. Now!”The guards at the entrance scattered instantly. Doors were thrown open before we reached them. By the time we hit the clinic, Maris was already there.And the second she saw Axel, everything in her face changed.“Put him down. Now.”The healers moved fast, clearing the central cot in seconds.Kaiden and the guards laid Axel down carefully, but the moment his weight hit the bed, Maris was already

The Strength of RumorsNina’s POVBy morning, everyone knew.Nothing stayed contained in a pack this size. Not news like this.Axel had barely survived an ambush in our own woods, and by sunrise the entire territory was already buzzing with versions of what happened.By the time the sun had fully risen, the clinic had become a revolving door of anxious guards, restless elders, whispering wolves, and every healer Maris had not already threatened bodily harm.The air outside the clinic was thick with tension. Every passing conversation cut off the moment I stepped into the hall.No one said it, but I could feel it.If Axel could be reached… none of us were safe.Ryan had gone to contain the panic an hour ago. Kaiden had left to tighten security around the clinic and rework patrols.Kieran had taken over the interrogations downstairs with enough fury in his eyes to make even the guards avoid him.And me… I had been awake all night.Still in the same bloodstained clothes. Still running on