جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 10

Inside the pack, the situation was far worse than the battle raging beyond the western border. War at the border was expected. Warriors trained for it, prepared for it, accepted it as part of their lives. But what was happening here was something entirely different. This was not war-it was a violation. Terror disguised as strategy. The attack had not come solely from the western border where Silvercrest's strongest fighters stood ready. It had emerged from within, from streets that should have been safe, from rooftops that had witnessed festivals and celebrations, from homes where families had gone to sleep believing themselves protected. Now those same streets ran red with blood. Screams shattered the night as glass exploded, wood splintered, and smoke mixed with the scent of iron and fear. Enemy wolves flooded through the heart of Silvercrest like a disease infecting a healthy body, and at the center of that chaos stood Kaelara Nightbane. She fought not as a Luna,

The silence that followed Ronan kneeling before Selene was not ordinary silence; it was the suffocating kind that pressed against every chest in the healer's hall, thick and heavy with consequences that could not be undone. Across the room, Kaelara lay motionless on the table, her skin pale beneath the blood staining her clothes, her breathing so shallow it barely lifted her chest. Her trembling hand remained suspended weakly in the air as if even in unconsciousness her wolf still believed Ronan would come to her as he always had, during battles, during storms, during tense council meetings when danger lurked in every word, but today he did not look at her. Instead, he cradled Selene's face with startling gentleness, his large hands brushing her pale cheeks as worry filled his voice. "Are you injured? Let me see." Kaelara wasn't surprised but hurt. It's been like that ever since she came into their lives. Everything started falling apart since then. Selene sagged against Ro

Hours later, the fire crackled softly inside the enormous living room, filling the silence with the occasional hiss and pop of burning wood. The room was warm, almost unbearably so, but not a single person sitting there felt any comfort from it. The heat couldn't chase away the cold that had settled deep inside their chests. It couldn't erase the image of Kaelara lying broken and bleeding on the ground while the man who was supposed to love her walked away without looking back. Thorne paced relentlessly in front of the fireplace. Back and forth. Back and forth. The wooden floor creaked beneath his boots with every turn. His jaw remained clenched so tightly that the muscles in his face visibly twitched. Every few seconds, his hands curled into fists before relaxing again, only to tighten once more. Finally, he stopped abruptly. "I should've hit him." Nobody responded. Not because they disagreed. Because every single person in the room had thought the exact same th

Hours slipped by with agonizing slowness, each one dragging into the next until time itself seemed to lose meaning. Throughout the estate, the Nightbane family remained awake long after they normally would have retired. General Darion had paced his study more than once before finally forcing himself to stop. Elowen had stood outside her daughter's room several times, her hand hovering over the door, wanting desperately to go inside and comfort her child. Cassian had lingered in the hallway, pretending he had other reasons to be there. Thorne had remained unusually quiet, and Lyra had nearly stormed into Kaelara's room twice before being restrained by the others. They all wanted to check on her. Wanted to know what had happened. But none of them did. Whatever had happened between Kaelara and Ronan had clearly shattered something inside her, and for now, they chose to give her the one thing she seemed to need most... Dpace. None of them knew the full truth. But they

The crowd visibly shifted.Many now looked ashamed, others looked conflicted, and some openly wept.Then Kaelara turned toward the civilians.The mothers, the fathers, the elderly, and the children. Every person standing before her."How many meals did I skip during winter so your children could eat?"A woman burst into tears immediately."How many nights did I spend in the healer's hall instead of my own bed?"More tears followed."How many times did I bleed for this pack?"Everyone knew the answer.Yesterday alone, she had nearly died protecting them.Then her voice broke. Not from weakness or heartbreak."I loved Silvercrest."The square became completely still."I loved every single one of you."Children immediately started crying, and several voices shouted."Luna!""Luna Kaelara!""We love you!""We are grateful to the Nightbanes!""They are our heroes!""They are our protectors!"The cries spread rapidly. More voices joined, more mothers, more warriors, and more children."Luna