All Chapters of Once Lost, Twice Found: Chapter 81 - Chapter 90

Ann’s POVI knew something had happened before Jack reached me, because he was smiling.That was the problem. I knew Jack’s smiles: soft for the babies, crooked when he teased me, quiet before a kiss. This one belonged to an Alpha crossing a crowded ballroom while hiding how badly he wanted to tear someone apart.My fingers tightened around the stem of the untouched glass. The Luna beside me kept talking about the flowers on the balcony, but her words blurred into the background. Jack’s eyes found mine and didn’t look away. My stomach dropped. Something had happened. Something bad.He reached us a few seconds later. “Ladies,” he said, and the two women smiled and complimented the celebration. He answered smoothly, the way he did when he wanted to keep the s

Ann’s POVThe ballroom looked different after everyone left. Half-empty glasses stood on the tables, flowers drooped beneath the chandeliers, and servants quietly cleared away the celebration. Hours earlier, the music, unfamiliar voices, and mingled scents had kept my wolf alert despite Dr. Anderson’s cloaking blend. Now I could finally breathe.I had stood before Alphas, Lunas, elders, and strangers with my daughter in my arms. Adrian and Lucas had been introduced as Jack’s sons, and I had stayed beside him while everyone watched.No Reginald. No Silverstone guards. No one tearing away my mask or shouting my name. For the first time since my escape, being seen had not meant being exposed.I touched the edge of my mask.“Yo

Reginald's POVI learned Logan had attended Jack Blackwood’s celebration over breakfast with Councilman Reeves. Hearing it from someone else made the betrayal worse. Reeves mentioned it casually, unaware that my Beta had crossed into enemy territory without telling me.“I thought Fisher represented Silverstone rather well, considering the circumstances.”My hand tightened around my coffee cup before I deliberately set it down.“What circumstances?” I asked.“The Blackwood celebration. Your Beta attended.” Reeves lowered his report, finally realizing I had known nothing about it.“With whose authorization?”His expression shifted. “I assumed yours.”“You assumed wrong.”“He wasn’t there for long.”“How do you know?” I asked.“My brother attended with the Westmoor delegation. He saw Beta Fisher arrive with Gamma Gault.”My jaw locked. Logan had gone with her. Of course he had.“What else did your brother see?”“They were inside the ballroom. I don’t know how long they stayed.”“Find out

Reginald’s POVThe more I tried to dismiss the thought, the louder it became.Ann had vanished, and now Blackwood had three newborn children, a hidden mother, and an entire celebration designed to conceal her face and scent.Logan had attended that celebration without telling me, and every question I asked him made it clearer that he knew more than he wanted to admit.With evidence, I could send warriors or walk into Alpha Jack Blackwood’s territory and demand answers. Without it, I would look like an Alpha who had finally let his suspicions get the better of him.By midnight, I knew Ann’s disappearance by heart. She had escaped during a patrol gap, leaving no forest tracks or witnesses at the gates. Someone had likely driven her straight out of pack territory.Logan had led the search, choosing which leads to pursue. And weeks later, he appeared at Blackwood’s celebration without a Silverstone invitation.The report said Ann had been carrying one child.That was what kept the pieces

Reginald’s POVI kept my promise to Logan for exactly twenty-four hours, and I hated every minute of it.I asked no questions about Ann, gave no orders concerning Blackwood, stayed away from Mercer, and sent no trackers to follow new leads. For one full day, I behaved as though the question eating through the back of my mind did not exist.Logan seemed calmer because of it. That should have satisfied me, but it only made me more suspicious.We ate dinner together while he sat across from me, occasionally making some sarcastic comment about the council reports. Later, he came to my rooms, and for a few hours I allowed myself to remember what we had been before Ann, before the council demanded an heir, and before every choice I made seemed to create another secret between us.