LOGINCHAPTER 97NOVA'S POVThe smell of smoke reached us long before the village did.It was smoke, burnt timber and ashes. But beneath all of it, there was shouting.No shouting, no cries for help, no barking dogs, no children laughing as they chased each other through the dusty streets.There was nothing. And Cassian knew that he just had to check it out. He had to make sure the people there were actually safe. That was what mattered at that point. Our convoy slowed as the eastern village emerged through the morning mist.My stomach tightened. I'd seen cities destroyed before. This wasn't destruction. This was abandonment.Cassian climbed off his motorcycle before the engine had fully died. Jason and Killian were right behind him, already barking orders to the rescue team."Check every building.""Look for survivors!""If anyone's trapped, call immediately."The wolves scattered, but I stood frozen.The village looked... normal. At least from a distance.The roofs were blackened, severa
CHAPTER 96CASSIAN'S POV"Did anyone move them?" I ask one of the omegas, and he shakes his head, as he barely looks at me. It is one of the moments where I am not proud of the fact that they are scared of me. This one feels different. "No, Alpha."I look across the courtyard again. The motorcycles stand exactly where they have been when they roared to life in the middle of the night. But they are cold and lifeless now. It is almost like the whole thing is a fucking dream. Mechanics have inspected every engine before dawn. Nothing is wrong.No tampered wires. No hidden devices. No signs that anyone has even touched them.It should be reassuring. Instead, it makes the whole thing worse.The stories have already started spreading through the compound. Some wolves whisper that the machines have answered Nova's power.Others claim they have witnessed an ancient omen. By breakfast, someone swears they have seen silver eyes reflected in every mirror on the eastern wall.I dismiss the mech
CHAPTER 95NOVA'S POVBy breakfast, every corridor in the compound carries whispers. By lunch, those whispers have divided into sides. By sunset, the pack no longer feels like one family.It feels like a cracked mirror. But to be honest, I have seen this coming. No one argues openly.Hell, that would have been easier.Instead, conversations stop when certain people enter the room. Wolves who have supposedly trained together since childhood suddenly choose different sparring partners. Long tables that once echoed with laughter develop invisible borders.Some sit together, some deliberately do not. I watch one young scout carry his tray toward a familiar group, hesitate halfway, and quietly turn to eat alone.Across the room, an older warrior notices me looking and lowers his gaze to the floor.He isn't angry. I wish he is. He looks guilty instead. As if my existence has become a question he doesn't know how to answer."They're talking about a vote," Jason murmurs beside me. I don't ask
CHAPTER 94KILLIAN'S POVPeople like to imagine guilt as a sharp thing. A knife, a bullet or single wound that changes everything. They are wrong. Real guilt is quieter. It is a pebble slipped into your boot by someone you trusted. You keep walking because you have no choice, and with every mile the stone rubs the skin raw until pain becomes so familiar that you mistake it for part of yourself.I have been walking with mine for twenty-three years. The abandoned watchtower overlooks the entire valley, its upper platform open to the wind and the fading light of evening. Once, scouts had stood here to warn of invading armies.Now only crows keep watch.I climb the worn spiral staircase carrying a small wooden box tucked beneath one arm.No one knows about the box. Not Cassian, not Jason, not even Beatrice.Some burdens become so old that sharing them feels impossible. At the top, I set it on the cracked stone ledge and open the lid. Inside lie a bundle of letters tied with faded blue th
CHAPTER 93 BEATRICE'S POVThe eastern cliffs have always concealed more than stone. Most wolves know them only as jagged walls overlooking the sea, battered by relentless wind and salt spray. Hunters avoid the area because the paths are narrow and treacherous. Children are warned away with stories of collapsing ledges and wandering spirits.The stories serve their purpose. They keep curious people from finding what lies beneath.I carry the lantern ahead of me, its warm glow painting shifting patterns across the tunnel walls.Nova follows in silence.She has not asked where I am taking her. After what we hear about the coalition going into the pack, this is what is best for her. To prick her curiosity. Perhaps she has grown accustomed to discovering that every answer in her life lives underground. Behind us, the hidden entrance seals with a muted click.Stone meets stone. The world outside vanishes. For several minutes, the only sounds are our footsteps and the distant rush of waves
CHAPTER 92CASSIAN'S POV As dawn creeps over the road leading away from the riverside shrine, the woods seem to hold their breath.Then riders emerge. Not dozens. They are in hundreds.Gray cloaks drape over armor bearing the crests of allied packs, their banners furled but unmistakable. They advance in disciplined columns until the narrow forest road disappears beneath a wall of horses, motorcycles, and armed escorts.No battle cry announces them.No arrows fly. Their confidence is its own weapon. They believe they will not need to fight.Jason exhales slowly. "This is coordinated."Killian's hand rests near the hilt of his blade but does not draw it. "They're here to negotiate."Beatrice says nothing. She simply counts.One envoy, three scribes, twelve elite guards, forty outriders hidden among the trees.She is always counting and calculating The lead envoy dismounts and approaches with measured dignity, carrying a scroll bound in crimson ribbon.He bows. He doesn't bow deeply th
CHAPTER 81CASSIAN'S POVNova hurries up to me, and I'm more than thankful that I don't move. There is sweat on her upper lip, making me frown.“What happened?” I ask, and she swallows hard.“We need to head to the archives. Now.”I frown. “The archives aren't even safe. Why the fuck would you want
CHAPTER 78NOVA'S POVThe tiny smile that is on Cassian's lips disappears immediately.“What are you doing?” He asks Killian, but Killian is barely looking at him. His jaw only tightens in response, and I can tell that he isn't even willing to have the conversation with Cassian.His eyes are still
CHAPTER 77NOVA'S POVI don't think that I will be making my way back to the pack any time soon. But as Cassian rides through the gates, with my arms wrapped around his waist, we are there.Back at the pack.I can feel eyes on us, making me unwrap my arms from Cassian. He quickly grabs my arm, wrap
CHAPTER 76BEATRICE'S POVI swing my feet off the bed as I stand by the window of my hotel. Fred is standing at the side of my bed as he looks over at me. He has been there the whole time, and I can't help but be thankful to him. He wants to make sure that nobody is able to find me yet.“They were







