LOGINAnna's POVRonald’s words fell like heavy iron blocks into the dusty air of the archive room, and the sudden silence that followed was so loud I could hear the tiny flame of the candle eating through its wax. I sat up completely on the leather cot, my fingers twisting into the rough sheet, my heart hammering against my ribs with a fierce, burning heat that had nothing to do with the triad bond."My father," I whispered, my voice shaking as I stared at the crimson ink on the ancient page Ronald was holding with trembling fingers. "Magnus told everyone he died in a border skirmish, he told my mother he was a nobody who abandoned us before the purge even started.""He lied to the entire continent, Anna," Ronald said, his face completely pale as he stepped over to the side of my cot, holding the silver-bound text open so I could see the circular sun crest stamped into the parchment. "Look at the records, Magnus didn't just assassinate him for the Silverfang territory, he did it because yo
Ronald's POVThe heavy link snapped, and Anna collapsed sideways into my chest, her pale skin burning with a chaotic, golden heat that felt like a furnace against my ribs. I caught her tightly, my boots skidding in the gray ash of the northern ridge camp, while Joanna remained face-down in the dirt, weeping softly from the absolute destruction of her mental barriers."Ryker, secure the northern warriors, they are completely leaderless now," I barked, lifting Anna into my arms as her platinum eyes closed, her breathing turning fast, shallow, and terrifyingly hot."I have the perimeter, Ronald, get her back to the archives," Ryker roared, his massive fists clenching as he turned his yellow wolf glare onto the five hundred northern spearmen, who were already dropping to their knees in submission before our combined triad aura.I didn't waste a single heartbeat, shifting mid-stride into my silver wolf form with Anna slung carefully across my broad shoulders, tearing through the dense fore
Anna's POVThe fifty black wolves stood perfectly still in the flickering firelight, their breathing a collective, heavy rumble that filled the wide arena, their freshly turned platinum eyes reflecting the massive wave of energy humming inside my chest cavity. Joanna scrambled backward on her knees, her hands clawing frantically at the loose gravel as she stared at the animals that had just been ready to tear my throat out under her command."This is impossible," Joanna shrieked, her voice cracking into a high, panicked squeak that echoed off the high rocks of the northern ridge. "Get up, you mindless beasts, I am your Alpha, I am Magnus’s blood, I command you to shred her to pieces right now."The giant black wolf closest to her foot didn't lung forward at me, it simply bared its long, silver fangs and let out a low, terrifying growl that vibrated directly against her shins, forcing her to freeze in pure terror.I stood up slowly from the dusty ground, my torn shirt fluttering in the
Anna's POVMid-fight, Magnus's wolves attack the arena, and Marcus is killed by Joanna.The sight of Marcus’s lifeless body hitting the smoking dirt sent a violent, icy shockwave right through our shared triad link, but before I could even draw a breath to yell a warning to Ryker, a heavy, suffocating weight slammed into my back from the shadows. Two massive, pitch-black wolves crashed into my shoulders, their combined weight pinning my face directly against the sharp gravel, their foaming jaws snapping inches from my ears as they held my limbs flat. I fought against the pressure, trying to call upon the deep pool of platinum energy inside my chest, but a sharp, sudden kick to my ribs cut my breathing short, making my vision blur into dark streaks."Look at you, lying in the dirt exactly where you belong," Joanna hissed, her shadow falling over my face as she stepped into my line of sight, her fingers dripping with Marcus's fresh crimson blood."Anna," Ronald screamed from across the
Ryker's POVThe sickening sound of teeth tearing into my mate's flesh echoed across the quiet clearing, and the triad bond inside my chest didn't just snap, it became a raging volcano of pure, unadulterated fury that obliterated my control. I burst through the thick foliage at the edge of the northern ridge, my heavy boots tearing up the damp dirt as I moved faster than a bullet, my yellow wolf eyes locked onto Marcus's broad shoulders."Get your filthy jaws off her," I roared, a sound so loud it caused several wine glasses on the neutral camp tables to shatter into pieces, and my large hand slammed into the back of Marcus’s neck, gripping his collar with a brutal strength.I hauled him backward with a massive, violent heave, ripping his fangs clean out of Anna's shoulder, a few drops of her dark crimson blood splashing onto the dry grass between us. Marcus stumbled over a loose stone, his boots skidding in the dirt as his five hundred northern warriors instantly drew their heavy iro
Anna's POVRonald’s voice cut through the shared triad link like a jagged piece of glass, the memory of Marcus’s arrogant face splashing into my mind through our new connection, and a dark, cold anger flared right inside my chest. I stood up from the mahogany table in the palace war room, the platinum lines beneath my skin pulsing with a sudden, dangerous heat that made the crystal chandelier above us rattle against the ceiling."He wants what?" Ryker growled beside me, his yellow wolf eyes flashing with a lethal ferocity as his large fists clenched until his knuckles popped loudly. "I will tear his camp to pieces, I will slaughter every northern warrior before I let that bastard touch you, Anna.""No, Ryker, stay down," I said, my voice dropping into that deep, layered resonance that made him instantly freeze in his tracks. "Ronald is surrounded by five hundred fighters, and we need those numbers to hold the valley against Derrick, so we are going to play his game for a little while.
Ronald's POVThe moment Elder Raymond finished speaking, chaos erupted.Alphas were talking over each other. Some were arguing that the law was outdated. Others were insisting Anna had no choice. A few were demanding to know what was in the vault.I stood up, letting my Alpha power wash over the ro
Anna's POVThe Council meeting was worse than I expected.They made me sit in a cold metal chair while a healer drew three vials of my blood. They asked invasive questions about my family history. They made me recite my grandmother's full name and lineage.Then they told me to wait while they ran t
Anna's POVThe hospital staff kept staring at me. I could feel their eyes following me as I walked to the sink to wash my hands.My hands were covered in blood. The boy's blood. But he was alive. Sleeping peacefully in a hospital bed with his mother sitting beside him.I'd saved him.The realizatio
Ronald's POVI barely slept after leaving Anna in the library. I kept thinking about her face when I mentioned her grandmother. The mixture of grief and longing.She needed to remember who she was. Where she came from.And I knew exactly how to help her do that.At seven in the morning, I knocked o







