Mag-log inThe carriage rolled steadily away from Mooncrest. Aria didn't look back. If she looked at the pack one last time, she wasn't sure she would have the strength to keep going. The wooden wheels rumbled over the uneven road, carrying her farther from the home she had fought so hard to build. The home she had lost in a single night. She sat in silence, her hands resting in her lap. In one hand was Audra's tiny silver bracelet. In the other, the leather pouch of fresh milk the messenger had given her. Neither had left her grasp since the carriage departed. Nova lay quietly within her mind. For once. The white wolf had nothing to say. The silence between them was heavier than words. Hours passed. The familiar forests surrounding Mooncrest slowly disappeared behind them, replaced by towering pines whose branches reached so high they swallowed the morning sunlight. The farther north they traveled, the quieter the world became.No birds sang. No rabbits darted through the undergrowth.
The bloodstained cloth lay across Aria's trembling hands. The council of elders remained deathly silent. The crimson stain seemed impossibly bright against the white fabric, stealing every bit of warmth from the room. Aria's fingers tightened around the cloth. Her knees threatened to give way beneath her, but she forced herself to remain standing. The warrior who had delivered the cloth remained kneeling, his head lowered in shame. "We searched the eastern border from dawn until sunrise," he reported quietly. "The scent led us to the river crossing before it disappeared." "We believe they crossed into the northern pass." Rowan's jaw tightened. "The Lycan Kingdom." The warrior nodded. "I'm sorry, Alpha. We couldn't follow them." No one blamed him. Every wolf in the chamber understood why. No ordinary pack crossed into the lands beyond the northern mountains. Those lands had belonged to the Lycan Throne long before the first Alpha claimed a territory of his own. Few who entere
The council chamber had never felt so heavy. The grand room that had once been used to celebrate victories and welcome allies had become a prison of silence. Maps lay scattered across the long oak table, marked with hastily drawn routes leading beyond Mooncrest's borders. Red stones marked every place the scouts had searched through the night. None of them had found Audra. The first rays of dawn filtered through the tall windows, casting long shadows across the stone floor. Outside, the green banners of Mooncrest fluttered weakly in the morning breeze, reminders of the Luna Ceremony that had turned into a nightmare. Every leader in the room wore the same expression. Defeat. Aria stood near the window, her back to the others. Between her fingers rested the tiny silver bracelet that had belonged to Audra. She ran her thumb over the delicate engraving, remembering how her daughter had laughed when she fastened it around her tiny wrist before the ceremony. It still carried faint sc
The nursery fell into chaos. Warriors poured through the doorway, searching every corner of the room. Cupboards were thrown open. Curtains were pulled aside. Every window was inspected. There was nothing. Audra was gone. Aria stood over the empty cradle, her hands trembling as she clutched the tiny silver ribbon left behind on the blanket. Her daughter had been here. Only moments ago. And now. She was gone. Nova's anguished howl echoed through her mind. “We need to find her.” Aria spun toward the door. "Search the borders!" Her Luna command rang through the pack house. “Close every gate! "Send scouts into the eastern forest!" "No one leaves Mooncrest!" Warriors rushed to obey. Within seconds, alarm horns echoed across the entire pack. The celebration had become a hunt. Rowan stepped beside her. "We'll find her." His voice was rough. I swear it." Aria looked at him. For a long moment, she said nothing. Then she pulled her arm away when he tried to steady her
Aria stood motionless. The tears on her cheeks had long since dried, leaving only the emptiness in her eyes. Rowan took another cautious step toward her. "Aria..." His voice was softer than she had ever heard it. “Please." She flinched. It was a small movement. Barely noticeable. But it was enough to make Rowan stop where he was. He looked as though someone had driven a blade through his heart. "I know I don't deserve your trust," he said quietly. "I know I don't deserve your forgiveness. But everything I told you after I met you was real." Aria let out a hollow laugh. "Real?" She finally looked at him. Those silver eyes he loved so much were filled with disbelief. "You looked me in the eyes, and never once told me that the reason you came into my life was because another man ordered you to." Rowan opened his mouth. Nothing came out. "There wasn't a day I didn't want to tell you." "Then why didn't you?" Her voice rose, breaking beneath the weight of her pain. "Why?" The qu
The hall remained deathly still. No one spoke. The messenger's final words lingered in the night air. “She'll never look at you the same way again." Aria couldn't tear her eyes away from Rowan. The man she'd trusted. The man she'd fought beside. The man she'd chosen. Her voice came out barely above a whisper. "...What doesn't he know?" The messenger smiled. "Everything." Rowan took a step toward Aria. "Don't listen to him. He came here to destroy us." "No." The messenger laughed softly."I came here to reveal what you buried." He looked toward the gathered wolves. "You all believe this Alpha found his mate by fate." How romantic." His smile vanished. "But fate had nothing to do with it." Murmurs rippled through the crowd. Varkos, Rowan’s wolf pushed against the surface. "Enough." The command rolled through the courtyard. Several wolves instinctively lowered their heads. The messenger didn't. He met Rowan's gaze without fear. "You're still trying to protect her. "How to
The carriage rolled to a stop in the courtyard of Mooncrest. Lina felt the jolt through her bones, or perhaps it was only her nerves, wound tight as bowstrings since the moment Beta Morris had appeared at her cottage door. Outside, she could hear the stamp of hooves on cobblestone, the low murmu
Beta Morris came to the cottage at midday. Lina saw him through the window, his tall, familiar figure striding up the garden path, his face set in the grim expression of a man bearing news no one wanted to hear. Her son was sleeping in his cradle, his tiny chest rising and falling in the quiet rh
The cabin was silent. Aria's gaze moved from Selene's pale face to Lina's father. Nothing about this made sense. The man standing before her was supposed to be dead. "Aria," he said quietly. "You've grown into a remarkable young woman." Her jaw tightened. "You should be dead." Her voice tremble
The sharp scent of sweat and damp earth clung to the air around the training grounds, pressing heavy on Aria’s skin as she stood at the edge of the field. Her arms were wrapped tightly across her chest, not just to ward off the chill but to cage the tremors of a heart weighed down by years of unspo







