LOGINCaden's POV
The ceremonial platform rises from the earth like a promise.
I drive the last nail into the wooden beam and take a step back to wipe the sweat from my forehead. The sun’s high, and the air is thick with sawdust and fresh flowers. All around me, wolves are bustling—carrying torches, hanging lanterns, and arranging rows of wooden benches that face the center of the clearing.
Tomorrow night, Selena and Damian will stand on this pla
Gracia's POV"Sera…""Take it back!"I stared at her. She was shaking, her eyes wild with emotion. I had never seen her like this before. I had been beaten so many times in my life—by my father, by Castor, by countless others. But her single slap hurt more than any beating I had ever endured.*Why? Why does her pain matter more than mine?*"Sera, I…""Please," she whispered, her voice breaking. "Please just take it back."I couldn't speak.She stepped closer, her hand still shaking. "You say you have nothing to give? You gave me your trust. You gave me your honesty. You gave me the privilege of knowing who you truly are. That's not nothing."Her words hit me like a physical blow. I had spent my entire life being told I was worthless. And now this woman—this beautiful, kind woman—was telling me I had value.Why? What does she see something in me that I can't see in myse
Gracia's POV"I love you, Gracia."The words hung in the air like a physical weight. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't think. My mind was a storm of confusion and disbelief.She loves me. Sera loves me.Not like. Not attraction. Love. The kind of love I felt for Ivy. The kind of love that consumes you, that makes you want to give everything to someone else.I never saw it. All those moments—the lingering touches, the way she looked at me, the way she always found excuses to stay—I thought it was just kindness. Just the kindness of a healer who saw a wounded animal and wanted to help.But it wasn't kindness. It was love.And I was too blind to see it.Guilt washed over me like a wave. I had been so wrapped up in my own pain, my own grief, my own self-pity, that I hadn't noticed the woman who was quietly falling in love with me.How could I have been so stupid?I looked at her. She was standin
Sera's POVThe door opened.Gracia stood there, holding my sword. He was clearly confused, his brow furrowed, his eyes searching my face. The lamplight behind him cast shadows across his features, making him look even more striking than usual."Sera…"I couldn't speak. My throat was tight, my heart pounding so hard I was sure he could hear it. I was trembling, terrified, my mind completely blank. I had rehearsed this moment a thousand times in my head. I had imagined what I would say, how I would say it, how he would react. But now that I was actually here, standing in front of him, all those carefully planned words had vanished.‘Say something. Say anything. Don't just stand here like a fool.’But I couldn't. I was frozen."Are you alright?" Gracia asked, his voice laced with concern. "What happened? Is something wrong?"I shook my head frantically. "No. Nothing's wrong. I just… I
Sera's POVThe night was cold and still. Snow had fallen earlier, blanketing the courtyard in white. Now, the sky was clear, stars scattered across the darkness like scattered diamonds. The fire in the brazier crackled softly, casting warm light on the two women wrapped in shawls on the bench.My head rested on Eve's shoulder. The packhouse behind us was dark, everyone asleep. The world was quiet, peaceful, as if it had forgotten all the pain and suffering that existed in it."Eve," I whispered, my voice barely audible. "I think I'm in complete love with him."Eve didn't seem surprised. She just smiled softly. "I know."I lifted my head, my eyes wide. "You know?""I've known for weeks." Her voice was gentle. "The way you look at him. The way you constantly stay around him. The way you linger when you heal him. The way you panic when he's in danger."I buried my face in my hands. "Is it that obvious?""Only to me,"
Gracia's POVFour months had passed since I collapsed by the river.Four months since Sera found me, half-dead, and dragged me into her cottage. Four months since she healed my wounds, fed me, clothed me, and gave me a reason to keep breathing.I still didn't understand why.Every morning, she came with food. Every evening, she checked my bandages. Every day, she asked how I was feeling, if I needed anything, if I was comfortable. She treated me like I was a person—not a slave, not a gutter rat, not a piece of trash to be discarded.I didn't understand it.I had spent my whole life being told I was worthless. My father had sold me like cattle. Castor had beaten me like a dog. The only person who had ever shown me kindness was Ivy, and she was dead.And now, here was Sera. A noblewoman. The Alpha's daughter. Someone who had every reason to look down on me, to ignore me, to throw me out.Instead, she healed me
Gracia's POVThe light was wrong.I opened my one functioning eye and immediately knew something was off. The ceiling above me was wooden, not stone. The air smelled of herbs and flowers, not damp and rot. The walls were warm, not cold. The bed beneath me was soft, not hard.‘Where am I?’I tried to move. Pain exploded through my body. I gasped, my hands clutching the sheets. Bandages covered my arms, my chest, my legs. Every inch of me was wrapped in white linen. I could feel the wounds beneath—some still raw, others slowly healing.‘What happened?’Memories flooded back. The escape. The river. The running. The woman's voice. ‘Hey, are you okay?’I had collapsed. I had been found.But by whom?I tried to sit up. Pain shot through my ribs. I fell back against the pillow, gasping. My vision swam. I blinked, trying to focus.I was in a big ample room. Sunli
Maya's POVThe soft morning light filters through the curtains.I knock once, but there's no response. So, I gently push the door open.Inside, Damian and Selena are curled up together on the bed, her head resting on his chest, his arm wrapped around her waist.
Rina's POVMaya spots me in the hallway, lost in a painting that makes no sense to me."Rina. We need to talk."I turn around. "Did I mess up? I'm really sorry. Whatever it was, I'll fix it—I promise.""Breathe."I take a breath.Maya
Selena's POVThe morning sun feels nice against my skin. I'm sitting on the steps of the pack house, holding a cup of tea, watching Rina as she chases a butterfly across the yard. She trips over her own feet, stumbles a bit, catches herself, and keeps running."S
Selena's POVI don’t approach him.The east cabin sits quietly at the edge of the territory, small and unassuming, with a guard stationed outside. I can see it from the garden or out of the corner of my eye through the window. But I don’t make my way to it. Not yet







