All Chapters of COLD COMMAND- The Secret Son: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Sometime before dawn, the rain finally stopped. No one gave it a second thought.Lately, rain has become a part of their lives. Similar to fear. Similar to patrol schedules. Similar to funeral processions.Grayson watched the morning fog creep through Black Ridge from the balcony outside the Alpha House. The region was beginning to awaken.Chimneys emitted smoke. Pack members made their way to the lumber yards. At the gates, sentinels switched shifts. Everything appeared to be normal. The risky part was that. People could be deceived by normal. Normal could cause wolves to forget that a war was about to break out.Behind him, there was a knock.Damon.These days, the man essentially lived in his office."Tell me something good."Damon came in with a coffee mug in his hand."The kitchens didn't catch fire."Grayson let out a sigh."Is that the best you have?""This week has been challenging."Alright.Damon leaned against the railing. Neither spoke for a moment. It was not uncomfortabl

Grayson could not get the words out of his head. "Bring him home."Three easy words.Three words that are dangerous. They followed him everywhere for days.Into gatherings.Into reports on patrol.Into meetings for strategy.Into slumber.Especially when it comes to sleep.Because Grayson found himself wondering the same thing each time he closed his eyes. Where is home? He lived in Black Ridge. He lived in the valley. The territories in the south most definitely cannot be called his home.  Why, then, did Hollow Fang continue to speak as if he were one of them?He was annoyed by the question.Issues became questions. And most of the time, issues could be resolved. This one was unable to.Not just yet. Which made it worse.  Long after midnight, the Alpha House was still awake. Beneath reports, D

 Nobody spoke or moved.   The words hung over Black Ridge like a storm cloud. “The one you buried fifteen years ago”.For several seconds, Grayson simply stared at the unconscious wolf lying on the ground. The silver pocket watch felt heavier than a metal should. His father's watch. The same watch Frank Cole carried every day of Grayson's childhood. The same watch Grayson had searched for after the attack that shattered his family. The same watch that disappeared along with the man who owned it. Impossible.Yet it sat in his hand.Cold.Real.Damon was the first to recover."Get him to the healer." The guards moved instantly. The wounded Hollow Fang wolf was carried toward the infirmary. Nobody resisted. Nobody argued.Not after what he had said. Not after what he had brought. Ryder watched the wo

Black Ridge remained awake long after midnight. Lanterns burned across the territory. Sentinels patrolled the walls. Scouts came and went. And inside the Alpha House, Damon Cross sat alone. Grayson found him there shortly before dawn. The Beta hadn't moved. A map remained spread across the desk.Reports lay scattered around it.Coffee sat untouched. Damon simply stared at the same spot on the map. The location where his son had last been seen.Ethan Cross.Just Seventeen years old.Too stubborn for his own good.Too brave for his own good.Too much like his father. Grayson stopped beside the desk. For several seconds neither man spoke. Finally Damon broke the silence."You think he's alive?"The question sounded simple.But it wasn't.Grayson knew that.Damon knew that too.Because neither of them wanted false

Nobody spoke during the run to the eastern gate.Not Grayson.Not Damon.Not Ryder. The alarm horns continued echoing across Black Ridge. Sentinels rushed through the territory.Doors opened.Lanterns flared.Wolves poured out, from different corners. Fear moved faster than the truth ever could. By the time Grayson reached the gate, nearly fifty wolves had already gathered. The crowd parted immediately. Not because he ordered them to. Because instincts work better in situations like this.  The horse stood exactly where Ryder said it was. Tethered to the outer post.Still breathing.Still trembling.Its coat was covered in dirt and dried blood. Black Ridge markings decorated the saddle.Ethan's horse.No question.No doubt. Damon stopped walking.For a second, Grayson thought the Beta might col