All Chapters of WICKED PROVIDENCE Book 2: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Avery’s gaze remained fixed on the horizon, her inner wolf pacing with a restless energy. "It should be Blake Donovan occupying the seat beside me, shouldn't it? By what right have you claimed this space?"Blake had spoken of a trade summit in the Storm-Peak Territory only days ago. Since Avery was returning to the Silver Ridge, they had planned to track the path together. With no formal reason to reject the alliance, Avery had sent Blake her travel coordinates, and he had secured the position at her flank. Hudson simply offered a slow, predatory smile, a knowing glint in his silver eyes, and remained silent.At that same moment, Blake was racing back to the Donovan mines. His sentinels reported a massive breach in their spirit-link security—rogue hackers had clawed through their digital wards. If the breach wasn't sealed, the ancestral trade secrets of the Donovan Clan would be scavenged by the wastes.The Beta of the clan met Blake at the gates, scenting of cold sweat and panic. "Al

Avery chuckled, recalling the assessment of the Silver Ridge’s youngling-tutor: that Madison was a pup of sharp instinct and a natural for pack-lore, except when it came to the complex geometries of territory mapping. The mere thought of calculating boundary lines made Madison’s ears droop. She would often curl up and nap during the mapping lessons, showing zero interest in parchment and ink. Such rigid logic was simply not in her wild nature.Avery harbored her own internal struggles. She desired to bestow the full strength of the Monroe lineage upon Madison, but she refused to cage the girl’s spirit or dictate her future rank. Every pup was like a mountain flower; before they weathered their first winter, there was no need to obsess over whether they would grow to be a scout or a warrior.Avery didn’t agonize over the wolf Madison would become. Regardless of her eventual rank, she was her flesh and blood. The drive behind Avery’s brutal climb through the lupine hierarchy was solely

With the sun beginning to dip behind the jagged peaks of the Silver Ridge Territory, Avery turned her attention to the scroll detailing the other participants of the trial. Two were unranked omegas, and two were high-status bards of the lupine world. One of the omegas was a young pup-student, and the other was a merchant with a thriving trade. Avery, of course, was the latter. Among the famous names was Harper Bennett, the elder sister of the female Preston Hale had once mourned.Harper was a vision of predatory grace, possessing a bold, warrior-like aura. In a society that often demanded she-wolves be submissive and quiet, she stood as a defiant Alpha-born, impossible to overlook. Avery finally understood why Preston’s heart had been ensnared by Harper’s kin.The other celebrity was an unranked actress of undeniable beauty. Whether high-born or common, every female on the list was strikingly fair. The Director’s selection felt less like a survival trial in the wild and more like a ga

Following their evening meal, Hudson Montgomery guided Avery Monroe and Madison Clarke back to the outpost of the Silver Ridge. Before they leapt from the sleek transport, the High Lord rumbled that he had left a cache of tributes for them within their sleeping quarters.True to his word, when Avery stepped into the dim room, she found Hudson’s offerings. These were not mere trinkets but a collection of ceremonial furs and bone-carved talismans, each piece forged by master artisans of the northern peaks using rare elements. Tucked among the treasures were potent moon-herbs, vital for strengthening a wolf’s essence when added to the daily kill.Hudson was fiercely protective of Avery’s delicate state—a secret pregnancy that weighed on his mind. He had initially demanded a circle of pack-healers to attend her and Madison, but the organizers of the trial had snarled at the request. After all, the scrying mirrors were live. If the territory saw Avery surrounded by healers, the pack would

Saniya,” the Director growled, his voice a low rumble of authority, “if you truly feel the bite of remorse, silence would be the only appropriate offering. Remember, we are within the halls of the Montgomery healers.”Bristling despite her fear, Saniya hissed back, “I am merely howling for Harper’s recovery. How could an concern for a pack-sister possibly be a sin?”The Director sneered, the skin around his muzzle twitching. “I think you know well whether you howl for her life or simply out of terror that the High Council will have your head if her heart stops beating.”Saniya’s cheeks flushed with a dark heat. To think a mere trail-runner would dare address a wolf of her supposed standing with such filth. She was livid.Meanwhile, Avery Monroe paced the stone corridor outside the healing chamber. Her wolf was restless, claws clicking against the floor. She could not bear the thought of Harper—who had shielded her pup—failing to wake. At that moment, a mind-link flickered; it was Huds