جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 100

LENA'S POVI never expected to be the one demanding peace, especially not after all the blood, the lies, and the graves. Yet, three days after the Hunter's warning, I was standing in the war room and staring at maps covered in red markers.None of those markers belonged to Blackthorn, and none belonged to Kingshade.Instead, they belonged to something worse: the hunter syndicates.For years, these hunters had hidden in the shadows, making money from conflicts between wolf territories. While Blackthorn and Kingshade destroyed each other, the syndicates grew stronger. Now, they were moving openly. Entire settlements had vanished, scouting teams were disappearing, and supply routes were under attack. The reports arriving every hour painted the same picture. They were not preparing for small raids; they were preparing for a war against everyone.Dante was sitting across the table with his arms folded while Jax remained beside me, silently. The familiar warmth of his presence stead

LENA'S POVThe night before the eclipse seemed odd in a way I couldn’t explain. The entire night was muted as if the world was holding its breath too long and forgetting how to exhale.The estate had turned into a fortress overnight. Barricades were reinforced, patrol routes doubled, sentries were posted at every blind corner. Even the air felt heavier, like the walls themselves were bracing for impact.Jax didn’t leave my side for once. He stood behind me as I walked the upper corridors, his presence close enough that I could feel him before I saw him.“Your guards are nervous,” I said without turning.“They should be,” he replied.I glanced back at him. “That doesn’t help me feel better.”His jaw tightened slightly. “It’s not meant to.”That was the problem with Jax lately. He wasn’t lying to make things easier anymore. He was telling the truth like it was a weapon. We stopped at the central balcony overlooking the lower courtyards. Warriors moved like shadows below us. Everythi

JAX'S POVThe energy on the training grounds had completely changed over the last twenty-four hours, and I hated every single second of it.Ever since that mysterious old man vanished from the throne room into the morning fog, Lena’s presence had taken on a heavy, suffocating weight. It wasn't just something you could see; it was an invisible wave hitting the basic instincts of every single wolf in the estate. The pack dynamics were fracturing right before my eyes.The female warriors were becoming openly hostile. Whenever Lena walked past the weapon racks, they would stop what they were doing, tracking her with hard, glaring eyes, their lips peeling back over their teeth in low, bitter growls. To them, she was a threat to their hierarchy. But the reaction from the male wolves was what really made my blood boil. They were acting strangely protective, stepping too close into her personal space during drills, drawn to her like she was some kind of magnetic force they couldn't figh

JAX'S POVMy hands wouldn’t stop shaking.I kept them shoved deep into the pockets of my jeans so no one would see, but the tremors were there, humming right under my skin like a live wire. The illusion with the party was over. War was back on the horizon.And Lena was losing her mind.I kicked the door to her quarters open, not bothering to knock, and slammed it shut behind me. She was standing by the small, cracked window, staring out into the dark. She hadn't even taken off her jacket. "What the hell was that out there?" I demanded, my voice cutting through the quiet room like a blade. "You looked like you'd seen a ghost, Lena. We have a perimeter, we have scouts, and you’re jumping at shadows."Lena didn't turn around right away. When she did, her eyes were wide with dark circles underneath them. "It wasn't a shadow, Jax. I heard her right behind me. She whispered to me.""There was no one there!" I snapped, taking a predatory step toward her. The fear inside me was mutating int

LENA'S POVMy sheets had been cold for three days, but every morning I woke up expecting to find the dent in the mattress beside me, or at least the lingering scent of cedar wood and leather. There was nothing. Just the flat, gray light of a winter dawn creeping through the cracked window pane, illuminating the dust motes dancing in the frozen air.I sat up, pulling my knees to my chest, and stared at the empty side of the bed."I don't care," I whispered into the quiet room. The words felt hollow, dropping like stones onto the floorboards. "He made his choice. We agreed on distance. This is what we wanted."It was a lie, and the worst part was that I wasn't even convincing myself.When I finally pulled on my boots and walked out into the main courtyard of the compound, the atmosphere was suffocating. I kept my chin high, my shoulders back, putting on the face of a commander who was ready to lead her people into the jaws of hell. I threw myself into the preparations. I checked the