JACKSON'S POVI woke up to the sound of breaking glass. Instantly, I knew something was wrong. The noise was loud—too loud to be anything but trouble. My heart pounded in my chest and the adrenaline kicked in before I was fully conscious. I threw the blankets off and got up from bed, hastily pulling on some clothes. As I got dressed, I wondered what the cause of the commotion was. Before I could even finish lacing my boots, there was a knock on the door. I opened it to see Kevin already dressed in his battle gear. “Alpha, we’re under attack,” he said. “What’s going on?” I demanded, shrugging into my jacket and grabbing the gun that hung by the door. “Rogues, Alpha,” Kevin replied. “They came out of nowhere, breached the southern border. Jason’s with the guards, organizing our defenses.”I cursed under my breath. Rogues. Of course. The pack had been too quiet, too peaceful for too long. I should’ve known something was coming. Without another word, I followed Kevin out into the corr
JACKSON'S POVThe smell of blood still lingered in the air as I pushed myself forward. For a while, I stood in the center of the battlefield, breathing heavily. My chest heaved up and down as I took in the damage around me. It pained me that I had lost a lot of my men. My pack had fought greatly, but the cost had been high. Too high. And it was all my fault. I never should have been merciful to those rogues. I thought about Vincent and how he had been one of my trusted men once. His death had been a turning point, making the tide of the battle shift in our favour but it hadn’t brought me the satisfaction I thought it would. Instead, I felt… empty. He was once my friend. That was probably the reason I felt this way.I clenched my fists, forcing myself to push those thoughts aside. There was no time for reflection, not now. My men were still fighting, still bleeding. I needed to be strong for them. “Alpha!” Kevin called, jogging over to me with blood smeared across his face “The rogue
JACKSON'S POVThe world around me blurred as I sprinted through the corridors of the pack hospital. The sound of my footsteps echoed down the hall as I walked down in anger. I couldn't believe it. Elise was missing. The thought of this disturbed me deeply. How could this happen? How could I let this happen? Who the fuck took her away? I burst through the door to Gina's room without knocking. In that moment, the adrenaline pumped faster in my veins and I knew I wasn't thinking straight. Gina was sitting upright in her bed. She looked sick. Her skin was still pale and her hair was a bit disheveled but even at that, I wasn't bothered. I couldn't care less. I needed answers and I was going to get them. "Where is she, Gina?" I demanded "Where is Elise?"Gina blinked at me as her lips parted in a small gasp. She looked like she was genuinely taken aback by my outburst."Well, hello to you too" she said "What's going on?" "Don't fucking play games with me! Where is she? I asked you a qu
GINA'S POV I watched as Jackson walked away from my hospital room. With his shoulders slumped, he looked like a wounded puppy. Poor thing. He paused at the door, turning slightly as if he wanted to say something more, but then seemed to think better of it. His face was clouded with confusion and pain. It took all my strength not to let the smirk I felt tugging at the corners of my lips break free as he finally turned the knob and left. The door clicked shut softly behind him, and I let out the breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding. The second he was out of sight, I smiled to myself. I fought the urge to roll my eyes at the ridiculousness of it all. I wwe a damn good actress. I had orchestrated everything to make myself seem innocent - the tears that weren't really there, the little gasps for breath that made me seem like I was barely clinging to life. Jackson, that fool. He was always so easily manipulated, even though he acted tough. At times, he was so blinded by his guilt an
FERRIS' POVThe commotion outside was loud enough to wake me up from sleep, even though my house was a bit secluded from the rest of the pack. I blinked my eyes open, instantly alert. The Lycan in me stirred, sensing something was wrong. I could hear the distant shouts, the chaos, and I knew this was more than just a small fight between pack members. This was something much worse.I sat up in bed, straining to listen for any clues. My heightened senses picked up on the familiar scents and sounds around my house—nothing unusual. My guards had been trained to handle almost anything, and if there was danger, they would take care of it. Still, I had an uneasy feeling in my chest. Just as I got up from the bed, there was a soft knock on the door. I didn’t need to ask who it was; the scent was familiar. It was Rafael. He entered the room and faced me. “Rogues attempted an attack on the perimeter,” he reported “We took care of them. No casualties on our side.”I nodded “Good work. Any wor
ELISE'S POVThe loud noise outside my cell woke me up from sleep. My body was sore from lying on the cold metal bed. The smell of rotting food and damp walls filled my nose. I slowly sat up, trying to make sense of what was going on outside. I blinked feeling very disoriented, as I watched the guards outside my cell rush back and forth. They had urgent and worried expressions on their faces, like they were in trouble. Something was happening—something big. It was obvious. “Hey! What’s going on out there?” I called out. No answer. The guards didn’t even spare me a glance. Their attention was fully occupied by whatever crisis was unfolding beyond the cell. I crawled toward the iron bars of my cell, gripping them tightly as I leaned forward.“What’s happening? Tell me!” I demanded, raising my voice. But again, nothing. They acted like I was invisible, like I didn’t exist.I started to feel frustrated. I hated this. I hated being treated like I was nothing. My entire life had been str
ELISE'S POVYears ago, I found myself seated at the long dining table with my parents around me. The air as filled with sounds of my parent's laughter and the smell of food. Their presence warmed me up inside. I must be dreaming. This was years ago. I haven’t felt this warmth in what feels like an eternity.Across the table, my father teased my mom. “Now, Sarah,” he said “how could you betray our dear Elise like this? You know she despises green peas, and yet here they are on her plate, mocking her with their little green faces.”My mother rolled her eyes “Oh,, don’t be so dramatic. It’s good for her. She’ll thank me later when she’s strong and healthy.”As a little girl, I giggled at their conversation. My father winked at me.“What do you say, my little princess? Should we overthrow your mother’s tyranny and banish all green peas from our kingdom?” he asked me. I nodded, pushing the vegetables to the side of my plate. “Yes, Papa! Let’s banish them forever!”He chuckled. My mom s
ELISE'S POVThe darkness was suffocating. I couldn't see anything but it. My breath hitched in my throat, and my heart raced as the flashbacks flooded in my head. I was that little girl again, helpless and afraid while being kidnapped by those rogues. The feeling of being trapped, of being powerless, was so real I could almost taste the feeling on my tongue. I wanted to scream but my body was frozen. I could hear their voices, mocking me and telling me I would never escape, never be free.But I wasn't that little girl anymore. I forced myself to remember that. I’d grown. I'd fought, I'd survived. With a jolt, I opened my eyes. My chest heaved up and down as I breathed heavily. The darkness around me was different now. I wasn't in a dream anymore and I noticed that I wasn't in the cell either. What happened? The last thing I remembered was someone hitting me on the head and then I passed out. I was in a dark room. The air was damp. Panic spread through me as I tried to figure out