Jake's POVThe tension in the room could be cut with a knife. After my words, no one dares to move. Instead, the elders settle back into their seats, eyes on John and me, waiting for the next steps. But before any more arguments can start, the door swings open, and a guard steps in, bowing quickly.“We found something,” he announces, a strange edge to his voice that piques my interest.John’s eyes snap toward the guard. “What is it?” he asks, his voice sharp and commanding. There’s an intensity in his gaze, as if he’s bracing for whatever news the guard might bring.The guard straightens, his gaze meeting John’s. “It’s better if you come and see for yourselves, Alpha. It might… change things.”Without wasting a moment, John gives a slight nod, signaling for me and the elders to follow. We move swiftly through the stone corridors, our footsteps echoing as we make our way down to the main hall. As we approach, I can hear a hushed murmur from a few of the other guards, but they quickly f
Stephanie’s POVI slip out of bed quietly, my heart pounding as I make my way over to the small table in the corner of my room. Every sound seems amplified in the silence, from the rustling of my clothes to the faint scratch of pen against paper as I write. Tomorrow, Sally and his people will be raiding John and Jake’s pack, and they expect me to lead them straight in. But there’s no way I can betray them, especially not without giving some kind of warning.I keep the message short, anonymous, and vague, careful not to reveal my identity. The fewer details, the better. I fold the note tightly and slip it into the sleeve of my jacket. The paper feels heavier than it should, a reminder of the danger I’m risking. But it’s all I can do, a small act of rebellion that I hope will make a difference.The halls are dark and eerily silent as I make my way toward the main gate. Each step feels measured and tense, my senses on high alert for any sign of movement. The guards have been rotated sinc
Reyna’s POVI wake up early, the soft morning light filtering through the small window beside my bed. After a quick bath, I dress and head to Stephanie’s room. She’s usually up by now, but today, I hadn’t seen her around, which isn’t like her. I feel a pang of worry but shake it off as I reach her door and knock softly.Pushing the door open, I see her still lying in bed, her face turned away, breathing evenly. The sight surprises me. Stephanie never stays in bed this long.I approach quietly and give her a gentle tap on the shoulder. “Steph?” I call softly, trying not to startle her.She stirs, blinking her eyes open, and gives me a small, tired smile. “Hey, Reyna.”“What’s going on with you?” I ask, concern filling my voice. “It’s not like you to be in bed this late.”She stretches slightly, then sighs. “I’m just… tired. Nothing more.” Her tone is light, but there’s something off, a slight tension in her voice that makes me hesitate.I narrow my eyes, studying her face. “Are you sur
John’s POVI glance at the note once more, feeling the weight of its words bearing down on me. The elders are gathered around the long wooden table in the meeting room, their faces grim. Beside me sits my brother, Jake, who’s gripping the arms of his chair a bit too tightly, his jaw clenched as he reads over my shoulder. None of us had expected a warning like this to arrive at our gate, especially not with such foreboding words.“They’re coming tonight,” I read aloud once more, letting the words hang in the silence. “And whoever left this clearly knows something—or someone—in the pack.”One of the elders, a stout man with silver-streaked hair, leans forward, his expression troubled. “The ink is fresh,” he notes, pointing a gnarled finger at the paper. “Whoever wrote this must be close. Either they’re within the pack, or they’ve just left after dropping this.”I nod in agreement, my mind whirring with the implications. “This isn’t just a stray message from a rogue,” I say, folding the
John’s POVThe air in the pack feels tense, like everyone is holding their breath, waiting. The news from the note has traveled through the ranks quickly, despite my orders to keep things discreet. Now every sentinel and elder is on high alert, and I can feel their unease even as I make my way toward the meeting hall.Once inside, I find the elders already seated, each with a wary expression. Jake is there too, pacing the floor with the note in his hand. When he sees me enter, he stops, his face hardened with a mix of anger and determination.“I’ve been thinking,” Jake begins, holding up the note. “Whoever wrote this clearly knows something about us. But they’re not giving us a name, just a warning. That makes me think they might be trying to stay anonymous to protect themselves.”I nod, feeling the same suspicion. “If they’re afraid of being exposed, they’re likely close by. Maybe even someone we wouldn’t normally suspect.”One of the elders, Elder Marcus, leans forward. His gray eye
I trudged along the hills, my every breath getting labored after the next. I pulled out my cell phone and tried powering it on but the screen stayed blank, I sighed. No battery life left, my backpack felt heavy on my back and for a moment I considered dropping it but I breathe in deep and tried gathering strength. ‘Come on Reyna, you can do this ‘ I said to my self and took a step forward and grinned when I saw civilization. I put more spring to my steps and hurried down the hills shouldering my backpack carefully not to let it slip off my tired shoulder. The sky rumbled and lightning flashed in the sky. ‘Please don’t rain’ I begged the universe, but it seemed the universe was in no mood for prayers because as soon as I said that in my head, the rain poured heavily without warning and in seconds I was as drenched as a sewage pipe rat. I managed to reach the restaurant and I rushed in soaking wet, the restaurant was devoid of customers and I thanked the universe agai
“You’re okay?” John asked. I nodded and sipped the hot tea nearly sighing as it warmed my body, John sat at a respectful distance beside me and I noticed him watching me keenly at a far corner. Jake stared at a fire sipping from a glass of liquor looking lost in his own world. “What happened” John asked and I sighed, his dark eyes roamed my face and I noticed how handsome he was. “My father, chased me away” I said and his eye darkened even further, he looked annoyed. “That’s wickedness” he said and I nodded, the tears I have been holding and promising myself not to shed started pooling in the corner of her eyes. “I am so sorry” John said and I nodded. The tears dropped and he tentatively wiped them away and I stared at him in surprise. “Thank you” I said and he smiled. Jake stood and dropped the book he was holding “I am outta here before you two kiss and talk in love” he said and I reddened, John looked embarrassed and he shot his
“Where is Jake?” I asked and John shook his head, “He doesn’t like parties” he said loudly over the loud music, around us werewolves danced to loud hiphop music, John twirled me around and I danced coming close enough to stare into his eyes and kissed him, ever since the day we kissed, we had become more exclusive and I learned werewolves males were very jealous with their woman and John certainly was, his hand held my waist possessively as if afraid I would wander off. “I won’t wander off” I said and John grinned and kissed my check. “Never trust when a lady says that” he said and I gasped playfully. “John! Ouch! So you don’t trust me” I said and he grinned. “One bit” he said and I punched him playfully in the shoulder. “Kidding” he said and we walked to a bar and he poured wine for me. “Cheers” I said and he smiled at me. “To what?” He asked and I shrugged. I flunked my glass with his and we drank
John’s POVThe air in the pack feels tense, like everyone is holding their breath, waiting. The news from the note has traveled through the ranks quickly, despite my orders to keep things discreet. Now every sentinel and elder is on high alert, and I can feel their unease even as I make my way toward the meeting hall.Once inside, I find the elders already seated, each with a wary expression. Jake is there too, pacing the floor with the note in his hand. When he sees me enter, he stops, his face hardened with a mix of anger and determination.“I’ve been thinking,” Jake begins, holding up the note. “Whoever wrote this clearly knows something about us. But they’re not giving us a name, just a warning. That makes me think they might be trying to stay anonymous to protect themselves.”I nod, feeling the same suspicion. “If they’re afraid of being exposed, they’re likely close by. Maybe even someone we wouldn’t normally suspect.”One of the elders, Elder Marcus, leans forward. His gray eye
John’s POVI glance at the note once more, feeling the weight of its words bearing down on me. The elders are gathered around the long wooden table in the meeting room, their faces grim. Beside me sits my brother, Jake, who’s gripping the arms of his chair a bit too tightly, his jaw clenched as he reads over my shoulder. None of us had expected a warning like this to arrive at our gate, especially not with such foreboding words.“They’re coming tonight,” I read aloud once more, letting the words hang in the silence. “And whoever left this clearly knows something—or someone—in the pack.”One of the elders, a stout man with silver-streaked hair, leans forward, his expression troubled. “The ink is fresh,” he notes, pointing a gnarled finger at the paper. “Whoever wrote this must be close. Either they’re within the pack, or they’ve just left after dropping this.”I nod in agreement, my mind whirring with the implications. “This isn’t just a stray message from a rogue,” I say, folding the
Reyna’s POVI wake up early, the soft morning light filtering through the small window beside my bed. After a quick bath, I dress and head to Stephanie’s room. She’s usually up by now, but today, I hadn’t seen her around, which isn’t like her. I feel a pang of worry but shake it off as I reach her door and knock softly.Pushing the door open, I see her still lying in bed, her face turned away, breathing evenly. The sight surprises me. Stephanie never stays in bed this long.I approach quietly and give her a gentle tap on the shoulder. “Steph?” I call softly, trying not to startle her.She stirs, blinking her eyes open, and gives me a small, tired smile. “Hey, Reyna.”“What’s going on with you?” I ask, concern filling my voice. “It’s not like you to be in bed this late.”She stretches slightly, then sighs. “I’m just… tired. Nothing more.” Her tone is light, but there’s something off, a slight tension in her voice that makes me hesitate.I narrow my eyes, studying her face. “Are you sur
Stephanie’s POVI slip out of bed quietly, my heart pounding as I make my way over to the small table in the corner of my room. Every sound seems amplified in the silence, from the rustling of my clothes to the faint scratch of pen against paper as I write. Tomorrow, Sally and his people will be raiding John and Jake’s pack, and they expect me to lead them straight in. But there’s no way I can betray them, especially not without giving some kind of warning.I keep the message short, anonymous, and vague, careful not to reveal my identity. The fewer details, the better. I fold the note tightly and slip it into the sleeve of my jacket. The paper feels heavier than it should, a reminder of the danger I’m risking. But it’s all I can do, a small act of rebellion that I hope will make a difference.The halls are dark and eerily silent as I make my way toward the main gate. Each step feels measured and tense, my senses on high alert for any sign of movement. The guards have been rotated sinc
Jake's POVThe tension in the room could be cut with a knife. After my words, no one dares to move. Instead, the elders settle back into their seats, eyes on John and me, waiting for the next steps. But before any more arguments can start, the door swings open, and a guard steps in, bowing quickly.“We found something,” he announces, a strange edge to his voice that piques my interest.John’s eyes snap toward the guard. “What is it?” he asks, his voice sharp and commanding. There’s an intensity in his gaze, as if he’s bracing for whatever news the guard might bring.The guard straightens, his gaze meeting John’s. “It’s better if you come and see for yourselves, Alpha. It might… change things.”Without wasting a moment, John gives a slight nod, signaling for me and the elders to follow. We move swiftly through the stone corridors, our footsteps echoing as we make our way down to the main hall. As we approach, I can hear a hushed murmur from a few of the other guards, but they quickly f
Sarah's POVThe door to the dungeon creaks open, and the heavy footsteps echo down the stone corridor. I know it’s him before I even see his face—Sally. The sound alone makes my stomach churn, but I keep my posture strong, even though my body aches from days of being locked up.Sally walks in, his grin as sickening as ever, his eyes glinting with malice. He stops right in front of me, towering over me like he owns the world. “You know,” he begins, his voice dripping with mockery, “I’ve already got the location of Stephanie. It’s only a matter of time before we bring her back here. Right where she belongs.”I don’t give him the reaction he’s looking for, but inside, fear grips me. If they find Steph, all I’ve done, all I’ve sacrificed, will be for nothing. I won’t let that happen.Sally’s smirk widens as he continues, “Your little hero act? All for nothing. She’ll be back, and both of you can rot together in this hellhole.”I meet his gaze, refusing to let him see any sign of weakness.
Inside the Great HallThe enormous hall loomed over Lord Filipe, Lord Urich, and Lord Bernard as they stood near the entrance, their postures rigid and expressions dark with tension. The air between them felt thick, as if anticipation and uncertainty had manifested into something tangible.Lord Filipe, tall and broad-shouldered, folded his arms across his chest. “What do you think the issue is? Why would someone risk infiltrating the clan?” His voice held a quiet frustration.Lord Urich, the oldest among them with a silver mane of hair, narrowed his eyes. “It could be anyone. But one thing’s certain—someone was sent here for a reason, and they’ve succeeded in remaining hidden thus far.”Lord Bernard let out a low grunt of agreement. He was the most suspicious of the three, his sharp gaze shifting between them. “Whoever it is, they have help. No one sneaks into this place without some inside information. We need to find the leak.”The three lords shared a brief, uneasy glance. The idea
Reyna's POVI walked into Stephanie’s room quietly, not wanting to disturb her if she was resting. The room was dimly lit, and at first glance, it seemed like she hadn’t noticed me come in. She was sitting by the window, her gaze fixed somewhere far beyond the glass. Her posture was stiff, and something about the way she was sitting sent a chill down my spine.I approached her slowly, then gently placed a hand on her shoulder. She jumped, startled, as if I had pulled her out of some deep, dark thought. “Oh! I didn’t mean to scare you,” I said quickly, taking a step back. “Sorry, Steph.”She blinked, her eyes wide for a moment, but then she settled down, though her expression didn’t soften. She just gave me a weak nod before turning her gaze back toward the window, her fingers gripping the edge of the chair tightly. “Are you alright?” I asked, stepping closer again, noticing how her shoulders were tense. “You seem... off.”“No, I’m fine,” Stephanie said, her voice barely above a whis
Stephanie's POVI held my breath, pressing my body tightly against the cold stone wall as I peered around the corner. My heart pounded in my chest as I saw the sentinels stepping out of John’s office. Their faces were grim, and their voices were low as they exchanged words I couldn’t make out. Panic clawed at my insides. If they checked the CCTV cameras, it would be over. They’d know the truth. They’d know Sally came for me.I quickly ducked back into the shadows, praying they wouldn’t notice me. My mind raced, trying to think of a solution, but nothing came. The moment they discovered Sally had been here, everything would unravel. My secret will be revealed I needed to talk to her. Now.Without another thought, I sprinted down the hallway, keeping low, my footsteps as quiet as I could manage. My body was trembling with fear as I made my way to Diane’s room. She would know what to do. She had to.When I reached her door, I didn’t bother knocking. I pushed it open and stepped inside,