Jackson's POV As I left the safe home, the air smelled strongly of blood and sweat; my muscles remained tightened from the struggle. Though the immediate risk had gone, my heart was pounding. For now the twins were secure. That did not, however, help the nagging anxiety within me. The traitor knew just where to strike, and the attack on the safe house had been premeditated, accurate.We could not continue to act this way, responding to each assault. Every time we advanced, it seemed as though the adversary was right there, one step ahead, sliding between our hands.Ava stood next to me, Lily and Caleb sheltered by her arms. She clearly showed dread in her eyes, but also a will. She was not the same woman I had turned aside. She was ferocious now, indestructible, and if I had any questions about her strength before, those questions vanished.Ava muttered, her voice tight with incredulity: "They knew where to find the twins." "Someone informed them." There isn't another way to explain.
Ava's POV As we walked Evan inside, his head hung in shame and his feet dragged as though the weight of his treachery had at last landed on him, the air in the packhouse felt stifling. My feelings were a jumble of wrath, doubt, and grief. Evan was not only some foreigner. Among us, he had been one of those Jackson and I had trusted. Now, knowing he had endangered our family, it seemed like a blow from which we would not be able to bounce back.As we made our way to Jackson's office, the corridor remained still. Seeing us approach, the soldiers stationed outside the entrance stiffened and their eyes flew between Evan and Jackson. None of those were queries. The reality weighed too much for words to adequately express.I closed the door behind us as we entered the office; the faint click of the latch echoed across the space like a last phrase. Evan stood in the middle, his once-confident manner now broken as his eyes dropped.Jackson's body tensed with barely controlled rage while his
Ava's POV The sun bathed to rise above the trees, the cool morning air accompanied by a thin film of fog hovering over the packhouse grounds. Even though the sunrise was beautiful, a weight pressed on my chest. The events of yesterday stayed with me—Evan's confession, the treachery that had struck right into the core of our pack.Still terrible, though, was the realization Evan had not acted alone. Someone else, far more deadly, was still out there waiting for the ideal chance to attack.Perched on the brink of the training ground, I watched the fighters sprint through drills. Jackson had mandated more intensive instruction for everybody, getting ready for the known approaching onslaught. We could not afford to be surprised once more. Not with the twins' lives on line.I turned to see Jackson come up, his face as tight as I could have sensed, feeling a presence next to me. Though his eyes were darkened with tiredness and his shoulders were stiff, he exuded the same ferocious drive. J
Jackson's POV I walked back and forth in the courtyard, listening for the feeble breathing of the scout. The message etched into the wood—you're too late—burned into my head, mocking me. My tummy turned upside-down, the weight of every choice I had made squeezing down on my chest. Now, one could not dispute it. The traitor was still prowling, providing intelligence; the enemy knew every step we took.Ava stood next to me; her eyes were keen and clear, but I could sense the anxiety under her composed front. This was personal, not only a hazard to our pack now. Our family was the goal; whoever drove this had been ahead of us everywhere. We had to act. But one bad action could cost us everything."How were they sure where to ambush the scouts?" Ava asked with a quiet but consistent tone. One of the several things I appreciated about her was her ability to remain cool under duress. She kept me in line.I tightened my hands, rage bubbling under the surface. Gritting my teeth, "someone's b
Ava's POV Tension permeated the air as we went back to the packhouse. Riley's admission had rocked us all and left a path of mistrust behind her. My chest hurt hollowly at the thought of someone I had once trusted betraying us in such a merciless manner. Still, the truth had spilled forth. Riley had been exploited, just as Evan had, hence he was not the brains behind all of this. But the person dragging the strings?There was obvious anxiety as we walked into the packhouse. Whispers wafted throughout the hall as pack members cast apprehensive looks at one another. Though they lacked all the specifics, they understood something had happened. The sense of treachery had crept into the very core of our society and would take more than time to mend those scars.Jackson strolled next to me; his shoulders squared but his face was dark. Since we left the clearing, he had not spoken much. I could sense the weight of leadership pushing down on him more than it had ever done. Though he was upse
Ava's POV Jackson and I left the packhouse with our footfall subdued in the crisp morning air; the sun hardly peaked over the horizon. Still hanging heavy between us is the weight of yesterday's discoveries. Riley's treachery had rocked the pack, and even if we addressed it head-on, the stress stayed strong. Returning to the clearing Riley had been meeting the rogues from, we were We needed responses now as much as they needed now.Jackson stepped next to me, his jaw closed in that familiar manner indicating he was fighting to hold the tempest inside under control. Since the pack meeting last night, he had not spoken much; I could sense the weight of leadership crushing down on him more than ever. Still, this was personal rather than merely about the pack. Riley had been his buddy and dependable fighter. Jackson had to shoulder that weight among all else; the betrayal stung deep."We'll find something this time," I muttered, trying to shatter the quiet. "We have to have missed someth
Ava's POV As the woman stood before us, her comments remained hanging in the room like a storm cloud just ready to break. Tension permeated the space. She brought my kids with her. That basic truth grabbed me more powerfully than anything I had ever experienced. My breath seized in my throat, my heart racing as my head whirled with questions, worries, and the urgent need to act.Jackson stood next to me, every muscle in his body coiled, his eyes flashing with a rage I had only seen a few times before. His tightly closed jaw made me believe he may snap. But it was the same anxiety that was wriggling inside me, not only resentment boiling under the surface. Both of us were parents, worried about our kids."What are you looking for??" Jackson insisted, his voice low and lethal.The woman grinned, a deliberate, slow curl of her lips that chilled my spine. "I have already mentioned this. I am in want of everything. Your pack, your area, your authority.Though I could see Jackson's anxiety
Jackson's POVStanding in the midst of the packhouse peering out at the darkened woods, the weight of the day pressed down on me. The woman's ultimatum kept coming back to me, persistent and merciless: Step down as Alpha, or you won't see your kids ever again. Her comments bit me over and over. I had to start acting. Rapid.Still, every road I considered was a trap. She was buzzling us into a corner, playing with us. Should I resign, all I had worked for—everything this pack had created—would be turned over to someone with unidentified goals. Should I fail, I would find it intolerable to consider what might happen to Lily and Caleb.I looked as Ava entered the room; her pale face was set with will. She had hardly slept, yet even with the tiredness in her eyes, she had an edge I hadn't seen in a long time. We both understood we had to make the toughest choice of our life.Her voice low but forceful, she continued, "We need more time." Jackson, we cannot cower in response to her request
Turning to watch Jackson barreling into the clearing, his wolf form was magnificent and horrible. He wasted no time flinging himself at the closest renegade with a passion that astounded me.Though brief, relief washed over me. The shadows moved once again, as a fresh person entered the area.He was towering and intimidating, with nasty glistening eyes. "Well, isn't this touching?," he said in a sarcastic voice. The courageous Luna and her warriors.Marcus, I spat, venomous in my voice.He grinned and looked over the devastation. Ava, I cautioned you. One cannot run from the past. And you most definitely cannot run from me.He lifted his hand before I could reply, and a flash of black energy rushed at me. I tuned myself, but it never hit.Riley launched himself in front of me with full assault might."No!." As he sank to the ground, his wolf shape flickering before he turned back into his human nature, I shouted.Jackson hissed, blazingly angry eyes guiding him toward Marcus. Marcus w
I'm locked in. No one knows how to get out. I detect it. Panic claws at the margins of my thoughts, my pulse thuds in my ears. Here's how we got here. How rapidly did things spiral?My fingers shake at my sides, and my brain runs for any answer. But not at all. Only me, powerless here. Levi... God, Levi's blood is staining the concrete and I am unable to stop it."Please, Marcus," I say, my voice breaking with need. "Please, please do not do this. I will do anything, I promise to God. Anything your wish is for. Just try not to damage him. kindly.He tilts his head as if he is thinking about what I said, and he smiles sickeningly. His firm hold on the pistol narrows. "Everything? You believe you still have something worth offering me?Though I'm not sure what I anticipate, Marcus fires before I could respond.The gunshot had an unbearable sound.But it's not me.My heart rushing, blood hammering in my ears, I automatically lower to the ground. Turning, eyes wide, I see something that s
I cannot lose you once more, Evie. Not like this. Not once again.Levi's voice is a harsh whisper on my skin; his words pierce the shroud of uncertainty and anxiety clouding my head. His hands quiver as they draw me in, his warmth sustaining me in this whirl of anarchy.In my chest, my heart beats wild and chaologically. Though everything seems to be disintegrating, I find it difficult to distance myself from him. His words and his touch really felt so authentic and honest. The pain I went through upon believing I lost him may easily overwhelm me once more. But the danger—that of Marcus—that is all too real. Too perilous.My voice quivering, I say, "I'm not going anywhere." "But we have to—”I swivel around, heart jumping into my throat, the sharp sound of cracking glass cutting me short. Under the low light of the alley, the figure's shadow blocks the passage. Breath freezes in my throat.He's it. Marcus?"You thought you could escape me, didn't you?," said Given the circumstances, h
Though I can't concentrate on anything except the heat of Levi's fingers clutching mine, the planet is disintegrating all around me. Knowing we have limited time, my heart is racing not only from anxiety but also from the intense feeling that this may be the final time I spend with him."Levi, we have to go—now, my voice quakes with panic."With his clenched jaw, he draws me in and I can see the weight of what we have gone through in his eyes. Though he is staring at something I cannot yet see, his dark and strong eyes convey everything I need to know: danger is near. overly near."I am not leaving you," he adds, his voice a hoarse growl of will. "Not again.."I wonder whether he is speaking to himself or to me. Still, I feel it. The truth was found in his comments. Everything we have endured weighs less now than this. Marcus, the falling stone walls—the improbable chances—we have come so far; now, everything depends on this one instant.Hearing the sound of feet behind us—faint at fi
The man slanted his head slightly, as though entertained by my query. "I am the one dragging the threads straight from the darkness. The one waiting for this turning point. And about what I wish for... The person fixed cold, objective eyes on me. "You have to decide something. a decision meant to either rescue or ruin everything.With fast, shallow breaths, Evie's hand tightened in mine. "Levi," she said, her voice breaking with terror. "please. You really have to trust me. Choose not to pay attention to him."The person advanced still another step, their gaze narrowing. " Trust her?" They laughed dimly. "How can you believe someone who hardly knows her? Someone who from the beginning has been lying to you?Turning to Evie, the weight of her words etched in my chest. "Is that true? Evie... I asked, hardly sure I could keep my voice steady. "What then is happening? Not what are you not telling me?"The voice of the stranger came out once again, louder now before she could respond. Levi
Varian's smile grew wider, his eyes shining with a terrible, nasty pleasure. "To release a power outside your comprehension. She belongs to a lineage of entities designed to transform our planet. And her blood? It is the essence of everything.My heart came to a standstill. Blood, please. What was he referring to?"Don't listen to him, Levi," Evie urged, her voice cracking and desperation leaking through the gaps. "He's lying. He is controlling you. He usually has.But Varian turned her aside, staring just at me. His tone caustic, he spat, "You don't get it, do you, Levi?" She is not any ordinary person. She is the one who may bring either the birth of a new world or the end of this one. And you, he added, his eyes narrowing, "you're standing in my way."I knew nothing about what to do. What Varian was saying eluded me in terms of logic. All I knew, all I believed was real, was disintegrating.Once more I looked at Evie, but she was shaking her head and tears were running down her che
"Levi, please, just trust me!" Now she was trembling, her voice a combination of terror and something more—a plea, a warning. " This thing... it's after me."My ears could hear my pulse pound. Her comments have weight like those of a goods train. "Once you?" I asked, voice just a whisper. "Evie, you are hunting this thing?"The beast howled before she could reply, the sound splintering the air. I halted momentarily, not sure what was happening; it was like the roar of a beast and the wail of a dying man.I turned back to Evie, but her gaze had altered. Now, there was something icy about it—a resolution that froze me right down. "Levi, you have to go." At now. Before it becomes too late.I shook my head, shoved her behind me. "Not a probability. I am not bidding you farewell here.She grasped my arm, her hold overly strong. You must have. Should we not, it will wipe us both. Ask kindly.She kept me steady as I attempted to back off. Her eyes softened, only a little, as though she were
A terrible, all-consuming terror seized my chest as the world darkened. My senses went wild and I could feel everything falling down right away. My sole anchor was the firm hold on my shoulder; my breath came in short spurts. Desperate for anything, anything to grip, I reached out.Levi... Evie's voice sounded far-off, a faint whisper that accentuated the terror chewing at me. "Levi, what's happening?"I had no retort for her. The gloom seemed overly weighty, too oppressive. Something cold pushed, metallic, and sharp pressed on my flesh; I automatically withdrew attempting to get away.Riley, the woman, leaned forward grinning wickedly from her lips. "You really thought you had control, didn't you?" Her voice sent chills up my spine like ice."Let him run!" Stronger now, Evie yelled, her voice tinged with an underlying horror I couldn't ignore.Riley's hold tightened, dragging me even nearer. Though it was pointless, I battled her grasp. Her strength felt surreal, as though she drew f
The planet appeared to spin at that instant. A huge crack sounded far away, then a deep, rumbling sound shook the earth underneath. The very ground seemed to be complaining, straying under the weight of something far more potent than I could understand.The shadows moved suddenly, then the unmistakable sound of shackles rattling. From the distance, a weak glow flickering revealed a shadowy figure rising from the gloom.Her face was hidden yet her shape was silhouetted against the low light. Her motions frenetic as she twisted and tugged, I could see her trying against the chains but she was nowhere."Evie!," My heart was hammering in my chest, I yelled. "Don't—,"The man's grasp tightened on my arm, pressing till it seemed as though the bones in my wrist were about to break before I could finish. "Don't waste your breath," he remarked frigantly. She had already left.Fury blazing in my chest, I turned to confront him. "You are lying!"But another crack louder this time rang in the dis