LIAM’S P.O.V.
The forest didn’t move. Not the trees, not the air, not even the shadows. It was like the entire world had stopped to watch what would happen next.
I stared at Darian, at whatever the hell he’d become and every memory I had of him flickered through my head. The first time we trained together. His laugh. His loyalty. The promise we made to protect the pack no matter what.
Now, he stood in front of me like a stranger carved out of the friend I’d once buried my trust in.
Aragorn’s growl rumbled through my chest. *That’s not your brother anymore. That’s a puppet.*
“Yeah,” I muttered. “But I’ll be damned if I don’t break the strings.”
Darian’s head tilted slightly, his smile stretching wider, colder. “Still talking to yourself, Alpha?” His tone dripped with mockery. “Or is t
