KAELOS Three days had passed since that night—the night when Seraphina and I lay beneath the stars, planning a future full of hope. Three days since I felt completely healed from the trauma of the past. But fate seemed to have other plans. I was in my study, reviewing proposals for next week's pack party, when the mind-link suddenly exploded with a panicked cry. “Alpha! Attack on the eastern border! The Blue Ridge Pack—they're coming in large numbers!” Marcus's voice—one of our young guards—was filled with fear and adrenaline. In an instant, all the calm I had built up collapsed, replaced by pure, sharp Alpha instinct. “How many?” I asked through the mind-link as I ran out of the room, grabbing a silver knife from the weapons cabinet in the hallway. “At least thir

