RYAN
The castle felt heavier than usual as if even the walls held the weight of what had occurred. Jaden's anger, Jermaine's return, Jackson dragging Alexia back against her will—everything was just happening so fast. Too fast.
I stood in my office, staring out into the vast forest beyond the borders of our pack. The night sky was clear, yet even the stars shone dull, weighed down by the storm brewing within these walls.
The words of Jaden still echoed within my mind.
"She is nothing to me but the Queen."
My fists clenched, claws threatening to extend.
The rage that surged through me then was nothing besides the pain that I felt on behalf of Hailey. My mate, who has suffered more than anybody, is still suffering, and all she received finally having gotten her sons back home were rese
