Warning: This chapter contains graphic violence, emotional trauma, themes of war and betrayal, and non-consensual s****l violence and s****l assault from the perspective of the perpetrator.
Caleb’s POV:
I returned to the pack-house to make sure everyone was doing what they were meant to—following my orders without hesitation. I was met at the front by two warriors standing guard, their eyes sharp but anxious. Good. Fear kept people alert.
My mother was still sedated, sleeping behind a locked door guarded by two more wolves. The room was quiet, her scent faint behind the wood. I didn’t step inside. I couldn’t. Not yet. Seeing her like that—hollow, unmoving—wasn’t something I could deal with. Not tonight.
Cain was in the war room, mind-linking the patrol teams, setting up new rotations a
