--- The celebration didn’t last 24 hours. Of course it didn’t. I was in our chambers, finally breathing for the first time since the Gathering, when Darius’s head snapped up and his Lycan eyes went feral. “They’re here,” he growled, already moving toward the balcony. “All of them.” I shot up from the bed, hand flying to my Lycan stomach. “Who?” “Kade,” Darius spat the name like poison. “And he brought friends.” Elias was already at the window, small Lycan body tense. At 5 he didn’t need to ask questions. He just looked at me and said: “Mommy, he brought the Wolf packs.” We moved fast. By the time we hit the main courtyard, the entire city was in chaos. Lycans and wolves faced off across the grounds, and in the center stood Kade. He hadn’t changed. Still tall. Still golden. Still

