bChapter /bb133 /b

    ra’s POV

    My eyes shot wide, heart hammering against my chest.

    Lance was here?

    Why the hell was he here now? Had he figured out our n? Or worse, was he toying with us?

    I turned to Thorne, voice barely above a whisper. “Do you think he’s figured it out? Should we answer?”

    He didn’t answer right away, but the frown on his face said everything. He didn’t like this. Not one bit.

    “We should. He probably just wants to talk. But the timing? It’s definitely off,” he muttered, stripping off his sneakers and pulling on a nightrobe, ball /bsmooth and quick.

    He nudged me gently. “Go hide in the bedroom. I’ll see what he wants.”

    I didn’t argue. I darted into the bedroom, pressing the door shut as quietly as I could, leaving a small crack so I could listen.

    Outside, I could hear Thorne’s deep voice, calm but sharp. “Come in.”

    I held my breath, eyes fixed on the tiny gap in the door.

    Lance walked in, hands stuffed in his pockets like he’d juste from a stroll. His face was too rxed, like he was just casually dropping by after bdinner/b.

    “Alpha Thorne, did I wake you?” Lance’s voice had that annoying simper, the kind that made my skin crawl.

    “Wake me or not, you’re here nowi,/ii” /iThorne’s tone was cold, all business. “What do you want?”

    Lance shrugged, spinning around in azy circle before flopping down on the couch. He stretched his legs out, looking entirely at ease.

    “Nothing much,” he said, that damn smile never leaving his face. “I just felt like chatting.”

    My stomach churned as I listened, the confusion mounting. Was he serious? After all that had happened, now he just wanted to chat?

    “Did you know we held General Danton’s funeral today?” Lance went on, his voice softening with something close to nostalgia. “I gave a speech.”

    I didn’t need to see Thorne’s face to know he was unimpressed, He didn’t even blink.

    “No. But I guess you couldn’t just leave his body out there, right?”

    Lance tilted his head, his smile fading slightly, and I could almost feel the weight of his words. “No. We buried him today,” he said, almost mournfully. “And I gave a speech. That… that speech brought back so many memories. Danton and I? We go way back, even before I became the Rogue King.”

    The words hit me like a p. Danton had helped Lance? I didn’t know the details, but hearing Lance say it like that made my blood run cold.

    “If it weren’t for me, I wouldn’t have had a chance to rise… Hell, I wouldn’t even have the chance to talk to you, Alpha. You’re a mighty one.”

    What was Lance getting at? Was he just here to tell Thorne how close he and Danton were?

    I felt my teeth grit, and I could almost hear Thorne’s patience snapping, even from the bedroom.

    “Why the hell are you telling me this?” Thorne asked, the edge in his voice clear.

    Lance spread his hands wide, his grin stretching impossibly wide. “Now you see… Danton meant a lot to me. You killed my best friendb, /bbbut /bI’m bletting /bbit /bslide. I’m being extra kind to you, Alpha Thorne.”

    b11:06 /bbWed/bb, /bb30 /bbJul /bG

    Chapter b133 /b

    My heart froze. What was he getting at?

    Lance’s words hit me like cold water. He knew something. And whatever it wasi, /iit wasn’t good.

    But Thorne didn’t flinch. He leaned back, his voice even colder than before. “We already know why Danton’s dead. Andre made it clear, Drugs it’s de

    Get over it.”

    Lance chuckled, but there was a darkness in it. “No proof, but my gut says otherwise. Anyway, I’m not here to point fingers.” He leaned in, lowering he voice. “I’m here because you’re important to me, Alpha Thorne.”

    Thome’s jaw tightened. “I’m no one’s asset,” he snapped.

    Lance onlyughed louder, like it was some joke. “Sure, you’re not. You just don’t realize what you can do)

    I didn’t understand a damn thing. What the hell was Lance ying at?

    But you will. You will, Alpha

    His words were wrapped in so manyyers of vagueness, I couldn’t even begin to untangle them. But the way he spoke made it sound like Thorne bwas /bthe key to something big.

    I strained my ears, hoping for answers. My heart pounded in my chest as I waited for Thorne to press him.

    And then, Thorne did just that.

    “Tell me what I can do. Why the hell am I important? Stop dodging the question.”

    Lance’s eyes sparkled with amusement as he stood, pacing now. “No, no, no, I can’t tell you yet. You still think of me as an enemy. I don’t share things like that with enemiesi./i” He turned to face Thorne, voice dripping with mockery. “When can we be friends, Alpha?”

    Thorne didn’t even blink. “The day you die,” he spat.

    Lance only smiled, unbothered. He walked closer to Thorne, offering a hand, like they were about to seal some kind of deal. But Thorne pped bit /bbaway/b, the rejection sharp and quick,

    “I’ve heard enough,” Thorne growled, his eyes slits of fury. “It’s time for you to leave.”

    Lance held his hands up in mock surrender. “Fine, I’ll go. But you know, it’s not like we’re in a rush. We’ve got plenty of time to get ‘friendly. Just think about what I’ve said, Alpha Thorne. I brought you back out of kindness. Trust me.”

    With that, Lance turned and strolled out of the room.

    I waited, heart hammering. The second I heard the door close, bolted out of the bedroom.

    “What the hell was that?” I asked, my voice urgent. “Did you get anything out of him?”

    Thorne shook his head, his expression hard. “He was vague, ying games. He wants something from me, but he’s not telling me what it is yet.”

    “Do you think… it’s something bad?” I asked, my stomach twisting.

    “Bad? If it was good, he’d have told me already,” Thorne muttered. “Whatever it is, we’ll deal with it. But first, we kill him.”

    His words hung in the air between us, dark and heavy.

    Thorne pulled me in, his hands resting on my shoulders. “Listen, ra… Are you nervous?”

    I blinked, not expecting the question. “Yeah, alittle. I guess.”

    He cupped my face, his thumb brushing my cheek gently. “That’s normal. But remember, we’ve got this. Don’t let Lance’s bwords /bbget /bbto /bbyou/bb, /bbFocus /bbon /bbthe /bn. We can do this.”

    Chapter b133 /b

    I breathed out, trying to shake the nerves, trying to focus on the mission at hand.

    “Alright,” I said, my voice steady despite everything. “Let’s go.”

    We snuck out through the window, leaving the city under the cover of night. Kimberly had made sure the path was clear, no guards to stop us

    Once we were out, we fan. No car, nothing that would make noise. Just us, our legs, and the urgency pulling us forward

    Five hours straight, running through the wilderness, sweat dripping, breath short, but we kept going. The first light of dawn began painting the sky, sof pinks and oranges spreading across the horizon.

    It was beautiful, almost peaceful, in stark contrast to everything else we’d been through.

    But as I ran, something strange tugged at me. A wave of homesickness, of all things. Blood Moon Pack was just beyond that horizon, and it felt like it had been a lifetime since I’d left.

    I missed it. The safety, the familiarity… the peace I had before everything turned into chaos.

    The thought was so strong it threw me off bnced for a second. My foot caught, and I stumbled.

    Thorne caught me before I could fall. His hand gripped my shoulder, firm and steady. “Are you alright?”

    iI /inodded, blinking away the tears threatening to spill. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

    But Thorne wouldn’t let it go. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”

    I took a deep breath. “Just… a little nostalgic, I guess. We’re almost there, and it just hit me.”

    He didn’t say anything, just pulled ime /iiinto /ihis arms, holding me close. His heartbeat thudded in my ear, a steady,forting rhythm.

    “Looki,/ii” /ihe said softly, pulling back to ilook /iat me. “iSomeone’s /iwaiting for us.”

    iI /ifollowed his gaze, and my heart skipped. There, standing at the edge of the trees, was Cael.

    “ra!” he called, that grin of his lighting up his face.

    “Cael!” My breath caught in my throat. Without ithinking/i, I ran to him, my legs pumping hard as I rushed into his embrace.