ra’s POV

    “Impossible

    Sterning’s tear cut through the chaos like a de, but it froze midway I watched, wide eyed, at his body went rigid His gaze dropped to his chest, and that was when I saw it -a woll’s paw, thick and drenched in blood, lodged deep in his chest. The wound was lethal, blood spilling out a riverb, /band the

    around us thickened with the stench of death.

    I couldn’t even process the moment. Everything happened so fast

    Stemning’s eyes widened, as if he’d just realized what was happening, but there was no time for him to feel the pain. The world around me blurred as Thorne stood, his stance unyielding, his wolf paw still embedded in Stemming’s chest. In one swift motion, he ripped it out, holding Starring’s still–beating heart in his palm.

    Steming’s gaze drifted from the gaping hole in his chest to the heart, now held like some twisted trophy. His expression was a mix of disbelief band /b

    confusion

    The light in his eyes faded. He copsed to the ground, the battle lost before he even knew how it happened. Stemning, the Pogue King’s most trusted

    man, was dead.

    Thorne stood tall, raising his arm high, the still–warm heart clutched in his bhand/b. His roar echoed across the field, a triumphant deration that carried in

    the wind.

    b“/bVictory!!”

    The roar that followed was deafening. Soldiers cheered, their voices rising in unison.

    I couldn’t look away from Thorne. How had he done it? bWe /bbwere /bsure we were going to lose. This battle–it felt like it was slipping away from us at bevery /bturn. Yet there he stood, the embodiment of power and resolve

    I heard Bee’s breath catch beside me. “How did he…?” He shook his head in awe. “How did Alpha Thorne… I thought we were going to lose for sure.

    ra watched Thorne, the memories of their past bflooding /bher mind. He may have wronged her, but she couldn’t deny what he was the strongest, most capable Alpha in the world. The reason she fell for himb, /ball those years agob, /bstill ran through her bveins/b. The admiration she held for him was as strong bas /b

    With a heavy sigh, she turned her gaze away from Thorne. “Let’s go,” she said to Bex, her bvoice /bsteady. “The Rogue King’s still somewhere in the Crimson Fort. We need to catch him before he escapes.”

    The bsoldiers /bswarmed the Crimson Fort, taking over the North Gate, which was now wide open, thanks to Theo and Roman. The city was a mess–chaos everywhere. Rogues were scattered like rats, taking civilians hostage and setting bfires/b.

    ra’s soldiers immediately split up to manage the crisis, working to rescue hostages and put out the fires. ra moved swiftly through the cityb, /bclearing

    the way.

    She spotted

    potted one rogue trying to climb up the ramparts. Without thinking, bshe /bgrabbed his ankle and yanked him down with a forceful pull

    He hit the ground with a grunt, struggling against her hold.

    “Where is the Rogue King?” ra hissed, squeezing his throat with a tightening grip.

    The rogue shed a twisted grin, his breath ragged. His yellow teeth gleamed in the dim ght. “You’ll never catch the King,” he sneered, his voice thick

    with arrogance.

    bra’s /bfingers bdug /binto his throat, pushing harder. “You lost,” she growled “Tell me where he is, or ill snap byour /bneck like a twig. Where, The King?

    i1/3 /i

    The rogue’s body trembled, but his defiance never wavered. “Yori neam catch him.

    ra tightened her grip, bringing him to the adgs of lide. “Ti

    (the demanded, her nice cold and low

    He gasped, panic creeping into his voice. “We don’t know win the Rogue King is he blurted out in a desperate Sterning’s orders! We’ve never met the King never even seen him. All we know is we took onders

    ra froze, bei mind rating. No one knew the Pogue King’s identity not even his own followers. The battle had been personal home hadn’t had se to question Sterning before the fight, and now, with the death of his most trusted man, they were left with nothing

    The rogue was practically begging now, his life hanging by a thread “Please Let me go. I’ve told you every

    know.

    wrything i know. You can set me free. No one will

    ra’s eyes locked onto his, cold as ice. Without a word, she snapped his neck in one fluid motion. The rogue’s body went timp in her hands, his de extinguished in an instant. She didn’t even flinch.

    The Rogue King was still out there, slipping through their fingers. A shadow, a ghost in the chaos

    As she stood over the dead rope, a scream pierced the air from a distance. She turned on her heels, sprinting toward the

    A group of soldiers had gathered around a house, now engulfed in mes. Cries and shouts for help echoed from within. A young couple and their child had been taken hostage bby /ba rogue,

    The rogue held a knife to the family’s throats, his eyes wild with madness. The house was ready to copse. Every moment was preciousb. /b

    “Step back,” ra ordered her soldiers, her voice unwavering.

    “Gamma ra! It’s too dangerous!” one soldier cried out.

    “Stop back!” she barked, her tone final

    In a heartbeat, she shifted into her wolf form, her silver fur glinting under the firelight. With one mighty leap, she lunged at the rogue, sinking her touch into his shoulder. The roof above them creaked, a terrifying screech of metal and wood.

    “Take cover under mel” ramanded.

    The roof came crashing down just as she pushed the family out of harm’s way. The rogue’s body was swallowed by the mes as the fire consumed everything in its path

    As the soldiers rescued the family, ra shifted back to her human form. Her bbody /bached from the strain, but she didn’t show it. The husband, his face streaked with bsoot /band tears, stepped forward.

    i“/iiThank /iy

    you… thank you so much he gasped, his voice filled with gratitude. “bYou /bsaved my family. We would’ve died in there if it weren’t for you.

    ra smiled, shaking his hand. “It’s our job,” she replied, keeping her tone steady

    She looked at the man closely–his face, though covered in ash, had a certain nobility to it. He bwasn’t /bdressed like a noble, but there was something

    about him that stood out.

    “What’s your name?” she asked, her curiosity piqued.

    “Adler. This is my wife, Zara. I’m the local smith,” he said, his voice full of pride.

    ra nodded. “And your son? He’s alright?”

    Zara, still clutching their baby, nodded with a smile. “He’s asleep, thankful

    Before ra could say more, the distant sound of trumpets rang through the air.

    “Do you hear th

    Zara asked, her voice full of worry “e the roguesing!

    “No,” ra said, pving he wassuring smile. “That’s from our army. The Alpha is summoning us”

    She waved them off, moving toward source of the sound.

    The city was still in chais, but they had taken control. There was just onest thing left to do food the mole

    AD