Kieran's POV

"You didn't even care to ask my opinion, because obviously, it doesn't matter to you, does it?"

"You know what? I'm done. I'm done entertaining you Lycans. I've made my peace with everything you've cost me, and all of you should just leave me the hell alone!"

Her words had cut deep. sharper than any blade I'd taken to the ribs in battle

That wasn't the truth. Not even close.

As Lorraine turned to leave, I moved instinctively, stepping into her path. The moon light slanted through the canopy above us, dappling her face, her hair, and the anger in her eyes. My jaw tightened as I tried to speak, tried to make her see that she was wrong about me.

"It's not that I don't care about what you think, or what you have to say," I said, my voice low but urgent. "I care more than you'll ever believe. I just..." I hesitated, the words heavy in my mouth, "...I just want you to be safe."

Her gaze didn't soften. If anything, it hardened further, an icy wall slamming down between us. "I don't need you to decide that for me," she said, stepping sideways to pass.

And I don't know what possessed me then, maybe desperation, maybe something else, but I reached out when she tried to leave again. My hand closed around her arm and I pulled her back, the force of it drawing her right into my chest.

We both froze.

Her body was stiff against mine, but the warmth of her was impossible to ignore. My heart thudded so loudly I was sure she could feel it against her ribs. Her breath hitched, just slightly, and I caught the faint scent of rose and wildflowers clinging to her, familiar and infuriating all at once.

For a moment, the rest of the world went silent. No rustling leaves, no distant voices from the hideout, just her in my arms, glaring up at me like she wasn't sure if she wanted to stab me or shove me away.

I held her gaze. "I know a lot has happened between us," I said, each word deliberate. "And I've… I've messed up. Badly. I've said things I shouldn't have. You'll probably never forgive me for them. I don't blame you."

Her brow furrowed slightly, but she didn't look away.

"But I'm asking you, no, I'm pleading with you, don't shut me out completely." My voice dropped, raw and unguarded. "I'm not asking for your heart, Lorraine. I'm not asking for something you don't want to give. I just… I just want to be your friend. To help you, if you'll let me."

The flicker in her eyes could have been uncertainty. Or maybe it was just anger shifting into something more complicated.

"And who said I needed helping?" she asked, her tone sharp

I let out a slow breath, running my thumb absentmindedly along the edge of her sleeve before realizing what I was doing and pulling my hand back

"Of course," I said, a faint, humorless smile tugging at my lips. "You're the stubborn feral girl who doesn't know when to quit. Always have been."

She frowned, but I pressed on.

"But Lorraine… you don't have to need help to let someone be there for you. That's not how friendship works. You don't have to be bleeding out on the ground for me to stand beside you. You don't have to be falling apart for me to catch you. Sometimes…" I swallowed hard, "…sometimes it's enough just to let someone share the weight, even if you think you can carry it alone."

Her eyes searched mine for a long, tense moment, and I had no idea what she saw there, regret, maybe. Or truth. Or the same ache that had been gnawing at me ever since I'd lost her the first time.

Finally, she pulled back, breaking the fragile tether between us. The air felt colder instantly, as if the woods themselves noticed the loss.

"You don't get to just… walk back into my life and say things like that," she murmured, shaking her head. "You've already done enough damage."

And before I could stop her, she turned away again. This time I didn't move to block her. My hand hung uselessly at my side, fingers curling into a fist as I watched her walk away.

Because as much as I wanted to chase her, I knew that pushing now would only drive her further.

Still… her words haunted me, echoing in the quiet woods.

And deep down, I couldn't stop thinking about how much I wanted her to see the truth, how much I wanted her to know that keeping her safe wasn't about control.

It was about the fact that losing her once had nearly destroyed me.

And I wasn't sure I could survive it a second time.

I stood there for a long moment after Lorraine walked away, staring at the empty space she'd left behind. My chest felt tight, like her words had lodged somewhere deep and refused to let go. Eventually, I forced myself to move. Standing there any longer wasn't going to change anything.

I walked down the stairs into the hideout, and I went straight to the war room.

Astrid, Magnus, Cyrin, Varya, and my mother were all seated around the round table, maps spread out between them, markers indicating routes, camps, and enemy strongholds. They looked up the moment I stepped in.

"We waited for you, my Majesty," Magnus said, leaning back in his chair, "but your mother, the queen, she insisted we start as you might take a while with whatever was keeping you outside."

I caught the faint upward twitch of my mother's lips. The knowing smile told me she already suspected, or knew exactly, that I'd stayed behind to speak to Lorraine.

I simply nodded and moved to the seat reserved for me, settling in beside Magnus.

"All right," I said, resting my forearms on the table. "What's the plan you've made so far to take the academy?"

Cyrin leaned forward first, tapping the map with a precise finger. "My approach is to use a diversion on the eastern gate, where their patrol patterns are weakest. We create a false breach, light a section of forest on fire to draw the Crimson Hunt soldiers out. While they respond, our main force infiltrates through the northern wall under cover of night. It's high risk, but we'd catch them off guard."

Astrid's lips thinned. "High risk, indeed. I have a different proposal. Their southern wall is heavily fortified, yes, but it's also their most complacent front. No one attacks from there because of the marshland. We could use that assumption against them. We traverse the marsh in small, agile units, then hit them directly when they least expect it. The swamp will work in our favor, slowing their reinforcements from the other walls."

Magnus shook his head. "Both of you are thinking like strategists who know the field. But that's just it, we don't know it. We have no reliable count of the Crimson Hunt numbers inside. If they've doubled their forces since the last intel, both of your plans would collapse before we breach the first wall. It's suicide to storm blind."

His words landed heavy on us

Varya, who had been quietly watching, finally spoke. "Three days ago, some of the scouts reported something unusual near the academy. They believe an important visitor arrived. We don't know who, what, or why, but security visibly tightened afterward. We've had no further updates."

I exhaled slowly, dragging a hand down my face. "So we're completely blind to whatever is happening inside."

"I have a solution," my mother said suddenly, her voice echoing through the rom.

Every head turned to her. She leaned forward, her expression calm but deliberate. "We send one of our own into the academy to see what's going on."

Magnus shook his head "How? If any of us go near those walls, they'll kill us on sight."

"Not the feral wolf," my mother countered smoothly. "Not Lorraine."

My stomach dropped. Not again. Not her.

"No," I said immediately, my tone sharper than intended. "We are not doing that."

Magnus raised a brow. "It might actually work, your Majesty. Adrian used to be close to her. He wouldn't kill her outright, from what I observed from seeing the two together in the academy, he likes her."

I shot him a look, but he didn't flinch.

Astrid spoke next, her voice measured. "It is a good plan on paper. She could gain us intel no one else could. But with the recent…. events, I'm not convinced Lorraine is ready for such a task."

"Ready or not," Cyrin said, his tone clinical, "she may have to. If we want the upper hand in this battle, there is no other viable option. Sending her in might be our only shot at knowing what we're truly up against."

The room fell silent for a moment. My mother's gaze slid to me, calm but expectant. She was waiting for me to back down.

I clenched my jaw, the thought of Lorraine walking back into that place turning my blood cold. The academy wasn't just dangerous, it was a nest of vipers, each one eager to sink their teeth into her. I'd barely gotten her back from the brink. I wasn't about to let her be thrown to the wolves, again.

But if I said no outright, they'd push harder. I needed another way.

"Fine," I said finally, my voice low but steady. "If Lorraine must enter the academy… then I'm going in with her."

Every head turned toward me in unison.

Magnus frowned. "Your majesty, that's—"

"That's final," I cut in. "If she's going in, she's not going in alone. If she's taking the risk, I'm taking it with her. End of discussion."

I didn't miss the brief flicker of surprise in my mother's eyes. Or the faint smirk that followed.

Somehow, I knew this was exactly the reaction she'd been hoping for.