The first rays of dawn were just beginning to touch the peaks of the mountains when they crossed the Pack border. The security detail quickly escorted them to the command center in the main lodge.
Inside, the fire was burning low, but the room was warm. Amelia, Kian's Luna, was waiting, along with Ronan. They had clearly been up all night, tracking the mission's progress.
Amelia rushed to Kian, her face etched with relief. She didn't speak, just wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his neck. Kian held her tight, letting the tension bleed out of his shoulders.
"We failed on the capture," Kian stated, looking over Amelia’s shoulder at Ronan and Gareth. "Octavia escaped and triggered a complete meltdown. Everything—the compounds, the tanks, the research notes—all burned. She made sure there were no survivors and no evidence left to salvage."
"A scorched-earth tactic," Ronan murmured, rubbing his temples. "She's dangerous. But the main operation is shut down. That buys us time."
“Alpha, I’ll go and check on Myra. I need to give this happy news to her.” Gareth left, slightly bowing to Kian.
He found Myra in the library, a quiet place tucked away in the lodge, often overlooked by the other warriors. She wasn't reading. She was standing by a window, watching the sunrise paint the mountains gold, her back straight and tense.
Her shoulders relaxed the moment she heard his heavy, familiar footsteps. She turned, her face pale, her eyes wide with fear and hope.
"You're back, Are you all right?" she breathed, rushing forward. She stopped herself, pausing just a foot away, suddenly remembering her place and her commitment. She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to look composed. "Did you... Did you get her?"
Gareth looked down at her. He saw the lines of worry around her beautiful eyes. He saw the fear that his answer—or lack of an answer—would change everything for her.
"No, Myra. We did not capture Octavia. She destroyed the whole place and escaped."
Myra’s shoulders slumped, and a tear tracked down her cheek. "I was so worried about you Gareth. Your safe return is more than everything to me. So... so nothing changes? Is the threat still there? "
Gareth gently reached out and cupped her face in his large, scarred hand. His thumb wiped away the single tear. His voice, usually gruff and low, was softer than she had ever heard it.
"Myra, listen to me. The Heralds' operation is destroyed. The threat of them using you, or any other witch, in that particular way is over. The deal Alpha Kian and I made with you, the one based on you giving us the information and serving until the mission was complete? It is complete."
He leaned closer, his eyes locking with hers. "You don’t need to be scared anymore Myra. You are not indebted to anyone anymore. You have earned your place here, but you are free to leave, stay, or do whatever you wish." He paused for emphasis. "Myra, you are free."
The word, free, hit Myra with the force of a physical blow. It was a release she hadn't realized she was still waiting for. It wasn't just physical freedom; it was the freedom to choose, the freedom from fear. And the person who gave it to her, the man who had protected her and trusted her more than anyone else in this new world, was standing right there.
All her composure broke. She didn't think about the Alpha or the Luna or the Pack laws. She acted purely on instinct and a surge of overwhelming gratitude and sudden, undeniable attraction.
She lunged forward, not giving him a moment to react. Her hands found his cheeks, and she rose onto her tiptoes, sealing his lips with hers in a desperate, hard, and clumsy kiss.
When Myra finally pulled back, gasping, her face was bright red. She looked over Gareth's shoulder, and her heart sank right out of her chest.
Kian and Amelia were standing in the doorway. They had come to check on Gareth, and now they were watching the whole scene with matching, wide-eyed grins.
"Oh, goodness," Myra squeaked, burying her face into Gareth's shoulder in an instant, mortified with embarrassment. "I am so sorry, Alpha, Luna. That was... inappropriate. I didn't see you."
Amelia laughed, a bright, clear sound that filled the quiet room. "Inappropriate? Myra, that was the most appropriate thing I've seen all morning! It was about time one of you made a move!"
Kian just shook his head, a slow, fond smile spreading across his face. "Go, Beta. We’ll clean up this mess later. You have earned this moment. Now take it."
Gareth took Myra’s hand and led her swiftly from the library, not stopping until they were inside her small, simple room. He closed the door behind them, leaning against it, still breathless.
"You really surprised me back there," he said, the surprise quickly turning to raw pleasure in his tone. He reached up and touched his lips with his free hand.
Myra kept her head bowed, still reeling from the public display. "I didn't mean to, Gareth. It was just... You said I was free. And I realized the only thing I wanted to choose was you. And the shock made me do something impulsive."
She took a deep breath, gathering every ounce of her courage. "Then, Gareth, I choose you. I am tired of sleeping alone, thinking about you coming back, or not coming back. I need to be close to you. So... tonight, and every night after this... I want you to stay with me. Here. Will you?"
Gareth’s quiet, reserved face broke into a full, genuine smile. It was a rare, heartwarming sight. He pulled her into a hug that was fierce and protective, yet unbelievably gentle.
"Yes, Myra. I will. Every night."
Back in the command center, Amelia was nestled against Kian's chest, a cup of tea in her hand, watching the fire crackle.
"They're going to be good for each other, Kian," Amelia whispered, running her hand across the muscles of his chest. "Myra needs that grounded, solid protection he offers. And Gareth... he needs someone who sees him for the strong, good man he is, not just the Beta."
Kian kissed the top of her head. "He already is a good man. But you’re right. He has carried the burden of the Pack for so long, and Myra helps him put it down. She sees past the Wolf and straight to the heart."
He looked at the map Ronan was already pinning with new coordinates—potential escape routes for Octavia, places where the remaining Heralds might hide. The fight was far from over. A new, more dangerous phase was beginning.
But for now, in the quiet lodge, with the sunrise warming the stone walls, the world felt safe.
"We face a bigger enemy now, Amelia. Decentralized, panicked, and burning their own tracks," Kian murmured, resting his cheek against her hair.
Amelia tilted her head up, meeting his worried gaze with her own clear, steady strength. "Then we fight them, Alpha. Together. But first," she pulled him up from the chair, "we are going to take the rest of this morning and remember why we fight. The Pack is safe, your Beta is finally smiling, and you, my weary Alpha, need a bath and a long nap."
Kian allowed himself to be led away, away from the maps and the threats, toward the simple, powerful comfort of his mate. The peace was temporary, but it was essential. Love and connection were the only weapons strong enough to keep the darkness at bay.