POV: Soraya
Dawn cracked the horizon with pale gold, but Ashra felt colder than the desert night. The morning after… everything… I left Raevan’s chamber before sunrise, slipping through empty hallways with my heart still trembling and my thoughts in shreds. Shame clung to my skin. Longing lingered in my bones.
But the fortress did not allow quiet for long.
The siren horn blasted across the dunes—deep, hollow, unmistakable.
Danger. I froze halfway down the stairs leading to the courtyard. Wolves sprinted past, armor half-tied, sand kicking up under their boots.
Kaide appeared from the barracks, eyes sharp, body tense. “Soraya. With me.”
My pulse spiked. “What happened?”
“Scouts haven’t returned from the north ridge,” he said, voice low. “They were due hours ago.”
Fear stabbed through me. “Maybe they’re delayed—”
“No.” Kaide’s jaw clenched. “They sent a signal flare and then… nothing.”
That alone told me everything.
The stream flickered—an ache, a whisper, a cold pulse behind my eyes. Not loud enough to understand, but enough to warn.
My blood went cold. “Zarek.”
Kaide didn’t deny it.
He led me toward the western gate, where warriors gathered in a tight circle. Their anxious whispers made my stomach twist.
“Who found it?”
“Was there blood?”
“Why send it here?”
“The Alpha must see this—”
My breath shortened as wolves parted, letting me through until I reached the center.
A small wooden crate sat in the sand.
Light. Compact. Stained with dust from a long ride.
Kaide exhaled slowly. “Soraya… don’t panic. We don’t know what’s inside.”
But I did.
Even before he opened it.
He unlatched the metal clasp and lifted the lid.
A hush fell over the courtyard.
Inside lay three pieces of torn scout clothing—Ashra colors ripped through the emblem, stained with blood. A dagger marked with Zarek’s serpent crest. And a rolled parchment sealed with dark red wax.
No bodies. No limbs. Just enough to prove a point.
Kaide whispered, “Bastard.”
My knees weakened.
“He has them,” I said softly, barely managing sound.
Kaide’s jaw was like carved stone. “Yes.”
I forced myself to pick up the parchment. My fingers shook as I broke the wax seal. The handwriting inside was straight, sharp, and slanted—Zarek’s unmistakable hand.
Return her.
Or they die.
Full moon.
No mercy for delays.
At the bottom, a smear of blood replaced a signature.
The courtyard erupted.
“He took our scouts—?”
“That’s dishonorable!”
“He threatens us on our own land—”
“He wants war—”
“Or surrender—”
A heaviness crushed my chest. I could barely breathe. My wolf paced violently, recognizing Zarek’s touch in every stroke of ink. My vision blurred.
Kaide grabbed my shoulder, steadying me. “Breathe, Soraya.”
“How can I?” My voice cracked, fragile as cracked pottery. “He kidnapped them. Because of me.”
“We don’t know that—”
“Yes, we do!” I snapped, louder than I meant to. “Zarek wrote my name between the lines. He wants me. And he’ll keep hurting Ashra until he gets what he wants.”
Kaide’s expression twisted. “This isn’t on you—”
“It is.” Panic strangled my throat. “It’s always me. Every attack, every loss, every wound—it’s because he wants the moon-marked girl.”
Kaide didn’t answer.
Because there was truth in my words he couldn’t deny.
Warriors muttered around us.
“What does the Alpha say?”
“Does he plan to fight or negotiate?”
“Will he risk lives for one girl?”
“Is she worth the blood we’ve already lost?”
The muttering burned like fire under my skin.
I stepped back, arms tightening around myself. The world blurred at the edges. The courtyard’s walls leaned in. The sand spun beneath my feet.
Kaide reached for me. “Soraya—”
“Don’t.” I pulled away, voice shaking. “Not now.”
Kaide’s mouth tightened, hurt flickering across his face—but he stepped back, respecting the space I couldn’t name.
The parchment slipped from my fingers and fluttered to the sand. A warrior picked it up, eyes scanning the words, then turned pale.
“Someone needs to tell the Alpha,” he said.
“Tell me what?”
Raevan’s voice rolled across the courtyard like thunder.
My heart stopped.
He approached with long, determined strides, still bandaged but solid, strong, terrifying in his fury. His eyes swept the scene, then landed on the crate.
He froze.
Then he looked at me.
Just one second.
Just one glance.
But it hollowed me out completely.
Kaide handed him the parchment. Raevan read it in silence. His jaw ticked once. The air tightened. Even the warriors stepped back.
Raevan crushed the parchment in his fist.
“He dares touch my scouts?” His voice was low, deadly. “He thinks threatening Ashra will get him what he wants?”
Someone whispered, “Alpha… he wants her.”
Raevan whipped his head toward the warrior. The man immediately bowed his head.
But Raevan didn’t snap.
Didn’t rage.
Didn’t destroy the crate or the ground or anyone in his path.
Instead, he turned to me.
His voice—low, deep, controlled—barely restrained his violence. “Soraya. Look at me.”
I lifted my eyes, reluctantly. He took one step toward me. Just one. The entire courtyard held its breath.
His gaze burned. “This is not your fault.”
“It is,” I whispered.
“No.” His voice hardened. “This is Zarek’s cruelty. Not your burden.”
I swallowed painfully. “Tell that to the scouts he took.”
He flinched a fraction.
Barely noticeable—except I felt it like a blade through my ribs.
Kaide stepped forward, jaw tense. “Alpha, we need a plan. A fast one.”
Raevan nodded once. “We will retrieve the scouts.”
“And the girl he wants?” an elder muttered from behind.
Raevan’s wolf surged instantly. “He will die before he touches her.”
Every warrior stiffened. Because that wasn’t politics. That wasn’t strategy. That was a vow, a deadly one.
He stepped closer to me, voice too soft for the others. “Soraya. Stay with Vienne. Don’t wander alone.”
“I can help,” I whispered.
“You already have,” he said. “More than any of them know.”
I swallowed, unable to respond.
He turned to Kaide. “Prepare the riders. Tonight, we plan. Tomorrow, we hunt.”
But Zarek’s words still echoed in my skull.
Return her.
Or they die. No matter what Raevan said—some part of this was because of me.