NICOLE

~Present Day~

“Two more wolves are dead, Nicole. We can’t just sit back anymore hoping it’ll go away. We have to do something.”

I looked up from the papers in front of me meeting Gerald, my Beta’s eyes filled with worry and feeling the tension in the air that had spiked up the moment he walked in, and the words he spoke hit me like a punch to the gut.

More deaths.

I kept my back to him, staring out the window of my office, trying to collect my thoughts. The Hastings Faction had been reeling since the first wolf had gone missing nearly a month ago and was found dead. No signs of a struggle, no tracks to follow, nothing.

And then it started. More wolves started going missing, meeting the same fate.

I took a deep breath before turning to face him, “I know, Gerald. I’m not blind to what’s going on.” My voice was tight, controlled, but the truth weighed heavy on me. The more time passed, the more helpless I felt. We had pooled resources with the other Alphas in the faction, tried everything from tracking to gathering intel, but every lead we’d followed had amounted to nothing. It was like we were chasing ghosts, our efforts evaporating into thin air.

Gerald didn’t wait for me to finish processing, “You know as well as I do that it’s time to stop hoping. We have to act. We’ve been at this for weeks now. And it’s only getting worse. It’s time we looked to the Kaldor packs. They are larger and have more resources to help us stop this before it consumes us all.”

The mention of the Kaldor packs felt like a cold chill rushing over me. All of it tied back to Nathan because he was the Alpha of the strongest pack in their faction.

“Not them. You know it will all tie back to Nathan. I will find another way,”

Even saying his name out loud sent a ripple of irritation through my wolf.

Gerald’s voice softened, the edges of his words careful, as if trying not to push me too far. “I understand your past with him, Nicole. But this is bigger than you, bigger than me. Wolves are dying. If we don’t do something—soon—it won’t matter where the attack is coming from. We’ll all end up dead, and I hate to say this but your son included.”

His words hit hard, and I felt my stomach churn. I had worked too damn hard to protect him, to keep him safe. And if the

truth came out, if Nathan found out about him… I shuddered at the thought. No.

That couldn’t happen.

But Gerald wasn’t wrong. The Kaldor packs had the resources and the influence to help. Nathan, despite everything, was still one of the most powerful Alphas in the region. If I could swallow my pride and reach out, we might finally get the answers we needed.

But the idea of doing that made my blood boil.

Gerald spoke again , recognizing the battle playing out behind my eyes. “I’m not asking you to go to him, he might be the most powerful but there are other powerful packs in the faction. But if you don’t, this will only get worse.”

I stared at him, torn between the anger I felt at being put in this position and the responsibility I had to the pack.

One way or another, I had to act.

I shook my head, clearing the fog in my mind. “Fine. I’ll look into it, but I won’t ask Nathan for help. I won’t go crawling back to him. I’ve spent too long fighting for my place here, for my son’s future. I’m not going to ruin everything no matter

what.”

Gerald lowered his head, clearly understanding the weight of my words, but he didn’t push it further. “I understand, Alpha. Just… just don’t wait too long. This can’t wait forever.”

With that, he bowed slightly and left the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

The reason I had fought so hard to become Alpha after my father’s death was to ensure that I could protect him. Nathan could never know the truth about him—that he existed.

And yet, here I was, on the brink of being forced to go back to the very source of my pain. To ask for help from the one person I’d promised myself I’d never go back to.

I leaned back in my chair, letting the weight of it all settle on my shoulders. I’d find another way. I had to.

But the question was:

What could I do before we all ended up dead?

NATHAN

The silence in the room was suffocating after my father’s words sliced through it.

“I am never going to hand the pack over to you if you don’t agree to this. You either marry her or lose the pack."

I stared at him, forcing my fury to stay buried under the surface. My tone was cold, measured. “So, you expect me to marry a stranger—a woman I’ve never met—because you’re so paranoid about your bloodline ending with me?”

His hand raked through his hair, a familiar gesture of frustration. His voice softened, as though he thought compassion would mask the ultimatum. “I only want what’s best for you, Nathan. You’ve spent years resenting women because of what your mother did, and—”

“Don’t bring her up,” I snapped, the words spilling out before I could stop them. My patience was wearing thin. “And if you knew what was best for me, you wouldn’t threaten to take away the one thing I’ve trained my entire life for. If it’s an heir you want, I’ll give you an heir—but I will not marry a stranger.”

He shook his head, disappointment lacing his gaze. “This is about more than just an heir, Nathan. It’s about you moving on from the past. Letting someone in. Someone who isn’t Nadia.”

“All I want,” he continued, “is for you to be happy. Nicole is kind and beautiful. You’ll see that. She’ll be good for you, in time.”

I glared at him, my voice dropping to a dangerous growl. “If you force me into this, I will never forgive you.”

His weary sigh was punctuated by a faint, sad smile. “Then so be it. The decision is final. You have three days to submit your answer to the council.”

He turned without another word, the door slamming behind him. And just like that, the choice was made for me.

I had trained to be an Alpha my entire life. It was all I knew. This was the sacrifice I had to make to claim what was rightfully mine.

But Nicole, whoever she was, would never mean anything to me.

At least, that’s what I told myself.

Over the three years that followed, I came to see that my father had been right. Nicole was everything I didn’t know I wanted. She was kind. She was strong. She was… perfect.

And that perfection was my downfall.

Because the moment I trusted her—the moment I let her past my walls—she cheated on me and betrayed me. Women were all the same. They made you believe you were the center of their world, only to leave you shattered, wondering why you were never enough.

Nadia was the only exception. The only woman I could trust. My sister, my constant. And no matter what Nicole believed about her, Nadia had proved, time and again, that she would never leave me.

The day Nicole walked away, I told myself she was nothing to me. Just like she was always meant to be.

But over the two years that passed, I’d kept tabs on her learning that she had taken over her pack. Which was why she had married me, using me for my resources.

And I should have treated her the same—as a means to an end.

Instead, I let her in. And I hated her for it.

A sharp knock at the door dragged me out of the memory, my chest tightening at the flood of emotions.

“Come in,” I called, irritation lacing my voice.

One of my top men stepped in, his head bowed respectfully.

“Just tell me what it is,” I muttered, leaning back in my chair.

His voice was cautious. “Something has come up that requires your attention, Alpha. Alpha Ivan is requesting approval to form an alliance.”

I waved a hand dismissively. “How many times do I have to tell you? Grant permission without bothering me with irrelevant details. I don’t care who aligns with whom.”

He hesitated, his eyes flickering with unease.

“I thought you’d want to know who he wants to align with,” he said carefully. “It’s Nicole Myers.”

The room went still.

The name sent a jolt of cold fury through my veins. “Why is she reaching out to a Kaldor pack?”

“From what I heard, wolves are going missing in the Hasting faction. They’re being found dead. I believe she needs more resources to protect her territory. Shall I approve the request?”

My jaw clenched, “No. Decline it. And send a message to Ivan and every Alpha in the Kaldor faction. From this point, Nicole Myers is blacklisted. Any Alpha caught aligning or associating with her will face dire consequences.”

NICOLE

The scream tore through the night, cutting through the stillness like a blade.

I was out of bed and halfway down the stairs before I even realized what I was doing, the sound of chaos pulling me toward the pack’s borders.

When I reached the clearing, the sight before me made my stomach churn. One of my wolves lay dead—his body broken and lifeless. A she-wolf knelt beside him, her piercing cries echoing through the darkness as two warriors tried to hold her back.

“Victor, wake up!” she sobbed, her voice raw with desperation. “Please, wake up!”

I closed my eyes, swallowing hard against the lump in my throat. My heart ached for her, but I couldn’t allow myself to crumble.

Gerald appeared at my side, his face grim. Before he could speak, I exhaled sharply and gave the order. “Have him buried. I’ll address the pack at dawn.”

He nodded, and as he turned to relay the instructions, I cast another glance at the she-wolf. Her cries had softened into quiet, heartbreaking murmurs as the warriors guided her away. The scene twisted my stomach with guilt, and a voice whispered in my mind: This is your fault.

Because I had tried to reduce the number of wolves I sent out but I still needed to scout the area so his death was on me.

I forced myself to turn away, unwilling to let the pack see the cracks in my armor. By the time I returned to my quarters, sleep was impossible. I checked on Daniel, as I always did when I couldn’t rest, gently brushing a strand of his dark hair from his tiny face. He was my anchor, my reason to keep fighting.

But tonight, not even his peaceful presence could soothe me. I lay awake until dawn, staring at the ceiling, my mind racing with questions and plans.

When my phone buzzed, I sat up, a wave of relief washing over me at the sight of Ivan’s name. Finally, some progress.

“I’m sorry,” he said the moment I answered, his tone heavy with regret.

My stomach tightened. “What do you mean, sorry?”

He hesitated. “There is a law in the Kaldor faction—any alliance request must be approved by Nathan.”

I was aware of this but Nathan had never cared.

“As far as I know, he’s never disapproved an alliance,” Ivan continued, his voice cautious. “But… once he found out it was you…” His words trailed off, but he didn’t need to finish.

I gritted my teeth, struggling to keep my voice steady. “I understand. Maybe I’ll try another pack.”

There was a pause on the other end of the line before he spoke again, quieter this time. “Nicole… you won’t get anyone to help. He’s blacklisted you and no one will dare cross Nathan.”

My hand tightened around the phone as a wave of anger crashed over me. Without another word, I ended the call, the sound of my own heavy breathing filling the silence.

Even after all this time, he was still determined to make my life hell.

A knock at the door snapped me out of my thoughts. I opened it to find Gerald standing there, his expression tense.

“The wolves are waiting for you,” he said, bowing his head.

“Tell them I’ll address them later,” I replied curtly. Before he could respond, I continued, “Have the car prepared. Two warriors will accompany us—we’re going to the Kaldor faction.”

Gerald hesitated, his brow furrowing. “Nicole—”

Whatever argument he was about to make was interrupted by the sound of rapid footsteps. One of the omegas burst into view, her eyes wide with fear. She bowed deeply, her voice trembling.

“Forgive me for interrupting, Luna, but…” She faltered, tears welling in her eyes.

“Speak,” I ordered, my chest tightening with unease.

She stammered, her words coming out in broken pieces. “It was my turn to prepare Daniel for his bath. But… when I went into his room, he wasn’t there.”

The world tilted beneath me.

“I thought maybe he’d crawled out of his crib or some other Omega must have thought it was her turn,” she continued, tears streaming down her face. “But then I saw—the windows were open.”

My wolf surged forward, a low growl rumbling in my chest as I struggled to breathe.

The omega’s voice broke, her anguish cutting through me like a knife. “I’m so sorry, Luna. I’ve asked and searched everywhere. I’ve asked warriors to help.” She paused, meeting my eyes with a look of utter despair. “No one can find him. He’s not within the territory.”

The room seemed to close in around me, my wolf howling in fury and panic.

Daniel was gone. My son was gone.

And someone had taken him.