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CHAPTER 169
~Valerie's POV~
Axel's smile vanished like a light had been blown out.
I studied his expression, watched for anything that I could tackle home with later, but after what seemed like eternity, Axel leaned back, gaze drifting upward, and exhaled slowly.
"Are you sure you want to know it?"
I nodded, though something inside me had already curled tight in warning.
"Well, mine was different from the others as you may have already guessed."
I gave a silent nod and waited.
"Sure." His voice was low. "It wasn't during training. Or some ceremony. It was on an alliance tour. Just me, my father, and a few elders from the Western council. We were passing through the Sable Cliffs, forging treaties with the River packs and Moonborne Packs."
His words came carefully, like glass pulled from old wounds.
"We were ambushed," he said. "No warning. Just blood and silence breaking like thunder."