In the war room the scent of ash lingered.
Jaxon Storm stood before the massive map etched into the stone wall, the fires beside him flickering low. His hands gripped the edge of the oak table, knuckles white. His warriors spoke behind him explaining the sudden weakness in the northern border patrol, rogue sightings but none of it settled in his mind.
All he could hear was her voice. He had silenced his heart to protect her. Now, it haunted him.
"Alpha? Alpha?" His beta, Kai called out, looking at him suspiciously.
"Yes, what is it?" Jaxon snapped out of his thoughts, the sound of Kai's voice piercing through his thoughts. His Beta stood beside him, brows furrowed.
"There was another attack last night near Hollow Ridge. Three wolves were injured. One missing." Kai said
Jaxon's jaw tightened.
"They're getting bolder," Kai added.
"No," Jaxon muttered. "They're getting smarter."
Before Kai could speak again, the door burst open.
Ronan, the Gamma, stepped in, his cloak dripping with melting snow. His expression was unreadable.
"She's back." Ronan exclaimed
Jaxon froze. Slowly, he turned. "Who?" Jaxon asked, his eyes flickering
Ronan held his Alpha's gaze. "Emery." He responded briefly.
Jaxon's breath caught.
"No one's sent for her," Kai said sharply, eyes narrowing.
"She wasn't summoned," Ronan replied. "She came on her own."
Jaxon's heart raced, he couldn't tell if it was fear or hope.
"What did she say?" Jaxon muttered with a low voice.
Ronan stepped closer, dropping his voice. "She didn't say anything. She walked through the gates like she never left. But her eyes…"
Jaxon didn't ask what he meant. He already knew. He turned toward the doors and left.
---
The courtyard had fallen silent.
Guards who once scoffed at her presence now stood still, uncertain. Warriors stepped outside as the cloak of midnight swept through them.
Emery Quinn walked into the heart of the pack that once cast her out, her head high, steps unshaken. Gone was the trembling girl who had once stood barefoot in this same stone square, with the mark of a Luna freshly burned onto her skin, only to have it stripped away moments later.
This woman had seen exile. She had bled in silence. And yet, she returned not as a victim.
The massive oak doors of the war room creaked open.
Jaxon stepped out.
Their eyes met across the courtyard. For a moment, time paused.
It wasn't longing that passed between them, it was something deeper, regret, history, pain.
Jaxon's heart thundered. She looked different. Wilder. Quieter. Unreadable. The years had carved something fierce into her.
Emery stopped just beneath the steps.
"Alpha," she said coldly.
The word was a blade, not a greeting. A title she used to whisper with love now spoken like a stranger's name.
Jaxon descended the step. "You shouldn't have come back." he altered.
Her lips twitched but not into a smile "I didn't come for you." she retorted calmly.
The weight of her words rippled through the crowd.
"I didn't come to plead or to reclaim anything you took from me. I came because the moon no longer gives you grace and she gave me a vision." Emery said, her voice laced with confidence.
Kai stepped forward cautiously. "Vision?"
But Emery didn't look at him. She kept her eyes on Jaxon. And what he saw in them… unsettled him. She wasn't here to rekindle anything.
"Your pack is bleeding. The walls are cracking. And something darker is moving beneath the surface," she said evenly. "I saw it. In blood. On fire. In bone."
A hush spread through the crowd.
Ronan stepped beside Jaxon, watching Emery carefully. There was something else in her stance, restrained power, barely held in place.
Before anyone could speak again, a sharp voice sliced through the silence.
"What is she doing here?" Sasha questioned.
Draped in red velvet, she stormed from the eastern wing. Her gaze latched onto Emery like poison.
"You can't just walk in here after three years and act like you belong!" Sasha added, boiling with rage.
Emery didn't even flinch. "I'm not acting." She responded.
"You have no claim—"Sasha angrily said.
"I need no claim," Emery said calmly. "Not from you."
Sasha's fury bubbled over. "You were rejected! You left! You're nothing here—"
"That's enough." Jaxon's voice cracked through the air, sharp and commanding.
Everyone froze.
Sasha spun to him, confused. "You're taking her side?"
"I said, that's enough!" Jaxon exclaimed.
He didn't look at her. His eyes were locked on Emery. Trying to decipher the truth in her return. The prophecy. The storm that followed her.
But it was Emery who turned to leave first.
"I'm not here to fight old battles," she said over her shoulder. "But if you think you've seen the worst, Jaxon… then you've already lost." And with that, she walked past him gracefully, without looking back.
Jaxon didn't stop her, he couldn't because in his heart, something old had stirred. The bond hadn't broken. It had evolved.
---
The Quinn estate was quiet. The only sound that could be heard was the soft crackle of firewood in the hearth. Liora sat on a velvet couch, dressed in flowing silk, her back straight as always. A crystal glass of red wine rested in her hand.
Daren paced near the window, arms folded tightly across his chest, lost in thoughts that never brought peace.
The front door slammed open.
Sasha stormed in, her heels hitting the floor. Her face was flushed, her hair wind-tossed, and her fury unmistakable.
"She's back!" she snapped, the words like venom on her tongue.
Liora didn't flinch. She set her glass down slowly. "Who?" she asked curiously.
Sasha spun to face them both, eyes wide with rage. "Emery."
Daren froze. "That's impossible."
"I saw her with my own eyes!" Sasha nearly shouted. "She walked into the pack like she never left, like she wasn't rejected. She stood in front of Jaxon like nothing had ever happened!"
Liora narrowed her eyes. "And Jaxon?"
Sasha let out a bitter laugh. "He couldn't even speak. He just stared at her like a ghost had walked in and slapped him."
"She wasn't summoned," Daren murmured. "Why would she return now?"
Sasha's fists clenched. "I don't know. But she didn't come back quietly. She was dressed like some fallen queen, eyes hard as steel. " she broke off, her voice trembling with fury.
Daren turned toward the fire, his voice low. "She shouldn't have come back. Not now."
Sasha spun on him. "You're the reason she left! You let her be rejected. You didn't stand up for her!"
"I was trying to protect this family!" Daren snapped.
"No, you were protecting yourself," Sasha said coldly. "Now look where it's gotten us."
Liora stepped between them, voice calm but sharp. "Enough. Emery may have returned, but she won't last."
Sasha turned to her mother. "Do you really believe that?" she muttered.
"She's just one girl. Broken or not, we've dealt with her before." Liora let out a sigh
"No," Sasha said slowly. "She's not broken, that's what scares me. She didn't look like someone crawling back… she looked like someone ready to take what's hers."
Liora's eyes darkened. "She won't take anything from you," she said firmly. "But we'll have to be smart. This time… no mistakes."
A tense silence settled between them.
Then, Liora added, "Perhaps… it's time we speak to the witch again."
Daren's head snapped around. "No."
Liora's voice sharpened. "It's the only way."
"You promised that part of our lives was over." Daren retorted angrily.
"Promises don't matter when the past walks back through the front door." Liora responded.
Sasha looked between them, her voice suddenly quiet.