(Nathan’s POV)

    The abandoned hunting lodge on the outskirts of Central Territory felt like a perfect sanctuary for my rage. Away from prying eyes and listening ears, I could finally drop the mask of the caring, supportive friend I’d worn for so long.

    I paced across the rough wooden floor, my boots echoing in the empty space. Each step matched the rhythm of my fury as I red at Lyra Riverwind, who sat hunched in a rickety chair near the cold firece.

    My hands clenched into fists. Two years of careful nning. Two years of patient maniption. All of it threatened by one stupid mistake.

    “You were supposed to maintain your position in the Riverwind pack,” I snarled, my voice cutting through the silence like a de. “Instead, you’ve managed to expose everything because you couldn’t handle the discovery of her true parentage.”

    Lyra flinched at my tone, her hands trembling in herp. Gone was the confident young woman who had convinced Yvette Riverwind that she was her long-lost daughter. Now she looked like what she truly was – a desperate lone wolf who had bitten off more than she could chew.

    “Nathan, please,” she whispered. “I didn’t know—”

    “You didn’t know?” I cut her off, my voice rising. “That was your job! To know! To be prepared for every possibility!”

    My wolf stirred beneath my skin, wanting blood. Wanting to tear apart everything that stood between me and my goal.

    “How was I supposed to know she’d be wearing that pendant today!” she protested, her voice cracking with panic. “The pendant should have been buried with her adoptive parents’ belongings. How was I to know Yvette would recognize it immediately?”

    I stopped pacing to fix her with a withering stare. The pendant. Of course it would be something so simple, so unexpected that would bring down my carefully constructed house of cards.

    “I couldn’t refute anything under the circumstances,” Lyra continued, desperation making her words tumble out faster. “Had to find a way to get out of there before they started asking too many questions! What was I supposed to do, Nathan? Stand there and let them expose me?”

    My patience snapped. I mmed my fist against the lodge wall, making Lyra jump in her chair.

    “You were supposed to be smart enough to handle it!” I roared. “You were supposed to think on your feet! That’s why I chose you!”

    But even as the words left my mouth, I knew the truth. I had chosen Lyra because she was desperate and malleable, not because she was particrly clever. Her neediness had made her easy to control, but it had also made her weak when it mattered most.

    “Your emotional attachment to that woman made you weak,” I said coldly, my voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. “I saw how you looked at her. Starting to believe your own lies, weren’t you?”

    Lyra’s face crumpled, tears starting to flow. “She was kind to me, Nathan. She treated me like I actually mattered.”

    I felt nothing but disgust. This was exactly what I had feared might happen. Lyra had started to care for Yvette Riverwind, whichpromised her usefulness to my ns.

    “Pathetic,” I muttered, turning away from her emotional disy.

    “It doesn’t matter now,” I continued, forcing my voice back to its usual controlled tone. “What matters is that Audrey Winter

    is finally within reach, and her emotional state will bepromised by this family revtion.”

    I moved to the window, looking out at the darkening forest. Somewhere out there, Audrey was processing the shock of finding her real mother. The revtion would have left her reeling, questioning everything she thought she knew about her past.

    Perfect.

    “She’ll be vulnerable, seekingfort,” I murmured, my mind already working through the possibilities. “And I’ll be there to provide it, just like I always have been.”

    Behind me, I heard the sound of multiple vehicles approaching. The rumble of engines cut through the quiet evening air. My pack members were arriving right on schedule.

    I turned to address the room as my Beta and three other loyal wolves entered the lodge. Marcus, my Beta, moved with military precision. The others nked him – David, Sean, and Carl – all wolves who had proven their loyalty to me over the years.

    Their faces were grim with purpose, understanding the gravity of our situation.

    “Prepare the territory den as we discussed,” Imanded, my voice regaining its usual authority. “Make sure she believes she’sing willingly to help someone in need.”

    Marcus nodded sharply, his scarred face serious. “The cabin by Moonstone Lake is ready, Alpha. Isted butfortable. Security measures are in ce.”

    “How isted?” I pressed.

    “Nearest neighbor is fifteen miles away,” David reported. “No cell towers in range. Only one ess road, and we’ll have it monitored.”

    “Good.” I pulled out my pack device, my fingers moving quickly across the screen. This message had to be perfect. Every word carefully chosen to draw Audrey to me without raising her suspicions.

    “Audrey,” I typed, pausing to consider each phrase. “I have urgent information about your past that I can only share in person. I know the truth about what really happened when you were taken from the Shadowcrest pack as a child.”

    I paused, knowing I needed specific details. Details that would prove I wasn’t bluffing.

    “The people responsible, the reasons behind it, and why certain wolves have worked so hard to keep you from discovering your real family. Meet me at the coordinates I’m sending. Come alone – there are those who would kill to keep these secrets buried.”

    Still not enough. Audrey was smart. She would need proof that I actually knew something concrete.

    “I know about Elder Shadowcrest’s midnight meetings with unknown wolves in the weeks before your disappearance,” I added, remembering information I had gathered during my investigations. “I know about the payments made to ensure your new identity would be untraceable. And I know why your real mother was prevented from searching for you effectively.”

    The message was perfect. Just enough specific detail to prove I had insider knowledge, but vague enough to require her presence to learn more.

    “She won’t be able to resist the chance to learn theplete truth,” I muttered to myself as I hit send.

    Lyra looked up from her chair, her face pale with realization. “You’re going to kidnap her.”

    Iughed, the sound harsh and echoing off the lodge walls. “Kidnap? Such an ugly word, Lyra. I’m going to rescue her from the chaos of all these revtions.”

    “Nathan, this is insane,” she whispered. “You can’t just “

    “Can’t what?” I snapped. “Can’t im what should have been mine from the beginning? Can’t take back what Arthur Moonstone stole from me?”

    My voice grew harder with each word. Years of resentment poured out.

    “I’ve been patient. I’ve been supportive. I’ve been everything she needed when no one else would help her. And now she’ll understand that I’m the only one who’s truly been looking out for her welfare.”

    Marcus stepped forward, his expression concerned. “Alpha, what about security? Florian Stormhowl has been sniffing around the warehouse. Our lookouts reported him there earlier today.”

    A cold smile spread across my face. I had expected this. Florian was more persistent than I’d given him credit for after I’d arranged his first explosion. But persistence could be a fatal w.

    “Let him investigate,” I said dismissively. “By the time he realizes what’s happening, it will be toote. Audrey will already be with me.”

    I moved to the weapon case against the far wall. The metal locks clicked open under my fingers. Inside, rows of specialized ammunition gleamed in the dim light.

    Silver bullets. Each one specially crafted to be lethal to werewolves, even Alphas with their enhanced healing abilities.

    “And if he does try to interfere?” Sean asked nervously, his young face showing worry.

    My hand closed around the grip of my silver bullet gun. The weight felt familiar andforting. The same type of weapon I had used to ensure the explosion at Florian’s facility would be fatal if he somehow survived the initial st.

    That had been my mistake the first time. Relying on explosives and fire instead of taking a more direct approach.

    “Well, he’s survived one explosion,” I said, my voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. The memory of that failure still burned. “Let’s see how he handles a more direct approach this time.”

    I turned the gun over in my hands, checking the chamber. Six silver bullets. More than enough to handle any interference. “What about the girl?” Carl asked, nodding toward Lyra.

    I looked at her cowering in the chair. She knew too much to be released, but she was also too unstable to be trusted. A liability either way.

    “Shees with us for now,” I decided. “We might need her if Yvette Riverwind bes a problem.”

    Lyra’s eyes widened with fear. “Nathan, you promised you’d let me go if things went wrong.”

    “Things didn’t just go wrong, Lyra,” I replied coldly. “You made them go wrong. And now we all have to live with the consequences.”

    My pack device buzzed. A response from Audrey already. My pulse quickened as I read her message.

    “Nathan, this is a lot to process. Where do you want to meet? When?”