Calla's pov
"Callie?"
My eyes flew open. His face slowly came into focus.
"Devlin?"
He nodded.
"How could you sleep out here?"
I swallowed, looking around. I was still at the Memorial Hall. I had gone home, hadn't I? My gaze found him again.
"I thought I was home. How did you know I was here?"
He sighed heavily. "How have you been, Callie?"
I forced myself to look at him. "How long has it been?"
"Five years," he said.
My eyes dropped to the ground. I stepped back. "I've been good. How have you been? The pack..."
He looked away, then past me. "All good. I heard you recovered your parents' ashes."
"Yes." The word caught in my throat. I still could not hold his gaze.
Devlin took a slow breath and stepped forward. "I should take them back to the pack. And maybe it is time for you to come home too. The pack needs an Alpha."
I lifted my chin. "I will bring my parents home myself. And the pack will have its Alpha. Kellan will return, Devlin. You are his Beta. He will come back."
A heavy silence stretched between us.
Then he nodded once, eyes falling.
"There is still no word," he said quietly. "His comrades returned from the battlefield. No one knows what became of him." He paused. "It has been five years, Callie. Don't you think you should take his place?"
Become Alpha?
I shook my head. "No. Kellan will come back. My answer will always be the same. I will not take his place."
He nodded slowly. Then, "I went to your pack."
My eyes went wide.
"He chose another Luna. They don't love you. They don't acknowledge you. You are not—"
"Stop. It's my life. I'll rule it."
He didn't argue. He walked to his white horse, large and powerful, and reached into the saddlebag. He pulled out a scroll, golden and thick, and extended it toward me.
"You must have heard," he said. "The Lycan King is dead."
The memory surfaced. I had heard. I had also seen the heir. Spoken to him. My head throbbed as I tried to pull back the rest of it. Those pale eyes. His presence had felt ancient, not just powerful. It had felt ominous.
"Yes," I murmured. "What about it?"
"There is a coronation tomorrow. Apex Blood will be crowned. For the first time in Lycan history, werewolf packs have been invited. The Sterling Pack was the first." He paused. "This scroll was hand-delivered by the Lycan Prince's elder sister herself."
I blinked.
"What will you do, Callie?" he asked. "The Alpha's name is on it. Do we ignore the invitation?"
My eyes dropped to the scroll. The wax seal was gold. I could still smell the faint magic of the Lycans clinging to the paper.
Why Sterling Pack first?
I took it from him. My hand trembled slightly.
"Represent the pack, Devlin," I said quietly. "Go in Kellan's name. And send more men to the borders. Ask about the battle from five years ago. Any whisper. Any trace of my brother."
He did not question me. He bowed, mounted his horse, and rode off into the pale morning light.
I stood alone in the cold and watched until he was gone. The wind wrapped around me like a reminder.
I should leave. Go far away from here.
But Kellan. What happens when he returns?
I bit my lower lip. Until I find Kellan.
---
I finally returned to the Aura Pack and slipped back into my room. I sat on the edge of the bed, heart pounding.
The Lycan Kingdom was opening its gates to werewolves. The former king had never acknowledged our existence, let alone sent an invitation.
I unwrapped the scroll slowly. The words were handwritten, a black-inked crest of the Lycan Empire stamped at the top.
*To Alpha Kellan of the Sterling Pack,*
*You are formally invited to attend the coronation of Apex Blood, heir to the Lycan Empire. Your strength and loyalty to the realm have not gone unnoticed. Your presence would honor the ceremony.*
*Date: Under the bright sky tomorrow.*
*— By command of the Crown.*
I let out a breath. The scroll trembled in my grip.
Apex Blood had invited my brother. Kellan, General of the Sterling Pack. The war hero.
I reached into my drawer and pulled out a small wooden chest. Inside lay a bracelet and a hairpin, carved with marble edges, broken now, one piece lost forever. A gift from my brother on my tenth birthday.
I placed the scroll beside them. I closed the chest and pressed my palm to the lid.
*Kellan. Where are you?*
No answer came. Only the sharp sound of the pack gate creaking open below.
I rose and went to the window.
A carriage rode in, ornate and proud, bearing the crest of the Ravenwood Pack. The luggage heaped behind it told me everything.
She was moving in. Permanently. As Luna.
I swallowed hard.
The door opened and Gladys walked in, heavily dressed. Our gazes locked. He sighed.
"You went too far yesterday. You should apologize."
I raised a brow. "What?"
He stepped closer. "You brought back the memory of her dead parents. You should apologize."
I held back the scoff rising in my throat, the sting in my chest sharp and familiar. "You chose her as your Luna. She struck me. You rejected me as your mate after five years." My voice stayed level. "Which of those did you apologize for?"
His gaze darkened. "I thought we were clear. Do you want me to lose everything we've worked for? She is successful, talented, beautiful. Am I supposed to ignore all of that?"
Heat burned across my eyes. "What am I, Gladys?"
He sighed. "Nothing."
My breathing stopped.
"She's in the living room. Come and apologize. We are leaving soon."
I stood frozen, fists slowly curling at my sides.
Kellan. I might have to do this without you.