Alec’s

I stare at the occupants of the room, letting my eyes settle on each of them.

Micah and Jason both look expectant, which isn't surprising-we're all hoping

Raven came back with nothing but good news.

Piper looks expectant too, but she also looks nervous. She's fidgeting with her

hands, shifting from one foot to the other like she's unsure of whether she should

be here or not.

"Hi," she says with a tentative smile.

I want to respond, I really do, but my voice catches in my throat. Instead, I just

give her a brief nod before turning my attention to Raven.

My sister. My friend. She looks... exhausted. It looks like she hasn't slept for days.

Her body is slouched, and dark circles cling stubbornly under her eyes. Her hair is

dull and limp, and her clothes hang looser on her frame. It's as if the days she's

been gone have aged her.

I ignore everyone else and rush to her side.

"Are you okay?" I ask, sitting beside her. "We don't have to do this now. You

should get some rest first."

Raven reaches for my hand and squeezes it gently.

"I won't be able to sleep until I get this out of my head," she murmurs with a yawn.

"Let's just get it over with."

"Fine," I sigh. "But after this, it's straight to bed. Deal?"

"Deal," she whispers with a tired smile.

Alec appears beside me and places my plate of food on the table. Then he turns

to Raven.

"Did you eat?" he asks, concern lacing his voice. "I can get an omega to bring you

something."

If I'm being honest, then I'll admit that Alec has been surprising me lately. In fact,

The keeps surprising me. Thoughtfulness like this? It's not something I'm used to

from him. This is a side of him I'm not used to. This is a side of him I haven't seen

before.

The Alec I was used to was always arrogant and selfish. He only ever showed real

affection to Piper, Jason and Micah.

There are different kinds of leaders. Those that lead with authority, but also with

warmth and care. Those that are ruthless and don't really give a damn about

those that they rule and finally those that rule because it's their duty. They do to

some extent care about those they rule over, but to them it's just a job. They take

care of those under them, but there is a certain coldness to their rule. Alec fell

under the last category.

He was distant, always operating with a sense of duty but never warmth. As

Alpha, his leadership was cold and mechanical.

But lately... this version of him? The one who notices Raven's exhaustion, who

offers food before information? This is a man I don't quite recognize but I'm

starting to see him in a different light. It shows growth in his character.

"We can share mine while they prepare something for you," I offer.

"I'm good," Raven replies. "Don't worry. I already had breakfast."

I exhale in relief. At least she's not running on an empty stomach.

Alec sits across from me, and I send him a small glance of gratitude before taking

a sip of my coffee.

Piper finally settles into her seat. She looks calmer now, and I have a hunch her

earlier restlessness was less about the meeting and more about how I'd react to

Ther being here.

Silence settles over the room, thick and heavy with anticipation. All eyes are on

Raven, while hers stay fixed on a spot on the table.

I know her-she's organizing her

thoughts, pulling the threads

together before she speaks. So, I dig

into my eggs, unhurried. No one

rushes her. I know she'll speak whennoveldrama

she's ready and it seems everyone

has figured that out too.

Finally, Raven speaks.

"So," she begins slowly, "the spell is still draining the pack."

Wait-what?

I freeze. I thought my presence had somehow put a barrier between the spell and

the pack.

"I thought Sadie being here stopped the spell," Micah says, echoing my exact

thoughts.

""I found out that her presence hasn't really stopped the spell," Raven replies. "It

has muted it. Slowed it down. But the spell is still drawing energy from the pack-

just in smaller amounts."

"How?" Alec asks, voice calm but sharp. I can't tell if he's asking how she knows

or how it's still happening or maybe both.

Raven looks up at him. "When I tried

to do another reading, I realized it

was still pulling power. Just less of

it. The spell is tethered to the pack's

life force-it needs it to function.

Sadie's presence didn't severthe

tether; it just weakened the flow."

"What happens if Sadie leaves?" Jason asks.

"Then the barrier breaks," Raven says, her voice serious. "And the spell will start

siphoning huge amounts of power again-just like before."

I frown. "But if I'm acting as a buffer... shouldn't the spell be getting weaker?"

"In theory, yes," Raven nods. "But this spell has been in place for generations. It

would take decades or the same kind of power that created it in the first place to

"weaken it."

So, in other words, my presence is like slapping a Band-Aid on a bullet wound. It

Thasn't really solved the problem.

Piper, who has been quiet this whole time, finally speaks.

"You said the spell is still draining energy. What would happen if the entire pack

were destroyed? If no one from this pack was left to sustain the spell?"

Raven glances at her, then answers matter-of-factly. "It's simple really. Without a

power source to feed from, the spell will collapse. And when that happens...

Kaden will be released from his prison."

The room turns to ice.

Even hearing his name sends chills crawling down my spine. My heart clenches,

fear rooting deep in my chest.

Something flickers in the back of my mind an image, a memory? But it's gone

before I can grasp it.

No. Not now. Focus. I push the fear down, willing my brain to stay in the present.

Kaden won't be released. I won't allow that.

"It won't come to that," I say, my voice sharp and steel-edged.

Raven nods slowly. "I've considered

every possibility. Sadie can't be the

barrier forever-we all die eventually.

And at the rate the spell is feeding,

it's only a matter of time. A century

at most. That gives us a deadline...

As much as we weren't there when

the spell was first cast, we now

know about it. It's our duty to make

sure Kaden doesn't leave his prison.

We need a solution."

"Go on," Alec urges when she pauses.

"So an idea began to form," she says, her eyes brightening ever so slightly. "What

if we could find a way to break the spell's dependency on the pack... without

releasing Kaden?"