Talia's POV

Restlessness is a quiet kind of torture.

It doesn't scream.

It doesn't hurt loudly.

It just sits inside your chest and slowly eats away at you.

That was how I felt.

Trapped.

I spent most of my days in my room now. The same walls. The same window. The same view of the trees I wasn't allowed to walk into.

Guards stood outside my door day and night, pretending they weren't there, pretending I wasn't a prisoner.

I stopped asking to go out.

The answer was always no.

At first, I tried to distract myself. I wrote in my journal. I read old books Ingrid brought me. I helped her with housekeeping.

But even Ingrid couldn't save me from boredom forever.

Conversation became repetitive. Silence stretched longer. And every time she left, the room felt smaller.

Ramon was nowhere to be seen.

And honestly? Wherever he was, he could stay there.

After our argument, I didn't want to see his face. I didn't want to hear his calm voice or his rules disguised as concern. I didn't want him looking at me like I was fragile glass waiting to shatter.

I hated that he was right about the danger.

And I hated even more that his protection felt exactly like a cage.

One afternoon, I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at the door like it might open on its own if I glared hard enough.

That was when I heard voices.

Soft.

Right outside my door.

I leaned closer, my heart picking up speed.

"...she hasn't been outside in days," a woman's voice said.

I knew that voice.

Selene.

"She's safer this way," a guard replied.

"Safe doesn't always mean alive," Selene said sharply. "You wolves forget that."

There was a pause.

"I'll speak with her," she added. "She needs someone who isn't afraid of her questions."

The guards hesitated, then the door knocked.

I opened it myself.

Selene stood there, her dark hair loose around her shoulders, her expression soft but serious.

For a second, we just looked at each other.

Then I stepped aside. "Please come in."

She glanced at the guards once more before entering.

The door closed behind her.

I exhaled deeply. "Thank you."

She smiled faintly. "You look like someone who hasn't seen the sky in a while."

"That obvious?" I muttered.

She sat on the chair near the window while I remained standing, pacing like a restless animal.

"I feel like I'm losing my mind," I admitted. "I can't go anywhere. I can't breathe without someone watching me."

She nodded slowly. "Ramon thinks he's protecting you."

"I know," I snapped. "That doesn't make it okay."

"No," she agreed quietly. "It doesn't."

I stopped pacing and stared at her. "Why are you here, Selene?"

She met my eyes without flinching. "Because I remember what it feels like to be silenced for someone else's fear."

Something about that made my chest tighten.

We talked for a while. About small things. About the pack. About how strange wolf politics were. She had a dry sense of humor that surprised me, and for the first time in days, I laughed.

But eventually, the silence crept back in.

And with it, the question I couldn't stop thinking about.

"Selene," I said slowly, "tell me the truth."

She stiffened slightly. "About what?"

"About Ramon," I said. "And the rogues."

Her gaze dropped to her hands.

That scared me.

"They sent a message because of me," I continued. "That's what he said. But this war didn't start with me, did it?"

She didn't answer right away.

"Selene," I pressed.

She inhaled slowly. "No. It didn't."

My heart sank. "Then why?"

She looked up at me, and something dark passed through her eyes.

"Because Ramon made a promise," she said. "And broke it."

The room felt colder.

"What kind of promise?"

She hesitated, then spoke anyway. "He promised marriage to the sister of the rogue wolf."

I felt like the floor shifted beneath me.

"What?"

"She was young," Selene continued. "She was strong and loyal. She believed in him. But he used her and when he was done, he discarded her like trash."

My throat went dry. "You're saying he... used her?"

"She was pregnant, Talia," Selene said softly. "With his child."

The words slammed into me.

"No," I whispered. "That's not.....he wouldn't....."

"He left her," Selene said. "Abandoned her. No explanation. No protection."

My hands began to shake.

"And when the child was born?" I asked.

Selene's jaw tightened. "The child died. So did the sister."

I felt sick.

"That's why the rogue pack wants blood," she continued. "Not territory. Not power. But Justice."

I backed away slowly, my chest tight, my thoughts spinning wildly.

"That doesn't sound like the man I know," I said, more to myself than to her.

Selene's eyes sharpened. "You don't know him, Talia. Not really."

I swallowed hard. "He told me he wouldn't take what I didn't choose. He said he wouldn't force me."

"Did he choose for her?" Selene asked quietly.

Silence swallowed the room.

My heart was racing now, confusion tearing me apart.

"Why would he do that?" I whispered.

"Because he's an Alpha," she replied. "And Alphas make decisions that destroy lives."

I shook my head. "That's not fair."

"Neither was abandoning a pregnant woman," Selene snapped.

Pain flashed across her face before she quickly masked it.

I stared at her. "Why are you telling me this?"

She stood slowly. "Because you deserve the truth. Because if you're going to stay here, you should know who you're trusting."

My chest burned.

I didn't know what to believe anymore.

Ramon the protector.

Ramon the liar.

Ramon the man who kissed me like I mattered.

And now this.

Selene walked toward the door. "Think carefully, Talia. Wolves don't forget betrayal."

She reached for the handle.

Then froze.

Her eyes widened slightly.

I turned slowly.

Ramon stood just outside the door.

His face was stone.

His eyes were locked on Selene.

"How long," he asked quietly, "were you planning to poison her with lies?"

My blood ran cold.

Selene's hand trembled on the handle.

And in that moment, I realized.....

This wasn't just a story.

It was a war of truths.

And I was standing right in the middle of it.

Talia's POV

"Let her go," I said.

My voice shook, but my eyes didn't leave Ramon's face. Anger burned through me, hot and sharp, cutting away every trace of fear.

"Let her go, Ramon."

For a second, he didn't move.

Then Selene slipped past him like smoke, her shoulder brushing mine as she rushed out of the room. She didn't look back. The door closed softly behind her, leaving only silence.

And him.

I folded my arms around myself, suddenly aware of how close he was. Too close. Everything about him felt like a lie now.

I didn't trust him.

Not anymore.

If he could promise marriage to a woman, leave her pregnant, and pretend nothing happened,what guarantee did I have that every word he'd said to me wasn't just another pretty lie?

"You believe her," he said quietly, folding his arms across his chest.

It wasn't a question.

"Yes," I snapped. "Why shouldn't I?"

His jaw tightened. "Talia..."

"No," I cut in, stepping forward. "Tell me. Give me one very good reason why I shouldn't believe her."

He held my gaze, his eyes dark and unreadable.

"You kidnapped me," I continued, my voice rising. "Dragged me out of my life. Brought me here. Locked me in a den full of wolves. And then you fed me some fucking cock-and-bull story about fate and mates like that was supposed to make everything okay!"

"That's not...."

"You didn't even tell me why those people attacked you!" I shouted cutting him shut. "You let me think they were monsters, when maybe they were just people who wanted justice!"

His face hardened.

"You're a bastard," I said, the word ripping out of my chest. "You're no better than them."

The silence that followed was heavy.

Pain flickered across his face, quick but real.

"I didn't abandon anyone," he said finally.

I laughed. A sharp, broken sound. "Oh, please."

"I'm telling you the truth," he insisted. "I never slept with her."

My chest tightened.

"She told you she was pregnant," he continued. "And I knew she wasn't carrying my child."

I stared at him. "You expect me to believe that?"

"Yes," he said firmly. "Because I know my own actions."

I shook my head. "Convenient."

"I noticed the signs," he went on, his voice controlled but strained. "Her scent. The timing. It didn't align with anything between us,because there was nothing between us."

"Then why did she think she could claim you?" I demanded.

"Because her family wanted power," he said. "They wanted my name. My pack. A union that would make them untouchable."

"That sounds like an excuse."

"I tried to explain," he said sharply. "To her brothers. To her parents. I told them the child wasn't mine."

"And what?" I challenged. "They just didn't like the truth?"

"They chose to believe her instead," he replied. "And when I refused to marry her, they turned against me."

My heart pounded violently.

"Do you know what they did?" he continued. "They attacked my borders. Killed my people. Declared me a liar before I could defend myself."

I shook my head again, tears burning my eyes. "You're twisting this."

"I'm not," he said softly. "I never abandoned her."

"Then why did she die?" I screamed.

He went silent.

That silence was louder than any confession.

"You left her unprotected," I whispered. "Didn't you?"

"I couldn't protect someone who wasn't mine," he said, pain cutting into his voice. "And doing so would've meant lying to my entire pack."

I stepped back like he'd struck me.

"So she was disposable," I said bitterly. "Because she wasn't yours."

"That's not what I said."

"That's exactly what you said!"

Something inside me snapped.

I grabbed the first thing I could reach, a small carved cup, and hurled it at him.

"Get out!" I screamed.

The cup shattered against the wall beside him.

"Talia..."

"Get out!" I shouted again, grabbing another object and throwing it. "I don't want to hear another word from you! I don't want your explanations, your lies, your stupid rules!"

He didn't dodge. He didn't move.

"I don't believe you," I cried. "I don't trust you. And I never will!"

"Talia, listen to me," he said urgently, stepping forward.

I grabbed a pillow and threw it at his chest. Then another.

"Get out of my room!" I screamed, my voice breaking. "You don't get to stand there and rewrite the truth to make yourself feel better!"

His hands clenched at his sides.

"I never touched her," he said again, his voice low and rough. "And I swear on my life, on my pack, on everything I am, I never will touch you unless you choose me."

I froze.

The words hit me harder than anything I'd thrown.

But I couldn't stop now.

"Leave," I whispered.

For a long moment, he just looked at me.

His eyes weren't cold.

They were devastated.

"If you walk away from me now," he said quietly, "you're walking away from the only truth standing between you and something far worse."

"I don't care," I said, tears spilling freely now. "Get out."

He took a step back.

At the door, he paused.

"They didn't attack because of the past," he said without turning. "They attacked because of you."

My heart stuttered.

"What do you mean?" I asked shakily.

But the door closed behind him.

And a second later..

A horn sounded outside.

Long, Low and Violent.

The sound of an alarm.

My blood ran cold.

Then I heard shouting.

Footsteps.

Claws scraping against stone.

And a voice outside my door yelled...

"The rogues are inside the borders!"

I staggered back, my heart slamming wildly in my chest.

And the last thing I realized, before fear swallowed everything,

If Selene was lying...

Or if Ramon was telling the truth...

I might have just pushed away the only person who could keep me alive.

Talia's POV

Ramon had barely left my room when the shouting started.

At first, I thought it was my imagination. My heart was still pounding from our argument, from the things Selene said, from the way Ramon looked at me like I had stabbed him with words.

Then I heard it again.

The horn.

Something was wrong.

Before I could even move from the bed, the door flew open.

Karon.

He didn't knock. He didn't smile. He didn't joke.

That alone scared me.

"Get up," he said quickly. "Put your shoes on. Stay behind me."

"What's happening?" I asked, already sliding off the bed.

"Rogues," he replied. Just one word.

My stomach dropped.

"They're inside?" I whispered.

"Close enough," he said. "Alpha ordered me to stay with you. No matter what."

That word again.

Ordered.

He positioned himself between me and the door like a wall. Outside, I could hear boots running, voices shouting, metal clashing.

My heart was racing so fast I thought I might faint.

Minutes passed. Or maybe it was longer. Time felt strange.

Then... silence.

A guard finally spoke outside the door. "One rogue captured. The area is secured."

I exhaled a breath I didn't know I was holding.

Karon didn't relax though. Not even a little.

"Still not over," he muttered.

Later, when things calmed down, a woman I didn't recognize came to the door. She wore long robes, her hair streaked with gray, her eyes sharp and old.

"The elders request your presence," she said.

Request.

But the way she said it didn't sound like I had a choice.

Ramon was already there when I entered the council chamber.

I felt him before I saw him.

He sat at the center of the table, hands on the table, his face calm but tight. He didn't look at me.

Good.

I didn't want him to.

The room was large. It had stone walls.

The elders sat watching everything.

Watching me.

I hated that feeling.

I folded my arms, trying to look braver than I felt.

One of the elders spoke. A tall man with silver hair and cold eyes.

"The rogue we captured was questioned."

My chest tightened.

"And?" Ramon asked.

"He confirmed what we suspected," another elder said, a woman this time.

"The attacks are not random."

I swallowed.

"They are after her," the first elder continued, looking straight at me.

My heart slammed hard.

"She is the target."

The room felt like it tilted.

"Why?" I asked before I could stop myself.

No one answered me immediately.

"The rogue believes," the woman elder said slowly, "that taking you would weaken the Alpha. It would divide the pack and force submission."

I felt suddenly small.

Like prey.

"So I'm bait," I said flatly.

"That depends," another elder replied. "On what we decide to do with you."

That made my blood boil.

"With me?" I snapped. "Or about me?"

Silence.

Ramon shifted slightly. "She is not a thing, Jared" he said.

The elders started arguing among themselves, voices overlapping.

"She must be guarded at all times."

"She should not leave the grounds."

"No, use her presence to draw them out."

"Force the bond. That will protect her."

My head was spinning.

"What bond?" I demanded.

The room went quiet.

Ramon's jaw clenched.

"That will not happen," he said sharply.

One elder leaned forward. "We should have a say in this matter, Alpha."

Ramon's voice was low. Dangerous. "I decide whatever happens."

I stepped forward before I could think better of it.

"Does anyone here care what I want?" I asked.

A few elders looked uncomfortable. One sighed.

"This is bigger than you," he said.

That hurt more than anything else.

"So I don't matter?" I asked quietly.

"You matter," the woman elder said. "That is why this war exists."

That wasn't comforting.

They talked more.

There were plans.

More guards, restrictions and training.

More walls closing in around me.

Finally, they decided.

I wasn't allowed to leave the pack grounds.

Karon would stay assigned to me.

Training would continue.

Extra guards.

No unnecessary movement.

Ramon sat still through all of it.

When it ended, the elder looked at me. "You will be protected."

I laughed bitterly. "That's not the same as being free."

No one disagreed.

As we were dismissed, something strange happened.

The door opened.

The captured rogue was being dragged past the chamber, bound, bleeding and smiling.

He was smiling.

His eyes met mine.

And he spoke.

"She won't be safe where you hide her."

The guards pulled him away, but his words stayed.

They wrapped around my chest like chains.

I turned slowly to Ramon.

His face had gone pale.

And in that moment, I knew one thing for certain.

This war wasn't coming.

It had already begun.