~Isolde’s Point Of View~

The idling engine of the black SUV feels like a countdown to the end of everything Isolde has ever known. Amias stands by the door, his hand already on the handle, his gaze fixed on the distance as if he’s trying to outrun the very air of the Duskwind estate.

"Amias, wait," Isolde jumps anxiously.

She grips the strap of her bag so hard the leather bites into her palm. "Can we... can we stay for the speech? I want to watch Heidi’s first address as Alpha."

Amias turns, his brow furrowing. "Isolde, the longer we linger, the harder it is to leave. We’ve said our goodbyes."

"He is lying to himself," Auro, Isolde’s wolf, paces restlessly behind her ribs. "His soul is screaming to stay near the girl with the wildflower crown, and our soul is screaming for the avoidant mate. I know you don’t only want to stay ’for the speech’, Issy. It’s him. We are waiting for a miracle."

Maybe she is... and honestly is it a bad thing? Isolde thinks as a profound bitter feeling continues to lord over her mind. Was Nah really going to let her leave without a word?

That wasn’t the plan, was it?

Heidi and Daphne, who had been standing a few feet away, instantly jump in.

"Please, Amias!" Daphne pouts, grabbing his arm. "It’s a historic moment! The first female Alpha chosen by the Goddess herself. You can’t just drive away while history is being made."

Heidi looks at him with those wide, earnest eyes that have always been his undoing. "Stay. Just for this. I want you there, Amias. I need to know my family is behind me when I stand before the pack."

Amias looks between the three girls, his stoicism crumbling under the weight of their collective hope. He lets out a long, defeated sigh. "Fine. Three hours. We leave the second the ceremony ends."

The girls erupt in a small cheer, and for a moment, the heavy shroud of grief lifts. Isolde follows them back inside, her heart hammering against her ribs.

Three hours, she thinks. That’s three more hours for Nash to realize he’s letting his entire world drive out of that gate.

...

Heidi’s chambers are a whirlwind of activity. Two hours later, the space is filled with the scent of lavender oil and the frantic energy of the pack’s head maids. They are draping Heidi in a deep charcoal silk gown, accented with silver plates that shimmer like moonlight.

Just like a Queen.

Isolde sits on the velvet chaise, her hands tucked into her lap to hide their trembling. Beside her, Daphne is vibrating with excitement, her mouth moving at a mile a minute.

"I’m telling you, Heidi, I almost fainted," Daphne giggles, leaning forward. "Last week, when the new patrols were being assigned, I saw him—Andre. My wolf just went absolutely feral. She started howling ’MATE’ so loud I thought my ears would bleed. And he just stood there, looking all mischievous with those Alpha-wolf shoulders of his."

Heidi peeks through the mirror as a maid pins a silver circlet into her hair. "And you didn’t tell us? Daphne, that’s a crime! Andre is one of the most talented young men I know. He’s been a good friend to me since the labyrinth."

"I was shy!" Daphne squeals, throwing a silk pillow at Heidi. "Can you imagine? Me, shy! But he has this way of looking at me like he’s trying to dissect what makes me tick or maybe I was some kind of new adventure."

Isolde forces a smile. "She is lucky," Auro murmurs. "Their thread is bright and new. Ours is frayed and silent."

Every time a door opens, Isolde’s head snaps up, hoping against hope to see a tall, broad-shouldered man with guarded eyes. But it’s never him.

The door opens again, and this time it’s Valentina. She walks in with the poise of a general, her eyes sweeping over the room before landing on Heidi.

Valentina had been Heidi’s rock through the darkest days of the Academy, and today, she looks every bit the part of a future second-in-command.

"The pack is gathered," Val says, her voice steady and grounding. She walks over to Heidi, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Are you ready, Alpha?"

Heidi looks at her reflection—the girl who was once a foster child, now the savior of a bloodline. She takes a deep breath, her eyes hardening with a resolve that sends a shiver through the room. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

"I’m ready. It’s time to save her, Val. All of them."

"Then let’s show them what a Bellamy Queen looks like," Val says.

The five women file out of the room escorted by a dozen elite guards. As they walk through the grand corridors, Isolde feels a crushing sense of vertigo.

"He isn’t coming," Auro whimpers, her tail tucked. "He is staying in the dark, Issy. He is letting the wolf-bond starve."

Isolde bites her lip until she tastes copper. Ever since Lira died—ever since Morgan’s demon-tainted hands took the life of the Beta’s daughter—Nash had become a ghost.

He had been the man who promised to follow her to the ends of the earth, the man who had kissed her in the rain and told her that their love was stronger than their fathers’ hate. Now, he was just a stranger with a broken heart.

...

The venue is a natural amphitheater carved into the side of the mountain – a mandated place for every new Alpha’s first speech. As the party steps onto the elevated stone stage, the roar of thousands of pack members fills the air.

Isolde scans the stage, hands determinedly clenching into fists. Darien is there, standing tall and proud, his eyes never leaving Heidi. Ines stands to the side, looking like a statue of bitter marble.

The Council Elders sit in a semi-circle, faces tight with skepticism. As Isolde looks around, she sees him. Standing behind his father, the Beta, is Nash.

He looks gaunt. The light that used to burn in his eyes when he looked at Isolde is extinguished, replaced by a hollow, haunting grief. He doesn’t look up when she enters. He stares at the ground.

Please, don’t let me down, Nash. Isolde gulps in apprehension.

"NASH! Look at us! We are right here! We are leaving!"