Asher turned back toward the window, staring out at the pack grounds below.
He wished-briefly-that he shared their confidence. But deep down, he knew the truth. This wasn’t just about rogue executions. This was about power.
And the Alpha King had already chosen his side.
Marked or not, Diana belonged to him now and whatever shadow had moved through Asher’s dungeon would not be ignored for long.
The healer returned not long after Diarta had woken fully, his steps careful as he entered the room. The scent of crushed herbs followed him in-bitter root, silverleaf, and the faint metallic trace of wolfsbane neutralizer that still lingered in the air. His eyes immediately went to Diana, sharp with professional interest rather than concern.
He stopped beside the bed and began his examination, running his fingers just above her skin, murmuring quietly under his breath as he assessed her aura, her pulse, the faint residue of poison that should still be there, but wasn’t.
“Incredible,” he finally said, straightening. His brows furrowed, confusion and fascination warring on his face. “I have never seen anything like this.”
Talon stiffened beside the bed.
“How can your body process wolfsbane so quickly,” the healer continued, “when you do not have a wolf?”
The words fell heavy in the room.
Diana felt it instantly-the shift in Talon’s posture, the sharp flare of Fenrir’s presence beneath his skin. She turned her head slightly, meeting Talon’s eyes. Her gaze was firm, warning.
Do not say anything.
Talon’s jaw tightened, but he remained silent.
Diana exhaled slowly and answered instead. “Maybe that’s how my body compensates for not having a wolf,” she said evenly. “Perhaps my system adapts by processing poison faster than a normal human’s would.”
“Yes,” The healer’s eyes lit up, and he said eagerly. “That would explain it. A compensatory mechanism. Fascinating.” He began pacing slightly, already lost in thought. “If you stayed here longer, we could run a few controlled tests-blood samples, exposure thresholds, resistance mapping. I could even present this to Alpha Asher. This is a worthy experiment.”
The room went deadly still.
Talon moved. His aura exploded outward-cold, crushing, ancient. Power slammed into the healer like a physical force. The man gasped, his knees buckling as instinct took over. He bared his neck and bowed low, trembling under the Alpha King’s wrath.
“Do you truly believe,” Talon said, his voice low and lethal, “that the mate of the Alpha King is some guinea pig you can experiment on, and that I would allow it?”
“P-please forgive me, Alpha King.” The healer struggled to breathe, he rasped, his forehead nearly touching the floor.
“Talon, stop.”
Diana’s voice cut through the tension-calm, steady, unafraid.
Talon froze but did not pull his aura back.
The healer is simply curious,” Diana continued. “He is trying to understand how my body processed the wolfsbane so quickly. I don’t blame him for that.”
Fenrir’s growl thundered through Talon’s mind.
“He disrespected you, mate.”
Diana tilted her head slightly, focusing inward. “I was not disrespected, Fenrir,” she replied calmly. “He is a healer. Curiosity is part of who he is. The unknown challenges him, and he seeks answers.”
“He will not do experiments on you,” Fenrir snarled. “You are our mate. Anyone who touches you without permission dies.”
“I understand your instinct,” Diana said gently. “But intention matters. He wanted knowledge, not harm. Please… let him go.”
The silence stretched.
Then-slowly-Talon pulled his aura back.
The crushing weight lifted instantly. The healer sucked in a desperate breath, coughing as he steadied himself. He looked up at Diana with wide eyes-not of fear now, but awe.
She gave him a small nod.
That was his dismissal.
The healer bowed deeply to both of them and hurried from the room, his steps unsteady but quick, clearly eager to put distance between himself and the Alpha King’s temper.
When the door closed, Diana exhaled and leaned back against the pillows.
“You scared him half to death,” she said lightly.
“He should be scared,” Talon replied without remorse. “I am still considering hunting him down and snapping his neck for even thinking about touching you like that.”
Diana turned to him, unimpressed. “I’ve told you this before. I do not need you to protect me all the time.”
Talon frowned. “You are my mate.”
“I can protect myself,” she said firmly. “If I wanted to, I could have snapped the healer’s neck myself.”
Fenrir hummed with dark approval at that.
Talon sighed, rubbing a hand down his face. “I know,” he said quietly. “But I am your mate. Protecting you isn’t about whether you can defend yourself. It’s about duty. About instinct. About us.”
Diana studied him for a moment, then softened. “I know, and I appreciate it. Just… trust me too.”
He nodded once.
A beat passed before Talon straightened, shifting back into Alpha King mode.
“Now,” he said, offering her his hand, “are you ready to go and find out what is really going on with this Diana took his hand and swung her legs over the side of the bed, standing easily-no wobble, no pain.
“Yes, let’s go.” She rolled her shoulders once and added calmly, “Artemis has healed me completely now.”
Inside her mind, her wolf lifted her head, eyes glowing bright and awake. ‘We are ready!
And somewhere deep in Talon’s chest, Fenrir smiled-feral, proud, and already anticipating blood and truth.
“Alpha… Alpha Asher, his Luna, and his beta are in his office.” Beta Enzo’s voice was calm, respectful, as if he were delivering an ordinary update rather than news that made the air around them tighten.
Diana’s head snapped up. Her brows knitted together in instinctive confusion as she processed his words. Not what he said-but how he said it. So certain. So precise.
She looked at Enzo again, really looked at him this time.
How does he know that?
This wasn’t his pack. He wasn’t one of Asher’s wolves. Royal beta or not, he was still an outsider here. And yet he spoke as if he had always belonged, as if he could walk through the pack house blindfolded and still know exactly where everyone was.
Her gaze drifted to Talon, searching his face for answers she hadn’t asked aloud.
Talon noticed immediately.
He always did.
A small, knowing smile tugged at the corner of his lips-not amused, but quietly confident. The kind of smile that said you are starting to see it now.
“My beta has many talents, Diana,” Talon said evenly, his voice low and steady. “He is the beta of the Alpha King for a reason.”
Enzo inclined his head slightly, neither proud nor offended, as if this acknowledgment was simply fact.
Diana swallowed. She wasn’t intimidated, but she was aware. Aware that the world she had lived in her whole life was unfolding into something far larger, more dangerous, and far more complicated than she had ever imagined.
“Once we are back in Black Howler Pack..”
The words echoed in her mind before Talon even finished speaking.
“Once we are back in Black Howler Pack, we can discuss this,” Talon continued, his tone softening just for her. “But for now, let’s go.”
He reached for her hand instinctively, his thumb brushing over her knuckles in a grounding gesture. Protective. Reassuring.
And still Diana didn’t move. Her fingers stiffened slightly in his grasp.
“Talor,” she said quietly, but there was a firmness beneath her softness. She lifted her eyes to his, refusing to look away. “I told you”
Her chest tightened as the words she had been holding back finally surfaced. “I cannot leave this pack without knowing what really happened to my parents.”
The corridor seemed to fall silent. Even Enzo, standing a respectful distance away, felt the shift.
Talon’s expression changed-not to anger, not to frustration, but to something heavier. Something that carried centuries of responsibility and the weight of truths not yet spoken. He studied her face, the determination in her eyes, the grief that still lingered beneath her strength. This wasn’t defiance.
This was unfinished business.
“I know,” Talon said at last. His voice dropped, meant only for her now.
The Alpha King faded, leaving the mate behind.
“I know, my mate.”
He stepped closer, close enough that she could feel the warmth of him, the steady presence of Fenrir behind his eyes-watchful, protective, restrained.
“But you have to trust me,” he continued gently. “Not everything can be uncovered here. Not yet. And not without putting you in danger.”
Diana’s jaw tightened.
Danger had followed her long before Talon ever entered her life.
She searched his face, looking for cracks, for hesitation, for lies.
There were none.
Only certainty.
Only patience.
Only a promise he hadn’t spoken aloud but felt through the bond like a steady pulse.
I will not abandon this. I will not abandon you.
Her shoulders rose with a slow breath. Then, just as slowly, she nodded.
A single, deliberate motion.
“Okay,” she said quietly.
Talon exhaled, relief flickering briefly in his eyes before his expression settled back into calm authority. He squeezed ber hand once more-gratitude, reassurance, a silent vow.
Enzo straightened slightly. “If you’re ready, Alpha King.”
Talon lifted his chin. “We are.”
And with Dlana at his side-still carrying questions, still carrying grief, but no longer carrying it alone. They turned toward the office doors, toward answers that would not come easily… but would come nonetheless.
Morning came quietly over the pack grounds. Mist clung low to the earth, curling around stone pathways and wooden posts like a living thing reluctant to let go of the night. The sun had only just begun to rise, pale gold spilling over the treetops, warming the roofs of the pack hospital and the nearby homes where wolves were beginning to stir.
The pack hospital doors opened with a soft creak.
Talon stepped out first.
Diana followed at his side, her fingers already threaded through his, his grip steady and grounding. Enzo came last, ever watchful, his sharp eyes scanning the grounds even in daylight.
The morning air was cool and clean, carrying the scents of dew, pine, and fresh earth. Diana inhaled deeply. Despite the ache still lingering in her body, the simple act of breathing freely again felt like a victory.
The pack hospital sat close to the pack house-close enough that walking was customary, symbolic even. It reminded everyone that healing and leadership were not separate things. That those who led were expected to be seen.
Talon made no move to release her hand. He walked half a step ahead, not dragging her, not rushing her, just enough to shield her from anyone who might approach too suddenly. His thumb brushed lightly against her knuckles in a slow, unconscious rhythm.
The pack noticed.
Warriors returning from early patrols slowed. Omegas paused mid-task. Wolves heading toward the training grounds stopped altogether, their gazes following the Alpha King and the woman beside him.
Whispers traveled fast in the morning stillness.
That’s her.
She survived.
The Alpha King is holding her hand.
Diana felt every stare. Her shoulders tightened slightly, instinctively wanting to retreat, but Talon’s presence anchored her. The bond hummed gently, reassuring, steady.
Before the tension could build any further, a small voice broke through the quiet.
“Ms. Diana!”
A young pup came running toward them, hair still damp from a rushed morning wash, shirt half-tucked. He skidded to a stop in front of her, breathing hard.
Talon instinctively shifted his stance, but the moment he recognized it was just a boy, he relaxed.
“Ms. Diana,” the pup said again, eyes wide with worry, “are you feeling better now?”
Diana’s expression softened immediately. She released Talon’s hand and knelt so she was level with the child, Ignoring the faint protest from her still-healing body. She smiled and reached up to pat his head gently.
“Yes,” she said warmly. “I am. Thank you for asking.”
The pup frowned, clearly not convinced yet. “My mom said rogues attacked you yesterday,” he blurted out. “She said you were really hurt.”
Diana’s hand stilled for a brief moment before she smiled again. “I was hurt,” she admitted gently. “But I had help. And I’m safe now.”
“Really?” he asked, eyes flicking briefly to Talon.
“Really,” Diana said, nodding.’
Relief flooded his face. He grinned, bright and unguarded, then spun around and ran back toward a group of other pups gathering near the training grounds.
“She’s okay!” he shouted. “Ms. Diana’s okay!”
The sound of laughter followed.
Talon watched the entire exchange in silence.
“You are good with pups, mate,” he said quietly once Diana stood again.
“Since I resigned from my warrior status,” She brushed her hands on her pants, glancing up at him. “I’ve taken care of some of the pups here, especially when their parents’ schedules overlap.” Her voice was calm, matter-of-fact. “They’ve always been good to me. Why wouldn’t I be good to them?”
Talon didn’t answer right away. Instead, he reached for her hand again, slower this time, deliberate. He helped her fully upright, his fingers lingering just a second longer than necessary.
They resumed walking toward the pack house.
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