"You should be resting."

Thalia's soft voice drifted over the quiet night, and Seraphina felt the weight on her shoulders ease slightly at the sound of her dearest friend. She managed a wan smile as Thalia settled beside her with a soft huff.

"I'll rest when Lucian is no longer a threat to us," she murmured, her words laced with grim conviction. "He won't stop, Thalia. Not until he's taken everything from me."

Thalia's expression hardened at the mention of the disgraced rogue Alpha. "Just give the order, Sera. We'll hunt that mangy flea-bag down and put him in the ground where he belongs."

A chuff of humorless laughter slipped...