(Lola’s POV)

The moon was high in the sky, its silver light bathing the courtyard in a gentle glow. I stood at the edge of the garden Gannon and Eleanora had planted when they united the Sapphire and Emerald packs. It was peaceful here, a strange contrast to the war-torn life I’d grown up knowing.

Kael’s fingers brushed mine. “You’ve been quiet.”

“I’m thinking,” I whispered.

“About?”

“Everything. What’s coming. What it means to be the next Alpha. The prophecy.”

Kael turned to me fully, taking my hands in his. “You don’t have to bear the weight alone.”

But wasn’t that what all future Alphas had to do?

“I’m scared,”...