Kael's pov

The desert wind carried the stench of gasoline and city smoke, but all I smelled was betrayal. My wolf was pacing inside me, claws scraping, eyes burning. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Aria’s face—broken, pale, her arms clutching only one child instead of two. And every time, rage burned hotter.

Venessa.

I should’ve known. Her absence from the pack house wasn’t an accident. She was poison from the start. And Elena—damn Elena—I had been a fool to let her linger. The two of them together was a storm I should’ve killed at the first lightning strike.

Daniel sat in the passenger seat, tense, jaw tight,...