"Emerald!" Nessa's voice cracked. "He escaped!"
"What do you mean he escaped?" Emerald asked in surprise, staring at Nessa, who was bent over on the gravel driveway, catching her breath with her hands on her knees. "Who escaped?"
Nessa straightened, her face looking pale and sweaty. "The assassin… he's gone."
A strange chill ran down Emerald's spine, tightening her muscles. "Gone?" she echoed.
Nessa nodded, eyes wide. "Just vanished. The guards ran down when they heard noise in the dungeon, and his cell was empty. Just... empty."
Emerald wasted no time asking more questions. She walked quickly, almost angrily, while Lucian followed her quietly.
As soon as they stepped into the estate, the air felt tense. Darius stood in the middle of the main hall, his eyes filled with barely controlled anger.
Four guards lined up in front of him, their heads down, too afraid to look him in the eye.
"How did he get away?" he barked. "Where were you all?"
Silence.
No one spoke.
Emerald's jaw clenched.
Darius advanced a step. "I want answers, not apologies. He was shackled, sedated, and locked in a cell you were supposed to be guarding. So how. Did. He. Escape?!"
Still nothing.
Emerald's voice broke the silence. "It was an inside job."
Darius turned toward her with a hard-to-read expression.
She stepped closer. "Someone helped him. They knew the patrol routes. Knew the guards' shifts. He didn't vanish by magic."
Lucian's voice joined hers. "You're right."
He pulled out his phone and spoke into it. "Cassian. Send a unit from Midnight Fang. Sweep every inch of the Western Shadow border. Bring the trackers. A prisoner escaped… I want him found."
Emerald glanced at him. "You don't have to, Lucian. You can go back to your pack."
His eyes didn't waver. "I'm not going anywhere."
She noticed it right away… the change in him. Lucian had stepped fully into his Alpha/mate mode—protective, possessive, and dangerous.
And for that reason, she didn't argue.
Darius rubbed his temple and gave a heavy sigh. "We heard commotion downstairs. When the guards got there, the door to his cell was open. There was blood, a broken chain… but no sign of him."
"Too clean," Emerald murmured. "No body, no scent trail. Whoever did it covered their tracks."
Nessa hovered behind her, arms crossed tightly. "Who in the pack would do this?"
Emerald didn't answer.
Because she had a hunch.
She turned to Darius. "Keep looking. I'll be back soon."
Darius frowned. "Alpha?"
"I won't do anything reckless. I just want to talk to someone."
—
It didn't take long to find him.
Councilman Heron had chambers on the third floor of the east wing, and his lights were still on.
Emerald knocked once before stepping in.
Heron, a tall, bony man with sunken eyes and parchment skin, looked up from his desk with an arched brow.
"Alpha," he greeted with a bow, adjusting the collar of his robe. "To what do I owe the surprise?"
"I've been doing rounds," she said coolly, eyes flicking around his room. "Wanted to speak with you about a few things."
Heron gestured to the armchair across from his desk. "Of course, by all means. Come in."
She didn't sit.
"Tell me about Councilor Merek. I haven't seen him in two days."
Heron blinked. "Merek? He took leave. Something about visiting extended family in the Frostmere Valley."
Emerald tilted her head. "Did he leave a formal notice?"
Heron's smile didn't reach his eyes. "He mentioned it during our last session. I assumed the paperwork was filed."
"And you're close with him?"
Heron gave a half-shrug. "We're councilmen. We share opinions. Nothing more."
Emerald walked to the side of the room, scanning the books on his shelf. "Do you think I'm handling the pack well so far?"
Heron's lips twitched. "It's been barely a week, Alpha. And we are here to support what is best for the pack."
She turned to him fully now. "I see."
Heron rose slowly, his hands folded in front of him. "Is that all?"
She shook her head, pretending to examine a scroll. "You ever go near the dungeons?"
He stilled for just a second. "Me? No, not really my… realm of expertise."
She tilted her head. "Just curious. With everything that happened lately, I figured someone as detail-oriented as you might've been curious too."
He hesitated, then smiled tightly. "I find curiosity gets wolves killed."
She stilled.
His words weren't said with malice, but they sounded off.
Emerald met his eyes.
"Thanks for your time, Councilor."
As she turned to leave, he added behind her, "Be careful, Alpha. These are dangerous days."
She paused, hand tightening around the doorframe.
Then she walked out.
—
Lucian met her outside the hall. "That wasn't just a check-in."
"No," she admitted. "I saw Heron whispering in the corridors with Merek. Days ago. Something about him… it felt off."
"You're following leads without backup now?" His voice was low but firm.
She blinked at him.
Lucian reached out and took her hand, not hard, but tight enough to stop her steps. "What if that guy really was working with the assassin? What if he'd tried to hurt you?"
"I'm not helpless," she said coolly. "And I didn't go in blind."
"You went in alone. You're not just Emerald anymore, remember?" His gaze bore into hers. "You're Alpha. You're the heart of this pack. If you fall, everything crumbles."
Her throat tightened.
Lucian's voice softened. "Promise me you won't put yourself at risk like that again. Not without telling Darius first, at least."
Emerald hesitated, then nodded. "Okay. I promise."
Lucian held her gaze for a second longer before releasing her hand.
—
Time went by without any updates from the search teams. The estate was mostly silent, interrupted only by the sound of patrol boots occasionally walking through the halls.
As the moon rose higher in the sky, casting a soft silver light over the landscape, Emerald stood on her balcony, gazing out at the forest.
Lucian stepped beside her. "You need rest."
"You need to return to your pack."
"I will. At sunrise."
Emerald nodded. "Thank you… for today."
He dipped his head in quiet acknowledgement, then stepped back.
"I'll wait for news," he said. "No matter how long it takes."
Then he left.
—
That night, Emerald didn't sleep alone.
Nessa flopped into bed beside her, blankets pulled to her chin. "Two guards outside your door, two below your window, one in the hall. You're safer than a royal vault."
"I don't feel safe."
"I know."
They lay in silence for a while.
Then Emerald whispered, "Ness…?"
"Mmh?" her cousin murmured.
Emerald swallowed. "Do you think I'm really meant to lead?"
Nessa sat up, bleary-eyed. "Where's this coming from?"
"What if I'm not strong enough?"
Nessa turned to face her. "You are."
"I thought I was," Emerald admitted. "But lately… I don't know. Everything feels like it's slipping."
Nessa's gaze softened. "You're scared."
"I'm terrified," Emerald admitted.
She turned to the window, the stars glinting above like eyes watching her every move.
"Being Alpha was supposed to feel like strength. But it just feels like drowning."
Nessa squeezed her arm. "Then float for a while," she said. "You don't have to conquer the world in one night."
"I know, but…"
"No buts." Nessa reached out, linking their pinkies. "You're more than enough. You've always been."
Emerald stared at the ceiling.
But deep down… the doubt gnawed at her.
Was she born to lead? Or born to break?