Page 58 of Shattered and Saved

Surrounded by my friends, I sat at my desk, my mind focused. Once the refinements were solidified, I grabbed the quill to write a letter to the Elder Council. There was no hesitation in my actions, no second-guessing. What I worried about wasn’t my ability to deceive the Elder Council, but what would happen next.

The letter was straightforward, carefully crafted to maintain the illusion of fairness. According to our story, the attack was sparked by the unfair capture of one of our pack members. I wrote that I tried to give the surviving members of Blood Rose a chance to surrender. But, true to form, Alpha Brent had insisted they fight to the death, protecting him until the bitter end.

I painted it as a matter of principle - a young alpha’s pride and naivety had led his pack to destruction.

My lie was convincing. I explored Brent’s bad name, fully blaming the tragedy on his refusal to back down. It was a clean story, and I hoped it should be enough to pacify the Council.

I signed the letter simply as "the Alpha of Azure Smoke Pack." When it was sealed, I handed it to Theo. We agreed that he would take it to the lands of the fallen Whispering Hills, where it couldn’t be tracked back to us. Koen’s survival and relationship with us had already been revealed, so it made sense.

“I’ll make sure it gets to the right hands without sparking any suspicion,” my beta promised.

Rhea watched him for a moment before meeting my gaze. “You’re sure they’ll buy it?”

“They have to,” I replied, the confidence in my voice a sharp contrast to the nervous flutter in my chest. “We gave them the perfect story. They might ask questions, but we’ll be ready to answer them.”

Elijah nodded in agreement. “The Council will swallow it. They don’t have the time or the inclination to dig deeper into what’s happened. Not unless we give them a reason to.” Despite his conviction, he sighed, crossing his arms. “It’s a waiting game now.”

Rising from my seat, I reassured them, “We’ll deal with whatever they send our way. No surprises.”

“And if anything goes wrong, we’ll fix it. We always do.” Rhea added, her words marked with resolve.

Theo tucked the letter into his satchel, already stepping toward the door, with Elijah at his heels. “We’ll be back soon.”

I watched them leave, the weight of what was to come settling heavily in my chest. The letter was out of our hands now. We could only wait for the Council’s response. Although Ifelt slightly lighter now that our explanations were on the way, I knew one thing for sure:

This was far from over.

K O E N

I couldn’t say I was pleased with Avril’s decision to finalize the details regarding the attack situation without me. As her mate, I wanted to be with her, standing by her side as we faced whatever came next.

But I knew she was right. The pack had already been informed of my transformation. They felt the shift in me after Avril had marked me as her mate, and she was making sure they understood my new role. Helping her with paperwork wasn’t going to make me any stronger.

My transformation wasn’t just a physical one; it was a new chapter in my life, one where I would have to adapt quickly.

At first, the energy inside me felt foreign, almost wild. But I was determined to make it my own. Every movement, every gesture, felt like I was learning how to use a new limb. There was something thrilling about it - the sense of power, the way my instincts grew sharper than ever, urging me to push harder.

I tried to concentrate on one ability at a time. Avril had said it would be easier to perfect one skill before moving on to the next. Right now, I was focused on the most basic one - mastering my ability to camouflage with the shadows. I was so absorbed in it that I didn’t hear the footsteps until they grew louder.

When I glanced up to see Waylon, I was struck by a wave of mixed emotions. Tension hung in the air that crackled with thehostility between us. We were far from friends - more like rivals - though our last encounter had been different. I hadn’t talked to him since the mission where we fought together, which was why I hesitated, waiting to see what he would do.

His eyes locked with Col’s immediately, sharp with a mix of irritation and something else I couldn’t quite place. “What the hell are you doing here?” he asked, his voice blunt, clearly not expecting to see me anymore than I did him.

“What’s it look like? I’m training,”I replied through mindlink, not backing down. He was caught off guard hearing my voice in his head. This new bridge we shared through the bond of our species felt just as strange to me. While he was still startled, I barked back,“What are you doing here?”

Shaking off his surprise, Waylon scoffed, though I could see the underlying frustration in his eyes. “I was hoping to do the same,” he answered in a low, thoughtful tone, as if he didn’t want to share much.

I didn’t dwell in it though.“Well, the arena's big enough for the both of us.”My wolf shrugged.“Just stay out of my space, and I’ll stay out of yours.”

He shot me a hard look. I never got a verbal response from him, but the way he turned around and started throwing punches at a target suggested he agreed. With a huff, I tried to ignore him, focusing my attention back on my own training.

As Col closed his eyes, blocking outside stimuli, I concentrated on the new flame burning in my chest. When his eyelids blinked open again, we were surrounded by a thin cloud of smoke. This was the easy part - what was truly hard was moving with the shadows.

With each step, my wolf tried to be lighter, swifter. Our new eyes could see well in the darkness, and our charcoal coat blended with it. Yet, our body didn’t move quite as gracefully as the rest of the warriors. We weren’t light, fluid, or furtive.

“You’re doing it wrong.” The annoying voice sounded from the other side of the arena, making my wolf’s ears perk up as a frown crossed his face. “You’re trying too hard to control the shadows. Try moving with it instead. Become one with the element.”

I was stunned. Was Waylon really offering me advice? I searched for signs of mockery on his face, in his voice, yet I found none. His jaw was still clenched, and he didn’t look directly at me, but for once, I sensed no animosity emanating from him.

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