Chapter 38 Sage - The messenger's black and silver uniform catches my eye first - Blackthorn colors . I freeze in the hallway , heart hammering against my ribs . He's speaking with one of Alaric's guards , but all I can focus on is the familiar crest on his jacket . Memories surface like drowning things : Daphne's cruel smile , Cassius's gentle lies , the pack's jeering faces as he rejected me . The corridor suddenly feels too small , the air too thin . " Sage ? " Iris touches my arm , making me jump . " You're white as a sheet . " - I try to speak , but the messenger turns slightly , and something in his profile reminds me so much of Cassius that bile rises in my throat . A flash of memory hits me - finding him in his study late one night , hunched over strange vials , speaking to someone in hushed tones . He'd seen me and smiled , but there had been something wrong about it , something I'd been too naive to recognize . " Just tired , " I manage , but Iris's frown says she doesn't believe me . The messenger disappears into Alaric's study . I should walk away , should focus on my duties in the healing wing . Instead , I find myself drifting closer , drawn by a sick sort of fascination . " -attacks along the border , " the messenger's voice carries faintly . " Alpha Blackthorn sends his regards and wishes to discuss- " A flash of movement makes me stumble back . Through the study's partially open door , I glimpse a map spread across Alaric's desk . Red marks dot the border territories , forming a pattern that tickles something in my memory . " Interesting view ? " I whirl to find Victoria watching me with calculated interest . " I was just- " " Spying ? " Her perfect eyebrows arch . " How convenient that attacks began shortly after your arrival . And now here you are , lurking near private meetings ... " " That's not- " " Leave her alone , Victoria . " Alaric's voice cuts through the tension . He fills the doorway of his study , power rolling off him in waves . " The messenger brings news that concerns everyone in my territory . " Victoria bows slightly . " Of course , my King . I simply worry about ... security . " She sashays away , but the damage is done . Other wolves in the hallway eye me with fresh suspicion . " Sage . " Alaric's voice softens slightly . " A moment ? " Inside his study , the messenger stiffens at my presence . Something about the way he watches me raises the hair on my neck . " Sweetling . " Alaric says quietly , " have you noticed anything ... unusual lately ? Anything that reminds you of Blackthorn ? " Yes , I want to say . Something feels wrong , like those nights at Blackthorn when the shadows seemed too deep , when whispers carried through alls that should have been empty . The same creeping dread that used to wake me in the night . But that's crazy Paranoid . And adinitting I recognized anything about Blackthorn would and Vind Chapter 38 +25 BONUS accusations . " No , " I lie . " Nothing . " Alaric studies me for a long moment . I think he knows I'm lying , but he doesn't push . The messenger clears his throat . " If that's all , my King ? " " Go , " Alaric commands . " Tell your Alpha I'll consider his ... proposal . " Something in his tone makes me shiver . When the messenger leaves , Alaric's hand settles on my shoulder . " You're safe here , " he says softly . " You know that , right ? " I think of Victoria's accusations , of the suspicious looks , of the shadows I sometimes glimpse at the edge of my vision . " Am I ? " He starts to respond , but a commotion erupts in the hallway . Garrett bursts in , breathing hard . " Almost like they were waiting for us , " Alaric finishes grimly . A chill runs down my spine . The word " waiting " triggers something - a memory perhaps , or just old fear - but I push it away . I'm seeing threats in shadows because of the messenger's arrival . Because anything connected to Blackthorn makes me feel like prey again . " Go , " I tell Alaric , forcing a smile . " Your pack comes first . " His fingers brush my cheek before he leaves , a gesture that would normally make my heart flutter . But all I can think about is how quickly safety can become danger , how easily peace can shatter . Later , in my room , I trace the crescent moon on my pendant and try to calm my racing thoughts . The day's events have left me raw , exposed . First the messenger , then Victoria's accusations , how another attack . It's too much . A knock at my door makes me jump . " It's just me . " Iris enters with a tray of tea . " Thought you might need this . " I accept the cup gratefully , letting its warmth seep into my cold hands . " Thank you . " She settles beside me on the window seat . " Want to talk about what really happened in the hallway today ? " " Nothing happened . " The lie tastes bitter . " I'm fine . " " Sage . " Her voice gentles . " You looked like you'd seen a ghost . " 1 Maybe I had . The messenger's profile , the familiar colors , the way he watched me - it all brought back things I've tried so hard to forget . " Some memories are harder to outrun than others , " I finally whisper . Iris wraps an arm around my shoulders . " You don't have to run anymore . You have people who'll stand with you But for how long ? Victoria's words echo in my head : " Attacks began shortly after your arrival . " How many others think the saine ? How many see me as a threat , a liability , a broken thing bringing trouble to their pack ? In the distance , wolves howl - more border warnings . The sound carries on the wind , mixing with the whispers of hoble wolves who want me gone , the accusations of those who think I don't belong . Chapter 38 +25 BONUS I touch my pendant again , remembering how it once brought comfort . Now even that feels tainted by uncertainty . What if Victoria's right ? What if my presence here puts others in danger ? Iris squeezes my shoulder as if sensing my thoughts . " Whatever you're thinking , stop . My brother- " " Has an entire pack to protect , " I finish quietly . " And I'm just ... " " Family , " she says firmly . " Whether you're ready to accept that or not . " But as night falls and more howls split the darkness , I wonder if family is something I'm allowed to have . The moon rises over pack lands under attack , and I can't shake the feeling that somehow , some way , all of this traces back to choices I don't even remember making . Some ghosts refuse to stay buried . And some haunt us without ever showing their true faces .