Chapter 69 Ashes of Trust

Chapter 69 Ashes of Trust
The sun rises on ruins.

I can feel it before I see it. The smell of charred wood.

The twisted metal. The bodies. Some my pack. Some strangers. Some I healed too late.

I wander through the compound, stepping over debris and scorched stone.

Smoke curls from the walls. Wolves are everywhere, shouting, crying, cleaning, organizing, some just standing frozen.

I recognize faces I love and hearts that are broken.

Kael is moving through the mess like a storm. Orders barked sharply, wolves following, obeying, but I catch his hands shaking as he lifts a fallen pack member. His golden eyes are hard, full of blame and exhaustion.

Riven sits in the infirmary courtyard, arm in a sling, forehead bandaged.

He’s cleaning his sword, quiet, silent, green eyes distant. I try to meet his gaze. He looks away.

I realize then what I’ve done. Not just the battle, not just the fire. But the trust I broke.

They both needed me, relied on me, and I couldn’t choose.Couldn’t save everything. Couldn’t save them.

I want to scream. I want to run. I want someone to tell me it’s not my fault. But the smoke, the bodies, the silence in the empty spaces—they whisper the truth. It is.

Kael comes back to me, closer now, wounded, blood on his armor, hair sticking to his face.

He didn’t ask if I’m okay. He didn’t speak. He just stood there, watching me like I might vanish into nothing.

“Selene,” he says finally. His voice is low.

Dangerous. Controlled, but it trembles under the weight of everything. “We trusted you. I trusted you.”

“I know,” I whisper. My throat tight. My hands shake. “I… I did what I had to.”

“No,” he snaps, sharper than I expect. “You did what you wanted.”

I flinch. His words cut clean. I can’t answer. I swallow back tears and fire and rage.

Riven approaches from the side, silent until he’s next to me. His hand brushes mine. Soft.

Hesitant. “Kael,” he says, calm but dangerous.

“Stop.”

Kael spins on him. “Stop? He nearly burned the infirmary down with his… with her!”

“Kael—” I start, but he cuts me off.

“Don’t. Don’t say anything. Not after what happened!”

I step between them. My hands shake, but I hold myself steady. “Stop!” My voice is louder than I expected. “Stop blaming each other!”

They both freeze, breathing hard. I can see it then. Anger, fear, exhaustion. Both of them need someone to hate, and tonight, it became me.

“They almost died,” Kael mutters. “Because of you.”

“I know!” I snap, my own voice trembling. “Do you think I don’t know? Every time I look at what’s left, I see them! I see what I couldn’t stop! I can’t… I can’t fix it all!”

Riven’s hand tightens over mine. “Selene…”

“Don’t,” I whisper. “Just don’t.”

Silence falls like a weight. Not comfortable. Not soft. Heavy. Crushing.

I turn and walk toward the scorched courtyard.

The fires are out, but the smoke still curls.
Wolves mourn, tend wounds, cry for those who won’t come back. The smell of loss is thick in the air.

I see him first. A pack elder. Gone. His body sprawled on the stone. My stomach flips.

I know I should heal him. I can’t. Not yet. Not enough. I drop to my knees, hands shaking, and press them against the ashes. Nothing comes.

I feel fire stir, begging, ready to rage. I swallow it down. Not now. Not like this. Not for me.

Kael comes up behind me. I don’t turn. He crouches, hands on my shoulders. Cold. Heavy.

“Selene,” he says quietly. “We need to talk.
When you’re done pretending you can do this alone.”

I shake my head. “There’s nothing left to talk about. Trust… it’s gone.”

“It’s not gone,” he says, voice low. Quiet but strong. “It’s broken. But it’s not gone.”

I bite my lip. I want to believe him. But the tears won’t stop, and I feel like I’m crumbling inside.

Riven approaches too, limping slightly, blood dried on his sleeves. He kneels on the other side of me. Green eyes gentle, steady, solid.

“We’re still here,” he says. “You don’t have to decide yet. But you can’t lose yourself in the ashes either.”

I look at him. Look at Kael. Both alive. Both hurt. Both waiting for me.

And I don’t know what to do.

I collapse between them, knees to chest, arms wrapped around myself.

The smoke curls around my hair, my skin, my burning heart. The world is half-destroyed.

My pack is scared. My Alphas are wounded. And the rogue army is still out there. Waiting.

Kael’s hand brushes my hair. Riven’s hand touches my shoulder. I feel both. Warmth.
Strength. Both human, both dangerous, both mine.

I close my eyes. Breathe. Try to steady the storm inside.

But even in the quiet, the fear is there. The ache of loss. The guilt.

I whisper, barely audible, “I can’t… I can’t do this without you.”

They both answer in their own way. Kael grips my chin gently, holding my gaze. Riven presses his forehead against my temple.

And I realize: I’m not the only one broken.
We are all broken.

But in the ashes, we are still alive.

And that is… something.

I don’t know if we can rebuild. Don’t know if we can trust again.

But I do know this: we survived.

For now.

Outside, the wind carries the scent of smoke.

Somewhere in the distance, the rogue army waits. And I know they’ll return.

But for the first time in hours, maybe days, I let myself feel something besides guilt.

Hope. Fearful, fragile, but it’s there.

And it’s enough to keep me breathing.