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I end the call and open the door to find Damon standing on the other side, hands in his pockets, an easy smile on his face. How did he know I was home?

"Damon," I said cautiously. "It's late."

"I know." He steps inside without waiting for an invitation. "But I needed to talk to you."

I shut the door and cross my arms. "About?"

His expression sobers. "Lucien."

I stiffen, wrapping my arm tighter around myself. "What about him?"

Damon sighs, running a hand through his hair. "Aurora, I know you think he's changed and that he regrets what he did to you. And maybe he does. But that doesn't change the fact that Blackwood is dangerous. You and Ronan being there—it puts you both at risk."

I frown. "Lucien would never let anything happen to us."

"Maybe not intentionally," Damon admits. "But there are forces at play bigger than him. Silver Pack, rival alphas—there are people who would use you to get to him. And you know what happens to people caught in the crossfire."

My stomach twists into horrible knots. He isn't wrong. The world of shifters is brutal, and alliances shift like the tide. But something about the way Damon spoke made me uneasy as if his concern ran deeper than just politics.

I study him, my eyes tracing the outline of his features. His hands are still buried in his pockets, his shoulders are tense, and his eyes are a bit shifty. "This isn't just about Blackwood, is it?"His jaw tightens, and his eyes shift, again. "No."The air between us thickens, and I know what is coming before he even says it."I care about you, Aurora." His voice is softer, less certain. "I always have."I exhale slowly, closing my eyes for a brief moment. "Damon—""Just hear me out," he cuts in, his breath coming out in shallow pants. "You deserve better than a man who let you walk away. Who let you suffer alone for years? I would never do that to you."

Pain twists in my chest. I know Damon means well, but he doesn't understand. Things have become a lot more complicated than they were before Blackwood.

Ronan is attached now. He has known Damon for a greater part of his life, but he never formed a bond like he did with Lucien, and I don't want to deprive him of that. Maybe it's not just Ronan I don't want to deprive of something.

"I can't, Damon," I say gently. "You're my friend, and I don't want to lose that."

His face darkened slightly. "I'll give you some time to think about it."

"I don't need to think about it, Damon. I don't want to give you hope."

"Well, I'm asking you to." His tone is sharp, causing me to wince a little.

"I'm sorry about that," he says in a softer tone. "I can't stomach the thought of you getting hurt again.""I understand, and I'm grateful to you for looking out for me, but I have to do this my way."He stares at me for a moment, a look I can't describe crossing his eyes before it's quickly replaced by a smile. "I understand."But I am not sure he does.

After Damon leaves, I stand in the living room, staring at nothing. My mind is a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions pulling me in different directions. Lucien. Damon. Blackwood. Ronan.

And then, as if the answer had been there all along, it came to me.

The Blackwood Pack had raised me and given me a home when I had none. The elders and the warriors, even the ones who had once doubted me—they had all played a role in shaping the person I have become. And despite everything, despite the pain and the betrayals, they had accepted Ronan without hesitation.

I couldn't just walk away from that.

I wouldn't.

Taking a deep breath, I reach for my phone and pull up Lucien's number. My finger hovers over the call button for a long moment before I finally press it.

He answered on the first ring. "Aurora?"

I close my eyes, gathering my resolve. "I want to help."

Silence. Then, carefully, he replies, "Help with what?"

"The pack," I say. "I want to help the pack."

Lucien exhales slowly, and when he speaks again, there is something almost reverent in his voice. "Aurora, I can't let you get involved in this."

"I'm already involved, Lucien. It's my pack. Blackwood raised me and accepted my son without—"

"Our son," he cuts in, but I ignore him, continuing with my speech. "Without questions. If Blackwood is gone, Ronan won't have a home pack."

"Is that the only reason you want in? To give Ronan community?"I don't answer the question. The answer is one I'd rather not confront at the moment. "I just want to give back to the pack that raised me, Lucien."

He goes silent for a beat before replying. "Fine. You'll help, but no combat for you, and I want you and Ronan far before the war starts."

"Lucien, that's—"

"That's the only way it's going to happen, Rora. I'm not losing you, and I sure as hell not going to let anything happen to my son."

His voice carries a tone of finality, and I know this is the most I'm going to get from him. "Fine."

I wasn't sure of many things.

But of this? Of giving back to the place that had once been my home?

Of that much, I am certain. I'm not one to ask for favors or be indebted to people, but certain situations require you to go all out, so I reach for my phone and pull up the one contact I can trust in moments like this.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Aurora

I'm sitting at my desk, staring at the contact list on my phone. My fingers hover over Katherine's name, hesitation curling in my gut like a slow-burning fire. It has been a long time since I had reached out to her for anything beyond casual conversation. But this isn't just about me anymore. It is about Blackwood, about Ronan, and about everything that had led me to this moment.

I debate between calling her and sending a text. A text will be less urgent and offer her the time to think and get back to me with an answer, but at the same time, I am not sure I currently possess the virtue of patience to let things play out.

Every moment spent holding my phone and delaying the inevitable only adds to the window of time required for Silver Pack to wreak the next havoc.Taking a steadying breath, I tap the call button. It rings twice before Katherine answers, her familiar, confident voice washing over me like a reminder of the life I had built outside of the pack.

"Aurora," she greets warmly. "I was wondering when you'd call."