Chapter 48: The Ties That Bind

The fires in the courtyard burned low, their embers casting a soft glow over the gathering warriors. The air carried the weight of uncertainty, thick and heavy, as Jack's decision loomed over us like a storm on the horizon.

Word had spread fast—Gideon’s remaining pack members had requested to join us. And despite the tension crackling in the air, the warriors obeyed their Alpha’s command. They had been given shelter, food, and a place to rest. For now.

Dax hated it.

He stood near the perimeter, his arms crossed, his body still as stone. I could feel the rage simmering just beneath his skin, barely contained. Even in the dim light, his features were carved with a sharpness that told me he hadn't let go of his fury.

"Still brooding?" I asked as I approached.

His jaw ticked. "I'm thinking."

"Ah. So brooding with intent."

He shot me a dry look but said nothing. His eyes stayed locked on the figures across the courtyard—the former members of Gideon’s pack. Some sat in clusters, speaking in hushed voices. Others remained standing, watchful, tense. None of them looked at ease.

"They're afraid," I murmured.

Dax scoffed. "Good."

I sighed. "Dax—"

"They should be," he cut in, his voice low. "They think pledging loyalty wipes their slate clean? That we’ll just forget what they've done? What they allowed?" He exhaled sharply, shaking his head. "I don’t trust them, Alina. And I never will."

I watched the hard line of his shoulders, the way his fingers flexed at his sides like he was restraining himself from violence. He wasn’t wrong to be wary. But his anger—his need for vengeance—was bleeding into everything he touched.

Before I could respond, Pierce approached, his usual easygoing demeanor replaced by something graver. "Jack wants you in the war room."

Dax straightened, already moving before Pierce finished speaking. I followed, exchanging a glance with Pierce as we walked.

Inside the war room, Jack stood at the head of the table, arms folded. Several of the higher-ranking warriors were already present, along with the two representatives from Gideon’s pack—the older, scarred man and the younger one who had spoken on their behalf earlier.

The air crackled with unspoken hostility the moment Dax stepped inside.

Jack wasted no time. "We've made a decision."

The scarred man, whose name I had learned was Corvin, straightened slightly. His eyes flicked toward Dax, then back to Jack. "And?"

"You will be allowed to integrate into our ranks," Jack said evenly. "But not without conditions."

Dax tensed beside me.

Corvin nodded, wary but resigned. "Name them."

"You will not be treated as equals—not yet," Jack continued. "You will prove your loyalty first. Your warriors will fight under my command, take orders from my men. You will earn trust, not demand it."

Corvin and the younger man exchanged a glance.

Jack’s voice hardened. "And if any of you so much as think about betrayal, I will not hesitate to wipe your bloodline from existence."

Silence.

Then Corvin inclined his head. "Understood."

I studied him carefully, searching for any flicker of defiance or resentment. There was none. Just exhaustion. Resignation.

Jack looked around the room, meeting the gazes of his warriors. "If they prove themselves, they stay. If they don’t, they die."

The finality in his tone left no room for argument.

Dax's fists curled at his sides, but he said nothing.

Jack dismissed the room, but as Dax turned to leave, his father’s voice stopped him.

"Dax. Stay."

I hesitated, glancing between them, but Jack’s eyes flicked to me, a silent request. Give us a moment.

I nodded and stepped out, leaving them alone.

Pierce leaned against the wall outside, arms crossed. He arched a brow. "Think Dax is going to punch his old man?"

I sighed. "Not if Jack punches him first."

Pierce smirked but said nothing.

Inside, their voices were low, tense. I could only catch fragments—Jack's steady tone, Dax’s sharp replies. But whatever was said, it ended with Dax storming out a few minutes later, his expression thunderous.

He didn’t look at me as he passed.

I let out a slow breath.

The ties that bound this pack together were shifting. Stretching. And if we weren’t careful, they might just break.

Dax didn’t return to our quarters that night.

After storming out of the war room, he vanished into the night like a phantom, his rage still burning in the air he left behind. I should have gone after him. Should have made him talk. But I knew better. Dax wasn’t the kind of man you could corner with emotions—not when his blood was still hot from battle.

So I let him go.

The night passed in uneasy silence. Sleep evaded me, my mind tangled in too many thoughts. The war wasn’t over. Even with Gideon dead, even with his pack pledging themselves to us, I knew it wasn’t that simple. Nothing ever was.

By the time morning arrived, I had made my decision.

I found Pierce first, standing by the training grounds, watching a group of warriors spar. His usual smirk was absent, replaced by something unreadable. He didn’t look at me as I approached.

"Where is he?" I asked.

Pierce sighed, rubbing a hand down his face. "You sure you wanna go after him?"

I folded my arms. "Pierce."

He glanced at me, then jerked his chin toward the tree line beyond the training grounds. "He went hunting. Alone."

Of course, he did.

"Alina," Pierce said carefully, "he’s not in the mood for talking."

I met his gaze. "Good thing I’m not easily deterred."

Pierce exhaled through his nose, shaking his head. "Then don’t get yourself killed."

I ignored him and headed toward the woods.

I found Dax near the river. A fresh kill—a stag—lay nearby, its blood staining the dirt. But he wasn’t butchering it, wasn’t even looking at it. He was just sitting on a rock, staring out at the water, shoulders tense.

I approached quietly, stepping over fallen branches. He heard me, of course. His body stiffened slightly, but he didn’t turn.

"Not in the mood for company," he muttered.

"Too bad," I said, lowering myself onto a nearby rock.

Silence stretched between us, thick with words neither of us knew how to say.

Finally, I broke it. "Jack’s right, you know."

Dax scoffed. "I doubt that."

"He’s giving them a chance to prove themselves," I pressed. "A chance to earn their place here. It doesn’t mean he trusts them. And it doesn’t mean you have to either."

His jaw tightened. "They don’t deserve a chance."

"They weren’t all like Gideon," I said gently. "You know that."

Dax’s eyes flicked to me, sharp and cold. "They let Kael walk free."

I swallowed. "Yes. And some of them regret it."

"Not enough," he said darkly.

I exhaled slowly. "Dax… you can’t let this consume you."

His fingers curled into fists. "They took you."

I stiffened.

His voice was low, raw. "Do you understand that, Alina? They took you. They would have killed you.” His hands trembled slightly before he clenched them tighter. "And now I’m supposed to welcome them into our pack?"

I searched his face, saw the war raging inside him.

I reached out, placing a hand over his. "I understand, Dax."

He didn’t pull away, but he didn’t relax either.

"You think I don’t want revenge?" I continued. "That I don’t wake up at night remembering what they did?" I took a breath. "But if we don’t stop now—if we let this anger dictate everything we do—then we’re no better than them."

His eyes burned into mine. "And if they betray us?"

I squeezed his hand. "Then we deal with it. But until then, we lead. Together."

Something in his face shifted, just a fraction. A crack in the walls he had built around himself.

Finally, he exhaled sharply and looked away. "I hate that you’re always right."

I smirked. "I know."

For a long moment, he was silent. Then, finally, he stood.

"Come on," he said gruffly. "We should head back before Pierce sends a search party."

I stood as well, falling into step beside him.

The war wasn’t over.

But maybe, just maybe, we still had a chance to survive it.