Finished


    The Duskgrave estate stood silent under the early morning sun, but inside, a quiet warmth had taken root ever since Riley arrived. The girl who had once been starved for affection now basked in the steady, nurturing love from Matriarch Duskgrave, Mrs. Beck, and Mia. Their devotion was a balm to Riley’s fractured spirit.


    Matriarch Duskgrave’s greatest joy these days was indulging in endless shopping sprees–not for herself, but for Riley. Clothes, shoes, jewelry, and handbags filled the vast closets, each piece carefully selected to adorn the young woman as if she were a queen of the Stormridge Pack.


    “My granddaughter–inw is young and beautiful. It would be a shame not to dress her in finery worthy of her.” the matriarch often dered with a proud sparkle in her eyes.


    Even though Riley rarely left her room, the matriarch’s enthusiasm never waned. Meanwhile, Mrs. Beck and Mia took turns preparing all manner of delicious meals, hoping to coax some strength back into the pale girl.


    In just a few short days, Riley’s face had regained some color. Though still slender, the heavy shadows of sorrow that once cloaked her had begun to lift. The light of a fragile hope glimmered behind her eyes.


    Yet, apart from mealtimes, Riley remained cloistered within the confines of her room, retreating behind a door she rarely opened. Concerned for her mental well–being, the matriarch had several times tried to coax her out, but Riley resisted.


    It was Lucien who finally put a stop to the attempts. “Grandmother, the matriarch’s birthday is just a month away. Riley is preparing a special gift for her. Please let her have her space.”


    Hearing this, Matriarch Duskgrave’s eyes brightened with warmth and understanding. She relented, her heart quietly moved by the girl’s thoughtfulness, and chose not to disturb Riley any further.


    One crisp morning, as Lucien ate breakfast overlooking the sprawling grounds, his phone buzzed with a call from Duke, his trusted aide.


    He moved away from the table and answered, voice calm. “Hello?”


    On the other end, Duke’s tone was sharp and efficient. “Sir, Maddox’s leg has been broken by operatives I deployed. He remains unconscious in the hospital. What are your next orders?”


    Lucien’s eyes darkened at the mention of Maddox, thewyer who had maliciously sent Riley–an innocent -into the pack’s prison. His expression tightened, muscles twitching in suppressed rage.


    “If a man cannot serve justice, then he is no longer worthy of the title.”


    Duke knew Lucien well enough to expect this. Maddox had abused thew’s power, betraying not only Riley but the very pack he was sworn to protect. Maddox owed hisw degree to Riley’s sacrifices–during her harshest high school years, she had worked tirelessly, winning contests and taking on extra jobs to fund his education.


    But Maddox had no gratitude. Instead, he condemned Riley to five years of torment behind bars. How could he live with such guilt? How dare he walk free while Riley suffered?


    17:03 Thu, Aug 7 \ MG


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    *.73%*


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    X


    Finished


    Duke quietly mourned the fate of Maddox. Crossing the powerful matriarch and Lucien was a dangerous game–and Maddox was losing.


    Without hesitation, Duke set to work gathering evidence of Maddox’s illegal dealings. He tapped hiswork, collecting proof of bribery, misconduct, and ethical breaches, funneling it swiftly to the Stormridge Pack’s legal council and the broaderwyers‘ guild.


    Under Duke’s meticulous orchestration, Maddox’s license was stripped away without mercy.


    When the anesthetic wore off, Maddox’s agonized screams echoed through the sterile hospital room as the pain from his shattered leg overwhelmed him. He writhed, desperate to escape the torment.


    But the physical pain was only the beginning.


    The news of his disbarment,pounded by a multi–million credit penalty for his crimes, sent his world spiraling into darkness.


    Though Maddox had been practicingw for only five years, his reputation had allowed him to secure a luxurious home and a sleek car in Mooncrest, the bustling heart of the city. But with fines this steep, his savings were quickly depleted.


    His assets–home, vehicle, bank ounts–would soon be seized to cover debts. After paying surgery and hospital fees, barely ten thousand credits remained on his card.


    When Maddox was discharged, he was a broken man–not only in body but in spirit and fortune.


    Meanwhile, within the sprawling Duskgrave estate, Riley continued her quiet recovery. The pain and betrayal of the past still haunted her nights–echoes of iron bars, bloodied memories, and whispered lies- but for the first time in years, she could glimpse a future where justice might yet be served.


    The wolves of Stormridge were stirring. Retribution was in the air–and it wasing for those who had wronged her.


    Lucien Duskgrave knew it too. He had watched her from afar for days, never pressing her, never demanding more than she could give. But in her silence, he saw something smoldering. Not weakness, but will. And so one morning, without warning, he appeared at her door.


    “You’re healing,” he said simply, voice deep and steady. “But healing isn’t enough.”


    Riley met his gaze. Her face was still pale, her frame too thin, but her eyes no longer looked like they belonged to a broken woman. They belonged to a survivor. A storm.


    Lucien tossed a simple ck training tunic onto the bed. “Come outside. Nyra needs to awaken.”


    It had been years since she shifted freely. Since she let her white wolf rise. Five years in a silver–caged cell had robbed her of strength, blurred the bond between her human soul and Nyra’s primal one. When she closed her eyes at night, she could still feel the cold steel cor that once choked her wolf into silence.


    But no more.


    That morning, beneath the towering pines of Stormridge, Riley stepped barefoot into the training circle. Her limbs trembled as she fought the fear, the pain, the doubt–but when she reached inside, Nyra stirred.


    ??????


    –


    X


    Finished


    Weak, but alive.


    Lucien watched in silence as her shift began. The transformation was slower than it should have been, her breath hitching, her body slick with sweat. But she didn’t give up. White fur shimmered beneath her skin. Bones cracked and reshaped. And when she finally stood before him, a shimmering white wolf with silver- tipped ears and haunted eyes–Lucien exhaled.


    “Good,” he murmured. “Again.”


    They trained at dawn and dusk.


    Riley ran until her legs gave out. She fought Lucien’s wolf, took bruises, got tossed into the dirt. Her instincts were dulled, her movements rusty–but every time she fell, she stood up again. With a snarl. With a fury that made the very earth beneath her tremble.


    Nyra, once silenced and shackled, began to respond. Her eyes grew brighter. Her form more solid. Still weak–but no longer fading.


    “You’re getting stronger,” Lucien told her one evening, as they sat beneath the twilight sky, both panting, both bloodied.


    Riley wiped a smear of dirt from her cheek. “Not strong enough.”


    He tilted his head. “Not yet. But you will be.”


    Because Riley knew–if she wanted revenge, if she wanted truth, if she wanted freedom–she couldn’t just survive. She had to be the thing they feared most.


    A white wolf reborn.


    Not the Omega they discarded. Not the criminal they locked away.


    But the storm they never sawing.


    And this time, she wouldn’t be alone. Lucien was beside her now. Not just as her Alpha Prince, but as her ally.


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