Nn POV
The lights were too bright.
They washed the stage in a harsh white glow, ttening everything beneath them- faces, expressions, even the banners hanging behind us. It made the world feel unreal, like a set piece constructed for an audience that didn''t understand the cost of what it was watching.
I stood behind my podium, hands resting lightly on the edge, posture controlled. Calm. Every instinct honed to stillness.
To my left, three other alphas waited their turns to speak, their expressions carefully curated. To my right-
Kieran.
He looked immacte. Perfectly tailored suit, hair in ce, expressionposed into something that suggested confidence rather than strain. But I knew better. I''d learned how to read the cracks beneath the polish.
His eyes flicked toward the balcony once, just briefly.
My wolf stirred uneasily.
The moderator was speaking, introducing the next topic-something about trade agreements and border stability. One of the northern alphas had the floor, his voice carrying smoothly across the auditorium.
I barely heard a word of it.
Ellie was in the balcony.
That awareness pulsed through me like a second heartbeat. I knew exactly where she''d be sitting-front row of the enclosed upper level, ss railing, security stationed at either end.
Lance beside her. The boys between them, small enough to be hidden from most of the crowd''s view.
Safe.
I told myself that again.
Safe.
But it didn''t feel right. I couldn''t say why, but my wolf was pacing uneasily in my mind. Look at her again, look at the boys. Check that they''re safe, that Lance is there.
It was a nagging need, not a calm worry.
Cassian was backstage, coordinating security responses with the event staff. Every entry point had been vetted. Every attendee screened. The precautions were exhaustive.
And still-
Something was wrong.
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My wolf pressed restlessly against my control, hackles raised, a low warning growl curling through my chest. It wasn''t panic. It was focus sharpened to a razor edge.
Predator awareness.
I shifted my weight slightly and let my gaze drift, not to the crowd directly in front of the stage-that was what everyone expected—but to the periphery. The edges. The ces people forgot to watch because nothing ever happened there.
Faces blurred together. Rows of seated figures, some leaning forward intently, others distracted, murmuring softly. Cameras glided on silent tracks. Security moved with practiced ease.
Too practiced.
My eyes climbed instinctively toward the balcony.
Ellie''s hair caught the light immediately, pale against the darker backdrop. She was leaning forward slightly, one hand resting protectively on August''s back. Ian was turned toward Lance, his little cheeks rosy as he smiled
at his uncle.
They looked calm.
My chest loosened a fraction, relieved.
Then I saw it.
Not the person at first.
The angle.
A sliver of wrongness in the sea of sameness.
A man standing where no one should have been standing-too close to the side aisle, body half-turned, posture stiff with intent rather than interest. He wasn''t watching the stage.
He was watching the balcony. His eyes were stony and fixed on my family. It sent a chill through my blood.
And in his hands-
Time froze as the realization struck. My mind screamed danger. Do something!
I didn''t think.
I didn''t hesitate.
My body moved before my mind could catch up, muscle memory and instinct snapping into alignment with brutal rity.
"DOWN!" I roared, my voice tearing from my chest as Iunched myself forward.
The gun came up, steady and resolute in his grip.
The first shot cracked through the auditorium, sharp and deafening, sending screams rippling through the crowd. I heard Ellie''s voice among them and I saw red.
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I hit the edge of the stage hard, vaulting over it without breaking stride. My shoulder screamed in protest as Inded, but I ignored it, driving forward with everything I
had.
The second shot fired.
Pain red hot and bright along my side a grazing hit, enough to tear fabric and skin but not slow me down. I barely registered it.
All I could see was the weapon.
All I could think of was Ellie and the boys.
I mmed into the attacker full force, driving him backward into the aisle seats. The impact knocked the breath from him and sent the weapon skidding across the floor. We went down in a tangle of limbs and fury.
The crowd erupted into chaos-screaming, scrambling, bodies surging away from the stage.
Security shouted orders. More shots rang out, but they weren''t aimed-they were warning fire, controlled, defensive.
I had the attacker pinned beneath me, my knee grinding into his chest as I mmed
his head back against the floor.
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