Chapter 22 - Heinrich
I wake up to the sound of birds chirping outside, the weight of the world slightly lessened on my shoulders because the valley feels calmer somehow.
It’s evident in the crispness of the air flowing into my lungs as I inhale.
Or maybe it just feels that way because of how renewed I feel after being healed and restored by my fated mate.
A smile creeps on my lips at the mere thought of Annika, and it’s what prompts me to stretch and climb out of bed with a spring in my step as I make my way to the bathroom to freshen up.
I remember it clearly—how she visited me in the in-between, where my soul had been wandering, ready to meet my creator because of the fate I suffered during yesterday’s fight against the humans and demons.
She saved me, brought me back to life, fearlessly visiting that dimension and meeting my soul without even trying. It happened simply because she was determined to bring me back to life, to heal me, and there is no stronger show of love than that.
Sophie called it a miracle, while I know exactly how Annika was able to execute such an extraordinary trick.
Even if she hasn’t said those words yet, I saw it in her eyes when our souls met. In that plane, in that in-between place, there was nothing to hide, nothing that could be hidden when everything was felt without needing to put words to it.
I felt what she feels for me, and I don’t need her to say it. I mean, it would be nice to hear those words, but I would like to make a grand gesture for my proclamation of my love and devotion to her.
I have a few ideas for the execution of my plan, but I can’t go through with it until after this morning’s meeting with the council.
Damian and Conan assured me that the wolves emerged victorious last night, despite my near-death experience, and the possessed humans were slaughtered, along with the demons pulling the strings.
The weapons had been destroyed, too, while Marcus Hale is being held in an underground cell in Iron Breath territory, where Conan and his pack are keeping a watchful eye on him.
The plan is to extract information about the demons’ whereabouts from him and perhaps uncover the exact location of the portal as well.
He’d been knocked out in last night’s fight, and we can’t proceed with the plan until we’ve consulted with the council. I need to know that things are taken care of—for now—before I proceed with my own plan to visit the human world again.
When I’m done dressing for the day, feeling more alive than ever—especially because my mate declared that she’s ready to be my luna—I advance to the kitchen, where the aroma of hot sugar and meat catches me off guard.
This time, it’s Annika at the stove, wielding a spatula and wearing an apron, the table already spread out with the bacon and eggs she has already prepared.
“I don’t expect you to make breakfast for me,” I sigh as I step into the kitchen. “You’ve been doing enough, Anni.”
“I’m not meeting an expectation,” she relents as she turns around, a stack of pancakes on the plate she holds in one hand. “I’m doing this because I want to.”
A smile curls my lips as I join her at the stove, one arm curling around her waist as I swiftly take the pancake plate from her hand.
“Since you’ve agreed to be my luna…” I begin, quirking up a brow and meeting her skeptical eyes as she flips another pancake. “I would like you to accompany me to the council meeting this morning.”
Annika smiles coyly as she flips the pancake onto the plate I’m holding. “Okay,” she says with a brisk nod. “But we’re only going after I’ve checked your wounds.”
“I promise, I am healed. Never been better.”
She cocks her head to the side, arching a brow skeptically. “Are you sure?”
I lean in until our faces are just an inch apart, and I can taste her breath on my lips, and her pupils dilate as she bats her eyes innocently at me. “Are you just looking for an excuse to see me shirtless…?” I drawl suggestively, and her breath hitches…
…before she lightly slaps my shoulder with the spatula.
“Let’s have breakfast and get to this meeting, shall we?”
I chuckle as I follow her to the table, just grateful to be alive, and grateful that she’s finally letting me into her heart.
***
The council hall quiets when Annika and I enter. Conversations taper off as heads turn in our direction. I’m used to the attention that comes with being Alpha of Silver Stone, but today it feels…different.
Their eyes linger on Annika.
Word travels fast in a valley full of wolves.
Damian leans back in his chair near the center of the long table, studying me with a raised brow. “Well, you look significantly less dead than the last time I saw you,” he says dryly, and a few low chuckles ripple through the room.
I pull out the chair beside mine for Annika before sitting down. “I’m told that tends to happen when someone saves your life.”
Annika shifts slightly beside me, clearly uncomfortable with the attention, so I put my hand on her knee to reassure her, offering her a small smile.
Sophie sits across from us, her hand resting over the gentle curve of her stomach. She smiles warmly at Annika. “Don’t worry,” she says, clicking her tongue. “They’ll stare for a few minutes and then move on.”
“Hopefully…” Annika mutters under her breath.
My father rises from the head of the table, his presence commanding the room’s attention instantly. “Let’s begin,” Mortimer says, nodding at Amos once.
The remaining murmurs fade quickly as Amos adjusts his glasses and taps the tablet in front of him, bringing several images onto the screen mounted along the far wall. Photographs from the warehouse fill the display—crates of weapons, suppressor cuffs, ammunition stacked floor to ceiling.
“The operation discovered last night was larger than we initially anticipated,” he explains. “The warehouse contained enough weapons to arm several dozen humans.”
Conan crosses his arms. “And many of those weapons were specifically designed to be effective against wolves.”
Amos nods. “Silver-lined blades, suppressor cuffs, and several experimental devices we’re still analyzing.”
A quiet tension settles over the table. Damian leans forward slightly. “And Marcus Hale?”
“As you know, he’s currently being held in an underground cell in Iron Breath territory,” Conan answers. “He regained consciousness briefly this morning but hasn’t spoken yet.”
“He will,” Damian says flatly.
Amos swipes to another image—Marcus Hale being restrained and dragged from the warehouse. “He’s the only one left alive,” Amos continues. “Which makes him our best chance of learning where the demons are operating.”
“Or where the portal is,” Sophie adds quietly.
The word hangs in the air.
The portal.
The source of everything that’s been happening in the valley.
My father folds his hands on the table. “Interrogation will begin once the council approves it.”
Everyone nods in agreement.
“Good,” he continues. “Because if Hale knows where the demons are entering our world from, we need that information immediately.”
Damian glances at me. “The valley itself appears quiet this morning. Patrols haven’t reported any unusual activity since the warehouse raid.”
“That doesn’t mean the threat is gone,” Damian’s uncle, Joel, mutters.
“No,” Conan agrees. “But it does mean we disrupted something important.”
Amos nods thoughtfully. “Based on the records we recovered, Marcus Hale’s operation was supplying weapons to only one human group, suspected to be the group that was possessed. With the warehouse destroyed, that supply line is gone.”
“For now,” Damian says.
“For now,” Amos confirms.
My father straightens slightly. “Until we locate the portal and close it permanently, we remain vigilant.”
Several of the research team and the council members murmur in agreement. The conversation shifts briefly to patrol rotations and increased security across the valley, but as the discussion continues, one realization settles quietly into the back of my mind.
The weapons operation has been dismantled.
The demons have lost one of their key allies in the human world.
And the valley itself is calm again.
Which means the danger that once surrounded Annika’s presence outside the valley…has faded. No one at this table is thinking about the human world, but I am.
If the demons no longer have a coordinated network of human collaborators operating nearby, then moving between worlds becomes far less dangerous than it was before.
A quiet confirmation settles in my chest. The path is open again.
My father’s voice pulls me back to the present.
“Then it’s settled,” Mortimer says, looking around the table.
“Marcus Hale will be interrogated tonight. Until then, we maintain heightened patrols and prepare for whatever information he provides.” He glances toward Annika then, his expression softening slightly.
“And we acknowledge the miracle that allowed our alpha to sit here today.”
Every gaze shifts toward her again, and Annika stiffens beside me. But instead of shrinking under the attention, she lifts her chin slightly.
“I only did what anyone would do,” she says quietly.
Sophie smiles. “No,” she replies gently. “You didn’t. You achieved something no one thought could be possible.”
For a moment, silence settles over the room, then my father nods once. “Meeting adjourned.”
Chairs scrape softly against the wooden floor as everyone rises, conversations beginning again in low murmurs. Beside me, Annika exhales slowly.
“That was a lot of staring…” she mutters under her breath,
I chuckle quietly as I stand, offering her my hand. “Yes,” I concede. “It was.”
The council chamber slowly empties as the meeting concludes, wolves drifting into smaller conversations about patrol rotations and the interrogation planned for Marcus Hale later that evening.