The estate did not sleep that night.
It breathed.
Every stone wall, every shadowed corridor, every locked gate carried the weight of the danger that had arrived at their doorstep.
The attack had changed everything.
Before, the estate had been a fortress because Damien was an Alpha.
Now it was a fortress because he had something more precious than power.
A family.
Guards patrolled every corridor in silent shifts. Wolves moved along the outer grounds, their senses constantly searching for unfamiliar scents. Every gate had been reinforced. Every entrance had been checked and checked again.
No servant entered a room without permission.
No unfamiliar wolf crossed the territory without being noticed.
The pack understood the message.
Someone had threatened their Luna.
And anyone foolish enough to try again would face the full force of the Blackthorn Alpha.
Damien trusted very few people with Aria's safety now.
And after the attack, he trusted even fewer.
