Logan's POV
Years had passed since Pauline vanished without a trace.
Too many sleepless nights to count, where I stared at the ceiling wondering if she was even alive. The moonlight streaming through my window became a cruel reminder of everything I had lost, everything I could never get back.
I searched every corner of Valoria territory, questioned every border guard, followed every rumor that might lead me to Pauline. Nothing. It was as if she had simply evaporated into thin air, leaving behind only the hollow ache in my chest that refused to heal.
Some days I wondered if I had imagined Pauline entirely, if my mind had conjured up this perfect woman just to torture me with her absence.
The pack had become my refuge. Training warriors gave me purpose when everything else felt meaningless. Their exhaustion mirrored my own internal emptiness, and at least their pain had a point to it.
