The betrayal was unexpected.

And that was why it cut so deeply.

Tristan Mendez only had two things he held dear: his family and his music. After his dazzling debut at the opera house, the world seemed within reach. Applause still echoed in his ears, the bow still warm in his hand. For one fragile moment, he believed the future was bright.

Then the ground was ripped from beneath him.

Accused of theft by his own brother, and met with silence from the family who should have defended him, his sentence was sealed, and he was cast into a merciless mining camp under the orders of Lady Arriane.

There, days blurred into years. Cruelty, hunger, and despair stripped him down until even his music was silent. The boy who once lived for melody nearly vanished in the dust.

But one man remembered.

Lord Shannon, Alpha of his clan, had been among the audience that night, transfixed by the young musician’s song. When Tristan disappeared, disbelief turned to determination. Refusing to accept the impossible, Shannon searched, uncovered the truth, and found what no one else dared to look for.

Freed from chains, Tristan faces a world both familiar and foreign. The past has left scars that will not vanish overnight. Healing will not be easy. Trust must be relearned. But at his side stands the Alpha who swore to protect him, even against shadows that wait to strike again.

This is a tale of betrayal and survival. Of music once silenced and a voice reclaimed. Of an Alpha’s unshakable vow and the fragile soul he refuses to let fall.

The south woods burned fast. Dry undergrowth fed the flames, and the wind carried sparks where they did not belong. 


Shannon moved with the front line, calling orders, passing buckets, and cutting firebreaks through the brush. Bran worked without speaking, his face set, his eyes red from smoke and ash.


Inside the main house, Kim and Tristan stayed behind. Tristan hated every moment of it. Kim kept his gaze fixed on the courtyard and the roofs—not on Tristan's face—which helped.


"Tell me what you see," Tristan asked, voice low.


"Two flare spots," Kim said from the window. "The main front is south. A secondary in the southwest. That one's deliberate, not natural."


Footsteps pounded the hall. Mira pushed in, smoke trailing her cloak. She set a sealed note on the table. "Border runners delivered this. Found on the north path—while the south burns."


Chapter 31 - Lines in the Smoke