The dust was settling down and they saw bodies scattered around the room.

Itwas a terrible sight to see and Riannon gulped as she recognised her friends.

Itsmelled of burnt bodies and blood.

An internal scream was desperately trying toleave her body but she knew that this wasn’t the time to sob or panic, so sheturned to Maya, who was equally petrified.“We check their pulses and get them out of here if they are alive.

Assess injuriesand decide if they need extra help before regeneration kicks in.

Especially if theirrank is below Gamma,” she instructed and her Beta nodded, “We need to keepthem alive until the medics arrive or until they can heal themselves.”It was easier for her now that she voiced her plan.

It was a task that she herselfcouldconcentrate on.They got to work.

One by one they were checking the Lunas who wereunconscious.

Luckily, most of them had pulses still beating their rhythm.

Yetsome of them did not.

Riannon closed the eyes of Luna Selena as a tear trickleddown her cheek.

Her mother’s friend did not make it.

She remembered howmany times she visited The Pearl Moon pack back when shewas still a child and her siblings were alive.

It was a true loss...she heard a noise right next to her and saw some movement under a pile ofwood that was once a table.

She recognised the red dress at once and rushed tohelp Luna Ada to get out.“Hold on,” she mumbled as she was getting the pieces out of her way, “I’ll bethere in justa sec.”Ada was covered in cuts and breathing heavily.

However, Ria was positive thatshe was going to make it.

Her frenemy was of Alpha blood and was supposed tomagic

heal quickly.She got her out and dragged her out of the room in hope that the healers werealready there.

They always had a few teams ready for each Summit.“People are already looking for them,” Riannon told her as she placed her on abench outside, “I am sure he is fine.”“Your law...did you manage...” the woman had trouble finishing her sentences.“Yes, we did it,” Ria tried to calm her down, smiling gently as she brushed thehair out of her face, “It worked.

Alphas went on a break, so most of them left thebuilding.

I am sure your husband is one of them.”“Good,” the Luna in front of her nodded and waved her off, “Go, help the rest.”alphas who were unharmed, who joined them, worked through the restaurant,getting out the injured.

Now the foyer’s floor was covered with bodies of the oneswho died.The rest were taken outside.

Luckily, some of the werewolves were regeneratingfast andsome were even able to join the search party.“I think we are done in that part of the building,” her Beta told her, “The upstairswas not damaged too badly but it would be best to evacuate people in case thebuilding collapses.”“Yes,” Riannon agreed, “Can you arrange that?”“On it,” Maya said and disappeared at once.

This was why she would be the bestsecond-in-command ever.

She was a woman of action.Ria broke one of the vending machines that survived miraculously and got out allthe

coming to their senses.

At the same time, she tried not to think of how many didnot have that luxury today.

And there were too many...She took a deep breath of air, throwing her head back.

Too many thoughts werecircling in her head.

Ambulances started to arrive and she knew that they wouldtake it from there.

But just then she noticed a dark figure behind the cars.He was standing at a distance and it seemed as if he was looking at her and heronly.

A Black long coat, brown hair that touched his shoulders and stormy greyeyes.She clenched her fists and wanted to get to him and kill him.

However, he wasgone in less than a second and she did not know where he went.‘Everett definitely had something to do with it and now she was sure of it morethanever.But that also meant that Roxy had something to do with it as well.Her lips parted at the realisation.

Of course! There was no point for Roxy to behere.

Something told Riannon that Roxanne had read the documents she hadprepared for sure and was supposed to know what she was planning.

She wassupposed to benefit from the divorce.

So, why come when everything was goingsmoothly for her anyway?Unless she had a completely different purpose.

Ria got her phone out and dialledHarmony’s number.

“Yes,” her ex-sister-in-law was not happy to hear her.

Asalways.

“Are you okay?” Riannon decided to play nice for a start since sheneeded information,““Oh, Goddess! How are Bray and Roxy?” Harmony’s intonation changed.

Shedidn’t inquire about her health, though.

“Bray is fine,” she frowned, “We are still looking for Roxy.

Tell me, what time didyou bring her here?”“I don’t remember.

Why?” Harmony was as careless as ever.“We are trying to build a timeline of events here.

This is important,” Riannon lied.Partially.“I think I dropped her off at about eleven,” the girl hesitated with her answer, “Doyouwant me to come over?”“No need,” the ex-Luna replied, “Go back to the pack.

It’s safer that way.”She hung up, not waiting for a response.

She already knew what she wanted toknow.

Roxy was here even before they arrived.

Everyone knew that she was anAlpha’s mate.

After all, Brayden paraded her at the Alpha Ball.

So that meant thatshe could wander freely in the hotel without being suspected of anything.Could she be the one to do it? Or was it just a coincidence?A moan not far from her stopped her train of thought and Riannon went to thatperson to see how she could help.

However, the medics got there first and shedecided to go inside andcheck what else she could do.Inside, the atmosphere was grim.

People were crying over their dead belovedones.

She noticed a line of bodies at the other end of the foyer that wasn’t therebefore and counted atleast eight people.Just then, Gideon appeared with another man in his arms.

Their eyes met and hecarefully placed the Alpha, who was dead on the ground next to the others.

A few seconds and they ran into each other’s arms.

The lycan king pressed hisLuna hard into his chest, burying his face in her hair.“I love you,” he said, and she flinched.

Deep inside, she always knew it.

He wasnot hiding his feelings from her from the very beginning.

But it was the first timehe said it out loud like that.“Gideon,” she looked at him and he took her face into his hands.“I am sorry,” he smiled sadly, “This wasn’t how I wanted to do it.

You deserve somuch better than this.

But seeing how many people lost their mates today...They will never be abledie without letting you know how much you really mean to me.

I decided that Ineed to tell you this now.

And not waste any more of our time together.

I loveyou, Riannon.

More than anyone.

More than anything.

For me, there will neverbe another.

Only you.

You are my life.

And I need you to know this.”“I love you too,” she wrapped her arms around his neck.

She wanted to tell himso much more than that, but he couldn’t wait any longer and his lips crashed intohers.

The kiss was ragged and mad, with the two of them only taking breaks totake a sip of air.

She felt so guilty to feel this happy during such a disaster, sowhen they heard another scream, they both forced themselves to stop.

Therewas still too much work to be done here to be lost in each othernow.“Help!” they recognised Brayden’s voice and saw him running with Roxy in hishands,“ My mate is wounded!”“I need to check on that,” Ria told Gideon.

The redhead was her prime suspectnow and needed to know as much as it was possible.

She needed proof becauseshe knew that simply pointing at the girl wouldn’t be enough.

Especially if it washer.

She went to Brayden and pointed him to another empty bench while the medicswerebusy.“Calm down,” she told him, checking the girl’s pulse, “She doesn’t look too badcomparedto others.

Where did you find her?”“In one of the shops at the back,” her ex informed her, seemingly annoyed.“Then it’s good,” she muttered, “It’s far from the restaurant and the conferencehall.

You could even say that she is lucky.”“Lucky is not the right word here, Ri,” Brayden snapped at her, “She is an omegaand for her it’s not as easy as for the top-ranked wolves!”“And yet she barely has a few scratches,” Ria pointed out, but he ignored her.

Hisattention concentrated on his mate now.

It was interesting how he went fromforgetting about her to only caring about her so quickly.“Anyway,” Riannon stood up, “Good luck to the two of you.

But I am sure she’ll befine.”She went back inside.

After all, she already knew everything that she needed toknow.It went on and on.

And even after everyone who was alive got the help theyneeded; it didnot end.

As the Alphas stayed to discuss the next course of action.“Hardly,” one of the Alphas shook his head, “We have zero proof to blameanyone at this point.”

“Because the foxes and the werebears not appearing at the Summit is not proofenough? ” Ramina snorted, folding her hands on her chest, “Wake up!”“There are a few other alphas who did not arrive,” someone said, “We can’t crossthem out this easily from the list of suspects.”“We will check everyone,” Gideon said, not happy at all with how this was going.“We need to return to our packs for now,” Alpha Caleb of the Jade Moon packsaid, “Incase there will be any attacks.

Whoever did this, wanted to weaken us beforesomething major.“True,” Riannon said, “But their plan didn’t work that well.”“Is that what you think?” one of the alphas growled at her, “My mate just died!And so many of our colleagues!”Lycan King didn’t start the Summit earlier than it was supposed to start.

Wewould all be in that room.

And no one who stayed there is alive now.”“Or maybe this is exactly what the plan was all along!” Brayden gritted throughhis teeth, “Everything is going so smoothly for the mighty Lycan king! He wantedus to take part in his war and we were reluctant.

But look at us now! Everything ispointing at the foxes and the werebears and, of course, any alpha would want toavenge Luna or their dead friends.

And just how lucky is this that the kingannounced the break right before the bomb went off so that he and his preciousnew Luna could get out just in time?!”