The Silver Wolf (Diana and Talon) novel Chapter 223

Chapter Two Hundred Twenty Three

“Alpha, there’s one more thing,” Enzo said, continuing his report. “The Rogue King called earlier and asked for you to call him back. I believe the feral rogue attacks in the Rogue Kingdom have stopped as well.”

Talon looked up from the reports scattered across his desk.

“What about our allied packs?”

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“I contacted all of them. The reports are almost identical. The feral rogues attacking their territories either collapsed or suddenly fled into the forests. Some died almost immediately, while others seemed confused, as if whatever had been controlling them suddenly disappeared.”

Talon leaned back in his chair. For the first time since the attack, there was something resembling relief in his expression.

Talon reached for the phone on his desk.

“I’ll call Damon.”

Enzo nodded and stepped away, giving his Alpha some privacy.

Talon dialed the number used to contact the Rogue Kingdom. The call connected on the second ring.

“Talon.”

Damon’s familiar voice came through the other end. Talon did not bother with pleasantries.

“Damon, how is the Rogue Kingdom? How are Willow and my parents?”

There was a brief silence. Then Damon chuckled.

“Your sister is fine. Your mother is fine. Your father is fine. My kingdom is still standing, and before you ask, yes, I have personally checked on your sister more times today than she appreciates.”

Damon’s voice became serious.

“We lost warriors and pack members. Not as many as we could have, thankfully, but enough. We’re still counting the dead and treating the injured.”

Talon’s jaw tightened. Black Howler was going through the same thing. Victory did not erase

loss.

Chapter Two Hundred Twenty Three

“The same thing happened here.”

“I assumed it did. That’s why I called.”

Damon paused.

“How is the Royal Pack?”

“We’re secure. Our borders are reinforced, and the surviving ferals have either fled or been dealt with. Enzo has patrols searching the surrounding territory.”

“And Diana?”

Talon’s hand tightened around the phone.

“She’s safe. Thorne was stronger than expected. Much stronger.”

Talon looked outside the window at his territory.

Damon became completely silent.

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“Ravenna used some kind of blade made entirely from white magic,” Talon continued. “She stabbed Thorne with it. From what we could see, the blade did something to the dark magic inside him. It separated Thorne from Gideon’s curse.”

“And?”

“The curse disappeared.”

“Just like that?”

“Not exactly. But yes. The darkness left him. The moment it happened, most of the feral rogues controlled by his magic collapsed or fled.“.

“So Gideon’s curse is really gone.”

“It appeared so.”

Damon released a long breath.

“Then I suppose we owe the white witch more than I thought.”

Talon’s expression hardened. There was more to the story. Much more. Damon apparently

sensed it.

“What happened afterward?”

Talon hesitated. He hated what he was about to do. But protecting Diana came before his

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discomfort.

“Thorne collapsed,” Talon said. “He was barely alive. Ravenna was beside him.”

“And?”

“She attacked Diana.”

Silence,

“What?”

Talon’s jaw tightened.

“She attacked Diana and escaped with Thorne.”

Damon’s voice became dangerously quiet.

“The white witch attacked the Silver Wolf?”

“Yes.”

“After Diana trusted her?”

“Yes.”

“After Diana allowed her inside Black Howler and protected her?”

Talon closed his eyes.

“Yes.”

He felt sick with every answer. Because technically, none of it was entirely false.

Ravenna had attacked Diana.

She had disappeared with Thorne.

What Damon did not know was that Diana had ordered her to do it.

Talon hated twisting the truth this way. But he would do it again if it meant protecting his

mate.

“The white witch betrayed us?” Damon asked.

“She betrayed the trust everyone placed in her,” Talon said. “Diana treated Ravenna as a friend. She trusted her. Ravenna was supposed to protect her.”

Damon was silent for several seconds.

Chapter Two Hundred Twenty Three “Diana must be devastated.”

Talon looked down. His chest tightened.

“Yes,” he said quietly. “My Luna is.”

The lie hurt more than he expected.

Because Diana was hurting. Just not because Ravenna had betrayed her. She was hurting because of him. Because he had walked away from her. Because he had looked at her with disappointment. Because he had accused her of choosing Ravenna and Thorne over him, their pups, and their pack.

And although Talon still believed Diana had made a reckless decision, he knew he had hurt her with his words.

“We should be with mate“, Fenrir murmured.

Talon ignored him for the moment.

“Where are Ravenna and Thorne now?” Damon asked.

“We don’t know. Ravenna used magic to take them somewhere. My trackers have been searching since last night. Her coven is searching as well. No scent. No magical trace. Nothing.”

“So they vanished.”

Damon growled.

“That may become a problem. If the curse truly left him, perhaps not. But if it returns-”

“We’ll deal with that when the time comes.”

Damon became quiet again.

“Is Diana well enough to speak with Willow?”

“Not tonight.”

Talon answered more quickly than necessary.

“She needs to rest.”

“Understood.”

“I’ll contact you soon when Diana is rested. She’ll want to speak with Willow and my parents herself.”

Chapter Two Hundred Twenty Three

“I’ll let Willow know.”

“Goodbye, Damon.”

Damon laughed.

“Goodbye, brother.”

The call ended. Talon slowly lowered the phone.

Brother.

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Not long ago, he probably would have snarled at Damon for calling him that. Now he barely noticed.

His thoughts had already returned to Diana. The office suddenly felt unbearably quiet. Talon looked toward the windows.

The sky had darkened. He frowned. When had that happened? He glanced at the clock. Late evening. Talon froze.

He had left Diana that morning. Morning.

He had walked away from their suite because he had needed time to control his anger. He had intended to check on the pack, speak with Enzo, clear his mind, and then return.

But one problem had turned into another. He had checked on the warriors. Inspected the borders. Spoken with families who had lost loved ones. Reviewed casualty reports. Met with Enzo. Answered messages from allied packs. Spoken with Damon.

And somehow an entire day had passed.

He had not gone back to Diana once. Worse, he had not even mind–linked her. Talon’s stomach dropped.

“Mate“, Fenrir said accusingly.

“I know.”

“We left her alone.”

“She needed rest.”

“That is what you told yourself.”

Talon frowned. Fenrir was right.

Was Diana still resting? Had she eaten? The healer had told them that carrying two pups

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would exhaust her more quickly. Her body was still recovering from the battle.

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Talon stood so abruptly that his chair rolled backward. Enzo looked up from the reports he was organizing.