Diva’s POVAlec’s words hung in the air like a death sentence.Kill Ronan.The three syllables crashed through me, heavy and inescapable.I swallowed, my throat dry. “How?”Alec’s golden eyes flickered. “He’s not just a wolf anymore. His power is old. Twisted. He didn’t just curse you—he tied himself to the curse.”I clenched my fists. “What does that mean?”“It means,” Alec said, stepping closer, “as long as Ronan lives, the curse does too. The only way to break it is to kill him.”A shiver raced down my spine.No other way.I wanted to fight it. To believe there was another path. But deep down, in the part of me that had been screaming for answers since the day this nightmare began…I already knew he was right.The ruins around us pulsed, ancient magic crackling in the air. I glanced at the altar—the place where my fate had been stolen from me.Alec’s voice was quiet. “This is where it started.” He met my gaze. “And this is where it has to end.”I exhaled sharply. “Where is he?”Ale
Diva’s POVRonan staggered, his dark eyes wide in disbelief.For the first time—he looked mortal.The shadows that had wrapped around him, feeding his power, shattered. The air rippled, an unseen force ripping through the ruins like a silent scream.Then—A deafening roar.Not from Ronan.From the curse itself.It snapped.The mate bond—the cruel, twisted thing that had chained me to Derek—broke.It felt like a cord pulling too tight, too tight—until it finally snapped.Pain crashed into me. I gasped, dropping to my knees. My vision blurred, my body convulsing from the sheer force of it.Alec was shouting my name.I barely heard him.Because Ronan was still standing.He stumbled back, clutching his chest. Blood poured between his fingers. His breaths were ragged, but his eyes—They still held something dangerous.A slow, painful smirk curled his lips. “You think this is over?” he rasped.I forced myself up, my muscles screaming. “You’re dying.”Ronan laughed.Low. Eerie. A sound that
Diva’s POVThe ruins were too quiet.The remnants of Ronan’s dark magic had faded, leaving behind nothing but cold stone and the thick scent of blood.But something was wrong.I could feel it.The fight should have been over. The mate bond was gone. The curse had been burned away.But a weight still clung to the air—thick, oppressive.And inside me… something had changed.---A New ThreatAlec’s voice broke the silence. “Diva, we need to move.”I turned. His sharp gaze scanned the ruins, his posture tense, like he expected something—or someone—to rise from the ashes.Derek was still recovering. But he wasn’t the same either.His dark eyes locked onto mine, searching. Uncertain.There was no mate bond now. No forced connection.But I could still feel him.Not through fate. Not through magic.Through something real.He pushed himself up with a groan. Alec yanked him up roughly. “We don’t have time for this.”Derek staggered but stood firm, rolling his shoulders. “I’m fine.”Alec scoffed
Diva’s POVThe forest blurred around us as we ran.My breath came in sharp gasps, my chest aching from more than exhaustion. The curse coiled inside me, pressing against my ribs, whispering in my ear.Let go.I clenched my fists. No.Derek ran beside me, his golden eyes flicking to mine every few seconds, like he was afraid I’d collapse—or worse—lose control.Alec led the way, silent. Focused. Not looking back.Because we all knew the truth.If I gave in to the power inside me…There would be nothing left of me.---The Elders’ JudgmentThe Elder’s Keep loomed ahead, carved into the mountain itself, its towering gates covered in ancient runes.The moment we stepped inside, I felt it.A weight pushing down on me.The air here was different—alive.Torches burned with blue flames, lining a long stone hall that led to five figures.The Elders.They sat on throne-like chairs, faces hidden beneath deep hoods. Their power hummed in the air, ancient and unreadable.One of them spoke, their vo
Derek’s golden eyes locked onto mine.But something was wrong.Something cold.His grip on my wrist was tight—too tight. Like he was holding onto something that might slip through his fingers. Like he was trying to convince himself I was still the woman he knew.His chest heaved, his muscles tight beneath his torn shirt. Blood streaked his lips, but he didn’t seem to feel the pain.Because he was too busy looking at me like I was a stranger.Like I was the enemy.A sharp, ice-cold panic surged through me. “Derek, it’s me.”He flinched.I reached for him—instinct, desperation—but he stepped back like my touch burned him.The breath caught in my throat.No.No, no, no.This wasn’t happening.I took another step forward. “Please.”His hands clenched into fists. His breathing was too fast, too uneven. And his eyes—They had never looked at me with fear.Not until now.“What did you do?” His voice was hoarse, almost broken.I opened my mouth, but I had no answer.Because deep down, I alrea
Ronan’s fingers tightened around my throat. Cold. Unrelenting.I clawed at his wrist, twisting, kicking—nothing.He didn’t even flinch.He only smiled.“I missed you, little wolf,” he murmured. “Did you miss me?”His voice was a whisper of silk over steel. A noose disguised as comfort.I tried to shift. Tried to call my wolf.Nothing.An empty void sat where my wolf should have been.Panic clawed up my ribs. “What did you do to me?”Ronan tilted his head, watching me like a wolf admiring a wounded deer.“I didn’t do anything,” he said. “This… this is all you.”I gasped as black mist curled around my hands, twisting up my arms like living shadows.No.No, no, no—I willed it to stop. It didn’t.The darkness only grew. Tightened. Wrapped around me like a lover’s embrace.Ronan’s lips curved. “You’re finally waking up.”Something inside me snapped.I lashed out, my foot slamming into his ribs.He grunted, his grip loosening just enough for me to break free.I staggered back, sucking in s
The forest pressed in around me, thick with silence.The wind carried a warning, a whisper against my skin.I should turn back.I didn’t.I kept moving, step after step, deeper into the unknown. I had made my choice.Find Ronan. Get answers. Before it’s too late.The black mist curled around my fingers again, restless. Hungry.I clenched my fists. It flickered, resisting me before it faded.Not gone. Just waiting.I swallowed hard.Something inside me was changing.And I didn’t know if I could stop it.—A sound behind me.A rustling. Steady. Measured.Not Ronan.But familiar.Derek.The scent of him hit me before I turned.He emerged from the trees, his frame tall, rigid, his golden eyes burning with something I didn’t want to name.Anger.Frustration.Relief.And something else—something worse.I exhaled slowly. “You shouldn’t be here.”Derek’s jaw clenched. “Neither should you.”His voice was rough, edged with something raw.I crossed my arms, keeping my face neutral. “Did Alec sen
The forest was silent.Too silent.The deeper I went, the more the night closed in. The trees seemed taller, darker—watching. Or maybe that was just the paranoia curling around my ribs.The black mist flickered at my fingertips again, restless, eager. It knew.It sensed what I was heading toward.Ronan.The name sent something sharp through me—anger, fear, something deeper I didn’t want to name.I needed to find him. Needed answers. Needed to understand what I was becoming.Derek’s voice echoed in my mind—his warnings, his doubt.I shoved them aside.I couldn’t afford hesitation.Not now.Then—the wind shifted.A scent. Familiar.Not Ronan.Someone else.I stopped. Tensed.A presence.Then—“You’re a fool to come here alone.”A deep, taunting voice.My heart clenched. I turned sharply, muscles coiling, ready to attack.Lukas.Ronan’s executioner. His shadow.The man who had once hunted me down like prey.He stepped out of the darkness, moonlight catching on the sharp angles of his fac
Diva's heart thudded in her ears as she sprinted through the broken gate of the devastated courtyard. Dawn light fought through the dark clouds to cast a deserted battlefield strewn in chaos. Wolves—her loyal pack—poured rapidly around her, their eyes blazing with determination, but in their trail, a wire of tension crackled like lightning. Every step echoed with the urgency of a last stand. Abruptly, without precursor, a low, rasping bellow shredded the air. From ruin and wreckage, the foe appeared—faces twisted by shadow and terror. In this instant, Diva seized her sword in white-knuckled resolve. She rushed forward like a flood, fluid and untamed in action. Her cry, tempered from sheer will, rang out, "For the light and for our future!" The voice itself was a vow that the very darkness looming could not consume. Derek, bloody and marred but with the flame of a true Alpha still burning fierce inside him, stood beside her. His battle-worn eyes blazed like a guardian's whenever they c
The eyes of Diva flew wide as war disappeared into heavy silence. She shuddered in released energy everywhere she looked out over Chapter 83's field of war. The walls of the fortress reverberated with the din of old wars, and broken stone at every splintered pillar reverberated with the history of pain and suffering. But here in the heavy stillness, another noise erupted—a thudding, pounding boom out of the depths of darkness. Her own heart boomed like a mad drum as she moved ahead, her bare feet squelching through rain-sodden passage. Memory of betrayal surrounded her, of hope betrayed that still smoldered beneath. For every step there was the wordless cry of rage and fierce hope that had driven her this far.His resolute and confident eyes now sparkled with uncertainty. She could feel the unspoken anguish from his eyes—a mix of frustration and helplessness—as if their mutual burden of fate had finally begun to break him from the pretence. Each spasm of the enemy lurking in the darkne
Diva closed her eyes and breathed. The process was agonizing—a flood of memories, loss, grief, images, and love threatened to overwhelm her. She wept, the anguish running through her like an arrow. With each tear she wept, something else retreated into hiding. Finally, her heart and spirit opened to show a seething, raw energy that ran through her, full to brimming from the depths within. As she opened her eyes, they glowed with focus and determination. "I am ready to fight for our future," she murmured. As if on cue, the war horns of the enemy rang in the distance. The pack was getting ready to make one final push. Time was short. Diva stepped into the room, moving with slow determination. Derek stood waiting, his gaze sweeping hers with a silent vow and a fear. For a moment, as the initial light of morning sliced through darkness, their union stood whole and unbroken amidst all the earlier trials. "Both of us," Derek whispered, voice soft and obstinate. "Together," she repeated once
Diva's heels pounded the wet road as she rushed down the winding corridors of the citadel. The bewildering events of last night still echoed with every inhalation. She was driven by bitter betrayal and fear of an uncertain tomorrow. Chapter 81's cryptic warning haunted her—the ominous warning that success earned with blood and toil was vulnerable and shadows clung only at an arm's distance. Behind her, the ferocity of battle receded into the distant, persistent hum—a reminder that there were still threats out there, waiting just beyond reach. Her heart racing in her chest, she gripped her sword tightly, every step the result of raw desperation. The pack had regrouped after the last attack, but suspicion and wariness seethed beneath their hides. Every wolf's eye showed the tension, the underlying fear of the unseen threat. Diva's mind remembered Derek's wretched, desperate face as he had promised to live. His heart-rending voice which had once given them a future now was besmirched
She looked at Derek. His own eyes, still burning with determination even though he was hurt, reflected her own horror and shock. They both felt that moment of wordless comprehension that every second now counted.The stranger went on, "Three days from now, judgment will be upon you. Until then, you need to prepare and gather your spread light. Only thus can you try to overcome the darkness that will cover you.".Diva's brain went haywire. Three days. The countdown has begun. Each second was a precious, clockwork moment that could rescue her or nothing. Her heart thumped with adrenaline and utter terror. "And what is your price?" she snarled, voice steady over the tempest raging within her.The stranger's eyes clenched and he gave no swift reply. He extended his hand—a gesture in silence full of potential and threat. The air was charged with tension.Diva hesitated, hand hanging between the palmar calluses of destiny and trembling skin. She knew that to take it would reverse everything
The beat of Diva's heart was a war drum pounding as she led the pack into the ruined courtyard of the stronghold. The sunrise on the horizon-painted with red and gold—a bitter reminder that even a morning plucked from the darkness had horrors yet Chapterunimagined. Every step a battle cry, every breath a challenge of the shadows that would consume them.Diva's gaze scanned the horizon, where morning's earliest light and smoke from burning fires were combined. The enemy was advancing again. From that chaos, the Void awoke from slumber—its strength always on standby, devouring at her whim. She gripped her sword firmly, with brute strength flowing through her, a skill she'd had pounded into her veins and given.By her side, Derek strode with desperate circumspection, his gold eyes blazed hot though welts on his battered frame testified to a struggle of another sort. His hand is still fast around hers, a promise that they should never be parted, no matter what. They had fought for this fl
Diva paused in the doorway of an enormous room. The ground was strewn with shards of broken mirror, each with partial reflections of the past—a past of love, loss, and endless struggle. In the center of the room, balanced atop a pedestal, sat a glowing fragment of mirror. Its beam was peaceful, nearing in upon her.Varin invited them in. "That is the Fragment of Light," he said to them. "It holds in it the promise of rebirth, but at a price. To claim it, you have to let go of that which binds you to your sorrow."Diva's stomach pulled in. Every memory, every sob, every whispered promise was hers. To let it go…was like erasing her very being.She looked at Derek. His eyes silently pleaded with her—a mix of love and sadness that nearly shattered her determination.She closed her eyes for a moment, drawing a jagged breath. When she opened them again, they burned with a fierce resolve. "I choose our future," she whispered. "Not the pain of the past."A brilliant light poured out of the sh
Diva's heart thrummed as she sprinted down the stronghold stone corridor. Every step echoed like a rebellious drumbeat. Wind sliced across her cheek, mixed with the foam and purpose. Before her lay the dark threat beating like a living shadow; behind her lay the pack's warriors in a wall of growls and biding talons.Derek charged at her side, his golden eyes afire with a fierce determination that belied his battered body. His eyes, usually steady and reassuring, now blazed with urgency. During the fleeting interludes between battles, their eyes spoke all that needed saying—a silent vow to hold on, to fight on, no matter the cost.The enemy was no longer dark threat. Mutters had evolved to bellowing. The Void—the hoary, amorphous monster described in halcyon recollection of old myth—came into being. Its presence squeezed against the ramparts of the fortress like a hug of vengeful haze, distorting reality in fiendish, chaotic ways.A slam from the outside wall jarred the fortress brutal
Diva's heart pounded against her ribcage as she sprinted down the fortress corridor, blinded by the black-outs. Every step a frantic trot through the silence of the aftermath. The devastation of the previous day's battle—scorched dirt and acrid shreds of broken vows—remained etched on the walls. Every burst of torchlight made her jump, every figure vanishing into the shadows reminded her of decisions now weighing on her conscience.She gripped her side where the bruise pulsed with pain, but not pain that hindered her—it was betrayal, the cold sting of doubt in her veins. Her mind whirled back to Caelan's words moments before, a poisonous truth that questioned her who she was. Even as the pack bayed her name in triumph, she felt a void gnawing in her chest, as if something was ripped away from her.Derek's dark form emerged from the corridor down the hall. His gait was uneven; each step a tell-tale for a man fighting the battle against fatigue and hidden grief. When his gaze met hers,