Katrina’s POVI sat on the edge of the bed, my fingers twisted together so tightly they ached. My heart pounded painfully in my chest, as if trying to break free from the weight pressing down on it. This was it. The moment I had been dreading since the possibility first clawed its way into my mind. The truth was no longer something I could run from. I had to face it. I had to say it.The door creaked open, and Shaun stepped in. His face was unreadable, but his eyes—those piercing blue eyes—held a storm of emotions I couldn’t begin to name. Pain. Anger. Hope.I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. The words felt like thorns lodged in my throat.Shaun took a deep breath and folded his arms. “Say it, Katrina.”Tears blurred my vision. “Shaun…”“Say it,” he repeated, his voice cracking just enough to make my own heartbreak deepen.I squeezed my eyes shut. I had rehearsed this moment over and over in my mind, but now, standing in front of him, I felt paralyzed.Finally, I whispered, “He’
Katrina's POVThe cell's moist air was heavy with the smell of ancient blood and perspiration. The spooky sound of the steady water leak in the corner just added to my uneasiness. The outlaw sat in front of me, his face wounded and bruised, his wrists shackled. Despite his wounds, a grin formed on his lips. With my heart thumping in my chest, I took a deep gulp. I felt uneasy about him because of something in him. Shaun had personally brought him in for interrogation after he had been apprehended on the edge of our domain. It was my time now. I inhaled deeply before moving ahead. "Who are you?" My fingers shook at my sides, but my voice remained calm. The outlaw laughed, his black eyes meeting mine. He whispered, "That's the wrong question, Luna." "The right question is: Do you really want to know the truth?" A shiver went through my body. "What truth?" His shackles clanked on the chair as he leaned forward. "About the father of your kid. Regarding that particular evening. I gas
Katrina’s POVThere would be war.I felt it in my bones and in the wind's agitated murmurs. There was tension in the air, a calm before the storm. The pack also sensed it. Now they walked differently, taking careful steps and constantly looking for shadows.Davos would arrive. And he wouldn't give up until he had stolen everything from me this time.I watched my soldiers move as I stood at the edge of the training area. Their motions were precise and well-organized. Every movement of their body and every swing of their swords conveyed a sense of readiness. Would that be sufficient, though? Could we really defeat the creature that had plagued my past and now posed a danger to my future?Shaun was standing next to me, his arms folded, his face impassive. However, I was familiar enough with him to sense the storm that was building inside of him. He was upset. He was wounded. Above all, however, he was prepared to battle.With his eyes fixed on the fighters in front of us, he said, "We mu
Katrina's POVThe atmosphere was oppressively tense. Deep inside the neutral grounds, where no pack had control, I found myself standing in the center of an abandoned temple. The smell of wet moss and aged stone filled the cool air. The worn marble flooring were covered in lengthy shadows as a lone lamp burned in the darkness.Advisor Thomas was standing across from me.Shaun was standing behind me, his body tight, his eyes fixed on Thomas as though he thought he might attack at any second. I didn't hold him responsible. Thomas wasn't someone I trusted either. But I need clarification.Thomas grinned, his face composed and at ease. "Katrina, you arrived. That's encouraging. It indicates your willingness to pay attention.I balled my fists up. "My presence should not be interpreted as trust. You claimed to have knowledge. Talk."He laughed and took a hesitant step forward. "Direct and to the point. I honor that. Excellently. Shaun and I didn't move to sit when he pointed to an ancient
Katrina's POVWith heavy footsteps and waves of frustration flowing from him, Shaun paced the room. I tried to calm my own emotional tempest by sitting on the edge of the bed with my arms about me."You can't be thinking about this seriously," Shaun remarked in a furious tone.I let out a slow breath. "Shaun, I'm at a loss for what to do. We require a competitive edge.He tightened his hands at his sides. "Not in this manner. Not with him.I looked into his eyes, trying to make sense of it. "You are unaware of his deceit."Shaun chuckled harshly. "You are unaware that he is speaking the truth."There was an agonizing quiet between us. I could relate to him, and it made my heart hurt. Shaun wished to keep me safe. He wished to keep our pack safe. However, I couldn't get rid of the impression that Thomas had the secret to something bigger.I got up and walked up to him. "Don't you think I should try if there's even a chance he's right and I have more power than I realize?"Shaun gave a
Katrina’s POVShadows flickered around the walls of the deserted temple as the fire crackled softly. I could hardly feel the frigid air pressing in around me. I was trying to make sense of what Thomas had just said, but my mind was too busy and racing."Say that again," I said in a raspy whisper.With his arms folded and an enigmatic expression, Thomas stood in front of me. "Katrina, your son. He will eventually rule over both werewolves and lycans.My throat tightened each breath. My son. My lovely, naive youngster."That’s impossible," I stutteringly said. "He is only a boy. He doesn't even—"Thomas cut him off with, "It doesn't matter what he is now." "His future is mentioned in the prophecy. Depending on the decisions made, he will either bring peace or devastation to the species. Davos wants him because of this. Lucy won't stop pursuing you because of this. They are aware of his identity.I violently shook my head. "No. No, I don't think fate exists. I refuse to allow my son to
Katrina’s POVAs soon as I woke up, the world felt different. There was a problem. The silence was too loud, the air too still.I was gasping for air when I sat up in bed. My chest was thumping with my heart. I listened for the typical noises: my son's steady breathing in the adjacent room, the gentle rustle of the breeze outside, and the guards' silent patrolling footsteps.However, I didn't hear anything.I was in a panic. With my bare feet crashing into the wooden floor, I tossed away the blankets and hurried to his room. The door stood ajar a little. I pushed it wider with shaking hands.There was no one in the bed.My body grew cold, and my vision became blurry. My son is no longer here. The window was open, the curtains fluttered in the early morning wind, and the blankets were thrown away."No." With my body swaying, I whispered my words. "No, no, no."As though he were hiding beneath the covers, I staggered forward and tore them away. With my fingers gripping the covers, I fel
Katrina's POVLucy desired more strength, authority and power. I had always known that. However, this? This was not what I had anticipated.I huddled behind the dense underbrush, my pulse thumping and my breath coming in short gasps. In front of me, tucked up in the bush, were the ancient ruins. Inside was my son. Lucy was, too.Shaun crouched next to me, looking around the shadowed stone walls. "We must act quickly."I took a deep breath to regain my composure. "She will not harm him."Shaun's head jerked in my direction. "You're unaware of that."I balled my fists up. She needs him to be alive. She's looking for something else.He gave a quick breath. "What?"I gave a headshake. "Control."I had been putting everything together for the past couple hours. Lucy had no intention of killing my son. She desired to make advantage of him. to exert authority over Davos. She became much more dangerous as a result.I became tense at a startling noise. A glimmer of activity c
Katrina’s POVThe wind howled through the valley, carrying the scent of blood and smoke, even after all this time. The battle was over, but the land still bore the scars of war—charred earth, shattered weapons, and graves upon graves stretching farther than my eyes could see. I stood at the edge of the ridge, my cloak billowing behind me. The sun was setting, casting an eerie golden glow over the ruins below. It should have been beautiful. Instead, it felt haunting, as though the land itself mourned what had transpired here. Jax stood beside me, his large frame unusually still. He wasn’t the same man who had charged into battle with reckless confidence. None of us were the same anymore. Mira knelt beside a small grave, placing a single white flower upon the fresh mound of dirt. “She was only eighteen,” she murmured, her voice tight with grief. “She was supposed to see the world, not…” Her voice trailed off as her fingers traced the name etched into the stone. Shaun was further
Katrina’s POVAside from the distant moans of the injured and the crackle of dying fires, the battlefield was eerily quiet. Staring at the Crimson Alpha's lifeless body, his once-imposing figure reduced to a heap of broken bones and lost force, made my heart race. The victorious moment, however, felt unjust. hollow. I felt a shudder go through me as a slow, purposeful clap reverberated over the field. When I turned, I saw Lucy Hawthorne standing there. Her icy-blue eyes gleamed with laughter, and her scarlet cloak hardly stirred in the wind. As she stepped forward, her boots stomping on the blood-soaked grass, she exclaimed, "Well done." "You really did a favor for me." Mira tensed up next to me, her hand clenching over her knife. With a low growl, Jax's muscles tensed, poised to attack. Shaun's amber eyes blazed with anger as he took a defensive step forward. Davos, however, was the one who spoke at last. His voice was like steel as he said, "You were never here for him." “You
Katrina’s POVThe battlefield was quiet. My own rapid breathing was the only sound I could hear for the first time since the start of the conflict. The land was covered in blood, with the dead of both enemies and friends scattered like shattered dolls. There was a smell of death, fire, and grief in the air. A feeling of disquiet, more than anything else, was in the air. Beside me, Jax's enormous body heaved with fatigue. His silver eyes looked over the area as though he thought more foes may resurrect. Grasping her arm, Mira struggled to remain upright. With blood streaming from a cut on his forehead, Shaun rested on his sword, but his amber eyes remained alert. The conflict with the Crimson Alpha was over. Why, though, did it seem like we had lost something far more important? My eyes shifted to the Crimson Alpha's lifeless body. His once-dominant body was still, his red eyes permanently closed. The eerie force that had propelled him had vanished, vanishing into thin air. But som
Katrina's POV With the exception of the distant crackling of flames devouring the remains of the dead, the battlefield was strangely quiet. The ground was slippery with the remains of soldiers who had sacrificed their lives for this conflict, and the air was heavy with the smell of blood and burned flesh. I walked over corpses, some I recognized, others I didn't, and my heart ached. The never-ending cycle of violence had taken another person, and each one was a loss. And yet there he was, in the middle of the slaughter. The Alpha Crimson. Despite the devastation all around him, he remained tall and intimidating. His posture eased as if he were just a spectator to the mayhem he had created, and his crimson eyes burned like coals. My body cried out for me to fight, to put a stop to this once and for all, and my grasp tightened around my blade. However, he held up a hand. "We need to talk, Katrina." My whole body hummed with stress as I tightened my jaw. "I have nothing to say to
Katrina’s POVUnease was in the air at the war camp. The tension was oppressive and unavoidable; it adhered to my skin like a dense mist. There was a problem. The absence of food supply had been the first clue. When additional warriors joined our army, we first believed that the rations were being stretched thin, which was a simple error. Weapons, however, disappeared. Our strategy tent's plans outlining our next course of action vanished. Worst of all, fighters were vanishing into thin air. I looked around the camp as I stood outside my tent. Long, unsettling shadows were thrown over the restless warriors by fires that flared in the darkness. They experienced the paranoia and the feeling that something was falling apart inside of them as well. Shaun came over, his face serious. "Last night, another fighter disappeared. a top scout for us. No indication of a fight. It seems as if he just left. Mira folded her arms. "Someone is helping the enemy." I let out a deep breath, my thoug
Katrina's POVEven the most courageous soldiers were hesitant to enter the safehouse since it was tucked away in the deepest area of the forest. It was an area unaffected by conflict or the mayhem engulfing the world beyond the woods. My youngster was protected here.That's what I kept telling myself, anyhow.As the last of the sunshine slipped behind the tall trees, I watched from the doorway of the little wooden home. The soft sound of my son's laughing reverberated within, a tune so innocent that it didn't fit with the burden on my chest.I balled my fists up. The Crimson Alpha's soldiers were gaining momentum as the conflict reached its climax. My troops continued to fight without me for every second I was here. They lost another second life. But leaving was a total gamble. Leaving him was necessary.I turned and stepped inside, feeling a chill. With the flickering fire creating gentle shadows on the walls, the cabin's warmth enveloped me. Mira gave my kid some wooden sculptures t
Katrina’s POVAs we gathered around the frayed scroll, its mysterious lettering flashing in the faint torchlight, the atmosphere was heavy with suspense. Every time my heart beat, it served as a harsh reminder of how much depended on us. We had arrived to the deserted Lycan ruins, a location lost to time, thanks to the mystery. I felt the old carvings under my fingertips as I moved them over the stone walls. Relics from the past. Back when werewolves and lycans weren't adversaries. When they were one, that is. Shaun was standing next to me, looking over the ruins with amber eyes. "This place gives me a bad feeling." Mira let out a loud sigh. "Whether you like it or not, this is where the puzzle took us. Here is the solution. I looked to a big archway at the far end of the room and nodded. Beyond it, the blackness went on forever. I got a weird feeling that we were closer than ever before, like a weight pressing down on my chest. "We move together," I murmured while holding onto m
Katrina’s POVAs we gathered around the frayed scroll, its mysterious lettering flashing in the faint torchlight, the atmosphere was heavy with suspense. Every time my heart beat, it served as a harsh reminder of how much depended on us. We had arrived to the deserted Lycan ruins, a location lost to time, thanks to the mystery. I felt the old carvings under my fingertips as I moved them over the stone walls. Relics from the past. Back when werewolves and lycans weren't adversaries. When they were one, that is. Shaun was standing next to me, looking over the ruins with amber eyes. "This place gives me a bad feeling." Mira let out a loud sigh. "Whether you like it or not, this is where the puzzle took us. Here is the solution. I looked to a big archway at the far end of the room and nodded. Beyond it, the blackness went on forever. I got a weird feeling that we were closer than ever before, like a weight pressing down on my chest. "We move together," I murmured while holding onto m
Katrina's POVThe air shifted around me, thick like a heavy mist, pulling me under. My body no longer felt like my own. The world faded, the ground dissolving beneath me until I was floating in an endless void. I wasn’t sure how I got here—one moment, I had been gripping the scroll the temple guardian had given me, reading its cryptic words, and the next, everything had gone dark. I took a slow breath, steadying my nerves. This was part of the trial. I had known there would be one. The moment I touched the scroll, I felt something pull at me, dragging me into a place beyond the physical world. But I hadn’t expected it to feel so... real. A soft whisper echoed through the void, a voice both foreign and familiar. "You're not prepared." I spun, searching for the source, but there was only darkness. Then, out of nowhere, a figure stepped forward. My breath caught. It was me. Or rather, it was a version of me—one twisted, darker. Her eyes blazed an unnatural red, her lips twisted