Katrina’s POVI was looking at the silver-eyed man in the woodland one second. The world disappeared the next. Suffocating cold air, as thick as smoke, enveloped my body. I was unable to see or move. Then the blackness dissipated as abruptly as it had appeared. The light came back, and I gasped, my heart hammering against my ribs. Shaun was already on the move, looking around the trees with his sword drawn. Mira was breathing heavily as she stood next to him, blade in hand. The odd man had vanished. Once more, the woodland was quiet. However, something had changed. It sent a chill through me. Although I had no idea what had just transpired, I was aware that this was a warning. And my son was involved in some way. After that, we didn't communicate much. We were on edge from the experience. As we rode, each of us deep in contemplation, the silence followed. By evening, we had arrived at our camp. The warriors were huddled around the campfire, whispering to one other. All ey
Katrina's POVThere was silence in the night.Too quiet.My thoughts were racing as I sat by the fire and gazed into the flames.For the time being, the warriors had ceased muttering about my son. However, I was aware that the worry persisted.Buried beneath the surface, it remained.Awaiting.Sitting next to me, Shaun was honing his blade. His eyes were far away and his jaw was clenched. This was how he had been ever since the battle with the warriors.He was concerned about more than simply them.He was concerned about me.regarding our son.I let out a slow breath. "Shaun?"He continued to sharpen. "Well?"I paused. "Do you think I'm doing something wrong?"His hand froze.He paused for a long moment before turning to face me. "No."I took a swallow. Why, therefore, do I feel as though I'm losing everything?He didn't respond.since there was no response.The wind was the first indication of trouble.It was a weird, icy whisper that made my bones tingle.All of my instincts
Katrina's POVIt was chilly outside. It smelled like blood, smoke, and something else, something sinister. Even though the Shadow Cult had disbanded, I could still hear what they had said. "We have come for the child." "He is meant to be ours." "You cannot fight fate." I tried to get rid of the cold in my bones by putting my arms about myself. However, I wasn't shaky because of the cold. Fear was the cause. Not for me. For him. For my son. There was silence in the camp. Too quiet. I sensed it in the air, in the tentative, apprehensive movements of my troops. For years, they had fought with me, through death and blood. However, now... They were scared now. Not the enemy's. Not during the conflict. But of what my son could grow up to be. I could see it in their eyes as they observed him. They thought I couldn't hear them, but I could hear it in their murmurs. "What if the cult is right?" "What if he is dangerous?" "What if Katrina is making a mistake?" My chest
Katrina's POVDorian's treachery still stings. My chest was scarred, more deeply than any sword could cut. I had put my trust in him. I believed him to be faithful. However, terror transforms people. Ultimately, he had put himself before us. He was now gone, captured by the Shadow Cult. We were almost about out. barely made it. And I was certain that this fight was far from ended. Not even close. Until we were at the mountains, we continued to run. The darkness we had left behind had already engulfed the woodland far behind us. Here, the air was colder and thinner. Even though it was harder to breathe, I continued. We needed to keep going. We needed to locate Thomas. Because Thomas was still out there, despite the Shadow Cult's desire for my son. Still making plans. I'm still watching. Shaun strolled silently next to me, his eyes as steely as iron. Mira rode forward, surveying the route. There was no mention of Dorian's name. The pain of his treachery had been f
Katrina’s POVThe temple trembled.With its eyes blazing into me, the enormous wolf deity growled.Power, the kind that made my skin crawl, was in the air.I could still hear Mira's remarks."We have to seal it again… with blood."Thomas, too?He simply stood grinning.As if he was aware that I was stuck.He seemed to be waiting for me to snap.I gripped my dagger tightly. My thoughts were racing.There must have been another route.In order to clean up Thomas's mess, I wouldn't sacrifice anyone.I wouldn't allow him to prevail.Then— The earth gave way beneath us.With a roar so powerful it split the air in two, the wolf deity raised its head.I stumbled back, my vision hazy.The voice then came to me.deep. old.Not the deity.Not Thomas.A worse thing."Enough."A shadow descended upon the space.It wasn't divinely inspired.It wasn't from the walls of the temple.It came from another source.Something larger.The enormous head of the wolf deity turned slightly as it froze, as if
Katrina's Pov Zevran's heart was the precise target of the swiftly flying knife. But the shadows shifted before it could get to him. They swallowed the sword whole, wrapping themselves around it. Lost. As if it had never existed. Zevran did not blinked. Something wicked and delighted filled his eyes as he continued to stare at me. "Katrina, you'll need to perform better than that." Behind him, the wolf god moved, its claws scuffing the stone floor. The sound chilled me to the bone. We were unable to prevail. Not in this place. Not right now. I looked over at Shaun. "We must leave. Right now. He nodded, though his hold on his sword tightened. Already, Mira and the others were on their way, stumbling toward the door. Zevran's head cocked. "You believe that you can run?" He spoke in a soothing, compassionate tone. It was as if he had endless time. I didn't respond. I simply took Shaun's hand and fled. Behind us, the temple trembled, and I could still hear Zevranlaugh
Katrina's POVThe road ahead was dark and never-ending, with the trees enclosing us like silent guardians. My ribs were sore from the struggle, my body hurt, and my mind was clouded by all that had transpired. We had just managed to get away from the Shadow Cult. We lacked sufficient strength. Not quite yet. The smell of moist ground, night, and something more that made my skin crawl was borne by the breeze. I didn't believe the silence.Shaun strolled silently next to me, his jaw gritted. His rigid movements served as a reminder of the struggle we had just managed to survive. With her knife always close at hand, Mira was in the lead. The others trailed after, moving slowly, worn out but resolute. All we could do was keep going. To stop was to die. Zevran would have more time to locate us if we stopped.Here, the air felt different. heavier. False. Like a predator lurking in the shadows, I sensed something observing us and pressing on my senses. I knew Shaun felt the s
Katrina's POVSilently, we strolled. My flesh was burning, even though the night air was cool. Everything else was drowned out by my thoughts, which were too loud. It was the Crimson Alpha. He was still alive. He desired authority. He desired to be in charge. I had to decide what to do about it immediately. With his fists clenched and his jaw taut, Shaun strolled next to me. Mira kept looking back to see if anyone was pursuing us. I didn't anticipate him pursuing us. He didn't have to. He had offered. He was waiting now.At last, Shaun said something. "We cannot rely on him."I gave a nod. "I understand."Mira let out a sigh. "Can we fight him, though?"Quiet.Shaun let out a loud sigh. "We must."That was what I wanted to think. Yes, I did. But I had witnessed his strength. I sensed it. The way the earth shook at his mere presence, the way the air hunched around him. He wasn't your average Alpha. He was unique.Mira spoke softly. "What if he is correct?"I fel
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