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 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
Katrina's POV The icy frost seeped into my bones as the wind howled across the rocky summits. As we ascended more into the mountains, I felt the weight of our mission bearing down on me with each step. The faces of the slain flashed before my eyes, and the remains of the previous fight still troubled me. There was no time to mourn, but we had just about made it out alive. Shaun walked purposefully in front of me, his golden eyes searching the way. The cold air made Mira's breath haze as she walked next to me. We all remained silent. All we could hear were the distant howling of wolves borne by the wind and the crunch of snow under our feet. The temple was near. I sensed it. Legends about a secret temple tucked away in these mountains, unaffected by time or conflict, have persisted for ages. An ancient order of werewolves, warriors pledged to defend a holy weapon—the sole sword that might finally put an end to The Crimson Alpha—were supposed to guard it. However, getting there woul
Katrina’s POV The world continued to rotate. For a minute, I believed I had lost everything as darkness engulfed me. As I pushed myself to walk, I gasped for air in ragged breaths. The air was still heavy enough to choke on with the stench of decaying dead and burning flesh. They had lost the fight. We had had to back off, almost making it out alive. We had been teasing the Crimson Alpha. Now that much was obvious. Beside me, Shaun moaned and clutched his side, his fingers dripping blood. Mira was so tired that her body was shaking and her face looked pallid. We weren't dead, but we were shattered and bruised. Something has to count for that. I took a deep breath and looked around the remains of the former enemy stronghold. It had long ago been wrecked by the battle, and all that was left was eerie quiet and crumbling stone. It was our lone haven of safety and a place to rest before confronting the next nightmare. I had just risen to my feet when I became aware of the wall marks
Katrina's POVThe air was still pulsing with the black energy, dense and oppressive. My limbs shook as I forced myself to get up, my body hurting from the blow. I could still hear the Crimson Alpha's low, mocking voice. "Do you really believe that this will be that simple?" I pumped oxygen into my lungs by clenching my fists. Around me, the battlefield was in flames. It was a sickening, suffocating smell of death, fire, and blood. The zombies weren't stopping, which was the worst part. The enchantment that held them together would not allow them to rest, and they continued to rise. It wasn't normal. False. Shaun landed next to me, gasping for air. His golden eyes were searching the battlefield in despair, his mouth clamped hard. He snarled, "We need to figure out how to stop this." Mira just avoided a zombie warrior's sword before skidding to a halt beside us. "He's getting stronger—that blast." He is consuming them. off their demises. My eyes returned to The Crimson Alpha. His
Katrina’s POVMy bones were cold by the laughter. That voice seemed familiar to me. Heavy, ancient and wrong. The Alpha Crimson. As his enormous figure rose out of the smoke, the flickering firelight created unsettling shadows. His presence was oppressive, and his crimson eyes burned. Mira's face was pallid when she stumbled next to me. "No." Shaun gripped his sword tighter. "He ought not to be present." However, he was. And he wasn't by himself. The earth trembled. Dark energy surged across the air, frigid and inhuman. As the battleground evolved, the wind howled. The first hand then exploded from the earth. decaying. Clawed. alive. I became cold. An additional hand. A corpse emerging from the ground. Then another. And yet another. Until the dead crowded the battlefield. We had lost our fighters. Those who had given their lives for us. They were battling against us now. It felt wrong on the battlefield. The air had become heavy, dense, and strange. It was burr
Katrina’s POVSharp, constant pain throbbed in my ribs, but I made myself sit up. With bodies moving, weapons clashing, and the smell of blood heavy in the air, the battlefield remained a blur. My body was screaming for me to stay down and breathe, but I was unable to do so.With Mira out there, no.She was in charge of a mission that had the power to alter everything, somewhere beyond the mayhem.Shaun squatted next to me, his expression tight. "You ought not to be moving."I cleaned my mouth of blood. "I have no other option."His eyes grew gloomy. "Mira will take care of it."I forced myself to stand up despite the pain in my limbs and let out a sharp exhale. "She must."Because we would all fail if she did.The night was thick with tension and pressed against my skin.Somewhere out there, Mira and her crew were sneaking through the enemy's fortifications, moving like ghosts in the dark. Destroying their supply chains wasn’t just a mission—it was our only chance. If they fa
Katrina's POVThere was chaos on the battlefield. The air was filled with the sound of warriors shouting, bones shattering, and metal clashing. The smell of blood permeated the moist ground under our boots. Everything was going too quickly. I was standing in front of The Crimson Alpha one moment. The next, we were surrounded by war. My troops and his collided. From the woods came the Shadow Cult, their swords harsh and keen, their cloaks moving like liquid shadows. And among it all—Lycans, untamed and unmanageable, destroying everything in their path. Beside me, Shaun was engaged in combat, slaying warriors as they surged at him with his sword, which flashed in the moonlight. Like a ghost, Mira maneuvered between adversaries, striking in unexpected places. Then there was me. I had changed. I felt it in each motion and blow. My strength was unparalleled, and my body was quicker. I was able to sense everything, even the changes in the wind, the movement of the trees, and the blo
Katrina’s POVThick with the smell of rain and worse, the wind howled through the trees.Blood.Smoke.War.My heart was pounding, yet I was standing on the hill with my chest tight and my breathing regulated and calm. His army was spread out over the valley below us like an unstoppable force.The Alpha Crimson.And at last he had shown himself.Shaun was quiet as he stood next to me, his jaw gritted and his blade tightly grasped. Just behind us was Mira, whose fingers were twitching at her sides and whose breathing was irregular. Nobody said anything. Nobody made a move.Since none of us anticipated this.Below, the army was enormous. Thousands. Perhaps more. Lycans. Werewolves. creatures I had never even seen before. Their bodies shifted in the darkness, their luminous eyes flickering in the night. Awaiting. observing.And he stood tall in the middle of them all.The Alpha Crimson.Even from this distance, his presence felt heavy on my chest. His physique was bigger tha