NARRATORValdis was a man of secrets and old whispers from the unseen entities who conversed with him in the quiet of the night. He had survived four millennia because he could hear them, those invisible voices. His movements were always directed by their invisible hands, and he had long learnt to comprehend the meaning behind their orders.He had other responsibilities today, though.Maren was standing across the clearing, her hands occupied with knitting delicate, pastel baby garments with meticulous, skilled hands. As she sewed, the smooth cloth fell in tidy rows, and her round belly with their unborn child swayed softly. Her spouse, Tarice, was working nearby. He hacked the logs with rhythmic accuracy, his broad, powerful shoulders flexing with each swing, the sound of each stroke reverberating through the still forest. Hours had passed while he chopped and split wood for the cot. His hands worked swiftly, cutting the rugged, solid timbers into precisely the right shapes. The in
NARRATORHis throat constricted as he swallowed forcefully. His entire body shouted in defiance of the world around him. She had left. Nevertheless, her face was a picture of tranquillity, unaffected by the deterioration that had seized the rest of her body.Sage, as steady and soothing as always, stepped in slowly as he stood there. The healer's eyes grew softer as he saw Mara, her face still bearing the subtle traces of her spirit, her body now completely lost to life's natural processes. With a long, perceptive gaze that seemed to convey more than words could, Sage looked at Rolan.Sage said, "Rolan," in a soft, quiet voice that seemed to avoid upsetting the moment's sanctity. Even though she was unable to be with us completely, she battled valiantly for a long time. Even when her body faltered, her strength and spirit never wavered.Unable to think of anything to say, Rolan just nodded. Every breath hurt in his chest.With his hands resting softly on the bed's edge, Sage approache
NARRATORThe stone cavern smelt like a cross between a herb garden and a lightning storm, with the scent of old magic and old terror filling the space."Not like that," she whispered to herself as she used the back of a discoloured hand to wipe her perspiration-damp hair away from her eyes. No matter how many times she lighted it again, the third candle continued to gutter out. Not good. A really negative sign.Isolde hardly noticed that her knees hurt after squatting on the uneven floor for so long. The body on the altar and the whispers that only she could hear had taken up all of her attention.As she attempted to raise Mara from the dead, Isolde was completely focused on the ritual. The chamber's thick, heavy air hummed with enchantment.The tang of burning incense blended with the heavy plumes of smoke that swirled around the room as the potions bubbled over in their glass flasks.The stone floor was strewn with ancient herbs, their aroma pulsing with vitality. She whispered to h
NARRATORTarice, always stable, stretched out to steady Maren as she changed back, his eyes flitting from Rolan to the ritual setup, his expression full of concern and fascination.Maren's werewolf pregnancy was developing much more quickly than any human pregnancy, as seen by the roundness of her belly. Maren appeared as if she could give birth at any moment, even though it had only been three weeks since they had arrived in Emberstone.Rolan's perplexity increased. What was the whole thing? He had entered what? What did Isolde actually do?The only sound in the room was the gentle rustle of clothes as the three individuals surrounding him absorbed the scene. The incense, the smell of herbs, and the odd, lingering magic that pervaded the coven filled the air. Rolan was caught between the known and the unknown.His voice was raspy with anxiety as he screamed, "Can someone….Explain whatever is going on to me now for me!"With his naked chest and strong muscles, Valdis exuded a commandi
NARRATOR Tarice's expression softened as he also sighed with relief. The tiniest, prettiest smile ever replaced the worry that had so long constricted his face.As if she needed to hear the words again before she could believe them, she said, "She's still with us."The words came slowly, as if a burden had been removed. Although Maren continued to cry, there was a change.As her shoulders relaxed, her hands lowered themselves from her face. She felt Tarice, who was standing beside her, reach down and gently pull her into an embrace. The moment was subtle but profound, a restoration of motherly strength and security.There was hope when Maren looked up at Rolan, her eyes red with tears. "Isn't she alive?" Even though her voice was tremulous, a glimmer of happiness was striving to show. "She's safe, too?"Rolan nodded a little. Yes. She's protected. I’ve promised you.It was evident that Maren and Tarice felt a wave of relief. A weak laugh, full of relief and disbelief, came out of Mar
NARRATORWith her brain reeling from the surge of unadulterated energy, Isolde clinched her teeth. She was unable to stop, though. Not right now. Not when Mara's soul was on the verge of vanishing.Valdis's calm, icy voice broke through the confusion. His keen eyes never left the picture playing out in front of them as he remarked, "It's not enough.""Kael's blood is necessary for Mara's body. Although the bite she received is inside of her, it is insufficient to completely awaken her. It must be brand-new. We require more.Rolan's fists clenched at his sides as his face contorted in rage. Do you want us to find Kael *right away*? In the midst of this? His voice was harsh, full of incredulity and rage.Unfazed, Valdis looked into Rolan's eyes. It's the sole option. Without it, her soul cannot return.It was as if the room held its breath. What they were requesting, what Rolan needed to do, weighed heavily. Low in his throat, Rolan gave a gruff, irritated growl.Nyx, his wolf, was scra
NARRATORShe whispered, "The baby... it knows Mara," with an odd weight to her words. Knowing that she would also be here, that is why the Moon Goddess guided us here. Everything links together.As if responding to her prophecy, the air itself seemed to vibrate as the ground underneath them seemed to throb with her words.However, the room was suddenly shocked just as the tension peaked. Still motionless and cold, Mara's body started to shake. She appeared to be about to wake up for a moment as her eyelids twitched.And then, suddenly, her eyes opened—*black solid*All of them held their breath. Suddenly there was a heavy hush in the room.She then said, "You shouldn't have brought me back," in a voice that was not her own but rather a chorus of several whispers that echoed uncannily across the room.The words made everyone in the room shiver. And the earth itself seemed to be reacting to the evil magic at work, for the storm outside raged again.Something changed as soon as Mara's wo
NARRATORMara moved, bringing herself gently to her feet. She moved rigidly, as if her body was still attempting to process what she was thinking.She glanced around the room, stopping at every face. Valdis, Isolde, and Rolan. Even though they were all present, her gaze remained confused. She seemed to be trying to interpret what she was seeing by blinking.Her fingers brushed the steady beat of her heart as she stroked her chest. It was authentic. It seems.... "alive" Her words was hardly audible above a whisper as she scowled. "How long was I gone?"Mara's eyes briefly lingered on Valdis and Elowen's parents before darting to the other people in the room. Even while it didn't stop the weird sensation churning inside her, something about seeing them alive grounded her somewhat because they had survived the chaos at the Blackfang hideout.The hush was broken by Valdis, whose steady voice carried the weight of unspoken words. He said, "We’ve met before," as he observed her with a knowi
NARRATOR TEN YEARS LATERThe great hall of Ravencrest pulsed with warmth, alive with laughter and the rich scent of roasted meats. Mara leaned against the balcony, the summer wind tugging at the silver streaking her dark hair. Ten years of peace had softened the sharp edges of her once-fierce gaze, but the fire in her soul still burned—just differently now. Not as a wildfire, but as a steady hearth. Below, the celebration unfolded—former slaves and warriors, humans and wolves, all sharing food and drink without hesitation. The sight still took her breath away sometimes. She had spent so long fighting for this moment, she’d almost forgotten how to simply live in it. Her fingers brushed the scars along her ribs, faintly silver in the torchlight. They no longer ached. They were just part of her now, like the stories etched into the walls of Ravencrest. A familiar presence stepped beside her. Zander, his once-brooding features eased by time, slid an arm around her waist. "They’re
NARRATORThe great hall of Ravencrest was alive with anticipation, and the air seemed thick with energy, like the very stones of the building were holding their breath. The banners, draped in silver and blue, hung like silent sentinels, the colors a testament to the old bond between Rolan and Mara. Rolan, gone now, but not forgotten. Silver—the shade of his strength, and blue—Mara’s scars, which had come to define her as much as her resilience. Together, they wove a tapestry that was neither entirely victory nor defeat, but a complex, ever-shifting middle ground.The hall was filled to capacity. Former slaves, who had fought and bled beside Mara, now stood shoulder to shoulder with the warriors of allied packs. The pack of Ashclaw, the remnants of Steelpaw, and the once-proud Ravencrest all united in their shared history. No longer enemies, no longer strangers, but a people bound together by the wars they’d fought and the peace they now sought.Mara stood at the front, her stance unyi
NARRATOR The night was thick with the heavy scent of rain, the wind howling through the trees like a creature on the hunt. Mara felt the storm in her bones. Her labor pains came in sharp, unpredictable waves, each one crashing into her with the force of thunder. The lightning split the sky like a jagged scar, its brilliance painting the walls of the room in a flash of white and blue. Every time the sky rumbled, Mara's body reacted, as if her very soul was syncing with the storm. It was a chaos she couldn’t escape.Elowen was beside her, her hands gripping Mara’s as if her life depended on it, the terror in her eyes barely concealed. "Mara, hold on. Just a little longer," she said, her voice tight with panic. But the truth was, there wasn’t much time left. The storm wasn’t the only threat tonight.Outside, the sound of pounding feet grew louder, the crack of distant gunfire and the howl of wolves cutting through the night air. Mara had no idea how much longer they could keep the door
NARRATORMara woke up with a cold sweat sticking to her skin, her breath shallow, her heart pounding. The night had been long, filled with dreams—visions that felt too real, too heavy. And now, as the first rays of sunlight began to seep through the cracks in the cave walls, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong. Her hand instinctively went to her stomach, the memory of last night flooding her mind. Rolan. The warmth of his touch, the soft whisper of his breath against her skin, the way he made her feel alive in a way she hadn’t been in years. It was a night she would never forget, their bodies coming together in a moment of shared pain, shared hope. But now, as the memories tugged at her, there was a gnawing sense of loss that made her chest tighten. Rolan was gone. She had to accept that. He had died, had fallen to Braxton’s men, trying to protect everything they had fought for. And yet… Something was different now. She felt something shift inside her.
NARRATORThree weeks. That’s how long Kael had been stewing in his own rage, the wound where Mara had bitten off part of his ear still throbbing under the bandages. Three weeks since that bitch had nearly killed him before collapsing, since he’d left her in that room, limp and lifeless—or so he thought. Three weeks since Rolan and his pack of strays had slipped through his fingers again. And now? Now he was done playing. Braxton stood beside him in the dim light of their makeshift war room, a map of Steelpaw’s territory spread across the table. Pins marked Rolan’s last known locations, traced by their informants. One pin, in particular, was jammed deep into the forest near the eastern border—where Rolan’s car had been found, abandoned but not hidden well enough. "They’re holed up in that cave," Braxton muttered, tapping the spot with a scarred finger. "But we can’t just storm in. Not with all of them together." Kael’s jaw clenched. He knew Braxton was right. Rolan wasn’t just
NARRATORTarice stepped into his path, arms crossed. "You go out there now, you’re walking into a trap. Or your grave. Either way, you’re no good to us dead."“We need to strategize.” Rolan’s jaw clenched. His hands balled into fists at his sides. His breath was heavy, the muscles in his neck straining as he fought against the urge to punch Tarice for stopping him."Think, you bastard! Kael wants you reckless. He wants you to charge in blind—"Mara stood up, Elara still in her arms, the baby’s tiny face pressed into the crook of her neck. She felt the heat of the fire behind her and the cold certainty of the moment ahead of her. She could feel it all—the heaviness of the room, the raw anger in Rolan’s eyes, the fear hanging over them like a storm cloud.Pressing a soft kiss to Elara’s forehead, she gently handed the baby over to Maren, her fingers lingering on the little one’s warmth. “Keep her safe, Maren,” Mara said, her voice a little shaky but strong. She could feel the weight
NARRATORMara should’ve known better than to take walks with Valdis.The man never said anything simply; instead, he spoke in riddles. It was all wrapped in layers of cryptic warnings and half-truths that wormed their way into your head and wouldn't leave.He had trapped her as if he had some sinister secret to reveal after just two days in this godforsaken cave."The bloodline of your anointed one is... impure. Cursed by the sins of those who came before him. The Moon Goddess demands balance. Some lines must end," he had muttered, his eyes far away, nearly lost in the sway of the trees surrounding them.Mara had crossed her arms and scowled. "You talking about Rolan’s family?"The only thing Valdis had said was, "The wolf does not choose the poison in its veins," with that knowing, angry smirk of his.How could that possibly imply anything?She dismissed it with a flick of her eyes. But as she paced the cave's boundaries, her heart tense, the words stuck to her like thorns, scraping
NARRATORMara moved, bringing herself gently to her feet. She moved rigidly, as if her body was still attempting to process what she was thinking.She glanced around the room, stopping at every face. Valdis, Isolde, and Rolan. Even though they were all present, her gaze remained confused. She seemed to be trying to interpret what she was seeing by blinking.Her fingers brushed the steady beat of her heart as she stroked her chest. It was authentic. It seems.... "alive" Her words was hardly audible above a whisper as she scowled. "How long was I gone?"Mara's eyes briefly lingered on Valdis and Elowen's parents before darting to the other people in the room. Even while it didn't stop the weird sensation churning inside her, something about seeing them alive grounded her somewhat because they had survived the chaos at the Blackfang hideout.The hush was broken by Valdis, whose steady voice carried the weight of unspoken words. He said, "We’ve met before," as he observed her with a knowi
NARRATORShe whispered, "The baby... it knows Mara," with an odd weight to her words. Knowing that she would also be here, that is why the Moon Goddess guided us here. Everything links together.As if responding to her prophecy, the air itself seemed to vibrate as the ground underneath them seemed to throb with her words.However, the room was suddenly shocked just as the tension peaked. Still motionless and cold, Mara's body started to shake. She appeared to be about to wake up for a moment as her eyelids twitched.And then, suddenly, her eyes opened—*black solid*All of them held their breath. Suddenly there was a heavy hush in the room.She then said, "You shouldn't have brought me back," in a voice that was not her own but rather a chorus of several whispers that echoed uncannily across the room.The words made everyone in the room shiver. And the earth itself seemed to be reacting to the evil magic at work, for the storm outside raged again.Something changed as soon as Mara's wo