Chapter 66: On the Road to the UnknownThe fire was low, crackling quietly in the still night. The weight of exhaustion lay against my bones, but sleep just wouldn’t. Not when my brain wouldn’t shut up.Not when I saw my children’s faces every time I closed my eyes.Elias had settled easily into the rhythm, gazing into the flames with a dazed sort of concentration, but I could tell he wasn’t entirely at ease either. He was waiting. Watching. Not for threats — though those would surely come — but for me.He was there waiting for me to crack.I wouldn’t want to give him the satisfaction.Instead, I curled in tight at the knees and looked into the darkness past the firelight. The forest surrounding us was silent, but it was a deceptive kind of silence. The kind that listened.That waited.“We should leave at first light,” Elias murmured, breaking the stalemate of silence.I exhaled. “Agreed.”“Unless, of course, you’ve suddenly decided to head back.”I shot him a sharp look. “You know th
Chapter 67: Into the Lion’s DenAs we drew closer to the river, the noise of rushing water grew louder, the current filament weaving between dense foliage like a silver snake under the moon.As Elias and I passed through the bank, we looked around. The air was heavy with the smell of damp earth, pine, and something else — something unnatural.“We’re almost there,” I gasped, the adrenaline surging.Humming, Elias rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah. Too close.”I frowned. “What do you mean?”He shot me a look. “I mean, we’ve been walking through rogue territory for hours, and no one’s tried to kill us yet.”I exhaled. “You sound disappointed.”Elias smirked. “Not disappointed. Just… suspicious.”I didn’t blame him.Rogues weren’t the sitting-waiting kind. If they knew we were coming — and I had no doubt they did — then why hadn’t they revealed themselves?I glanced at the area again, my wolf stirring under my skin.Something wasn’t right.As I stepped forward, a deep voice came from the
Chapter 68: Tethered by Destiny, Severed by DesireKade’s utterance lingered between us, dense with unvoiced weight. Come back with me. Three little words, and yet they pierced like a knife to the ribs. My pulse thundered in my ears as I fought to suppress the heat in my chest, ignore the primitive fire burning all the more brightly in his silver gaze. I had run from one betrayal to another for years, had spent my entire life knowing how to survive without depending on anyone. Now fate was brazen enough to gift me a second mate? And not just anyone—Kade. An Alpha. A man I couldn’t afford to let into my life.I clenched my fists. “You do not get to demand this of me.”Kade’s jaw ticked. “No right? Jessica, you disappeared. No warning. No explanation. You gift me with a pack council on my heels defending you as you marched straight into rogue territory armed with a fucking dagger and nothing else but your stubbornness.”“I didn’t ask you to defend me,” I hissed, my voice slicing the air
Chapter 69: Bound in Blood and FlameWe doubled up and ran through the very green forest, the plants meeting us and loosening up. It was sharp air, full of damp earth and pine, the wind cutting through my cloak as we staggered toward the unknown.We’d been running for hours at a punishing speed, which I didn’t mind at all. Every second I spent was another second closer to losing my kids.Kade jogged next to me, his silver eyes raking the shadows for threats. He made no sound, just concentrated, but I could sense him, a fire licking my skin. The mate bond throbbed between us, raw and undeniable, a tie neither of us had asked for but could no longer ignore.Elias matched me on my other side, the usual smirk gone. Even he knew the stakes now. The rogue Alpha—who’d finally introduced himself as Maddox—lagged just behind, studying us with inscrutable eyes.The tension was thick. We all knew what we were getting ourselves into.But we did not speak it openly.Not yet.The Moment the World C
Chapter 70: Giving In To FateUnlike most of the time though—I was half the way through the black sticky forest when I felt the knot between Kade and me, deluging the space with the pulse of connection, thick and unyielding. Whenever I walked away, it pulled me back. It was all I ever wanted, and every time I tried to shove it down, to ignore it, the damn thing flared hotter, burning up my veins like wildfire. I hated it. Hated how my body reacted to him, hated how my wolf purred in response to his presence, how she wanted him regardless of what he was.Elias must have felt it, too, because he sighed dramatically behind us. “So, are we all just not going to acknowledge how you two are giving off enough sexual tension to burn this whole forest down, or —”“Elias,” I snapped, my patience already threadbare.“What? All I’m saying is, if you two don’t deal with this, like, soon, I’m going to have to step in and —”A growl ripped through Kade’s throat so fast, so savagely, that Elias actua
Chapter 71: The Trap We Never Saw ComingEmerging from the dense thicket of woodland, bursting through brush, my objective flashed through my mind, in a sing song sort of chant, skull, skull, skull. Kade was standing next to me, his fingers clenched around my wrist, his body rigid and prepared for anything. Elias trailed closely, his customary smirk replaced by grim concentration. The rogue Alpha, Maddox, hovered just outside of range, his icy gaze scanning the trees as if he were expecting a brawl.Because something felt off.The air too still, the forest too quiet. My wolf paced restlessly under my skin, her instincts prickling with that special kind of warning that got the hairs on the back of my neck to stand on end.I swallowed hard. “Something’s wrong.”Kade nodded, his silver gaze sliding over to me. “I know. Keep moving.”But the feeling just got worse.With every step we took, the discomfort tightened like a spring in my belly.We were stepping into something, and it has felt
Chapter 72 – The AwakeningJessica’s body was weightless, floating between this world and another. This energy flowed in her veins as nothing she had ever known: primal, ancient, wild.Her wrists no longer ached. The burns had vanished, her skin as unmarred as if silver had never sullied her. But she knew better. She had experienced the pain, the torture. She had been tied up, powerless to struggle, could hardly breathe as her captors smothered her.And now?She was free.As she steadied herself, her breath came out in slow measured exhales. Lucian had run. Lucian had run from her. This man, who had tormented her, who had taken pleasure in her pain, had seen into her eyes and ran.Why?The question twisted tight in her mind, but just as she was able to settle into it, footsteps sounded in the corridor beyond.They were coming.Think, Jessica. Think fast.Her body may have healed, but she wasn’t naïve enough to believe she was invincible. Not yet. Whatever power had set her free, whate
Jessica stood paralyzed between Kade and Lucas, her heart hammering against her ribs and her past and future colliding before her.She should be relieved. After all these months running away, just trying to survive, desperately trying to stay alive—her pack had finally found her.But why did it feel so wrong?Lucas’s eyes were hopeful, craving for her to conform, to go back to what she used to be. Kade, however, remained unmoved next to her, barely shrouded dominance barely leashed, refusing to budge.She gulped, wavered on her feet. “Lucas… how did you find me?”His face gave nothing away. “We never stopped looking.”A twinge of guilt knotted in her chest. Had they really been searching for her all along? Or was there another reason for their mysterious re-emergence?Kade growled low next to her, catching Lucas’s ear. “She is not leaving without the truth.”Lucas’s jaw tightened. “This doesn’t concern you, Alpha. She belongs with us.”Jessica exhaled sharply. “I decide where I belong
Chapter 102 – The Mirror’s GambitThe void stretched around Jessica, an endless expanse of shadow and starlight where time felt like a distant memory. Her doppelgänger stood before her, golden eyes gleaming with a cruel certainty that made Jessica’s skin crawl. The figure was her in every detail—same dark hair, same hybrid glow in her veins—yet twisted, as if carved from her darkest doubts and sharpened by her deepest fears. The spark within Jessica burned hotter, a warning and a call to action, but it flickered with uncertainty. Could she fight herself and win?“You’re not real,” Jessica said, her voice trembling but defiant. She clenched her fists, golden energy crackling around her hands. “You’re just another trick of the nexus.”The doppelgänger’s smile widened, cold and sharp. “Trick? Oh, Jessica, I’m as real as you are. Every choice you’ve made, every moment you doubted yourself, every fear you buried—I’m the sum of them. And I’m here to finish what you’re too weak to do.”“Eno
Chapter 101 – The Veil of EchoesThe starfield pulsed around them, each tiny light a heartbeat echoing through the vastness. Jessica stood rooted, her gaze locked on the constellations above—the wolf and the witch, their forms shimmering as if alive, with "Unity Is Strength" blazing between them. The words felt like a promise and a warning, heavy with the weight of choices past and those yet to come. Her hybrid blood thrummed in her veins, resonating with the nexus, but something new stirred within her—a faint, unfamiliar spark that made her skin prickle.“Are we just gonna stand here gawking?” Lucas muttered, his voice sharp but unsteady. He shifted his weight, dagger glinting in the starlight, his eyes darting as if expecting the stars themselves to attack.“It’s not about standing still,” Selene said, her spectral form flickering like a candle in a storm. “It’s about listening. This place—it’s trying to tell us something.”Kade’s growl rumbled low, his amber eyes narrowing. “I don
Chapter 100 – The Fractured Dawn The vast plain stretched endlessly before them, bathed in the soft glow of dawn. Yet, as they walked, the landscape began to shift subtly—almost imperceptibly at first. Colors bled into one another like watercolors on wet paper, and the horizon seemed to stretch and warp as though reality itself were unraveling at the edges. Jessica paused, her breath catching in her throat as she noticed it: the trees that had stood tall and still moments ago now swayed gently despite the absence of wind. The grass beneath their feet shimmered faintly, not with dew but with something more ethereal—a faint, otherworldly glow that pulsed rhythmically, like a heartbeat. “What’s happening?” Lucas muttered, his voice tinged with unease. He glanced around nervously, gripping his dagger tightly as if expecting an attack from the very air itself. “It’s adapting,” Selene replied softly, her spectral form flickering faintly. Her gaze darted across the shifting scenery,
Chapter 99 – The Shattered Constellation The field of stars stretched endlessly around them, shimmering faintly like a sea of fireflies frozen in time. Each star pulsed rhythmically, casting soft light across the group as they struggled to regain their footing after the fall. The air was thick with an otherworldly energy, making it hard to breathe—not from lack of oxygen, but from the sheer weight of what surrounded them. Jessica stared at the constellations above: one shaped like a wolf, the other like a witch. Between them burned the words **"Unity Is Strength,"** glowing brighter with each passing second. Her hybrid nature surged within her, responding instinctively to the celestial display. “What is this place?” Lucas asked hoarsely, his voice barely audible over the hum of energy resonating through the starfield. “It’s not a place,” Selene murmured, her spectral form flickering faintly. “It’s… a nexus. A convergence point where worlds overlap, where choices ripple outward
Chapter 98 – The Fractured Nexus The vast plain stretched endlessly before them, bathed in the soft glow of dawn. Yet, as they walked, the landscape began to shift subtly—almost imperceptibly at first. Colors bled into one another like watercolors on wet paper, and the horizon seemed to stretch and warp as though reality itself were unraveling at the edges. Jessica paused, her breath catching in her throat as she noticed it: the trees that had stood tall and still moments ago now swayed gently despite the absence of wind. The grass beneath their feet shimmered faintly, not with dew but with something more ethereal—a faint, otherworldly glow that pulsed rhythmically, like a heartbeat. “What’s happening?” Lucas muttered, his voice tinged with unease. He glanced around nervously, gripping his dagger tightly as if expecting an attack from the very air itself. “It’s adapting,” Selene replied softly, her spectral form flickering faintly. Her gaze darted across the shifting scenery,
Chapter 97 – The Starfield Revelation The field of stars stretched endlessly around them, shimmering faintly like a sea of fireflies frozen in time. Each star pulsed rhythmically, casting soft light across the group as they struggled to regain their footing after the fall. The air was thick with an otherworldly energy, making it hard to breathe—not from lack of oxygen, but from the sheer weight of what surrounded them. Jessica stared at the constellations above: one shaped like a wolf, the other like a witch. Between them burned the words **"Unity Is Strength,"** glowing brighter with each passing second. Her hybrid nature surged within her, responding instinctively to the celestial display. “What is this place?” Lucas asked hoarsely, his voice barely audible over the hum of energy resonating through the starfield. “It’s not a place,” Selene murmured, her spectral form flickering faintly. “It’s… a nexus. A convergence point where worlds overlap, where choices ripple outward an
Chapter 96 – The Shifting Horizon The plain stretched endlessly before them, bathed in the soft glow of dawn. Yet, as they walked, the landscape began to shift subtly—almost imperceptibly at first. Colors bled into one another like watercolors on wet paper, and the horizon seemed to stretch and warp as though reality itself were unraveling at the edges. Jessica paused, her breath catching in her throat as she noticed it: the trees that had stood tall and still moments ago now swayed gently despite the absence of wind. The grass beneath their feet shimmered faintly, not with dew but with something more ethereal—a faint, otherworldly glow that pulsed rhythmically, like a heartbeat. “What’s happening?” Lucas muttered, his voice tinged with unease. He glanced around nervously, gripping his dagger tightly as if expecting an attack from the very air itself. “It’s adapting,” Selene replied softly, her spectral form flickering faintly. Her gaze darted across the shifting scenery, her
Chapter 95 – The Edge of Twilight The vast plain stretched endlessly before them, bathed in the golden light of dawn. Yet even as the sun climbed higher, casting long shadows across the land, an unnatural chill seeped into the air—a reminder that peace was fleeting, fragile as glass on the verge of shattering. Jessica stood at the forefront of the group, her children cradled protectively against her chest. Her hybrid nature pulsed faintly beneath her skin, a quiet hum of power that both comforted and unsettled her. She could feel it now—the weight of what she had become, the duality within her that refused to be silenced. It wasn’t just strength or resilience; it was something deeper, older. Something primal. “We should keep moving,” Kade said finally, his voice cutting through the tense silence. His amber eyes scanned the horizon, sharp and unyielding, though there was no mistaking the tension coiled beneath his calm exterior. “Where to?” Lucas asked, his tone edged with frus
Chapter 94 – The Dawn of Vigilance The plain stretched endlessly before them, bathed in the soft hues of dawn. The air was crisp and cool, carrying with it the faint scent of earth and dew—a stark contrast to the oppressive weight of the fortress they had left behind. For a moment, the group simply stood there, allowing themselves to breathe without the constant pressure of impending doom looming over their heads. But even in this newfound calm, something felt… off. “This isn’t over,” Selene murmured, breaking the silence. Her spectral form flickered faintly as she scanned the horizon, her gaze sharp and calculating. “It can’t be. Not after everything we’ve been through.” Jessica nodded slowly, her hand instinctively tightening around her children as they stirred slightly in her arms. “You’re right. It’s not over. But maybe… maybe it’s different now.” Kade stepped forward, his wolf retreating beneath his skin but still present, coiled and ready. “Different how?” “I don’t k