The walk back to their house was quiet.
The village had settled in for the night, the warm glow of lanterns flickering in windows, casting long shadows across the forest path. The crisp Montana air carried the scent of pine and damp earth, but underneath it all, Willow still smelled blood. The rogue attack lingered in her mind like a dull ache. Nova had retreated, slipping into the back of her consciousness to give her space. Atlas had done the same for Theo. It was just them now. Theo walked beside her, his blue eyes sharp even in the dim light. He hadn’t said much since they left the warriors, but Willow felt him—felt his concern pressing against the bond they shared. They reached their cabin a few minutes later, the cozy wooden structure nestled among the trees. Inside, the scent of cedar and leather greeted her, grounding in its familiarity. Theo shut the door behind them, locking it out of habit. Willow exhaled. “I’ll make dinner.” Theo smirked. “You’re actually going to cook?” She shot him a glare. “I do cook sometimes.” He held up his hands in mock surrender, his lips twitching. “Fine. I’ll set the table.” Dinner was simple—steak, seared to perfection, with a side salad that Willow knew Theo would ignore. Sure enough, when they sat down, Theo immediately reached for the steak, expertly cutting into the tender meat. Willow raised a brow. “You forgot something.” Theo didn’t even look up. “I didn’t forget.” She stabbed a piece of lettuce and pointed her fork at him. “Eat your salad, Theo.” He finally glanced up, smirking. “No.” Willow narrowed her eyes. “I will throw this at you.” He popped another piece of steak into his mouth. “You wouldn’t waste food like that.” She huffed and stabbed a tomato off his untouched plate, making a dramatic show of eating it. “You’re setting a terrible example for the pack.” “They can eat their salads. I’ll eat what I actually want.” Willow rolled her eyes but let it go, focusing on her own food. Theo watched her as he ate, something unreadable flickering in his gaze. She knew he was waiting—for her to talk, for her to admit that the note was still gnawing at her. She wasn’t ready to. So she focused on dinner, on the simple comfort of a warm meal shared with her mate. Afterward, Theo put on a movie, some action flick he’d seen a hundred times but still enjoyed. Willow curled up next to him on the couch, her head resting against his chest, but she wasn’t paying attention. Her mind kept circling back to the note. “The one with the fire hair. The wolf with two souls. She is the key. Find her. Bring her. Or he will come.” A shiver ran through her. Theo shifted beside her. “You’re thinking about it.” Willow exhaled. “I can’t help it.” His arms tightened around her, his thumb brushing idly against her arm. “We’ll figure it out.” Her frustration flared. “That’s just it, Theo. We don’t know anything. We don’t know who ‘he’ is, we don’t know why the rogues are looking for me, and we don’t know what the hell any of it means.” Theo was quiet for a moment. Then, he tilted his head down, pressing a kiss to her temple. “I don’t like not knowing either. But we’re not alone in this, Willow. We’ll find answers. And until then…” His lips brushed lower, just beneath her jaw, and a small shiver ran down her spine. She swallowed hard. “Until then?” Theo smirked against her skin. “I can think of a few ways to help you stop thinking.” Her pulse jumped. Something shifted between them, the weight of her frustration curling into something else entirely—something heated and raw. She turned in his arms, meeting his gaze, and then she kissed him. Theo responded instantly, his hand sliding into her hair, pulling her closer. His lips were warm and insistent, stealing every thought from her mind. She pressed against him, straddling his lap as his hands gripped her waist. Her fingers tangled in his dark hair, nails scraping lightly against his scalp, and he groaned into her mouth. The movie was forgotten. Everything else was forgotten. There was only this. Only him. His hands moved, slipping beneath her shirt, his palms warm against her bare skin. Her breath hitched as he trailed his lips down her neck, his teeth scraping just slightly—just enough to make her gasp. She tugged his shirt over his head, and he wasted no time doing the same for her. There was a brief moment of stillness, their eyes locking, a silent acknowledgment of what was about to happen. Then, Theo moved, his hands gripping her thighs as he lifted her, guiding her back down onto the couch. Willow gasped as his lips claimed hers again, and the world melted away. Theo devoured her mouth with his as he pushed down her jeans with one hand, the other massaging her breasts. Willow shoved his pants down and threw them behind her, not caring where they landed. She slid her hands around his neck, down his back, drawing him close with a moan. Finally, Theo sank into her with a groan. She gasped at the sheer pleasure and dug her nails into his back as he began to move. When it was over, she was exhausted, her body spent and tangled with Theo’s. He pressed a lazy kiss to her temple before scooping her up effortlessly, carrying her toward their bedroom. She hummed sleepily against his chest. “You know, I can walk.” “I know.” She didn’t argue. Theo set her down gently in bed, slipping in beside her, his arms wrapping around her once more. She felt safe here. Warm. For the first time that night, the anxiety in her chest faded. But it didn’t last. Willow woke before the sun had even begun to rise. Her heart was pounding, an unfamiliar dread sitting heavy in her stomach. She lay still for a moment, trying to push it away, trying to breathe. Theo was still sound asleep beside her, his arm draped over her waist. His warmth usually soothed her, but right now…it wasn’t enough. She ran a hand over his forearm, feeling the sparks that always ignited between them. Nothing. The anxiety didn’t fade. Damn it. Carefully, she slipped out of bed, grabbing a pair of leggings and a long-sleeved shirt before stepping outside. The air was cool, the forest eerily quiet. She needed to run. She shifted smoothly, Nova taking over with ease. The wolf didn’t question the decision. She just ran. Willow kept to the border, stopping occasionally to check in with the warriors on patrol. Everything seemed normal. Until it wasn’t. She caught the scent first—faint, but wrong. Nova bristled. Rogues. Willow’s heart slammed against her ribs. She sniffed the air again, confirming it. The scent was fresh. They were close. She mind-linked the warriors instantly. “Rogues. South border. Move now.” Then, she reached for Theo. “Theo—“ Pain. A blur of movement. Then nothing. When Theo woke, the bed was cold. Something was wrong. Then, the mind-link hit him. Not from Willow. From Luka. “Alpha! It’s Luna! The rogues—“ Theo was already out of bed, his heart slamming against his ribs. “Where is she?” Luka’s voice was tense. “Gone.” Theo’s blood turned to ice.Theo woke to silence. A cold, unnatural silence. His body was warm, the scent of pine and wildflowers lingering in the air—Willow’s scent. But something was wrong. His arm stretched across the bed, fingers searching for her familiar warmth. Nothing. Theo’s eyes snapped open. The room was dimly lit, the early morning light barely creeping through the window. The space beside him was empty. Panic surged through him, sharp and sudden. He reached for the bond. Nothing. His chest tightened, breath catching in his throat. The bond was there—but faint, distant. It was like trying to hear a whisper through a storm. Then, the mind-link slammed into him. “Alpha!” Luka’s voice, sharp and urgent. “It’s Luna! The rogues—she’s gone!” The world stopped. Atlas snapped inside him, rage and panic crashing together in a violent storm. Theo was out of bed before the words fully registered, his bare feet hitting the wooden floor hard. Gone? Theo’s mind barely formed the thought before his
Willow woke to pain. A dull, aching weight pressed against her body, making every movement feel sluggish and heavy. The air was thick and damp, carrying the scent of stone, rot, and wolves—too many wolves. She inhaled slowly, trying to clear the haze from her mind. Something was wrong. She blinked against the dim light, her vision swimming as she took in her surroundings. Rough stone walls. A single flickering lantern casting weak shadows across the floor. Cold air brushing against her bare arms. Her wrists— A burning sensation sizzled against her skin. She looked down and found thick, silver-lined shackles clasped around her wrists, attached to a chain bolted into the wall. Not enough to sear through her skin, but enough to sap her strength—enough to keep her from shifting. Willow clenched her jaw. “Nova?” Silence. Panic flared, but then, just barely, she felt her wolf stir—weak, distant. “I’m here,” Nova whispered, her voice strained. “But I feel… drained.” So it wasn’t
Theo ran. The night was thick around him, the forest stretching endlessly in every direction. His paws tore into the earth, muscles coiled tight with every bound. The warriors followed, their dark forms weaving like shadows through the trees. But Theo didn’t hear them. Didn’t see them. All he could feel was the mate bond—thin, weak, unnatural. Willow was out there. Somewhere. Alive, but distant. Something was cutting through the bond, muffling it. That was the only reason he wasn’t ripping through the forest, following the connection straight to her. And that was what terrified him the most. They had done something to her. To his mate. Atlas snarled inside him, so violent, so furious, that Theo’s vision blurred with it. His wolf was on the verge of snapping free, no longer willing to be leashed by reason. He needed her. He needed her now. “Hold on, Willow,” he thought fiercely. “I’m coming.” The air was heavy with tension, the warriors silent as they ran.
Theo stood frozen, his breath coming in sharp, uneven pulls. The message burned in his mind, the words seared into his mind like a brand.“The fire-haired one belongs to us now. She will forget you. And when she does, she will destroy you.”The paper crumpled in his fist.The forest was deathly silent.His warriors watched him carefully, their bodies still, their ears perked, waiting for a reaction. Waiting for their Alpha’s next command.But Theo couldn’t speak.He couldn’t breathe.“She will forget you.”The words rattled inside his chest like a cage, tightening, constricting, pressing down until it felt like his ribs might crack under the weight of it.Atlas howled, his anguish ripping through their shared mind like a blade.No.No, she won’t. She can’t.The mate bond was faint, but it was still there.Wasn’t it?He reached for it again, stretching his mind, trying to grasp onto anything.Nothing.A hollow emptiness.Theo’s knees nearly buckled. His hands shook as he squeezed them
Theo barely felt the shift.Atlas exploded forward.But something was different.The change was instantaneous—too fast, too smooth. Even for him.There was no slow breaking of bones, no painful rearranging of his body. Just a pulse of something deep, something raw, something ancient—And then he was running.Faster than he ever had before.Luka and Darius were only a second behind him, shifting into their wolves to follow. But they were slower. Too slow.Because Theo was moving like something else entirely.He didn’t think about it.He couldn’t.His paws slammed into the earth, his breath came in ragged bursts, and Atlas was a storm of fury and agony.He didn’t know where they were going.Didn’t know where the trail would lead.It didn’t matter.They would find someone.And they would make them talk.The scent of a rogue drifted through the trees.Theo veered left without hesitation, his body a shadow in the dark.The rogue never saw him coming.One moment, he was standing there, adju
Willow sat in the cold, damp cell, her back pressed against the stone wall.The air smelled of mildew and blood—her own, she realized distantly. The cuffs around her wrists had bitten into her skin from her earlier attempts to break free. She wasn’t fighting anymore.There was nothing to fight against.Nothing was happening.Just silence.It stretched through the room, thick and suffocating, pressing in from every side.It was the kind of silence that made the world feel distant. Unreal.The kind that made her feel like she didn’t exist at all.The door creaked open.She didn’t flinch.She didn’t even look up.She already knew who it was.It was him. The one who had taken her, the one who watched her like she was a puzzle waiting to be solved.He stepped inside with the same casual confidence, his footsteps slow, deliberate.Willow could hear the faint rustle of his clothing, the controlled cadence of his breathing. He wasn’t in a rush.Because he had already won.She hated that thoug
“Selene.”The moment Willow spoke her true name, the world fractured.She was no longer in the damp, suffocating cell.She was somewhere else.Somewhere she had been before.The air was thick with smoke and ash.The sky burned in shades of gold and crimson.The ground beneath her feet—scorched. Stained red with the blood of the fallen.She stood at the center of a war.Wolves lay slaughtered around her. Some still twitched, some still clung to life, but none would survive.And yet—she felt no fear.Because this was her war.And she was born for it. She was the reason for it. A voice cut through the chaos.“Selene!”She turned—and saw herself.No.Not herself.Her mother.A woman with wild red hair and piercing green eyes, her body covered in blood and battle scars.She was beautiful. She was terrifying.And in her arms—A child.A baby with fire in her veins.The child reached out, grasping at the smoke-filled air.And suddenly—Selene remembered.She was not just a Luna.She was not
He stood in the shadows, watching.He did not pace. He did not fidget.He had waited too long for this moment to betray himself with impatience.The girl—Selene—sat motionless in her cell, her red hair falling over her face, her breathing steady, almost too steady.She was close.He could feel it.The spell had worked.The mate bond had been cut off-not broken, but sealed away, buried beneath layers of magic older than the packs themselves.Without it, she had nothing tying her to this life.Nothing but the past.And now?Now it was only a matter of time before the past consumed her.For so long, she had been lost.Buried under a false name, a false life.A Luna of the Onyx Pack. A mate. A lover. A woman who did not exist.He had watched. He had waited.He had seen the way she laughed, lived, loved.A tragedy.A waste.She was never meant for that life.She was meant for this.For war.For power.For vengeance.She had been forged in fire and blood.And now, at last, she would rememb
The woods were still this time of day. The kind of stillness that came not from silence, but from peace. Not the tense hush before a storm—but the exhale that follows one. Two wolves darted between the trees, pelts flashing silver white and black as they raced toward the river. Nova and Atlas—Selene and Theoden. They weren’t chasing anything anymore. Just the wind. Just the freedom they’d fought so hard to earn. They reached the river at the same time, skidding down the bank and crashing into the water with a roar of splashes and barked laughter. A few moments later, two smaller wolves barreled out of the woods, one dark gray with white paws, the other reddish-gold with eyes too clever for her age. Their children. Kael and Lyra. They tumbled into the shallows, wrestling their parents with soaked fur and wagging tails, before the whole family finally shifted back to human form, dripping and breathless. Selene grinned as she squeezed water from her hair. Theoden pulled her close, p
The earth felt still again. Not dead. Not dormant. Just… still. Like the world had exhaled for the first time in centuries and was finally resting. Selene stood at the crest of a hill just outside Silvercrest, the wind brushing through her hair. The sky was soft, the clouds drifting like whispers. Below her, warriors were gathering. Onyx wolves, Silvercrest wolves, and the remnants of what had once been scattered. Now, they were united. Whole. Behind her, Theoden walked up the hill, his steps quiet. He wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder. “Ready?” he asked softly. Selene leaned back against him. “I think… I’ve been ready for this more than anything else.” He kissed her temple, slow and lingering. “Then let’s go home.” They returned to Silvercrest first, gathering their things, tending wounds, thanking those who had fought beside them. Cassiel had moved in with the pack. It seemed fitting for the last Elder to be with the pack that guarded t
Theoden stood at the base of the archway, staring up at the massive stone door. It towered above them, ancient and unmoving, but alive in a way that made his skin crawl. The markings etched into its surface pulsed faintly, like the thrum of a heartbeat buried in rock. This wasn’t just a door—it was a wound in the fabric of the world. And they were finally going to seal it. Selene stepped beside him, her fingers brushing against his. “I remember,” she whispered, her voice steady. “I remember the words. The symbols. The rhythm.” “So do I,” Theoden replied. The last time these words had been spoken, it was by a circle of Elders. But instead of sealing the door, they’d used the ritual to erase Selene and Theoden—trapping their souls outside of time, tearing them from the world. The Elders had feared the door, but more than that, they feared the ones born to protect it. This time, the ritual would not erase them. This time, it would fulfill its purpose. Selene turned to Luka and Da
Theoden sat beneath the silver light of twilight, his back resting against the base of a cracked pillar. Smoke still curled through the trees from what was left of the battlefield, and the earth beneath him was scorched, still warm to the touch. But the worst of the fire had passed. The world was still standing. He was still breathing. He closed his eyes, inhaling slowly as he pressed a hand over his chest, where the embers of Atlas’s flame had entered him. The skin there still burned faintly—not in pain, but with something deeper. Something sacred. “You should be resting.” Atlas’s voice drifted into his mind again. Still present. Still alive. Theoden smiled faintly. “I am.” “No, you’re brooding.” A breath of laughter escaped him, but it came out soft. Fragile. “Maybe.” A long silence passed between them. “You weren’t supposed to come back,” Theoden said finally. Atlas’s voice was steady, almost too calm. “Neither were you.” Theoden let his head fall back against the ston
Aylexelen shattered into light. It wasn’t like before—no scream of rage, no final attempt at vengeance. Just one long, drawn-out silence as Selene, Nova, and Atlas poured every last ounce of their power into him. The golden light from Selene’s chest merged with Nova’s brilliance and Atlas’ fire, converging like the universe itself had been holding its breath for this moment. And then—he was gone. Ash. Dust. Nothing. The silence that followed felt too heavy to be real. Selene stood there, barely breathing, her power still pulsing at her fingertips. Nova hovered beside her, glowing in her own separate form, but Selene didn’t feel triumphant. She didn’t feel relief. She felt…something. Wrong. Her chest twisted. She turned. And her world collapsed. Theoden was lying in the dirt. Not moving. Not breathing. “No—” His skin was pale. His lips parted just slightly. His beautiful blue eyes—those eyes that had stared into hers with fire and love and life—were closed. And the b
The battlefield was glowing. Golden light and blazing fire twisted through the smoke, dancing across the scarred earth like twin storms. Nova and Atlas moved as if they had always existed separate from their hosts, as if their power had always belonged to this plane. They were magnificent—unstoppable. One, a shimmering beacon of celestial light, the other a relentless inferno tearing through darkness. Selene and Theoden stood at the center of it all, the door looming behind them. A structure ancient beyond measure. Carved from obsidian stone, humming with quiet power. And standing before them—Aylexelen. His silver eyes shone with amusement. And beneath it, something else. Hunger. He raised a hand, and the corrupted creatures that slithered and crawled behind him surged forward. But they didn’t reach Selene or Theoden. Atlas shot through the front line, a living flame ripping into the monstrous shapes, burning them into nothing. Nova followed a second later, glowing so brightl
The world tilted sideways.Selene sucked in a ragged breath, blinking through the haze clinging to her eyes. Her ears rang with silence—not peace, but a high, slicing stillness that felt like it might shatter under its own weight. Every nerve in her body screamed from the inside out, but she was alive. She was whole. Somehow.Beside her, Theoden stirred with a sharp groan, his face twisted in confusion, pain etched into every line. His chest rose in heaving, uneven gasps as he dragged himself upright, eyes wide and searching.They were alive.But the world around them didn’t feel like the one they’d left behind.The sky above rippled with the dying light of the eclipse, pale gold bleeding into deep blue like the horizon hadn’t yet decided what time it was. The ground beneath them was scorched, cracked open in jagged veins of heat, still pulsing with something that didn’t belong. Something other.Selene tried to stand, but her legs shook beneath her. Theoden steadied her instinctively
“Watch out!” Selene barely had time to dodge. A rogue lunged at her from the right—jaws wide, eyes feral—but Theoden was already there, fire lashing from his hand in a controlled arc. It caught the rogue midair, burning him to ash before he hit the ground. “Two more incoming!” Theoden shouted. Selene pivoted, golden light already pulsing at her fingertips. She sent a wave of power crashing into the approaching wolves, flinging them backward like broken dolls. The ground was slick now. Mud and blood mixed beneath her boots. War was no longer a word. It was a smell. A sound. A rhythm in her bones. “Fall back!” Luka’s voice roared through the smoke. “Darius, come on!” The two warriors appeared out of the chaos, bloodied but still fighting, retreating toward Selene and Theoden’s position. Luka skidded to a halt beside her, panting, blood dripping from a gash above his eye. “We can’t hold the line.” Darius crashed in a second later, barely on his feet. “This is insane! They just
It began with screaming. Selene jolted upright, heart hammering, as a deafening howl ripped through the trees. Theoden was already on his feet, eyes glowing, pulling her up beside him before the echo faded. They weren’t at the front. Not this time. They were at the back—the last line of defense. The door rose behind them, carved into the cliff, ancient and closed. For now. Its weight pressed against their minds, humming with silent, dormant power. War had come. They turned. The clearing ahead was already chaos. Rogues flooded from the trees like a tidal wave—snarling, clawing, feral. Selene could barely count how many. Dozens. Hundreds. Too many. Onyx and Silvercrest warriors met them with a battle cry, forming a wall of teeth and steel. Luka and Darius were there—at the center of the line, side by side, holding firm. But already, the field was slick with blood. Selene’s eyes tracked a young warrior—barely out of his teens—slashing with trembling hands before being tackled