Dennis plunged downward, all his strength directed into the fierce strike, his sole intention to drive the knife into Luca. But Luca reacted fast, his hands shooting up to catch Dennis’s wrists, and for a moment, the two men were locked in a desperate struggle.Dennis pressed down harder, his muscles straining as he bore his weight into the blade, pushing it mere inches above Luca’s chest. Luca gritted his teeth, fighting back with all his might, but he was starting to weaken under Dennis’s unyielding force. The blade wavered, inching closer to his heart with each passing second. The struggle between them was silent but filled with deadly intent, the air thick with the tension of a battle that could end in a heartbeat.But then, from the corner of his eye, Dennis noticed Cathrine edging closer. Her presence disrupted his focus, breaking his concentration for just a moment. Seizing the opportunity, Dennis tore himself free from Luca and turned on Cathrine with cold intent. Without a se
"Argh!" Luca’s scream echoed through the night, sharp with pain. His muscles strained, every nerve on fire, but he refused to back down. Weakness threatened to overtake him, but he fought against it. Determined, he reached down, fingers brushing against the cold metal of the knife tucked at his side. With a quick movement, he pulled it free, the steel glinting in the dim light, and plunged it straight into Damian’s knee.Damian's grip on him slackened as he let out a harsh, guttural groan, staggering back from the blow. His eyes widened with shock and pain, disbelief flashing across his face.As Damian pulled away, Luca stumbled, his own strength slipping away. He sank to the ground, knees hitting the dirt before his entire body gave in. Exhausted and injured, he collapsed onto his stomach, blood trickling slowly from the corner of his mouth, staining the dirt beneath him.“Luca!” Cathrine’s voice sliced through the darkness. She ran towards him, fear woven into every step, her gaze f
Kieran and the three friends who had insisted on following him stood there, staring at Cathrine and Luca. The silence between them hung heavy in the air, charged with tension and unspoken challenges. Each of Kieran's friends glanced uneasily at one another, perhaps realizing this meeting wasn’t going to be as simple as they’d expected. Kieran's jaw clenched, his gaze fixed on Cathrine, but she showed no signs of acknowledging him.Cathrine turned away from Kieran, her expression unreadable, and focused her attention on Luca, who still seemed unsteady on his feet. “Get up, Luca,” she said gently, her voice steady and resolute as she leaned down to help him. Her hand under his arm was firm but tender, like a shield against all that was dark around them. She looked up and gave him an encouraging nod, her eyes filled with determination. “We have to leave this place. I’m done hiding from Damian. Let’s go back to the hut.”With a quiet nod, Luca gathered himself, drawing strength from Cathr
“You’re really a selfish being, Kieran,” Cathrine’s voice was low, simmering with a restrained anger that threatened to spill over. She took a step closer, her eyes fixed on him with an intensity he hadn’t seen before. “When you wanted nothing to do with me, you rejected me. You didn’t care how I would feel or the pain I’d go through. But now… now that you need my help, you come back, claiming you have rights over me?”Kieran took a deep breath, visibly affected by her words. The look in her eyes and the bitterness in her tone made him wince. Yet, he forced himself to stand his ground. “Whether you like it or not, Cathrine,” he said, his voice steady, “you’re my mate.” Slowly, he rose from where he’d lying on the ground, dusting off his clothes as he looked at her with a determined gaze. “The Moon Goddess chose you for me.”Cathrine laughed, but there was no humor in it. Her laughter was sharp and cutting, filled with a cold disbelief. “She chose wrong.” Her words sliced through the s
“Huh… huh… huh…” Kieran’s breaths came in ragged gasps, each one louder than the last as he struggled to keep moving. Every muscle in his body was screaming, begging him to stop. His friends were barely holding up either, their faces red, shoulders hunched as they tried to recover. They’d been running for what felt like forever, just over a mile, and it was starting to show. But then he looked ahead, eyes fixed on the two figures who hadn’t even slowed down.Cathrine and Luca.They hadn’t looked back once; they were simply gliding forward, barely breaking a sweat. Kieran’s gaze followed their effortless strides, a pang of both admiration and frustration hitting him. How do they do it? he wondered, watching as they moved with the ease of seasoned runners, untouched by the fatigue gripping him and his friends.Turning to his companions, he noticed their expressions of amazement mirroring his own. They were all captivated by the strength and stamina Luca and Cathrine possessed, pushing b
The growl of the creature lurking in the dark reverberated through the silent night, sending chills down everyone’s spine. Shadows stretched across the campsite, making it hard to see beyond the flickering flames of the campfire. Kieran’s friends glanced nervously at one another, their fear mirrored in their eyes as the creature drew closer, each step amplifying their dread.Kieran’s heart raced, yet he forced himself to stand tall. His fists clenched by his side, he looked to Luca and Cathrine, who seemed steady, waiting for whatever lurked in the darkness. Even though fear crept up his spine, Kieran found a strange sense of courage seeing how they held their ground. They were ready.Abruptly, the growling ceased. The forest fell deathly silent, and the sound of footsteps came to a halt. Cathrine’s shoulders relaxed, and a slight sigh escaped her lips. Relief washed over her face as she began to let her guard down. One by one, they all exhaled, believing the danger had passed.Just a
The whole place felt eerily quiet, the kind of silence that made every instinct scream to be on alert. Shadows from the trees cast dark patches on the ground as Cathrine, Luca, and Kieran’s friends moved carefully through the dense forest. Each footstep was soft, almost calculated. Even the wind seemed to hold its breath, rustling only occasionally through the branches above.Then, in an instant, the silence was shattered. An arrow shot out from nowhere, slicing through the air with deadly precision, aimed straight for Luca. He saw it just in time, ducking low, and the arrow pierced the ground, its pointed end quivering just inches from where he had stood. Luca’s eyes darted around, trying to locate where the attack had come from, and he caught a glimpse of movement high up in one of the trees. But when he looked closer, there was nothing there—no shadow, no face, just leaves swaying gently as if nothing had happened.Another arrow followed, this time aimed directly at Cathrine. With
"You failing to defeat Damian doesn’t mean I won’t be able to kill him. I’m built different," Jerry said, his voice edged with determination."So am I," Cathrine replied, a sharp glint in her eyes. "I’m built in ways you can’t even imagine.""And she’s right," Luca added, stepping in beside Cathrine. "She has powers greater than anyone here.""Damian attacked her countless times, trying to kill her because he knows she’s the only one who can stop him from taking over the world," Luca continued, his voice heavy with concern."You don’t understand, Luca." Jerry’s voice was dark, tinged with a pain that ran deep. "Damian killed the people I called family—right after he killed my real family. He’ll pay for that.""He will, but at the right time," Luca said firmly. "You can’t do it alone, Jerry. You’ll need help. We can help you. Damian’s hurt each of us in one way or another. He killed my father and mother.""He killed my parents too," Cathrine whispered, her voice breaking. She took a sh
Two days had passed since the battle, but the grief in my heart felt as raw as the moment Kieran fell into the chasm. The sky was a muted gray, the sun hidden behind heavy clouds, as if mourning alongside us. We gathered in the heart of the Moon Shadow pack's territory, wolves and humans standing side by side in solemn silence. It wasn’t just a memorial—it was a moment to honor a hero, a leader, and a brother. As I stood beside Luca, my heart ached for him. Kieran wasn’t just the previous Alpha; he was his brother, his blood. The loss had carved a wound so deep it would take a lifetime to heal. Luca stepped forward, his face a mask of stoic determination, though I could see the pain in his eyes. His voice carried over the crowd, firm yet tinged with sorrow. “Kieran was more than a brother to me,” he began, his words measured. “He was my challenger and although he did wrong in the past, he proved himself worthy of being called an alpha. And though he’s no longer with us, his spirit
Damian stretched his hands forward without a word, and his army surged toward us like a relentless tide.Ahead of my army, Luca and I didn’t hesitate. With a shared glance, we charged into the fray, breaking through Damian’s men with swift, brutal efficiency. The sounds of battle roared around us—clashing blades, howling wolves, and cries of pain—but none of it mattered. My focus was singular: Damian.His soldiers came at us from all sides, but we carved a path through them, our movements a deadly dance. My claws slashed through flesh and bone, my senses heightened as the red energy burned through me. Beside me, Luca fought with unmatched ferocity, his strikes precise and lethal.Damian stood in the distance, unmoving, his eyes cold and calculating. Flanking him were his two dark priests, their presence radiating a dark, oppressive energy. He didn’t flinch as we cut through his wolves, his confidence unshaken.The ground beneath us trembled as the battle raged on. My army clashed with
I stood frozen, my knees weak and my heart pounding so hard I thought it would burst out of my chest. Tears blurred my vision as the weight of Damian’s words settled over me.“I can’t go against them,” I whispered, my voice barely audible. Even as I spoke, I hated myself for saying it.Damian’s sharp eyes locked onto mine, and his lips twisted into a cruel smile. He didn’t need to hear me—he had read my lips. That wicked grin of his made my stomach churn.He turned and strode toward my mother, who was bound and broken in those heavy chains. The sound of them scraping against the cold, hard ground sent shivers down my spine.“You give me no choice, Cathrine,” he said, his voice loud enough to cut through the silence.I wanted to scream, to fight, but my body refused to move. I could only stand there, trembling, as Damian grabbed my mother’s chin with his hand.“Out of my generosity,” he said with a mocking smile, “I’ll offer you one last chance to speak. Any final words?”My mother, he
I stood frozen, my knees weak and my heart pounding so hard I thought it would burst out of my chest. Tears blurred my vision as the weight of Damian’s words settled over me.“I can’t go against them,” I whispered, my voice barely audible. Even as I spoke, I hated myself for saying it.Damian’s sharp eyes locked onto mine, and his lips twisted into a cruel smile. He didn’t need to hear me—he had read my lips. That wicked grin of his made my stomach churn.He turned and strode toward my mother, who was bound and broken in those heavy chains. The sound of them scraping against the cold, hard ground sent shivers down my spine.“You give me no choice, Cathrine,” he said, his voice loud enough to cut through the silence.I wanted to scream, to fight, but my body refused to move. I could only stand there, trembling, as Damian grabbed my mother’s chin with his hand.“Out of my generosity,” he said with a mocking smile, “I’ll offer you one last chance to speak. Any final words?”My mother, he
I took a cautious step forward, my army moving as one behind me. The earth beneath my boots seemed to pulse with the weight of the moment. The tension was suffocating, the distance between us and Damian’s army feeling like a fragile thread ready to snap. My gaze never left Damian’s face, though my peripheral vision picked up the shifting forms of his wolves. They were restless, teeth bared, waiting for the command to strike.But then, Damian raised a hand, and his wolves parted once again. This time, another figure emerged from their ranks—a man I knew all too well.“Dennis,” I whispered, my chest tightening.He walked with measured steps, his head bowed slightly, a gleaming sword clutched in his hand. His shoulders were stiff, and his movements lacked the usual confidence I remembered. My heart ached as I saw him stop just a few paces from Damian, the blade in his grip trembling ever so slightly. He turned his head just enough for me to see his face—teary-eyed, conflicted, and filled
After days of relentless marching, we arrived at the border of Damian’s territory. The dense forest seemed darker here, the trees more twisted and suffocating. Each breath felt heavier, the air thick with the scent of damp earth and something foul I couldn’t place. My heart pounded, though I kept my expression cold, my head held high. I couldn’t let the others see even a flicker of doubt.But when we broke through the tree line, I froze. Damian was already there.He stood at the head of his army, a wall of snarling wolves behind him. His presence was as commanding as ever, broad shoulders squared, his eyes gleaming with cruel amusement. Beside him, his generals stood tense, their claws glinting in the faint light. Every one of them was poised to strike.For a brief moment, I questioned everything. How had he known we were coming? Had someone betrayed us? Or was Damian just that arrogant, so confident in his rule that he expected us to challenge him eventually? It didn’t matter now.I
The air was crisp, filled with the scent of damp earth and anticipation as we assembled for the battle that would change everything. I stood at the forefront, my horse shifting beneath me, its energy mirroring my own. To my left and right stood the leaders of the allied packs and kingdoms, their faces set in grim determination. Behind us stretched an army of thousands—wolves, warriors, and mages united under one cause. I turned slightly, catching the gaze of each leader beside me. No words were exchanged, but the weight of their nods was louder than any speech. They were ready. Drawing in a deep breath, I raised my arm, signaling the march forward. The first step was mine to take. My horse moved, and as I rode forward, the thunder of hooves and the rhythmic beat of footsteps followed behind me. We were a single force, moving as one, ready to meet our destiny. ************* Meanwhile… Damian stood atop a high stone platform, overlooking the sea of his men. The dark fortress loomed
I walked into the grand hall, the echo of my footsteps bouncing off the towering marble walls. The air buzzed with a tension so thick it felt almost alive. Around the long, ornate table sat kings, alphas, and leaders from every corner of the lands I had visited. Their faces bore the weight of the decision we were about to make—a decision that could either unite us or spell our doom. Taking my seat at the head of the table, I felt the gravity of my position settle over me. This wasn’t just about leading; it was about ensuring survival. I exhaled slowly, allowing a moment of silence to gather everyone’s attention. “This war isn’t one we sought,” I began, my voice steady yet commanding. “But it is one we must win. Today, we finalize our strategy and set the course for victory.” I gestured for the maps to be unfurled. The intricate details of the enemy’s strongholds, their troop placements, and the surrounding terrain were laid bare before us. My finger traced the map as I spoke. “Our
Now that I had forged an alliance with all the kingdoms, I carried their hopes and fears with me as I led them to the Shadow Pack’s territory. This was where we would prepare for the battle of our lives.The journey took two days. Each step felt heavier than the last, not because of the distance, but because of the responsibility pressing on my shoulders. I was no longer walking alone; I was leading an army of strangers bound together by a fragile trust and a shared goal.It was only when we paused for a break that I realized how far we’d come. The trees and skies were different here, unfamiliar yet oddly welcoming. I had never ventured this far in my entire life.At night, we camped in the woods. The fire crackled softly, throwing shadows on the faces of humans and werewolves sitting together. For the first time, they laughed, shared stories, and passed around food like old friends. I stayed on the edge, watching them. This was the future I dreamed of—a world where the past didn’t ma