The weight of the coming storm hung over the Bloodmoon Pack like a suffocating shroud. Karl stood at the center of the war room, his fists planted on the heavy oak table that was covered with maps, scouting reports, and hastily scribbled notes. The room buzzed with tension, every pack member present acutely aware of the gravity of Mira’s betrayal and the threat it posed.Lucy leaned against the far wall, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. Her wounds were fresh, the dull ache a reminder of her recent recklessness, but she refused to let it keep her sidelined. She had to be involved—her visions, her instincts, and her sheer determination demanded it.“We can’t wait for Stormclaw to come to us,” Karl growled, his voice a low rumble of fury. “We need to act now. Cut them off before they have the chance to organize.”Conan nodded, his expression grim. “Mira’s likely already halfway to their territory. She knows our defenses, our weak spots. If Geoffrey gets that intel—”“He’ll gut us
Lucy’s fingers skimmed over the edges of the old ledger, her eyes scanning each page for inconsistencies. Beside her, Conan hunched over a map, his pen marking possible routes Mira might have taken to Stormclaw territory. The air in the library was heavy with the scent of dust and ink, the quiet tension almost suffocating.“Here,” she said, pointing at a passage of coded text buried within trade logs. “This isn’t a supply route. It’s a message.”Conan leaned closer, his sharp eyes narrowing. “A message to Geoffrey?”“Most likely,” Lucy replied, her voice tight. “Look at the pattern—it matches the other entries we found. Stormclaw isn’t just preparing for a war; they’ve been planning this for months.”Conan cursed under his breath, shoving the map aside. “Karl needs to know.”Lucy grabbed the ledger. “Let’s go.”They found Karl near the barracks, issuing last-minute orders to a group of warriors. His commanding presence radiated authority, but Lucy could see the exhaustion etched into
The council chamber was charged with tension, the air heavy as Karl stood at the head of the table. The pack's top warriors, strategists, and elders were gathered, their voices rising and falling in heated debate. The scouts' report had been grim—Stormclaw’s forces were gathering dangerously close, poised for what looked like an imminent assault.“We can’t just wait for them to strike first!” Conan slammed his fist onto the table, his voice sharp with frustration.“And risk falling into their trap?” Elder Finn countered, his tone measured but firm. “Geoffrey knows our strengths. If we rush in, we’ll play right into his hands.”The room erupted into chaos, voices overlapping, accusations flying. Lucy, seated near the back, clenched her fists. She hated being sidelined, treated like an observer when she had worked just as hard to uncover the enemy’s plans.Karl raised a hand, and the room fell silent. His voice, calm but commanding, cut through the tension like a blade. “Enough. This is
The sun hung low over the treetops, casting long shadows across the forest as Karl led Lucy to a secluded clearing. His expression was unreadable, his movements deliberate. Lucy followed in silence, curiosity prickling at her. The tension from the council meeting still lingered in the air, but this felt... different.When they stopped, Karl turned to face her, holding a strip of black cloth in his hands. His piercing gaze pinned her in place.“I need to know I can trust you,” he said, his voice low but steady.Lucy frowned, crossing her arms. “Haven’t I proven myself enough already?”“This isn’t about proving yourself,” Karl replied. “It’s about preparing for what’s coming. If Stormclaw makes it past our defenses, we’ll need to rely on each other in ways we never have before.”He stepped closer, holding up the cloth. “I want you to guide me through the labyrinth.”Lucy’s brows knitted together. “Blindfolded? Are you serious?”“As serious as the threat we’re facing.” His tone left no r
Lucy sat at the edge of her bed, the parchment spread out before her. The candlelight flickered, casting shadows across the cryptic symbols and hastily scrawled notes. Her heart pounded as she pieced together the fragments of the message they had decoded. Each word hinted at something dark and forbidden—a ritual that could break Karl’s curse. Or condemn him forever.Conan paced behind her, his boots thudding softly against the wooden floor. “This isn’t something we can just walk into, Lucy. Rituals tied to the blood moon aren’t just risky—they’re catastrophic if done wrong.”Lucy traced her fingers over the faded ink, her jaw tightening. “But it’s possible, isn’t it? If this ritual can free him—”“And if it doesn’t?” Conan interrupted, his voice sharp. “We don’t know enough about this. The blood moon’s power is unstable. You could make things worse.”She pushed the parchment aside, standing to face him. “Worse than being bound to a curse that’s killing him? I can’t just sit by and wat
The training ground was silent except for the faint rustle of leaves in the night breeze. Lucy sat on a low bench, her chest rising and falling heavily as she wiped the sweat from her brow. Her hand throbbed from the deep gash she’d earned during combat practice, a careless mistake in an otherwise brutal session.Karl stood a few feet away, his eyes narrowed as he assessed her injury. Despite his usual stoic demeanor, something flickered in his expression—a mixture of frustration and concern.“You’re pushing too hard,” he muttered, crouching in front of her. His voice was low but firm.Lucy straightened, unwilling to let him see her falter. “I can handle it.”Karl shook his head, already reaching for the medical kit on the nearby bench. “Clearly not. You’re bleeding.”She winced as he took her hand, the sharp sting of the cut flaring under his touch. His movements were precise but uncharacteristically gentle. The contrast was startling; this man, who had spent so much of his life buil
The morning air was heavy with tension as Lucy stepped into the training grounds. Eyes followed her every move, some filled with curiosity, others with open hostility. She had felt the shift in the pack ever since the night of her outburst. The bond between her and Karl, once a quiet hum beneath the surface, now blazed like wildfire, and the pack had noticed.A group of warriors stood near the sparring ring, their murmurs just loud enough for her to catch fragments.“She’s not one of us.”“She’s dangerous. Did you see what she did to Logan?”“Alpha Karl’s making a mistake.”Lucy clenched her fists, her nails biting into her palms. The weight of their distrust pressed down on her, but she refused to show weakness. She wouldn’t give them the satisfaction.As she approached the ring for her scheduled practice, Logan—the warrior she had unintentionally injured during their last session—stepped forward. His gaze was sharp, his stance rigid. The wound on his arm, still healing, was a remind
The night was thick with unease, the silence in Lucy’s room broken only by the soft rustle of the wind outside. She lay on the bed, her limbs heavy with exhaustion, but sleep was elusive. The vision of the blood moon ritual replayed in her mind like a haunting melody.In the dream, she had stood side by side with Karl, flames licking the ground at their feet. The air had been alive with power, and the sky was painted red, the blood moon casting an eerie glow over them. Karl’s eyes had burned with determination, but it was her own reflection that unsettled her the most. She hadn’t looked afraid. She had looked... powerful.Lucy jolted upright, her chest heaving. The vividness of the dream left a residue of dread in her veins. She pressed a hand to her forehead, trying to calm the storm of emotions swirling inside her.A knock at the door broke her spiraling thoughts. Before she could respond, Karl stepped in, his presence filling the small room. His gray eyes found hers immediately, an
The battlefield was chaos.The air reeked of blood and death, the metallic clang of swords clashing ringing through the night. Snarls and howls filled the air as warriors fought desperately to hold the line.But none of it mattered to Lucy.Not when she saw Kale drop.“Kale!” she screamed, her heart lurching as he fell to one knee.His sword slipped from his grasp, embedding itself into the mud. His broad chest rose and fell in ragged gasps, blood soaking his tunic. Deep, brutal gashes tore across his side, his once-powerful form sagging under the weight of his injuries.Lucy sprinted toward him, her breath coming fast.No, no, no.Kale never fell. He was the Beast Alpha—unbreakable, unstoppable. Seeing him like this was **wrong**.She skidded to her knees beside him, pressing trembling hands against his wounds. Blood gushed through her fingers, hot and sticky.“Kale, look at me,” she said urgently.His silver eyes flickered open, unfocused. His face was pale, sweat beading along his
Karl’s fists clenched at his sides, his body rigid with tension. The moment Lucy finished telling him what Mira had said, he turned away, his breath sharp, controlled—but barely. The veins in his arms bulged as he fought for control.“You went after her alone?” His voice was dangerously quiet, but Lucy heard the fury simmering beneath the surface.She didn’t flinch. “I had to. I needed answers.”Karl turned back, his silver eyes flashing. “And what if she’d killed you, Lucy? What then?”Lucy stepped closer, ignoring the raw anger in his gaze. “She didn’t. And now we know the truth.”Karl exhaled hard, raking a hand through his hair. “The Blood Moon,” he muttered, pacing. “Of course, it had to be the damn Blood Moon.”Lucy’s heart pounded. “Is it true?”He stopped, shoulders tense. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “The curse was cast generations ago. My father spent years searching for a way to break it, but he never found anything. If completing the mate bond during the Blood Moon is the
Lucy’s heartbeat pounded in her ears as she moved swiftly through the dim corridors of the packhouse. Mira had escaped once, slipping through their fingers like a ghost in the night. But she wouldn’t get a second chance.Word had spread through the pack like wildfire—Karl’s trusted advisor had been a traitor all along, feeding information to Geoffrey and plotting their downfall. Now, the pack was on high alert, every warrior under strict orders to hunt Mira down.Lucy had barely slept, the weight of everything pressing down on her. But when she overheard the whispered reports from the patrol guards—Mira had been spotted near the war room—she knew this was her moment.This time, they would not let her slip away.She rounded a corner and nearly collided with General Axton, who was striding toward the war room with purpose. His face was carved from stone, his sharp gaze unreadable.“She’s inside,” he muttered.Lucy nodded, her pulse quickening. Axton pushed the heavy doors open without h
The tension in the air was a silent scream. Lucy sat in the dimly lit corner of Conan’s office, her fingers tracing the edge of the worn map spread across the table. The evidence Conan had uncovered lay scattered before her—letters, coded messages, and a list of names. The realization had hit her like a cold slap: someone within the Bloodmoon Pack was feeding information to Geoffrey.Conan leaned against the desk, his expression grave. “It’s more than just suspicions, Lucy. These messages didn’t come from outside the pack. The spy is one of ours.”Lucy’s stomach churned. She picked up a letter, her eyes scanning the cryptic handwriting. “Do you think Karl knows?”Conan’s lips pressed into a thin line. “If he does, he hasn’t shared it. But this isn’t just about Karl. This is about all of us. If Geoffrey has a foothold here, we’re exposed.”The weight of the revelation crushed her chest. The spy could be anyone—someone Karl trusted, someone close to him. Her mind raced, faces flashing i
The night was thick with unease, the silence in Lucy’s room broken only by the soft rustle of the wind outside. She lay on the bed, her limbs heavy with exhaustion, but sleep was elusive. The vision of the blood moon ritual replayed in her mind like a haunting melody.In the dream, she had stood side by side with Karl, flames licking the ground at their feet. The air had been alive with power, and the sky was painted red, the blood moon casting an eerie glow over them. Karl’s eyes had burned with determination, but it was her own reflection that unsettled her the most. She hadn’t looked afraid. She had looked... powerful.Lucy jolted upright, her chest heaving. The vividness of the dream left a residue of dread in her veins. She pressed a hand to her forehead, trying to calm the storm of emotions swirling inside her.A knock at the door broke her spiraling thoughts. Before she could respond, Karl stepped in, his presence filling the small room. His gray eyes found hers immediately, an
The morning air was heavy with tension as Lucy stepped into the training grounds. Eyes followed her every move, some filled with curiosity, others with open hostility. She had felt the shift in the pack ever since the night of her outburst. The bond between her and Karl, once a quiet hum beneath the surface, now blazed like wildfire, and the pack had noticed.A group of warriors stood near the sparring ring, their murmurs just loud enough for her to catch fragments.“She’s not one of us.”“She’s dangerous. Did you see what she did to Logan?”“Alpha Karl’s making a mistake.”Lucy clenched her fists, her nails biting into her palms. The weight of their distrust pressed down on her, but she refused to show weakness. She wouldn’t give them the satisfaction.As she approached the ring for her scheduled practice, Logan—the warrior she had unintentionally injured during their last session—stepped forward. His gaze was sharp, his stance rigid. The wound on his arm, still healing, was a remind
The training ground was silent except for the faint rustle of leaves in the night breeze. Lucy sat on a low bench, her chest rising and falling heavily as she wiped the sweat from her brow. Her hand throbbed from the deep gash she’d earned during combat practice, a careless mistake in an otherwise brutal session.Karl stood a few feet away, his eyes narrowed as he assessed her injury. Despite his usual stoic demeanor, something flickered in his expression—a mixture of frustration and concern.“You’re pushing too hard,” he muttered, crouching in front of her. His voice was low but firm.Lucy straightened, unwilling to let him see her falter. “I can handle it.”Karl shook his head, already reaching for the medical kit on the nearby bench. “Clearly not. You’re bleeding.”She winced as he took her hand, the sharp sting of the cut flaring under his touch. His movements were precise but uncharacteristically gentle. The contrast was startling; this man, who had spent so much of his life buil
Lucy sat at the edge of her bed, the parchment spread out before her. The candlelight flickered, casting shadows across the cryptic symbols and hastily scrawled notes. Her heart pounded as she pieced together the fragments of the message they had decoded. Each word hinted at something dark and forbidden—a ritual that could break Karl’s curse. Or condemn him forever.Conan paced behind her, his boots thudding softly against the wooden floor. “This isn’t something we can just walk into, Lucy. Rituals tied to the blood moon aren’t just risky—they’re catastrophic if done wrong.”Lucy traced her fingers over the faded ink, her jaw tightening. “But it’s possible, isn’t it? If this ritual can free him—”“And if it doesn’t?” Conan interrupted, his voice sharp. “We don’t know enough about this. The blood moon’s power is unstable. You could make things worse.”She pushed the parchment aside, standing to face him. “Worse than being bound to a curse that’s killing him? I can’t just sit by and wat
The sun hung low over the treetops, casting long shadows across the forest as Karl led Lucy to a secluded clearing. His expression was unreadable, his movements deliberate. Lucy followed in silence, curiosity prickling at her. The tension from the council meeting still lingered in the air, but this felt... different.When they stopped, Karl turned to face her, holding a strip of black cloth in his hands. His piercing gaze pinned her in place.“I need to know I can trust you,” he said, his voice low but steady.Lucy frowned, crossing her arms. “Haven’t I proven myself enough already?”“This isn’t about proving yourself,” Karl replied. “It’s about preparing for what’s coming. If Stormclaw makes it past our defenses, we’ll need to rely on each other in ways we never have before.”He stepped closer, holding up the cloth. “I want you to guide me through the labyrinth.”Lucy’s brows knitted together. “Blindfolded? Are you serious?”“As serious as the threat we’re facing.” His tone left no r