The forest stood frozen in the aftermath, the glowing runes on the ground now ash, their light snuffed out like a dying star. The gate was gone, its collapse leaving only a faint hum in the air, a ghostly echo of the city beyond the Veil. My chest heaved, the mark pulsing with a dull, insistent ache, tying me to her—my shadow—and now to her, the other me, the spark they’d hidden, standing before me with my face, my voice, but blue eyes brimming with fear and a shard glowing in her trembling hands. The dagger in my grip felt heavier, its symbols flickering, as if unsure of the new presence—her shard, my dagger, two pieces of the same fractured whole. The bond with Lucian thrummed—his fierce resolve, my spiraling shock, our shared need to survive—but it couldn’t quiet the truth screaming in my mind: I was not one, but many, split by a ritual, bound to the Veil, and now reunited in a war I barely understood.Lucian’s blade stayed raised, his body a shield between me and her—the other me—
"Oh my gosh, can you believe it?" Lani's face lit up as she talked about her friend Mathew. "They've been best friends since they were little kids, and now – boom! The Moon Goddess says they're meant to be together!""That's really nice," I said quietly, trying to sound happy. But inside, my stomach felt like it was tied in knots."Hey, maybe we'll find our special someone soon too!" Lani nudged me with her elbow.I wanted to believe her, but the mean voices in my head wouldn't stop. Everyone kept saying I wasn't good enough. Too big, too plain, too weak – even my own brother Michael thought so. Our pack leader just walked past me like I wasn't even there."Come on!" Lani grabbed my hand. "Let's get some lunch. I'm starving!"Just as we stepped into the lunch room, something amazing happened. The most wonderful smell hit me – like fresh cookies and flowers all mixed together.My wolf, Slade, started jumping around in my head. 'That's him! That's our mate! Can you smell him?'I looked
Angel's POVThe large meeting room buzzed with hushed conversations as everyone waited. The dark wooden walls seemed to absorb our whispers, making the space feel even more solemn. I fidgeted in my chair, excitement bubbling up inside me. Alpha Mark never called meetings without good reason."What do you think it's about?" Lea whispered from beside me, her green eyes sparkling with curiosity.I shrugged, remembering our last mission. "Maybe another rogue situation? Like that time we helped the Silver Moon Pack?" The memory of that fight still made my blood sing - the thrill of the chase, the satisfaction of protecting the innocent.'Mark?' I reached out through our mind link, unable to wait any longer.His deep voice echoed in my head, amused. 'Patience, kid. I'm right here.' The heavy doors swung open, and Mark strode in. Even after five years, his presence still commanded respect. His salt-and-pepper hair and battle scars told stories of experience that we could only imagine.The r
The morning air was crisp as we gathered, ready to leave. Kayden and the others were loading up into the car while I swung my leg over my motorbike—a gift from Mark last year on my birthday. It was sleek, powerful, and my favorite way to travel."Angel, all of you be careful," Mark said, his voice firm yet laced with concern. "If anything goes wrong, call me immediately. Keep me updated on the training once you arrive."I smirked. ‘Mark included me in this mission, so maybe he doesn’t really want to send me away,’ I mused."Yes, Daddy!" I teased, revving my engine before giving him a playful salute. He rolled his eyes, but I saw the ghost of a smile on his lips. I motioned for Kayden to follow as I led the way.‘You’re such a handful, Angel,’ Mark said through our pack link.‘Love you, Mark. Don’t miss me too much!’ I replied with a chuckle.---By noon, we stopped at a roadside burger joint next to a gas station. As soon as we walked in, heads turned. It was nothing new—humans and we
‘We’re entering Moon Crescent Pack territory now,’ I informed my team through the mind link.Thirty minutes later, we arrived at the Pack house.The first to greet us was their Beta—and my older brother. Michael Clinn. My heartbeat quickened at the sight of him. Brother."You must be the Wolf Fang Pack members," Michael said, his tone formal and unreadable.Kayden stepped forward, extending a hand. "We are. I’m Kayden, Beta of the Wolf Fang Pack. Are you the Alpha?"Michael shook his hand, offering a polite smile. "No, I’m the Beta. Alpha Gabriel will meet us later—he’s busy at the moment."As if on cue, the Pack house doors burst open, and Gabriel strode out. So much for being busy. More likely, he had sensed my presence. "So, you’re back," he said, his sharp gaze locking onto me.Michael frowned. "Who are you referring to, Alpha?"I had almost forgotten—I was still on my motorbike, helmet concealing my face.Gabriel smirked. "You might not recognize her at first, Michael. She look
Before I knew it, the door swung open.Of course, it was him.Gabriel was standing in the doorway, arms crossed, eyes fixed on me. The tension between us was thick enough to cut with a knife.“I don’t remember inviting you in,” I said, propped up against my desk.He didn’t react. Typical. Instead, he entered, closing the door behind him. He took up space in the room, weighing down on me in ways I wouldn’t admit.“You shouldn’t have returned,” he finally said.I laughed, the sound bitter. “Trust me, this wasn’t my ideal vacation either.”Gabriel’s jaw clenched. "Then why are you here?""Work." I crossed my arms like he did. "Your pack needs training. My pack agreed to help. End of story."His golden eyes deepened, flickering for a moment with something I couldn’t name. “I didn’t request you specifically."Good," I said with a smirk. “Would’ve been hella awkward if you had.”At first, he said nothing. Just stared, as if he were trying to read between the lines of my expression. Then, al
Sweat, adrenaline, unspoken words — it was a heady mix that hung in the air in the training grounds between us. Warriors ringed the sparring mat, some whispering, some staring frozen and silent, as I shoved myself off Gabriel, rolling to my feet.He propped himself up on his elbows, his golden eyes following my every move as he raked a hand through his dark hair. He wasn’t used to losing. I could sense the frustration within him, the way his muscles clenched like his wolf was scratching itself just below the surface.Good. Let him stew in it."Alright, show's over!" Kayden clapped his hands, stepping to the edge of the mat. “Unless our dear Alpha wants to try round two?”Gabriel’s jaw tightened. "We’re done."I scoffed. "Figures."His gaze locked onto mine, with a challenge lurking there, but he swallowed it. Instead, he fixed on the warriors and his voice took on that Alpha tone that commanded. "You’ve seen how she fights. Pay attention. If any of you think you’re too good for traini
I could hardly breathe in the silence my words had left. Gabriel loomed over me, jaw stiff, clenched fists hanging at his sides as if he were forcing himself not to touch me. His golden eyes flickered with an unvoiced ecstasy — a heavy thing.It’s too late for that.The words hung there, like a wall neither of us knew how to climb.He said nothing for a moment. Just stared at me.Then, at last, he breathed out, his voice hoarse. “You don’t mean that.”I chuckled, but that was no laughing matter. “You don’t get to define what I mean, Gabriel.”His eyes darkened. “Then tell me you’re not feeling it.”My throat tightened. “Feel what?”“This,” he motioned back and forth between us. “The pull. The bond. It’s still there, Angel. If you say otherwise, you’re lying.”I wanted to deny it. Wanted to look him in the eye and tell him he was nothing to me now.But the bond was there, an invisible thread drawing me to him even while I struggled to remain in place.“I don’t care about the bond,” I l
The forest stood frozen in the aftermath, the glowing runes on the ground now ash, their light snuffed out like a dying star. The gate was gone, its collapse leaving only a faint hum in the air, a ghostly echo of the city beyond the Veil. My chest heaved, the mark pulsing with a dull, insistent ache, tying me to her—my shadow—and now to her, the other me, the spark they’d hidden, standing before me with my face, my voice, but blue eyes brimming with fear and a shard glowing in her trembling hands. The dagger in my grip felt heavier, its symbols flickering, as if unsure of the new presence—her shard, my dagger, two pieces of the same fractured whole. The bond with Lucian thrummed—his fierce resolve, my spiraling shock, our shared need to survive—but it couldn’t quiet the truth screaming in my mind: I was not one, but many, split by a ritual, bound to the Veil, and now reunited in a war I barely understood.Lucian’s blade stayed raised, his body a shield between me and her—the other me—
The valley’s stillness was a fragile mask, the air thick with the fading echo of the Architect’s voice and her scream—my scream—still ringing in my ears. The mark on my chest pulsed, a dull ache now, but alive, tying me to her, to him, to the Veil and its war. The dagger lay in my hand, its symbols dim but warm, a silent vow of battles yet to come. The bond with Lucian thrummed—his steady pulse, my fraying courage, our unbreakable tether—but it couldn’t erase the truth: I was the heart of a conflict older than the pack, older than me, and the city beyond the Veil was only the beginning.We stood in the mud, battered and bloodied, the stones behind us dark, their runes extinguished, the spiral’s glow gone. Lucian’s hand rested on my shoulder, his silver eyes fierce despite the blood streaking his face, his wounds untended but ignored. “We need to get back,” he said, his voice rough, cutting through the valley’s quiet. “The pack’s vulnerable, and we need answers—about the nodes, the Arc
The valley’s silence was a lie, a thin veneer over the trembling pulse of the Veil, still fragile after the core’s destruction. The mark on my chest throbbed, a faint but persistent echo of her—my shadow, my twin—weakened but not defeated, her presence a cold whisper in my blood. The dagger hung at my hip, its symbols dark, its hum silenced, but I felt its weight like a promise of battles yet to come. The bond with Lucian burned—his heartbeat a steady drum, my resolve a flickering flame, our shared defiance a shield against the truths I’d uncovered in the Between: I wasn’t just pack, wasn’t just Angel. I was the Veil’s lock, its key, forged in a ritual I didn’t remember, tied to a city that called me home.We trudged through the muddy pass, the storm’s remnants dripping from jagged cliffs, the air heavy with the scent of wet stone and something sharper, metallic, like blood. Lucian walked beside me, his blade sheathed but his hand hovering near it, blood crusted on his arm, his silve
The tower’s core pulsed like a dying star, its crystal heart casting jagged beams of light across the chamber, each one splintering into visions—her face, my face, the city, the Veil, worlds colliding. The mark on my chest burned, a searing tether to her, my shadow, my twin, whose presence filled the air, not as a body but as a force—her laugh in the walls, her eyes in the crystal, her voice a song that clawed at my soul. The dagger in my hand hummed, its symbols blazing, but its light felt fragile against the core’s radiance, like a candle in a storm. The bond with Lucian was a faint thread, stretched across worlds, his voice—*Angel, fight!*—a whisper I clung to, the only thing keeping me from drowning in her.The chamber was vast, its walls not stone but liquid crystal, flowing, shifting, etched with runes that moved like living things. The floor was glass, reflecting not me but her, her black eyes staring up, her smile taunting. The doors had sealed behind me, trapping me in this h
The bridge swayed under our feet, a fragile thread of light stretching across the chaotic void, where stars bled into shadows and the Veil pulsed like a wounded heart. The city’s black spire loomed behind us, its crystal facets drinking in the light, while ahead, she stood on the platform—my shadow, my twin, her smile a cruel mirror of mine. The cloaked figures flanked her, their faces *mine*, their black eyes gleaming, their chants a low, bone-deep hum that synced with the mark on my chest. The dagger in my hand burned, its symbols flaring, and the bond with Lucian roared—his strength, my defiance, our desperate need to end this—but the city itself seemed to tighten around us, its air thick with her power.Lucian gripped his blade, his body a shield between me and her, blood dripping from his untended wounds. “Stay behind me,” he said, his voice low, taut with fury.“No,” I said, stepping beside him, the dagger’s light cutting through the void’s gloom. “This is mine to finish.”Killi
The valley was silent now, the stones dark, their runes extinguished, but the air still felt charged, like the Veil itself was holding its breath. The mark on my chest pulsed faintly, a lingering echo of her—my shadow, my twin—retreated but not gone. The dagger hung at my hip, its hum subdued but alive, a reminder of the power we’d barely contained. The bond with Lucian thrummed—his steady heartbeat, my restless resolve, our shared need to keep moving. We’d stopped her here, but the glimpses of that city beyond the Veil—its glowing spires, its watching figures—clawed at my mind, demanding answers.Lucian stood beside me, his blade sheathed, blood crusted on his arm, his silver eyes scanning the valley for threats. “We can’t stay,” he said, his voice low, rough from the fight. “The pack needs us, but that city—”“It’s where she’s hiding,” I finished, my voice steady despite the churn in my gut. “And where I came from.”The words felt like a confession, raw and heavy. The flashes I’d se
The storm raged on, rain pounding us into the mountainside, lightning cracking like it was tearing the sky apart. I knelt in the mud, the mark on my chest pulsing, a faint but persistent reminder of her—my shadow, my twin, still alive somewhere beyond the shattered mirror. The dagger hung heavy at my hip, its hum quieter now but not silent, like a warning that refused to fade. The bond with Lucian burned—his heartbeat, my resolve, our shared defiance—but it couldn’t erase the image of her hand on his throat, her smile in my face, the city beyond the Veil calling me *home*.Lucian pulled me to my feet, his hands steady despite the blood streaking his face, his silver eyes fierce. “We need to move,” he said, his voice rough over the wind. “This storm’s hers—she’s still playing games.”I nodded, my wounds screaming—leg, arm, side—but the mark’s burn was worse, a cold fire that felt like her fingers digging into me. Killian staggered up, his staff half-buried in the mud, his face pale bu
Rain lashed the mountainside, turning the rocky path to slick mud as we stumbled away from the Rift. Lightning split the sky, illuminating the jagged peaks, and the wind howled, carrying her whisper—it’s just begun. My chest burned where the mark pulsed, a constant reminder of the shadow within me, the Veil’s lock I’d never asked to carry. The dagger, wrapped tightly at my hip, hummed faintly, its weight both anchor and threat. The bond with Lucian thrummed—his strength, my resolve, our shared defiance—but it couldn’t drown out the truth clawing at me: It wasn’t just pack. I was something else, something ancient, and it terrified me.Lucian led, his blade sheathed but his hand never far from it, his silver eyes scanning the storm for threats. Blood crusted his arm, his wounds barely tended, but he moved like nothing could stop him. I matched his pace, my leg aching, the stitches pulling with every step. Killian trudged beside me, his staff sinking into the mud, his face grim, no trace
The stair spiraled into darkness, each step a plunge into the unknown, the air growing colder, heavier, like it was pressing secrets into my skin. The dagger’s faint glow was our only light, its symbols flickering in time with the mark on my chest, a twin pulse that made my stomach churn. The bond with Lucian burned—his resolve a steel thread, my fear a tangled knot—but it held us together as we descended, the shrine’s hum fading above, replaced by a low, rhythmic chant echoing below. Her voice wove through it, not mocking now, but calling, pulling, like a tide I couldn’t resist.Lucian led, his blade drawn, his free hand brushing mine with every step, a silent promise—I’m here. Killian followed, his staff tapping the stone, his breaths sharp in the silence. Mara brought up the rear, her knife glinting, her eyes scanning the shadows that seemed to shift, alive, watching. My wounds ached—leg dragging, side throbbing—but the mark’s burn drowned it out, her presence growing stronger, cl