Sunbeams filtering through the windows did little to thaw the chill that had settled in the corridors of Amara's mansion. Hannah—most people knew her as Winter—paused in the hallway, her breath catching on the muffled voices drifting from the kitchen. The raised tones were unmistakable, sharp and brimming with tension, though the words themselves were indistinct. Whatever it was, the anger behind those words was clear, and a shiver ran down her spine.Hannah stood there, fists clenched in her sides, breathing, if one could call it breathing, almost as though her heart were trying to break free within the walls of her ribcage. For the first time that Hannah could remember, the kitchen-the apparent heartbeat of any home-pulsated with discord; warmth and comfort took the place of unrest in this otherwise beloved space. She could feel the weight of the argument, the frustration and hurt that hung thick in the air. Amara and Ralph fought for dominance of voice, their feelings rushing like
It was a sky shrouded in thick, rolling clouds that seemed to darken the shadows over Hampton Pack's territory. It was oppressive-the air heavy, as if all of the forest were holding its breath in anticipation of something calamitous. The ancient trees, once a beacon of protection and strength, now stood silently as sentinels, testifying to the storm brewing within.Inside the stone-built Alpha Hall, in the heart of Hampton, **Maxine** paced back and forth. The always-composed one was upset by the tremendous weight of her worry. Her golden eyes, so vibrant an inheritance of her bloodline, were feral with anxiety as she gripped her fists at her sides. She did look up, however, toward **Alpha Alph**, her husband and the steady leader of their pack."Alph, the door is still not open," she said, her voice stiff with fear. "We have to do something. Hannah and Hadzen are still in the human world, and Leo—Leo is there! We can't let them see each other!" Her voice rose, carrying the desperate
The faint light in the luxurious mansion thrown by Amara made long shadows on the walls, and the room spun a little as she entered the **sala** stumbling under the grip of half an empty bottle of the expensive whiskey. The earlier argument with Ralph was still echoing in her mind. The sorrow and frustration of hurt played in her mind as a broken record that would not let her sleep. She had made him go home, needing to be left alone, needing to douse herself in the numbing abuace of alcohol.Amara crashed onto the plush velvet couch, her designer dress rumpled and makeup slightly smudged. She forced a laugh, took another swig, this time savoring the burn as it chased the ache in her chest away. "Screw it," she muttered under her breath, then fell back on the couch and closed her eyes.The muffled footfalls made her crack an eye open. It took a moment in her haze to process what she was seeing. **Hannah** and **Hadzen** were moving almost silently towards the front door, their movements
### Chapter 59: Fragments of the PastThe darkness of night was making the forest grow darker, shadows stretching long and thin across the mossy ground. Hannah breathed softly. The mist of her breath was visible in the cold air. Every rustle of the leaves or crack of the twig went through Hannah like a shiver of anticipation. Her senses felt heightened, her nerves raw, as though the very forest was holding its breath.They had walked for what felt like hours, the silence between them heavy but not uncomfortable. Hannah's thoughts churned- replaying it all: The argument, the kiss she'd witnessed, and just how Hadzen had reached out and pulled her away from it all. His grip still gentle, even now, though he'd released her once they were far enough to have perhaps avoided the whole debacle.Hannah swallowed, staring at the back of Hadzen's head. His jaw was clenched, and his eyes were focused forward, but his brows creased across his face in concern. It was as if he could feel the tempes
Storm clouds hung over Hampton, heavy and thick with an ominous darkness, as if nature herself had paused for breath at what was to come. The night approaching had a heavy smell of wetness; Alpha Alph stood before the entrance of his stronghold with hands clenched at his sides. His look, normally unremitting, was marred with worry as tension strangled the air.Beside him, **Maxine** was as disturbed. She stood tall, but a trembling in her hands belied the fear that she was fighting to keep at bay. Her eyes, golden like the rising sun, were fixed on the horizon, where the moon began to rise. The light that filtered through the clouds had a reddish tint-an ominous sign of the coming Eclipse.They're not back yet," she said, breaking the silence. Her voice was tight and raw with worry. "Hadzen and Hannah… they're still out there and the Eclipse is coming. If we can't bring them back in time…With a sharp exhalation, Alpha Alph's jaw worked: he was fighting to keep his own voices back. "T
Quiet streets of Hampton slumbered in a soft, golden light as sunset fell, old cobblestones sketched with shadows. **Sonia** stood in the front yard of her small house with its ivy bed. She worriedly twisted the hem of her dress in her fingertips as her heart thumped in her chest at the uninvited visitor before her: **Dylan**.She'd always been that way, with the shaggy hair, warm brown eyes, and that easy smile that seemed to make the world feel lighter. He was, secretly, everything she kind of admired. Today, however, there had been no smile. Instead, his eyes were all tangled up in worry and disappointment, twisting something inside her."You told Hannah about the human world, didn't you?" Dylan's voice was low, but there was a note of reproach that cut deeper than she had expected.Sonia's shoulders slumped, and she swallowed hard, a guilty feeling creeping over her. She'd thought that surely no one would hear, that she could keep this slip of the tongue to herself. But here stood
Winter’s P.O.V. Did I just win? The thought echoed in my mind as I walked toward my locker, still buzzing from the announcement. I had been crowned Miss Eastwood 2024—me, Winter, the new girl who had only transferred here a few months ago. The reality of it hadn’t fully sunk in yet. I did it. I beat Marah, I thought, a smile tugging at my lips. The look on her face when they placed that crown on my head was priceless. Every snide comment and cold shoulder she had thrown my way was wiped clean in that one moment. But it wasn’t until I reached my locker that I felt the need to pinch myself. Eastwood University was a new world—new people, new struggles, and of course, Marah, the queen bee. From the moment I stepped onto this campus, she saw me as a threat. And now, I had proven her right. I wasn’t just another girl to be pushed aside. It was Winter, and I was here to stay. Ever since I was little, my mom always e
Winter P.O.V It was heavy and thick, alive with eerie silence, as if night swallowed up my desperate cries. The throat was burning from screaming, yet I couldn't stop. The ropes cut into my wrists, bringing unbearable pain with each heartbeat. I fought, what felt like hours, but could do no more. Rough tree bark scraped my back, each slight movement sending waves of fresh agony through my body. "Help! Does anybody hear me? Please!" My voice was hoarse, catching in my throat with fear and exhaustion. The woods around me were oppressively still, as if the trees were mocking my helplessness. The silence smothered me, weighing upon my chest like some physical weight, and I felt the creeping dread that nobody was coming. I tried again, turning my wrists to get free, but the ropes only dug deeper. My fingers were numb and a deep ache had found a home in my shoulders. And then the cold, pitiless thought began to seep into my mind that I might just truly be alone out h
Quiet streets of Hampton slumbered in a soft, golden light as sunset fell, old cobblestones sketched with shadows. **Sonia** stood in the front yard of her small house with its ivy bed. She worriedly twisted the hem of her dress in her fingertips as her heart thumped in her chest at the uninvited visitor before her: **Dylan**.She'd always been that way, with the shaggy hair, warm brown eyes, and that easy smile that seemed to make the world feel lighter. He was, secretly, everything she kind of admired. Today, however, there had been no smile. Instead, his eyes were all tangled up in worry and disappointment, twisting something inside her."You told Hannah about the human world, didn't you?" Dylan's voice was low, but there was a note of reproach that cut deeper than she had expected.Sonia's shoulders slumped, and she swallowed hard, a guilty feeling creeping over her. She'd thought that surely no one would hear, that she could keep this slip of the tongue to herself. But here stood
Storm clouds hung over Hampton, heavy and thick with an ominous darkness, as if nature herself had paused for breath at what was to come. The night approaching had a heavy smell of wetness; Alpha Alph stood before the entrance of his stronghold with hands clenched at his sides. His look, normally unremitting, was marred with worry as tension strangled the air.Beside him, **Maxine** was as disturbed. She stood tall, but a trembling in her hands belied the fear that she was fighting to keep at bay. Her eyes, golden like the rising sun, were fixed on the horizon, where the moon began to rise. The light that filtered through the clouds had a reddish tint-an ominous sign of the coming Eclipse.They're not back yet," she said, breaking the silence. Her voice was tight and raw with worry. "Hadzen and Hannah… they're still out there and the Eclipse is coming. If we can't bring them back in time…With a sharp exhalation, Alpha Alph's jaw worked: he was fighting to keep his own voices back. "T
### Chapter 59: Fragments of the PastThe darkness of night was making the forest grow darker, shadows stretching long and thin across the mossy ground. Hannah breathed softly. The mist of her breath was visible in the cold air. Every rustle of the leaves or crack of the twig went through Hannah like a shiver of anticipation. Her senses felt heightened, her nerves raw, as though the very forest was holding its breath.They had walked for what felt like hours, the silence between them heavy but not uncomfortable. Hannah's thoughts churned- replaying it all: The argument, the kiss she'd witnessed, and just how Hadzen had reached out and pulled her away from it all. His grip still gentle, even now, though he'd released her once they were far enough to have perhaps avoided the whole debacle.Hannah swallowed, staring at the back of Hadzen's head. His jaw was clenched, and his eyes were focused forward, but his brows creased across his face in concern. It was as if he could feel the tempes
The faint light in the luxurious mansion thrown by Amara made long shadows on the walls, and the room spun a little as she entered the **sala** stumbling under the grip of half an empty bottle of the expensive whiskey. The earlier argument with Ralph was still echoing in her mind. The sorrow and frustration of hurt played in her mind as a broken record that would not let her sleep. She had made him go home, needing to be left alone, needing to douse herself in the numbing abuace of alcohol.Amara crashed onto the plush velvet couch, her designer dress rumpled and makeup slightly smudged. She forced a laugh, took another swig, this time savoring the burn as it chased the ache in her chest away. "Screw it," she muttered under her breath, then fell back on the couch and closed her eyes.The muffled footfalls made her crack an eye open. It took a moment in her haze to process what she was seeing. **Hannah** and **Hadzen** were moving almost silently towards the front door, their movements
It was a sky shrouded in thick, rolling clouds that seemed to darken the shadows over Hampton Pack's territory. It was oppressive-the air heavy, as if all of the forest were holding its breath in anticipation of something calamitous. The ancient trees, once a beacon of protection and strength, now stood silently as sentinels, testifying to the storm brewing within.Inside the stone-built Alpha Hall, in the heart of Hampton, **Maxine** paced back and forth. The always-composed one was upset by the tremendous weight of her worry. Her golden eyes, so vibrant an inheritance of her bloodline, were feral with anxiety as she gripped her fists at her sides. She did look up, however, toward **Alpha Alph**, her husband and the steady leader of their pack."Alph, the door is still not open," she said, her voice stiff with fear. "We have to do something. Hannah and Hadzen are still in the human world, and Leo—Leo is there! We can't let them see each other!" Her voice rose, carrying the desperate
Sunbeams filtering through the windows did little to thaw the chill that had settled in the corridors of Amara's mansion. Hannah—most people knew her as Winter—paused in the hallway, her breath catching on the muffled voices drifting from the kitchen. The raised tones were unmistakable, sharp and brimming with tension, though the words themselves were indistinct. Whatever it was, the anger behind those words was clear, and a shiver ran down her spine.Hannah stood there, fists clenched in her sides, breathing, if one could call it breathing, almost as though her heart were trying to break free within the walls of her ribcage. For the first time that Hannah could remember, the kitchen-the apparent heartbeat of any home-pulsated with discord; warmth and comfort took the place of unrest in this otherwise beloved space. She could feel the weight of the argument, the frustration and hurt that hung thick in the air. Amara and Ralph fought for dominance of voice, their feelings rushing like
The sun rose gradually, casting streaks of gold throughout the woods surrounding Amara's mansion, but this had done little to lighten the tension clinging to the atmosphere like a storm cloud. Everyone was held within one of the mansion's lavishly decorated sitting rooms, and the gilded mirrors with velvet drapes seemed to insist upon the amplification of each whispered argument into a prison, entombing words and reflecting them back to the room's occupants.Ralph stood in the middle of the room, his fists clenched by his sides, frustration festering but not quite bubbling to the surface. He watched Amara pace the floor in her designer boots, their taps on the polished marble tiles like a restless rhythm of someone practicing to believe. She kept her voice down, but her anger bubbled up between them like some live wire.Why not just send them home? Ralph demanded, his voice low but heated. You don't need to keep them here, Amara. What the hell are you doing?Amara shifted toward him,
The evening was filled with a silent tension, one that seemed to cling to the air and press down on everyone. Shadows stretched long across the rooms of Amara's mansion, and the flickering glow of the lanterns served little in putting to flight the unease that had settled in after the events of the forest.Hannah was dog tired, but sleep didn't come easily. She tossed and turned on the couch in one of the guest rooms, her mind replaying the confrontation with the dark figure over and over. Finally, she drifted into a fitful slumber, and soon was consumed by bright, disturbing dreams.She stood suddenly on her balcony. The air felt thick and painfully cold, imposed upon her skin like a tense, clammy caress. From darkness, one shape separated and took form: the man they had seen earlier in her dream. His eyes glittered with secrets only he knew and promises only he could ever keep."Why run from what's inevitable?" he whispered, and his voice sent shivers down her spine."I don't unders
The wind carried scent of pine needles and earth over the aftermath of fear and adrenaline. Hadzen cradled an injured Hannah in his arms, his eyes holding onto Amara's. Ralph groaned, clutching his ribs as he tried to find his balance, with Amara's heart pounding hard in her chest.What was with that creep?" Amara demanded, her voice cutting but laced with fear. "Do you know them?Hadzen's face was a mask of impassivity, no flicker of emotion dancing there to betray his thoughts. His eyes, cool and detached, looked at Ralph for a moment before he replied, "We do not know him." His voice was calm, almost indifferent, as if the chaos and danger they'd just faced were nothing more than a mild inconvenience.Her eyes softened as she viewed Hannah, almost unconscious. "Come on," Amara sighed, turning to lead the way. "You all can stay at my place. It's safer there.".Hadzen neither thanked her nor gave her any reassurance. He simply carried Hannah in his arms, his face unreadable, and trai