Draco’s POVThe sun hung like a bleeding wound against the gray sky, casting long shadows across the abandoned wasteland before us. Three days of relentless travel had brought us to the edge of the Barren Lands.A name that barely captured the stretch of desolation before my eyes.The landscape looked like the Moon Goddess herself had taken a massive fist and pounded the life from it. Twisted remnants of trees jutted from the ground like broken bones, their bark blackened in the harsh light.Years without water dried the soil beneath our boots red, cracking it into intrinsic patterns.“Hard to believe this was once fertile territory,” Bruno muttered beside me, his face creased with disgust as he surveyed the area.His eyes narrowed in alert even as the wind tousled his dark hair.Sebastian turned our way. “The Great War left its mark. Five packs tearing each other apart over territory that lay wasting now.”Werewoods’ Southern Packs were prosperous, ruling large territories and havi
Sera’s POVThick silence filled my room in the pack house like a death shroud.I cradled the pups against my chest, feeling their soft breathing as the only sound breaking the hollow ache that had settled in my bones since their brother was taken away from me.The pups slept peacefully, oblivious to the fact that a shifter I’d once trusted had ripped from them their third.My fingers traced the edge of the large crib, the wood smooth beneath my touch. Every shadow in the room seemed to mock me, whispering of my failures as both an alpha and a mother. The sunlight streaming through the windows cast golden patterns across the floor, but even its harsh glow couldn’t chase away the darkness that had taken root in my chest.Distant noises came from below the stairs just beyond the doors of my room and I perked up with a start. Not him. Not yet.I thought.But my heart hammered against my ribs anyway, desperate hope clawing at my throat.Then footsteps thundered down the hallway. It was
Draco’s POV“Alpha, the Maniac’s hideout is just ahead.”Bruno’s voice echoed through the mind link as we crouched low in the underbrush of the eastern part of the Werewoods, our shadows elongated by the setting sun.Two days of relentless travel had brought us to this place, a barren land that reeked of death and decay.“How many?” I replied in a gruff voice as I scanned the surrounding area on high alert.“Fifteen rogues, including the Maniac. They know we are here. I can sense it.”My dark gray eyes, unchanged even in wolf form, surveyed the rocky terrain that lay ahead. It was a cave-like structure with an entrance that yawned like a mouth waiting to swallow them whole. Every instinct screamed danger, but the thought of securing the peace of my pack and the entire Werewoods drove my resolve.“Tell the team to stay close, Sebastian,” I said to my Beta. “This ends today.”The team moved through the shadows with practiced silence, with our wolf forms melding with the evening light.
Sera’s POV“Elder Selene?” I rasped out, staring in shock as the familiar figure approached with lightning speed.Selene arrived before our shocked forms and, with an icy gaze, released a heavy palm strike, which sent Aria's petite body sailing across the air.She crashed heavily into a corner, and a splitter of blood dripped down her chin.I watched with widened eyes as her face paled in an instant, showing how heavy the hit she’d taken.“Sera, are you alright?”Elder Selene’s words snapped me out of my daze, and I turned to give her a bewildered glance.“Elder Selene? Why are you here?”She stretched out a hand to help me off the floor as I spoke.The moment I stood, an intense pain erupted from my belly and between my legs, and I almost collapsed.The adrenaline rush that had fueled my previous actions, giving me the strength to leave the bed and protect my pups, appeared to have deserted me.“Careful, dear. Let me get you into bed. You need rest,” Elder Selene said with furrowed
Aria’s POVI watched in sickening satisfaction as Sera’s pale face lost even more blood, my mouth carved in a sadistic smirk.Heh.“It’s much too early to be scared now, isn’t it?” I walked around the trolley placed by the foot of the bed to Sera’s side, studying her like a hunter studies its prey.I had her right where I’d always wanted. Weak, helpless, and all alone.Ripe for the picking.“So it’s been you all this while?” Sera stared at me with wide eyes, like she was seeing me for the first time.“I know, right? Who would have ever thought? A weak, petite female shifter couldn’t do much, right? So I used that to my advantage,” I shrugged.“The Werewoods is such a funny place, you know? They hear about a powerful rogue and everyone assumes it’s a male wolf.” I rolled my eyes as I spoke, coming to stand by Sera’s bedside.I studied her disheveled appearance like a work of art.Cold sweat drenched her nightwear, and her thick brunette hair lay damp on her weak shoulders as she watc
Sera’s POV“Sera? What’s wrong?” Millie’s voice came from behind my room doors just as they burst open and she hurried in wearing a lace nightie, her eyes clouded with sleep.I took in a mouthful of breath as beads of sweat gathered at my nape.The cool night air contrasted with the heat wave within me as I struggled to remain still.Millie came to my bedside, brows furrowing in concern as she studied me.“Sera?” she asked, taking in a sharp breath as she noticed the watermark on the bed.“Get Hyde in here, Millie. I think pups are coming,” I squeezed out through gritted teeth as Millie remained frozen in shock, her eyes wide with quivering lashes.“Right, Hyde..” Millie trailed off as she snapped out of her daze and hurried out of the room.The sound of activity filtered into the room through the door, and I realised my scream had woken the entire pack.It was past midnight, but the noise coming from below was that of a typical sunny afternoon.A sharp contraction came, and I held