The sounds of battle surrounded us, the clashing of steel, snarling wolves, and the cries of the wounded. I could feel the weight of the situation pressing down on me and Karim. We exchanged a glance, a silent acknowledgment of the dire circumstances we were in. The lines were faltering, and the bandits were pushing us back. Despite our best efforts, we were losing ground. It was time.“Karim,” I said, my voice steady despite the chaos around us. “We need to use the flute.”He looked at me, his expression a mix of resolve and concern. “Are you sure, Ava? Once you go into ghost mode, we’ll be relying entirely on it. You’ll be vulnerable.”I nodded, the decision already made in my heart. “There’s no other choice. We have to break their momentum, or we won’t stand a chance. Hold the frontline, and I’ll get to Kim.”He hesitated for just a moment, then gripped my arm, his eyes locking onto mine. “Be careful. We need you to come back.”“I will,” I promised, squeezing his arm in return befo
The pain was a dull, constant throb in my body, my strength waning with every step I took. The battle had taken more out of me than I’d anticipated, and I could feel the weight of exhaustion pulling me down. Karim stayed close, his presence a reassuring anchor as we pressed forward through the woods. I could barely keep my eyes open, but I knew we were almost at Border Town, almost safe.But even in our safety, the bitter truth grew in my heart: we had lost Nashville. The city that had once been ours was now in the hands of Maria and the bandits. The thought was almost too much to bear, but I knew we had dealt them a severe blow. They might have won the battle, but their losses were great. They wouldn’t be able to regroup easily, and that small victory was a comfort, though a fleeting one.As we pushed forward, my vision blurred, and my legs began to buckle. The world around me spun, and the sounds of the forest became distant echoes in my ears. I tried to stay conscious, to keep movi
As I sat in the roundtable room, recuperating from the recent battle, a scout entered with a message that immediately sent a chill down my spine. The scout handed me a worn piece of parchment, the ink slightly smudged as if written in haste. It was from Arit.I read the message aloud, my voice steady but laced with tension. “She’s asking me to come and get my husband.”Karim, who was standing nearby, instantly stiffened. His eyes narrowed with suspicion as he took a step closer. “Ava, this is a trap. You know that, right? Arit and Maria can do anything, they’re playing games with us. You can’t go.”Zaza, who had been silently watching from the corner, rushed forward and knelt by my side. Her eyes were filled with worry and desperation. “Please, Ava, don’t go. We’ve already lost so much. I can’t bear the thought of losing you too. What if they’re trying to lure you out to finish what they started?”I clenched my fists, the message crumpling slightly in my grip. The thought of Alpha Jo,
There was tension in the atmosphere when I called for the council meeting. It was quiet in the chambers but I could hear their murmurs as I sat at the head of the table, surrounded by the people I had trusted with my life and the future of our clan. The topic of retaking Nashville had split the room in two, and the air was thick with opposing opinions.“Nashville does not belong to the bandits,” I began, my voice firm but calm. “It is my home, our land, and we have every right to reclaim it. We cannot let them hold onto it as if it is theirs by right. We owe it to ourselves, to those who fought and died, to take it back.”There was a murmur of agreement from some, but others shook their heads, their expressions hard. One of the elders, a grizzled man who had seen many battles, spoke up.“With all due respect, Ava,” he said, “this attack you propose, it feels personal. The bandits have fortified Nashville, and an invasion would cost us more lives than we can afford. Is this really abou
The moon hung low in the night sky as the wind whispered through the trees, carrying with it the scent of pine and the distant, haunting cries of wolves. It was a scary calm, the kind that settled deep into the bones, reminding all who dared to listen that the storm was far from over.I stood by the window of my chamber, staring out into the abyss, my mind racing with thoughts I couldn’t shake. The bandits had taken Nashville, but they hadn’t taken everything. My hand drifted unconsciously to the deep gash on my side, the wound still fresh and throbbing beneath the bandages. I winced but pushed the pain aside, knowing that physical agony was the least of my concerns.There was a soft knock at the door. I turned, already knowing who it was. “Come in,” I said, my voice barely more than a whisper.The door creaked open, and Zaza stepped inside, her face a mask of worry. She moved with the grace of a panther, silent and controlled, but her eyes betrayed her concern. She had been my rock t
The path to Nashville was dark, the towering trees casting long, twisted shadows under the bright light of the moon shown on the ground. The night was silent and scary for some reason I could not understand why I seemed scared. Save for the occasional rustling of leaves and the soft padding of my boots on the forest floor I could hardly hear anything. I moved swiftly, my senses heightened, and every one of my nerves was on the edge. I knew the risks of what I was doing. I was sneaking out of Border Town without alerting anyone, without any help, leaving my people behind to face an uncertain future, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was something I had to do alone.My thoughts were full of confusion, pain, and determination. I was still in pain and couldn’t let myself think too much about what lay ahead. Alpha Jo was out there, somewhere, and I needed to find him before it was too late. My wounds ached with every step, the pain a constant reminder of the battle I’d barely sur
The outskirts of Nashville were eerily quiet as Bjorn and Karim waited for me, their figures barely visible in the dim light of the early morning. The tension in the air was palpable, and they both knew that I was walking into a trap, but there was no other option. Alpha Jo was being held captive by Arit and the bandits, and I couldn’t leave him to whatever fate they had planned. It was a dangerous mission, and I knew I was putting my life on the line. But loyalty and duty compelled me to act, no matter the cost.As I approached the city, my senses were on high alert. Every shadow seemed to move, every sound was amplified in the stillness of the night. The city was a war zone, with bodies strewn across the streets, remnants of battles fought and lost. The stench of blood and death lingered in the air, a grim reminder of the brutality that had taken place here.I slipped through the narrow alleyways, keeping to the shadows, my heart pounding in my chest. The holding cell where Alpha J
The room was filled with the scent of herbs and medicine lingering in the air. I could feel the weight of my wounds pulling me down, my body aching with every shallow breath I took. I was on the edge of consciousness, slipping in and out of a deep, restless sleep. The pain looked like it was a constant companion, throbbing through my veins, and I could barely distinguish the voices that floated around me, muted and distant like echoes from another world.Every time I came close to waking, I could feel a presence near me, like someone strong and resolute, a warmth that seemed to anchor me to the world. It was Zaza. I could sense her energy, steady and unwavering, as she stayed by my side. Even when I was too weak to open my eyes, I knew she was there, watching over me, her protective instincts sharpening with every moment.There were others too, hovering in the room around the edges of the bed I lay, I could notice their their concern. I heard Karim's voice more than once, low and urg