Zara’s POVThe world shatters. One moment, I’m in the forest, the shadowy figure lunging at me, its claws inches from my throat. The next, I’m falling—falling through darkness so thick it feels like drowning. The air is cold, sharp, and it claws at my lungs as I tumble through the void. I hit the ground hard, the impact knocking the breath from my chest. For a moment, I just lie there, gasping, my heart pounding in my ears. The ground beneath me is cold and smooth, like polished stone, and the air smells of damp earth and something metallic, like blood. I push myself up, my hands trembling as I take in my surroundings. I’m in a cavern, its walls slick with moisture and glowing faintly with an eerie, greenish light. The ceiling is lost in shadows, and the air hums with a low, resonant vibration that makes my teeth ache. “Selene?” I call, my voice echoing off the walls. “Silas?” There’s no answer. Just the sound of water dripping somewhere in the distance and the faint whisper
Zara’s POVThe forest feels alive. Not in the way it usually does—not with the rustle of leaves or the distant call of birds. No, this is something darker, something primal. The trees seem to lean in, their branches twisting like claws, and the air is thick with the scent of decay. The twins cling to me, their small bodies trembling, their marks pulsing faintly with a dark, malevolent light. “It’s coming,” Silas whispers again, his voice barely audible over the low, guttural growl that echoes through the trees. “What’s coming?” I ask, my heart pounding in my chest. “The darkness,” Selene replies, her golden eyes glowing with fear. “And it’s not alone.” Ryland steps forward, his Alpha aura blazing. “We need to move. Now.” I don’t argue. I scoop the twins into my arms, their weight familiar but heavier now, burdened by the darkness they carry. Ryland leads the way, his movements sharp and efficient as he navigates the twisted forest. The packs follow, their faces grim, their
Zara’s POV The forest is too quiet. The kind of quiet that makes my skin crawl, like the world is holding its breath, waiting for something to break. The twins are safe—for now. Selene and Silas sit beside me, their small bodies pressed close, their marks still pulsing faintly with that dark, malevolent light. The packs are scattered around the clearing, their faces grim, their senses sharp and alert. But the silence is suffocating. Ryland stands at the edge of the clearing, his back to us, his shoulders tense. He hasn’t said much since we escaped the forest. Just stared out at the trees, his jaw clenched so tight I can see the muscle twitching. I want to go to him, to ask him what he’s thinking, but I can’t. The twins need me. They’re trembling, their breaths shallow, their eyes wide with fear. “Mommy,” Selene whispers, her voice trembling. “Is it gone?” I brush a strand of hair from her face, my hand trembling. “For now, sweetheart. But we need to be ready. It’s not ove
Zara’s POV The growl reverberates through the trees, low and guttural, like the earth itself is groaning. The twins freeze beside me, their small bodies trembling, their marks pulsing faintly with that dark, malevolent light. Selene’s golden eyes widen, and Silas’s silver gaze flickers with fear. “It’s coming,” Silas whispers again, his voice barely audible over the sound of the forest shifting around us. I tighten my grip on them, my heart pounding in my chest. “Stay close,” I say, my voice firm despite the fear clawing at my insides. The packs are on their feet, their movements sharp and efficient as they form a protective circle around us. Ryland stands at the front, his Alpha aura blazing, his claws extended. His gray eyes scan the trees, his jaw clenched so tight I can see the muscle twitching. “Show yourself!” he snarls, his voice rough with fury. The forest responds with a low, mocking laugh. It’s not a sound that comes from any one direction—it’s everywhere, e
Zara’s POV The forest is eerily quiet, the kind of silence that makes my skin crawl. My wolf is on edge, her instincts screaming at me to run, to hide, to protect the twins at all costs. But I can’t. Not this time. “Mommy,” Selene whispers, her small hand gripping mine tightly. “I’m scared.” “I know, sweetheart,” I say, my voice trembling. “But we’re going to be okay. I promise.” Silas walks beside me, his little face set in a determined expression that reminds me so much of Ryland it hurts. He doesn’t say anything, but I can feel his fear, his uncertainty. He’s trying to be strong, but he’s just a child. They both are. We shouldn’t be here. We shouldn’t be running through the woods in the middle of the night, hunted by wolves who want to use my children for their power. But we don’t have a choice. Not anymore. “Zara,” Ryland’s voice cuts through the silence, and I turn to see him stepping out of the shadows. His face is grim, his eyes filled with a mixture of guilt and det
Zara’s POV The wolves emerge from the shadows, their eyes glowing in the darkness like embers. My wolf snarls, her instincts screaming at me to protect the twins, to fight, to do whatever it takes to keep them safe. But there are too many of them. Too many. Ryland steps forward, his body tense, his wolf close to the surface. “Stay back,” he growls, his voice low and dangerous. The lead wolf, a massive gray beast with scars crisscrossing his muzzle, steps forward, his lips curling back in a snarl. “Give us the children,” he says, his voice rough and guttural. “And we’ll let you live.” “Over my dead body,” Ryland snaps, his eyes flashing with fury. The gray wolf laughs, a harsh, grating sound. “That can be arranged.” I pull the twins closer, my heart pounding in my chest. Selene is trembling, her small hands clutching my arm, while Silas stands tall, his little face set in a determined expression that breaks my heart. “Mommy,” Selene whispers, her voice trembling. “What’s g
Zara’s POV The cave is cold, the damp air clinging to my skin as I hold the twins close. Selene is trembling, her small hands clutching my arm, while Silas sits quietly, his little face pale and drawn. The sound of howls echoes in the distance, growing louder with each passing moment. My wolf is restless, her instincts screaming at me to run, to fight, to do something. But I can’t. Not now. Not when the twins are counting on me. “Mommy,” Selene whispers, her voice trembling. “Is Daddy coming back?” I swallow hard, my heart aching. “I don’t know, sweetheart,” I admit, my voice breaking. “But he’s strong. He’ll do whatever it takes to keep us safe.” She nods, but I can see the doubt in her eyes. She’s scared, and I don’t blame her. I’m scared too. The sound of footsteps outside the cave makes my heart skip a beat. I tense, my wolf rising to the surface as I prepare to defend the twins. But then Ryland steps into view, his face grim and his clothes torn. “Ryland,” I brea
Zara’s POV The cave is too quiet. Even the rush of the waterfall outside can’t drown out the twins’ ragged breathing or the frantic drumming of my heart. Selene curls into my side, her tiny fingers digging into my arm, while Silas stares at the cave entrance like he expects the elders to burst through at any second. They’re too still, too silent. They shouldn’t have to live like this—hunted, afraid. “Mommy,” Selene whispers, her voice trembling. “When can we go home?” I swallow the lump in my throat. Home. The word feels foreign now. Our cramped apartment above the bakery, the smell of fresh bread, the sound of Mrs. Whitmore’s laughter—all of it feels like a dream. “Soon,” I lie, brushing her hair back. “Daddy’s making sure it’s safe.” Silas glances at me, his eyes narrowing. He knows. He always knows. But he doesn’t call me out. Instead, he presses closer, his shoulder bumping mine. “They’re coming,” he murmurs. I don’t ask how he knows. The air shifts, the faintest ripple o
**Silas’s POV** The Trinity steps forward, its tri-colored eye burning like a dying star. The ground beneath its feet cracks, veins of violet and gold spreading like poisoned roots. Its voice echoes with the First Shadow’s malice, the crow’s cunning, and something else—something raw and hungry. *“You cannot run from inevitability,”* it croons, flexing a hand woven of shadow and light. *“The Veil’s chaos is my birthright.”* The void wolf circles us, its eyeless gaze piercing. Selene grips my arm, her bloodied sleeve staining my skin. “We need to split up. Distract it.” Jarek steps between us and the Trinity, his dagger trembling. “Go. I’ll hold it.” “You’ll die,” I snap. He bares his teeth. “Better than living useless.” The Trinity laughs, a sound like shattering glass. *“How noble. Let’s test that.”* It flicks a finger. The void wolf lunges. **Selene’s Flight** We sprint into the skeletal forest, the Trinity’s laughter chasing us. My glow flickers, strained from s
**Silas’s POV** The scar itches. Not the searing pain of before, but a slow, creeping burn that makes my skin crawl. I scratch at it absently, my gaze locked on the golden crow—*gray-eyed* crow—perched in the dead oak. Its once-bright plumage is dull, streaked with ash, and it watches me with an unsettling stillness. “It’s changing,” I mutter to Selene. She doesn’t look up from the map of Veil fractures. “Everything’s changing.” The pack’s camp buzzes with wary energy. Wolves sharpen blades, mutter prayers, and side-eye Jarek as he hauls water from the creek. His shoulders are hunched, his movements mechanical, like a puppet held together by guilt. Ryland emerges from his tent, his gaze sweeping the clearing. “Scouts report a new tear near the southern ridge. Selene, Silas—you’ll lead the team to seal it.” Jarek steps forward, his voice rough. “Let me go instead. They shouldn’t risk—” “You’ve risked enough,” Ryland snaps. The crow caws abruptly, its gray eye flashing.
**Ryland’s POV** The pack’s council fire burns low, its embers reflecting the fractured trust in the wolves’ eyes. Jarek sits apart, his head bowed, the shadow crow’s corruption scrubbed from his veins but not his soul. The guilt radiating from him is palpable, a stench even the night wind can’t carry away. Kieran tosses a log onto the fire, sparks spiraling into the dark. “We need to fortify the borders. The Veil’s tears are seeping into the territory. Last night, the river turned black.” Murmurs ripple through the pack. A young mother clutches her pup closer. “Will it spread here?” “No,” I say, the lie smooth and heavy. “We’ll contain it.” Jarek’s laugh is a broken rasp. “You don’t even believe that.” Silence falls. The fire crackles, its light flickering over the scars we all wear. Selene steps into the circle, her glow dim but steady. “The Veil’s heart is weak, but not broken. We can still save it.” “How?” Jarek challenges. “With more sacrifices? More *children’s*
**Ryland’s POV** The ground splinters beneath our feet, jagged fissures snaking outward like veins of decay. The air vibrates with the Veil’s anguished scream, a sound that claws at the mind and soul. Jarek stands at the tomb’s entrance, the black shard pulsing in his grip, his eyes twin pools of violet fire. “You’ve doomed us all,” I snarl, shifting as the pack scatters behind me. He laughs, the shadow crow perched on his shoulder like a twisted crown. “No, Alpha. I’ve *freed* us.” The shard’s energy writhes around him, tendrils of darkness lashing at the crumbling stone. Behind him, the tomb’s heart—a fractured mirror—quivers, its remaining shards teetering on the edge of collapse. “Stand down, Jarek,” I growl, circling him. “This isn’t you.” “Isn’t it?” He bares his teeth, the corruption snaking up his neck. “You coddled those brats while the pack starved for strength. The Shadow offers what you never could.” The shadow crow croons, its voice harmonizing with the Vei
**Selene’s POV** The water is ice and fire, clawing at my skin as I’m dragged deeper. My glow flickers, struggling against the suffocating darkness. The golden shard gleams below, its light distorted by the rippling surface. “Let go!” I scream, kicking at the clawed hand gripping my ankle. The creature—half shadow, half memory—turns, its face a grotesque mockery of Zara’s. *“You cannot mend what you refuse to face,”* it hisses. I focus on the bond, on Silas’s frantic presence. *“I’m here,”* I whisper, though the water steals my voice. The golden crow’s cry pierces the depths. *“Remember.”* --- **Silas’s Desperation** The lake’s surface freezes over the moment Selene disappears. I slam my fists against the ice, the scar on my chest burning. “Selene!” The golden crow lands beside me, its gold eye dim. *“The Veil tests her. You must face your own trial.”* “I’m not leaving her!” *“You must,”* it insists. *“Or you’ll both be lost.”* The ice cracks beneath my hands,
**Silas’s POV** The tomb’s explosion leaves a ringing silence. Smoke and shards of the mirror hang suspended in the air, glinting like frozen stars. My scar burns, a molten brand searing through muscle and bone. Zara’s voice lingers in my skull, a ghostly echo. *“Courage, Silas. Not for you—for them.”* The crow’s split forms hover above the chaos—one a writhing mass of shadow and feathers, the other a radiant silhouette of starlight. Their twin gazes lock onto me, one accusing, one pleading. Selene staggers to my side, her glow fractured. “What did you do?” “I… don’t know.” The suspended shards quiver. Then, like a breath exhaled, they surge outward. --- **Ryland’s POV** The blast flings me into the tomb’s wall. Stone cracks beneath my spine, but I’m on my feet in an instant. “Selene! Silas!” The twins stand at the epicenter, unharmed but haloed in a corona of light and shadow. Around them, the pack scrambles—Jarek cursing as a shard slices his arm, Kieran dragging a
**Silas’s POV** The crow perches on the charred remains of the sacred oak, its mismatched eyes piercing the twilight. Violet and gold—corruption and something else, something that claws at my chest where the scar lies dormant. I press a hand to it, the skin cold and taut. *“You feel it, don’t you?”* The voice is softer now, a serpentine whisper instead of a roar. *“The fracture. The choice.”* “Shut up,” I mutter, turning away. But the crow’s gaze follows, relentless. Selene finds me at the forest’s edge, her glow dimmed by exhaustion. “You’re hiding again.” I don’t answer. The scar throbs, a silent warning. --- **Ryland’s Dilemma** The pack council fractures like rotten wood. Jarek stands before the gathered wolves, his axe slung over his shoulder. “We buried Mara. We bled for the tomb. And what do we have? A bird and a scar.” Ryland’s growl silences the murmurs. “We have survival. Or would you prefer the Shadow’s chains?” “I’d prefer a leader who doesn’t gamble ou
**Silas’s POV** The Shadow’s new form looms over me, a grotesque fusion of matted fur and glistening feathers. His violet eyes burn like twin pyres, and his talons—half claw, half bone—scrape against the tomb’s stone floor. The air reeks of decay, the Veil’s corrupted energy thickening until I can barely breathe. *“You should have knelt,”* the Shadow hisses, his voice a chorus of caws and snarls. *“Now you’ll die as your mother did—alone.”* My scar flares, a searing reminder of Zara’s sacrifice. I clutch my chest, gritting my teeth against the pain. “I’m *never* alone.” Her voice whispers through the tomb, faint but unyielding. *“Use the bond, Silas. Trust her.”* I close my eyes and reach for Selene. --- **Selene’s POV** Kieran’s blade trembles against my throat, his breath ragged. The rot has spread up his arms, blackening his veins. “Fight him, Kieran!” I plead. “You’re stronger than this!” His pupils flicker—brown, then violet. *“He’s… gone…”* The roots surging
**Silas’s POV** The pyre’s smoke curls into the dawn sky, carrying the acrid stench of betrayal. Mara’s ashes mingle with the frost, but the pack’s eyes linger on me—not with reverence, but fear. My scar pulses faintly, a reminder of the Shadow’s whispers that still snake through my dreams. “You’re staring again,” Selene murmurs, her glow dimmed by exhaustion. I rip my gaze from the crow perched atop the charred remains of the sacred oak. Its violet eye glints, unblinking. “It’s watching us.” “It’s just a bird,” she says, but her trembling hands betray her doubt. The crow caws, sharp and mocking, before vanishing into the mist. --- **Ryland’s Burden** The pack gathers in the hollow, their murmurs a storm of grief and suspicion. Jarek stands apart, sharpening his axe with deliberate slowness. “Mara’s betrayal doesn’t erase her years of loyalty,” Ryland declares, his voice raw. “We mourn her. Then we rebuild.” “Rebuild *what*?” a young warrior snaps. “The rot’s back.