Ardan stood at one end of the war table with crossed arms and a dark face with suspicion written all over it. Zone paced near the fireplace, pacing up and down, clearly frustrated. Across from me, Roman leaned casually against the wall, with his usual composed expression giving away nothing, but I could see it—Ardan and Zone’s distrust was starting to chip away at his calm exterior.“Something’s not right,” Zone muttered for the third time, shooting Roman another glare. “We’re chasing leads, scrambling to keep Gilly safe, and every time something goes wrong, he’s around.”Roman let out a quiet sigh and rolled his eyes as he pushed himself off the wall. “You know, Zone, if you’re going to keep accusing me, you might as well bring some proof. I’ve done nothing but help you all since I arrived.”“You mean since you conveniently appeared,” Zone shot back. “No one knows where you came from. You don’t belong here.”“Enough!” I snapped, standing up from my seat and placing my hands on the ta
The sound of Zone’s boots echoed down the hallway as he stormed into the war room. I could see anger in his eyes. Ardan, Rachel, and I were huddled over maps and scouting reports, discussing strategies to secure the territory.“We have a problem,” Zone said as he tossed a worn scrap of fabric onto the table.I picked it up, frowning. The material was torn and dirty, reeking faintly of magic and rogue wolves.“What is this?” Ardan asked coldly as he straightened his back to face Zone.“I found it near the south border,” Zone replied, crossing his arms. “Tracks leading in and out of the pack’s territory. Someone’s sneaking around.”Rachel furrowed her brow as she leaned closer, inspecting the fabric. “It’s rogue,” she muttered, then paused. “But there’s something else here. A faint magical trace.”Ardan’s eyes turned to me. “Roman.”I sighed heavily, already knowing where this was going. “You can’t keep blaming Roman for every problem we have, Ardan. It’s starting to feel personal. I me
There were sounds of jingling chains coming from the medical wing as I approached it. I had managed to talk Ardan out of keeping Gilly chained up in the dungeon. Gilly sat slumped on the small cot with her wrists bound tightly chains. When her eyes went up to meet mine, the despair in them almost shattered me.“Serena…” she whispered.I moved toward the door slowly, swallowing my saliva. “Gilly, you’re awake.”She gave out a humourless chuckle, and wiped her tears with the back of her hand that was free. “Awake? I wish I wasn’t.” She looked at her swollen pupils in the mirror and also looked at her hands as they continued to shake as though they were still stained with blood. “I killed him, didn’t I?”I dropped to my knees beside the bed and grasped her hand through the iron bracelets. “No, Gilly. It wasn’t you. Gloria did this. She’s manipulating you, using you. This isn’t your fault.”She jerked at my words, shaking her head vehemently. “Serena, you don’t understand. As long as I’m
Roman’s POVThe night air was cold as I stepped through the trees, holding Gilly captive. My steps were silent, careful as always, but my mind ran through memories that never left me. I couldn’t stop them, even now—especially now.I had always been an observer, even as a boy. I watched my parents, two forces of nature who couldn’t have been more different yet were somehow drawn together like moths to a flame. My father was a man with no sense of mercy. His ambitions were as grand as they were brutal. “Take what you want. Rule without apology.” Those were his words to me as soon as I was old enough to stand in his shadow.My mother… she was different. Controlled, cunning, with a mind so sharp it could cut you before you realised you were bleeding. A witch with power most would have called godlike, but to me, she was something more—something complicated. She loved me, and in her way, she was always there. She was like the constant in a chaotic world. But she wanted loyalty to her coven.
Serena’s PoVThe medical wing was quiet—too quiet. I expected to hear Gilly’s faint breathing or the sound of Draven’s footsteps, but instead, the silence felt odd. Sally knew something was off and as I stepped inside, the hair on the back of my neck stood.“Gilly?” I called softly with my voice echoing off the walls.There was no response. I quickened my pace as I moved to Gilly’s room. The door was slightly ajar. Something was definitely wrong.Pushing the door open, my heart dropped. The bed was empty. The chains that bound Gilly were now off and lying on the floor.“What the…” I whispered, barely looking around me frowning in confusion.A low grunt coming from the corner of the room made me turn my head. I gasped. Draven was sitting with his legs tied to the wall, his hands were also tied with pieces of his clothings. His mouth was gagged and I could see the anger and desperation in his eyes.“Draven!” I rushed to him, yanking the cloth from his mouth.“Serena,” he rasped. “You ne
Where we were felt like a frozen nightmare, every breath I took was heavy. My teeth was bared and my claws were ready, as Ardan, Zone, and I stepped forward. Gilly knelt on the ground. Her pale form was trembling. Standing beside her was Gloria,And Roman—he stood at Gloria’s side, tall and unshaken with a cruel smirk tugging at his lips.“You should have stayed away,” Roman said. “But then again, I suppose you couldn’t help yourself, could you?”“Let her go for the last time,” I growled.Gloria chuckled softly. “Oh, the mighty Wolf mother has come to save her little pawn. How predictable.” Her eyes were fixed on me, sharp as a dagger. “You think you can stop me? You, with your fractured power and naïve ideals? You will fall, Serena. It’s only a matter of time.”“And the time is now.” Roman declared. He mumbled a spell and a rush of wind brought me
The moment Gloria began chanting her dark spells, I knew we were running out of time. The woods vibrated with the pulse of her magic. Her magic coiled around Gilly like a snake. Gloria had broken Zone from the spell she had him in. Gilly lay limp in Zone’s arms, her breaths were shallow and weak, and her face was pale and barely recognisable as the girl I had fought so hard to save.I needed to act now. We had come this far not to just give up. I clenched my fists as I felt the power of being the wolf mother overcome me. It was raw and overwhelming.“Serena!” Ardan called.I didn’t respond. Instead, I planted my feet, inhaling deeply as I reached into the depths of my power. The ground beneath me trembled as the Wolf mother within me awoke fully.The spell Gloria had used to protect herself began faltering as my power collided with her dark magic. Gloria staggered back, snarling. “No!” she screeched.Zone seized
I stood at outside the pack house. After everything, after Gloria, after Gilly—the eerie silence was unnatural. As if even the earth mourned. I wrapped my arms around myself, feeling the chill in the wind biting at my skin despite the sunlight that peeked through the tree branches. I knew it was coming—consequences always did.I went back into the pack house and just then, there was a soft knock on the pack house door. When I opened it, a witch stood before me. I recognised her type immediately. Though I didn’t know her name, she reeked of magic.I narrowed my eyes but stepped aside to let her enter. “Why are you here?” I said stiffly.The witch bowed her head. “To bring you news... and to seek forgiveness.”“Forgiveness? For what exactly?”She hesitated. “The witches’ coven is broken. Without Gloria, it... it crumbled,” she said softly. “Many of us were loyal to her out
Evelyn PoV“One, two, three, four…. Fifty, sixty-nine, a hundred…. No, no, no…” I breathed.I had stopped counting how many lives I had taken.At first, I would wave it off with justifications such as "they're all enemies, threats to my survival", or "I'm doing what I had to, to stay alive." But the excuses had become stale.Now, in the stark silence of my cell, their faces haunted me.There was the young warrior who had drawn his blade just as I struck him down. His eyes had been filled with terror, pleading, as though he had something to live for. I hadn't hesitated.There was the woman with that desperate look in her eyes, hands bloody and reaching for my clothes in an appeal for mercy. I had felt a flicker of hesitation that night. But Odessa had been watching, satisfaction shining in her golden eyes. I couldn't allow weakness.So, I had done what was expected of me.With each kill, I felt t
Author PoVThe night air carried with it a choking fear while Ardan led the way through a narrow, brushed-out trail in the thick forest. Their footsteps were softly swallowed by the damp earth. Fixing their gaze a little higher, they made use of the moon light, working through the thick canopy of the giants above only to find the moon sailing low in the night. Earlier that day, they had dispatched some of their own for patrol, but no word yet had come back. That alone would be enough to raise concern.“They haven’t returned yet. What do we do, Alpha?” One of the soldiers reported.“They are soldiers, they can make it on their own. Atlas it’s what we were all trained for.” Another insisted.“That is no way to talk, Elko.” Marcus cautioned.Ardan, being the cautions of the group, was the first to insist that they go after them. Marcus agreed, but his gut twisted at the thought of what they might find. W
Evelyn PoVI ought to have guessed that Odessa always had a hidden agenda.When she first took me in with her pack, she wore a smile very much like one of triumph, but I chose to believe that it stemmed from the weight of my own power that I bore. I told myself I could keep her at bay. I could stay sharp, keep control somehow, and leave at the right time.I was mistaken.The summons came at the dawn of another day. A simple message written with agonising care trailed under my door. A “Come to my chambers. Immediately.“For some reason, a heavier thump was felt in each step I took there. Odessa had a gift for making even her allies tread a fine line—the bottomless pit lying just a step away—but with me now fidgeting and uneasy, something felt amiss.Odessa sat on her desk chair with a glacial calmness about her as I entered. Last time I checked, she didn’t invite me to sit, suggesting a loss for my side in what might be an interesting debate."Evelyn," she said, softening her tone but
Serena’s PoVDraven and I had been looking for ways to communicate to Evelyn. But Odessa made sure Evelyn was gone for good. She blocked everything. My mid-link connection with my daughter didn’t seem to work. Worse of all, it began to seem as if the person I had been trying to reach was no longer in existence. It was as if she was dead.“Odessa has finally gotten all she wanted. Evelyn is probably not the Evelyn I know.” I stated sadly.“Evelyn probably doesn’t even know that she’s carrying a part of Gilly’s spirit in her.” Draven added.I sighed. “I wanna give up Draven. I’m tired. Maybe this is how it was meant to be.”“She’s your daughter. You’re not giving up. There’ll always be another way. Trust.” Draven assured me while smiling.“Do you ever need someone? I mean, since your arrival, you just helped all of us in the many ways you can. Have you ever needed someone at least to return the favour?” I asked solemnly, genuinely curious about Draven’s personal life.“I have a lot goin
Author PoVThere had been a shift in Odessa’s camp. It wasn't anything she said out loud; it was more in the atmosphere, a slight crack between the walls Odessa was building around her peoples. Evelyn sensed it the moment she stepped out of the tent, burdened with seeming countless eyes on her.Whispers had started circulating since her bungled escape, and she knew Odessa would not be oblivious to them. The woman had become closely acquainted with her, testing her in ways she did not quite yet understand.Finian.He had been her only consolation in this place, the one person who made her captivity feel a little less stifling. But she was starting to notice how Odessa looked at him whenever the two were together, how she would call him at the most random of moments just to keep him away from her. Although, she didn’t like that Finian was Odessa’s son, Finian was proving to her that he was still an ally.Odessa was getting suspicious.She confirmed the fears in Evelyn's heart during the
Author PoVWhen Marcus first saw Evelyn with Finian, something in him twisted. He felt relieved—she was alive, breathing, moving—only to be swallowed by something infinitely darker. Fury. Guilt. Confusion. He had fought every waking moment for her, searched for her, and there she was, too close to a man that was supposed to be her enemy. The conversations between them, the way she looked at him, made Marcus' stomach churn.He gripped his fists by his sides, forcing himself to turn away before emotions got the best of him. It was not the time; she had been captured against her will; she had to adapt, survive. That's what Marcus told himself. But in that split second, that minute glance shared between Evelyn and Finian had shocked a seed of relentless self-doubt that he was just not prepared to confront.Once back at the camp Ardan had set up before their departure at dawn, his anger smouldered over, but now low. Beneath a flickering flame, he spotted Luca sharpening his blade with ever
Author’s PoVArdan and the rest had decided to stand down for the moment. Ardan had begun to doubt. He didn’t want to put anybody in danger, going against what his pack wanted. Marcus of course protested but Ardan told him that they were going to be doing anything.“We will all camp here for the night and once dawn comes, we leave. Got it?” Ardan asked and all but Marcus nodded.“So what happens to us?” Ryan asked.“The deals off.” Ardan said. “Where’s Luca?” Ardan asked and everyone searched themselves but couldn’t find him.“Dammit!” Ardan cursedMeanwhile on the outskirts of Odessa’s pack, the atmosphere was charged with palpable tension.Evelyn was walking through the woods, away from Odessa’s camp, her mind still spinning from her last conversation with Finian. Odessa had granted her free will to take a walk but be back soon. The betrayal of Finian stung, but it wasn't only his dishonesty that weighed heavy on her mind. So did the trust she placed in him and the possibility that
Authors PoVThe night was nothing short of restless. Marcus sat at the edge of the camp, gazing into the fire. His heart was filled with uncertainty about what he and the some members of the pack would discover when they reached Odessa's territory. Evelyn haunted his mind, bringing back the fading echo of her last words spoken to him, when she made him promise not to follow her.Ardan had gone through the plan with him earlier, but the weight of it pressed heavily against his chest. They would meet Ryan and the Red Blood Moon Pack at dawn, piece together whatever information they had to track Evelyn. It was a big risk to trust rogues, but they were left with no choice.Luca, sitting across from him, was sharpening a blade against a stone. Marcus knew he did not approve of this mission; still, here he was. Whether it was loyalty to the pack or a personal vendetta, Marcus did not know."You should get some sleep," Luca said without looking up.Marcus offered a dry chuckle. "Do you think
Authors PoVDraven had seen visions, omen and sights of another time and shadow of possible futures during the course of his life. But nothing could compare to this that shook his being.He sat up in his room, breath rasping out, with sweat dripping from his flesh. The room was in the dimness of dusk, redolent with old herbal incense from his previous ceremonies; however, the picture that danced across his mind initiated an involuntary shudder down his spine. Gilly.He had seen Gilly.She was supposed to be dead. For years now. And yet there she was in the vision, standing before him, her eyes swirling as if a bottomless abyss of great power and sorrow. Her lips moved-sounds came out, but he was unable to hear any. Then-Evelyn.It was no louder than a whisper but crystallised so clearly in his mind that sudden realisation crashed over him, a cold wave.Evelyn.Draven leaped up from where he was seated, flinging away the pieces of his