Days has passed since Ardan was banished… since I banished him, and today, the council hall was filled with voices from every corner. I simply stood by the side, clasping my hands and trying to mask the anxiety that I felt. Their eyes were all on me and it me feel exposed and vulnerable, like I was standing at the edge of the cliff with no were to go but down.Caden stood front and centre. His posture was relaxed though commanding. He was the natural born leader.“Today,” he began, smiling, “we stand at a turning point. The pack has faced challenges—betrayals, attacks, and uncertainty. But through it all, one person has remained steady, guiding us, protecting us.”He turned to me with pride. “Serena, the Wolf mother, our new alpha.”Everyone present began cheering aloud. The pack chanted my name with respect.“She has proven herself more competent than any leader before her,” Caden continued. “More competent than Ardan ever was.”The whole crowd gathered immediately agreed.“Hot-heade
Ardan opened my room and stepped inside while holding me in his arms. He dropped me on my bed.“I’m gonna get you something. Don’t go anywhere, you’re not yourself.” He said and all I could do was laugh and cry and laugh again.Soon after, he entered, bearing a minuscule cup of some substance that was still steamy. His face was tense and his lips pressed together in an thin line as he moved towards me.“You’re awake? I thought that you would have been sleeping by now,” He remarked.“Scarcely,” I said, rubbing my temples.He set the cup down on the nightstand beside me. “Drink this. It’ll help.”I took hold of the cup and as I did the harsh smell hit me first and I scowled. “What is this? It smells awful.”“It’ll sober you up,” he said , crossing his arms over his chest .I took the cup, moved it around, looked into the cup only to throw it away violently the next instance. It made contact with the wall and as it did, it’s content splattered everywhere.“Oops,” I said, laughing.“Seren
Ardan’s PoVI sharpened my blade across a huge stone by the fireside. Sparks flew in the dark. The heat felt warm on my face, but my boiling chest was full of hardly controllable anger and betrayal.In the camp, everyone was in motion, busy with one thing or the other and some of the rogues treated me like an outcast. They had taken me in days ago, finding me broken and wandering with no purpose. They had rescued me from fainting in the middle of nowhere. Then they brought me here and took care of my illness. Sometimes, I disliked that they were essential for my survival and I couldn’t pretend that they were not nice to me.“Sharpening that blade as if heading for combat,” a voice said beside me.I glanced up to see Isiah, one of the rogues who had found me. He was almost built like I was but he was more muscular, with keen eyes which seemed to never miss a thing. He knelt next to me, leaning forward and placing his hands on his kn
Ardan’s PoVI was at the training ground and all I could hear was the sound of fists connecting with bodies. I watched as Isiah led his group through drills. The fighters moved in rhythm, their movements were sharp, disciplined, and efficient. Though they were rogues, they were unlike any I had encountered before—focused, loyal, and united.I stood off to the side, watching with a detached curiosity. My blade was hung at my side, freshly sharpened but unused. I still wanted revenge but for now, I was unsure.“Enjoying the show?” Isiah said as he approached me.I turned to him, crossing my arms. “You’ve got a good group.”He smiled, but his expression was questioning. “Not like I want you gone but what are you still doing here, Ardan? You said you’d leave. Changed your mind?”“No,” I replied firmly. “I just need a few more days to think about where I’m going n
ARDAN’s PoVThe fire crackled softly as Draven and I sat across from each other. A heavy silence settled between us. I handed him a small plate of roasted meat and bread, watching as he tore into it like a man who hadn’t eaten in days.“Thanks,” he muttered through a mouthful of food.I leaned back against a log with my blade resting across my lap. “So, what happened? Why are you here?”Draven wiped his mouth as his expression shifted to something more serious. “Before that, how are you holding up?”I shrugged. “I’m supposed to be out of here in two days. After that, I’ll figure out where to go.”“To where?” he pressed with furrowed brows.“I don’t know yet,” I admitted flatly.Draven set his plate aside and leaned forward. In a low tone, he spoke. “I have undeniable proof of Caden’s manipulation and alliance with the rogues. Let’s go back to your palace, expose him, and reclaim your place as alpha.”I shook my head with my grip tightening on the blade. “I’m not going back, Draven. Se
Serena’s PoVI stood outside, watching as Caden led the wolves through another intense training session. The young wolves listened to his every word. I could see that they truly admired him. But my stomach churned as I thought about everything he’d done—the lies, the manipulation, and the games he played with me and my pack.All I could think about was how much I wanted to end him right here, right now. Sally growled in agreement, but I held her back. Patience. His time would come.Suddenly, there was a commotion. A young woman who was running, stumbled into the training ground with torn and blood stained clothes. People around us began gasping as I rushed toward her. I just hoped it wasn’t another attack.“What happened?” I asked, steadying her ground as she collapsed into my arms.“I… I was attacked,” she stammered weakly.“By what?”She shook her head and her eyes were wide with fear. “I don’t know… something I didn’t understand.”Caden approached. This was the first time I saw him
Serena’s PoVThe council hall was still buzzing but this time they were all nervous as Ardan stood in front of them, about to pass a message. His face looked like something terrible was wrong and there was urgency in his tone.“A plague is upon us,” he began, and the room instantly fell silent. “This isn’t like anything we’ve faced before. It affects only the pure—wolves who aren’t rogues. It attacks their minds, their bodies, and their very souls. It turns them into something else.”The crowd began to murmur, panicking.Ardan lifted a hand, silencing them. “Listen carefully. The symptoms include fever, wounds that won’t heal, erratic behaviour, and eventually… madness. The infected become rabid, dangerous, unable to control themselves.”“What about the rogues?” someone called out.“Like I said, they are immune,” Ardan replied grimly. “The unpure are safe from this, but the rest of us—any scratch or bite can spread the infection. Once you’re marked, there’s no cure.”Everyone present
Serena’s PoVArdan had just announced his plan to take us to a rogue pack for safety, and Zone was not having it.“You want us to stay with rogues?” Zone spat as his eyes blazed with disbelief. “They’re supposed to be captured or killed, not befriended.”Ardan’s jaw tightened and his patience was visibly thinning. “Not all rogues are alike, Zone. Some are decent. They don’t all live by the bloodthirsty code you think they do.”Zone crossed his arms defiantly. “Decent? You really expect me to believe that? After everything we’ve been through with rogues, you’re seriously asking us to trust them?”Ardan stepped closer. “Do you want to stay out here, Zone? Because every second we stay here, we’re putting the rest of the pack in danger. This isn’t debatable. It’s final.”Zone opened his mouth to argue but snapped it shut, trying to calm down the frustration he felt.I stepped forward. My voice was quieter but firm. “Ardan, I’ll follow you.”He turned to me, hardening his expression. “No,
Evelyn PoVAt first, I had not thought that Gilly's story would turn out to be so tragic. I thought I was merely doing my mother a favour: I was releasing a spirit and giving peace to the pack. But every single step I took in the direction of solving was heavy with shadows that just threw more secrets in my direction. I could feel the darkness circling in, twisting me into a hangman's noose.The old records of the pack were dusty and brittle, worn yellow with age. Weeks I spent in the archives bent over a desk deciphering the scribbled handwriting and cryptic notes. Draven helped where he could, his fingers dancing over ancient texts while I pieced together, bit by bit, the fragmented history of Gilly's downfall.It started innocent enough. Gilly was loved; with those attributes of kindness and strength, she was never really a natural leader. Somehow respect turned to jealousy, and jealousy turned to betrayal. The swirling in the ancient documents held very hostile stories of a family
Authors PoVThey started like whispers in the night.In the stillness of sleep, they forced their way into her brain to take her through dark and twisted visions. Some shadows curled around her, cold and snake-like; their touch glided over the rippling skin and left frosted impressions behind. The dreams picked their way through her nightmares the same way—her pack in chains, expressionless and with eyes like black pits; there was someone ahead, a person cloaked in shadows.The figure's face shifted and distorted; at one time it would be reminiscent of Gilly with her soft features, at another of Gloria, with that awful smirk. She would desperately attempt to run, to scream, but either the land would crumble beneath her feet, swallowing her whole in the world, until she woke up gasping for air.The dreams haunted her daily, tormenting her with the reality of the world outside the realm of sleep. Gilly's spirit seemed to linger in the edges of reality sewn into the very fabric that woul
Evelyn PoVThe truth sat heavy on my chest, a stone sinking into dark waters. Gilly's voice lingered in my mind, a soft, desperate whisper threading through my thoughts even as I went through the motions of daily life. The blood of the betrayed will break the chains.Those words had been haunting me ever since the ritual with Draven, every syllable a jigsaw puzzle piece that refused to fit. What betrayal? Whose blood? The answers I sorely craved could only be unearthed by digging deeper into Gilly's past, the life which she had led before Gloria's darkness swallowed her whole.I started my search among the old documents located in the pack's ancient archive building where old books and fragile scrolls blended their aged scent with forgotten tales. For hours I studied the pack's historical records that included birth and death records as well as political alliances and loyalty breakdowns. Being careful with my page turns made me sharply conscious that the sound of crinkling pages carri
Evelyn PoVWas this a mere figment of my imagination?… Gilly’s voice had become an echo that trickled into the stillness, catching me unawares. The torment did not even allow me peace in sleep. I would close my eyes, and her voice would take me into shadowed dreams-corridors layered in darkness, chains clanking in the distance."Evelyn."It now sounded weak and soft, no more than an echo but soon merely a whisper grazing my skin. Jerking upright in bed, I pulled the blanket tighter around my shoulders."Wh-What do you want from me?" I whispered back, my voice lost in the dark.Silence.I woke up abruptly from my bed before drawing the blanket closer to protect my shoulders."What do you want from me?" I demanded quietly. I managed to answer him but my words vanished into the darkness.Silence.I clenched my fists. “If you’re real I need to see you to be sure.”The air moved through the room as the window remained closed. The candle flame moved in an unexpected sideways wave as though
Evelyn’s PoVAs I came to stand amidst the rubble of Odessa’s fortress, there rioted smells of smoke and blood. The bodies of both friends and foes lay scattered on the ground from a battle that, to me, seemed less a victory than a doomsday. My body screamed for peace, and the tightness of every muscle felt unbearable; yet it could hardly compare with the turmoil within me.Finian stood a few paces away, his eyes piercing into mine. His expression was inscrutable-somewhere between hope and acceptance. His knuckles were bruised, his hair caked with dirt, and yet still he seemed the bedrock I have leaned upon during my stay with the pack at Odessa. He had saved me countless times, and now, standing before freedom, I no longer knew where we stood.And then there was Marcus.He emerged from the smoke like an apparition. Relief, pain, and something else—something much deeper, something older, much older—were stamped on his face, making my chest tighten. The last rays of sunlight broke thro
Author PoVBefore sentries had time to alert their camp the arrows struck their targets. The wolves crashed into each other while they shifted as their howls unified their counterparts.Inside the fortress, Evelyn felt it. The vibrations of battle were within her, through the stone walls, deep and low; she felt a low hum settle deep into her bones. She was clasped in silver chains burning against the skin, watching Finian about to die.One of the guards entered the room quickly, his face extremely pale. "We are under attack!"Odessa's face hardened, "By whom?""Callum and his people… he’s alive my alpha. And the Red Blood Moon pack."Odessa's lips twisted into a snarl. "Then they have come to die." She turned toward Evelyn, handing her a dagger she had drawn from her belt. "I ought to kill you. But I will save you for last.”Evelyn then looked into Odessa's eyes, her fear burning away and replaced by determination. "No, I will save you for last.”Then the ambush began. Callum and Ryan
Author PoVThe woods was dark as Marcus and Luca passed through the underbrush in silence. Marcus’s heart thudded against his ribs, with a steady caution. He glanced toward Luca, who had graduated from one stern face of determination to intent.They had been trudging through the woods for hours on nothing more than scraps of intelligence and the stubborn pull of hope. Ryan's rogues had pointed them in the right direction but were ultimately not adventurous enough to try to approach the Red Blood Moon pack directly. After all, Odessa's territory was a death trap of sorts. Even the most adventurous rogues knew better than to cross her borders without sufficient cause.The moonlight was just enough to see the outlines of makeshift tents and some shadows on watch. Marcus motioned for Luca to keep it low and crouched behind some ferns to take in the camp."Do you see her?" Luca whispered in a voice so faint it was almost a sigh."Not yet," Marcus ground out, struggling to make each breath
Serena’s PoVTears stung my eyes, and I woke up in a start with broken breath as the persistence of the dream clung to me. In this muted room, shadows danced upon the wall; for a second, I was hardly certain of where I stood. The dream had borne the reality—Odessa, her eyes bright with evil gleam, standing atop a heap of bones. Her army, a roar of growling rogues and defiled creatures spread out to the last sight. And then there was Evelyn... Evelyn was there, firmly standing by the side of Odessa, the empty look on her face an undercover of madness.I put my trembling hand over my forehead, it was sweating. This dream wasn't just a figment of imagination; it was a warning.I pushed aside the thick furs, stood, and went to the unbarred window. The pack grounds lay quiet, a deceitful calm before a storm. My instincts screeched like a mother's intuition that something far worse than what we had imagined was in the making.If only I could make Ardan see it too.But Ardan... he was no lon
Evelyn’s PoVThe dagger felt heavy and cold in my palm. Odessa’s cold demand rang in my ears. Kill Callum. Bring me his head. This wasn’t a test or ,twisted game to see how far I would go to prove my loyalties. I just had to do it. I knew I had to do it.If I turned it down, she would turn against me. If I carried out her order, I would lose the only ally I had managed to win over. Either way, she would win.Not this time.Finian walked beside me as we traveled through the thick forest. His expression was a mixture of concern and determination. He had not questioned me for warning Callum. He had not hollered when I insisted we needed to fake a death, to give like a disguise for the purpose of tricking Odessa into believing I had done my job. Instead, he nodded, affirming my sense of loyalty."Are you sure it will work?" he asked softly."It must." I responded. "If Odessa realises we lied to her, we would be dead."