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
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 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
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
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
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 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
Evelyn PoVThe cold steel glinted in my grip, heavy as never before. My heart sounded in my ears almost mythically, nonetheless my hands were steady. The silence stretched itself unbearably long, choking me as all eyes fixed on me.In one swift motion, I brought the knife down.A gasp went up from the crowd. A sharp wave of blood rushed into the air. I could hear Odessa approach slowly, her breath almost audibly eager against the still of the night.Yet Luca was still on his feet.Breaths ragged, around all that pain in his bones; he was alive. I had not touched him.It was my blood that trickled onto the ground and pooled at my feet, which I had crudely sliced. My fingers were stiff with pain as I raised my chin.Murmurs went through the gathered rogues. They were not expecting this. None of them were."Evelyn," Odessa cried out, calm together with a fright. "What are you trying to do?"I swallowed the burn in my throat and met her gaze head-on. "You wanted a sacrifice," I said with
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."