KANEI woke with a sharp jolt, my body snapping upright as though I’d been struck by lightning. My hand flew to my neck, where a fiery sting pulsed. It wasn’t just pain—it was a warning, raw and electric, shooting through every nerve like a live wire.“What the hell?” I muttered, my fingers brushing over the mark that shouldn’t have hurt but now burned like it had been branded anew. My heartbeat thundered in my ears, the rhythm erratic and unsettling.The sound of groaning broke through my haze, pulling me out of my spiraling thoughts.“Kane?” Dane’s voice was thick with grogginess, but the discomfort in his tone was unmistakable. He sat up abruptly, mirroring my movements. His hand clutched his neck in the same spot as mine, his eyes wide with alarm. “Do you feel that?”“Yeah,” I replied, my jaw tightening as anger and fear wrestled for dominance. “It’s her mark. Something’s wrong.”Zane was next, muttering curses under his breath as he stumbled out of bed. His eyes were wild as he
ZANE"What in the blazes are you talking about?" I scoffed, disbelief coloring my voice. "Cursed the Nightwalkers? You've gone completely bonkers."The three werewolves, their faces etched with ancient sorrow, exchanged a look. "We know it sounds insane, but it's true," the eldest rasped."Centuries ago, you came. Three Lycan brothers, with powers beyond comprehension. And we… you cursed us."I stared at them, dumbfounded. "Cursed you? How? Why?"He gestured towards a worn leather-bound book lying open on the table. "Look."Hesitantly, I approached and peered at the faded photographs within. My breath hitched in my throat. Those weren't just ordinary pictures. They were glimpses into the past, depicting events that had long been forgotten. And there, staring back at me, were faces I knew intimately – my own, Kane's, and Dane's, though impossibly young, their eyes filled with a strange, almost manic intensity."This… this can't be right," I stammered, my mind reeling. "How… how could w
KANEI watched Luna Maya tremble in my father’s arms, her face pale and tear-streaked. Her hands clutched the edges of her dress like it was the only thing tethering her to reality. The weight of her silence pressed on all of us, but none of us had the courage to break it yet. My father whispered something soothing in her ear, though I doubted it was doing much good. How could it? The weight of what we’d just discovered was enough to crush any sense of hope.Dane finally cleared his throat, his voice a broken rasp. “Dad… you need to see this.” He slid his phone across the table to our father. The image on the screen burned in my mind—the faces of those pale figures, the so-called nightwalkers, staring back like ghosts of a nightmare.Our father picked up the phone, his brow furrowing deeply as he studied the image. For a moment, his expression gave nothing away, but then he sighed. Not just any sigh, but one that carried the weight of centuries. He set the phone down slowly, his hand
ZANELuna Maya’s sobs echoed through the room, filling every corner with the sound of her heartbreak. She clutched at her chest, her eyes red and swollen. “My poor Sierra,” she wailed, her voice cracking. “What’s going to happen to her? She’s just a girl. She doesn’t deserve this.”I couldn’t take it anymore. Seeing my mother break down like this made my blood boil. “This is unacceptable,” I said firmly, pacing the room. “We can’t just leave her there. There has to be a way to get her out.”Kane turned to our father, his expression hard. “Why didn’t you tell us about this before?” he demanded. “All these years, and you never thought it was important to mention?”Alpha Thane sighed heavily, rubbing his temples. “I didn’t think it was necessary,” he admitted. “I didn’t know that after all these years, you’d come across something like this. The curse was ancient, buried. I thought it was behind us.”“Well, it’s not,” I shot back, my frustration bubbling over. “And now Sierra’s life is at
SIERRAMy fingers brushed against the side of my neck where the bite still burned, the sting sharp and relentless, like a constant reminder of how completely screwed I was. It wasn’t just pain—it was humiliation, fear, and anger all wrapped into one throbbing wound. My glare was locked on the woman in front of me—no, scratch that, the vampire in front of me. There was no mistaking it now. She wasn’t just some random lunatic who had cornered me and decided I looked like a snack. She was something otherworldly, something I hadn’t believed existed outside of myths and horror stories.When she first attacked, she was a gnarled figure with sunken eyes, stringy hair, and pale, almost sickly skin that looked like it hadn’t seen sunlight in centuries. She was terrifying in the way a shadow in the dark is terrifying—something you can’t fully see but know you should fear. But now? Now, she had transformed into a vision of beauty and power, like some cruel cosmic joke designed to mock me.She lo
SIERRA“Enough!” I snapped, turning my glare on the elder vampire. My voice was razor-sharp, cutting through the tension in the room. “Stop threatening me. I’ve had it with your games and your smug attitude.”Her smug smirk widened, but she didn’t respond, just raised an arched brow like I was some amusing little thing. Before I could fire off another retort, Dane’s voice boomed from outside.“If anything happens to Sierra, you’ll bear the consequences, vampire!” His tone was laced with venom, and I could hear the fury trembling just beneath the surface.The elder burst into laughter, her amusement almost musical, but it grated on my nerves like nails on a chalkboard. “Oh, sweet boys,” she purred mockingly, brushing her perfect hair back with a casual flick of her wrist. “It’s such a bad idea to threaten the people who are holding your mate hostage. What exactly do you think you can do from out there?”“Try us!” Zane growled, his voice fierce and unrelenting.“Stop it, all of you!” I
SIERRAI couldn’t help but roll my eyes at the vampires as they laughed, their mocking tones echoing in the cold, damp cave. They were right about one thing: I wasn’t capable of killing them. Not right now, at least.But damn it, I was going to make them regret underestimating me.“You think you’re scary?” one of them sneered, his pale face twisting into a grin. “You think you can take us down? You can’t even kill a fly.”I clenched my fists at my sides, my heart hammering in my chest. I could feel the fire in my veins, the beast inside me clawing to get out. I wasn’t backing down. Not now. Not ever.“Try me,” I spat back, my voice steady, even though my heart was threatening to beat out of my chest.They all chuckled, clearly not impressed. They thought they had me figured out, but they had no idea. No idea what I was capable of, what the Moon Goddess had shown me. The vision I’d seen, the warning, the feeling, it meant something. I knew it.The vampires exchanged looks, their amusem
SIERRAI whimpered, my body shivering from more than just the cold. The shock from earlier was still buzzing through my veins, lingering like a bad memory. My body hurt all over, and my head felt like it was going to explode. I tried to push myself up, but the dizziness almost knocked me out again.Looking around, I realized I was no longer in the cave. The dark, damp stone walls had been replaced with thick, snow-covered trees. My breath caught in my throat as I took in the scenery—a forest, but not the kind I recognized. Everything was still, frozen, as if the world was holding its breath. And winter. It was so cold. My teeth began to chatter, and goosebumps spread across my skin.I shivered and hugged myself, trying to warm up, but something felt… off. It wasn’t just the cold. There was something eerie about this place. I could feel it in the pit of my stomach.Then I heard it—voices. Quiet, almost muffled. I strained my ears, trying to make sense of it. Slowly, I started to move t
SIERRAI felt the weight of frustration press down on me like a boulder. Every time I tried to approach the barrier, a shockwave would blast me back, and each time it happened, the sting felt sharper. My body still hummed with the last hit, and my mind was clouded with doubt. I didn’t know what to do, what to try next. Nothing I had attempted had worked so far.I crossed my arms tightly over my chest, staring at the shimmering line in the air that separated us from the cave. Ariel stood there, her expression smug and bored, watching us like we were nothing more than an amusing spectacle. But inside, I was a mess. I hated feeling helpless. I hated being powerless when someone I loved, my sister was so close but just out of reach.“None of us can get close,” I muttered under my breath, mostly to myself. “This barrier is too strong.”Dane spoke up, his voice quiet but steady. “What if we turn the tables? What if we trap Ariel instead?”I blinked at him, not understanding at first. “Trap
SIERRAI groaned as the sting of the shock finally faded. My legs were trembling, barely able to hold me up. My body still buzzed with a dull, numbing pain, like a thousand needles pricking under my skin all at once. I staggered a step back from the cave entrance, my knees buckling slightly as I tried to catch my breath.One moment I had reached toward the edge of the invisible barrier, determined to break through it with my own magic, heart pounding, hands glowing faintly, the boys watching me with concern, and the next, it felt like a thunderbolt had exploded right in front of me.The wave of energy hit me square in the chest. There was no warning, no slow build-up. Just a sudden, violent snap! like the crack of a whip, except it didn’t just sting my skin... it threw me. My feet lifted completely off the ground, and I was airborne for a few horrifying seconds, weightless, helpless, like a broken doll hurled by a giant hand.I crashed into the ground with a sickening thud several fee
SIERRAI didn’t even think. My body moved before my mind could catch up.With all the anger burning in my chest, I lunged for her. Ariel’s eyes widened, clearly not expecting me to move so fast, but this time, I caught her. My fingers gripped her tightly by the arm, and she gasped in surprise as I shoved her hard against a nearby tree.“Where is she?!” I screamed, my heart pounding in my ears. “Where is my sister?!”She tried to smirk, but her eyes darted nervously to the boys who stood right behind me. “Sierra,” Ariel said, sighing dramatically. “You’re such a killjoy.”“Answer me!”She tilted her head like she was bored. “Relax. She’s fine. Mostly.”My heart thudded harder in my chest, and I shoved her again, my voice shaking with rage. “Don’t play with me, Ariel! Where is she?”“Alright, alright!” she snapped, brushing herself off like I’d simply disturbed her nap. “I’ll take you to her. But…” she raised a single finger “...only on one condition.”Kane stepped closer, protective as
SIERRAMy hands hovered over Zane’s chest, trembling, but steady enough to keep going. I was finally locked in, focused. The energy inside me responded, pulling at the dark thread of poison that snaked through his body. I could feel it, cold and oily, like a sickness trying to cling to life.I whispered, “Just a little more… just a little more…”And then I heard it.“You tried to ruin us.”It was a scream, loud and sharp, slicing through my focus like a blade. My eyes flew open. I gasped and stumbled backward, falling to my knees as the energy slipped from my hands. Zane jerked slightly on the ground, and both Dane and Kane rushed to me.“Sierra!” Kane shouted, grabbing me gently. “What’s wrong?!”“I…” I looked around wildly. “Didn’t you hear that? Someone screamed!”Dane’s eyes darted toward the trees and shadows. “No… no one said anything.”“What?” I blinked. The voice had sounded so real. Like it was just behind me.And then I heard it again. A whisper this time. Cold and angry.“Y
SIERRAI could feel my heart pounding in my chest, my hands shaking as I hovered over Zane. His breathing was growing shallow, and I could feel the panic rising in me like a wave ready to crash. My chest felt tight, my head spinning. It’s had been a while since I tried to pull something out of someone’s body, especially not poison. I wasn’t sure I could do it again. I wasn’t sure I was strong enough. What if I messed up? What if I killed him instead?“No, no,” I whispered to myself, my voice breaking as tears welled in my eyes. “I can’t... I can’t kill him. I won’t. I can’t.”I staggered backward, my legs shaking, my vision blurring from the tears that were threatening to spill. My breath caught in my throat, and I collapsed into the ground next to him, my head spinning.“I can’t do this!” I cried, my voice thick with panic. “I’ll hurt him. I’ll kill him. I won’t…I can’t…I don’t know how!”The weight of the moment pressed down on me like a mountain. My hands were shaking so badly I co
SIERRAZane gasped again, his body twitching in Kane’s arms as we all scrambled to his side.“Zane! Zane, stay with me!” I cried, my hands shaking as I pressed them against the wound, trying to stop the bleeding.He looked at me with wide, panicked eyes, his pupils dilated with fear and confusion. His lips trembled, trying to form words, but nothing clear came out, only a soft, gurgling cough that brought up more blood. The red stained his chin and his shirt, soaking through the fabric fast.“No, no, no, don’t do this,” I whispered, my voice barely audible through the panic rising in my chest. My hands trembled as I pressed them against his side, trying to stop the bleeding. “You’re okay. You’re going to be okay, Zane. Just hang on.”He blinked slowly, the light in his eyes dimming.Behind us, the sharp, cruel sound of Ariel’s laughter rang out, cutting through the moment like a knife. It echoed off the walls, mocking, heartless…almost gleeful.“Oh, you’re so predictable,” she said, a
SIERRAThe moment the spell lit up in my hands, I could hardly believe it. A soft glow pulsed from my fingertips, and a trail shimmered faintly on the ground like a glowing thread winding through the trees.“It… worked,” Zane breathed behind me.Kane leaned in, squinting. “That’s Ariel’s trail?”I nodded, too stunned to speak at first. I hadn’t cast a spell in years, not since before everything fell apart. Not since I lost my sister. My hands trembled, but not from fear, for once, it was hope.“I can feel her,” I whispered. “She’s close. Let’s go.”We moved quickly through the forest, following the glowing path. Every step made my heart beat faster. The trees grew denser, the light dimmer, but the thread never faded. It was guiding us straight to her.And then we saw it.A small house stood in a clearing, hidden between thick oaks and wild vines. Smoke curled lazily from the crooked chimney. It looked abandoned, like it belonged to an old witch, but the moment we got close, we heard i
SIERRAZane stood and backed away, shaking his head. “What is this? What kind of sick game is Ariel playing?”I didn’t answer. I couldn’t. My throat tightened, and everything around me blurred. My gaze stayed locked on the girl. Her lips were slightly parted, her eyes still open, staring at nothing. She couldn’t have been more than seventeen. Maybe younger. Someone’s daughter. Someone’s sister. Just like mine.“She didn’t even fight back,” I whispered, barely hearing my own voice. “She wasn’t trying to hurt anyone… she didn’t deserve this.”“She wasn’t supposed to be part of this,” Zane said softly, his voice filled with confusion. “She was just… there.”“No,” I said, slowly shaking my head. “She was placed here. Ariel made sure of it. She knew I’d go after her. She wanted me to hit her.”Kane’s fists were clenched at his sides. “That’s twisted.”“It’s evil,” I said through gritted teeth. “She used this girl like she was nothing. Like she didn’t matter.”Zane exhaled harshly. “So that
SIERRAI didn’t think. I didn’t hesitate. I lunged, claws out, rage tearing through every inch of me as I tackled Ariel to the ground. My weight landed hard against her, and I felt her body hit the forest floor with a thud. I was breathing heavy, growling from deep in my throat as I pinned her down.“You won’t touch her!” I shouted, my voice thick with fury. “You hear me? You won’t lay a hand on her again!”She didn’t answer.Something was wrong.The body beneath me… it wasn’t fighting back.I blinked, heart racing, and I saw her face shift.Her eyes dulled.Her hair changed color.I staggered back in confusion.It wasn’t Ariel anymore.It was a girl. A young, human girl. Maybe fifteen. Her face was pale, her lips trembling. Blood soaked her shirt and neck, and she was breathing shallowly like she was trying to hold on.“Oh no…” I whispered, horrified. “No, no, no…”I knelt beside her, shifting back to human instantly, my hands hovering helplessly over her wounds.She’d been bitten.B