Alpha Bran's POVThe smell of blood fills the air, heavy and hard to breathe in. It's all chaos here on the battlefield with growls, biting jaws, and the heart-wrenching shouts of the fallen. My warriors and the rogues in a battle for goddess know why; their furs are all messed up with dirt and blood. Fabian stirs inside me, always on edge, his energy throbbing under my skin, craving more chaos.We've been going at it for what feels like forever, yet these rogues just keep coming back. They fight with a sense of urgency like they need to win. I just can't wrap my head around it.Williams battles alongside me, his actions quick and on point. He digs his claws into one enemy's chest and tears the rogue to shreds, breathing heavily. For a second, his eyes catch mine, and it's clear we're both thinking the same thing. Can't they just give it a rest?I sink my claws into the throat of a rogue who charges at me, twisting his head hard. I hear his sharp snap in the night, and suddenly he fal
Bella's POVI pace my room, my bare feet making no sound against the floor, but inside, my mind is screaming. The candle on my dresser flickers, casting restless shadows along the walls, mirroring the turmoil churning in my gut. I already know what happened on the battlefield. The whispers are everywhere in the hall, the tense energy thrumming in the Packhouse. Everyone wants to know who is carrying the forbidden child. It won't be long before Bran finds out the truth about him. He's their blood. The rogue's blood.Alpha Bran knows.Or at least, he will soon know, if those fools have not given him my identity already.I clutch my stomach instinctively, my hands pressing against the swell beneath my dress. My child. A child I have sworn to protect, no matter the cost. But how? Where do I run? I can't even go far in my condition before these people will catch up with me.For a second, my thoughts spiral to the rogue camp. The place I once called home, before I became Bran's Luna, the w
Bran's POVThe air smells of moist ground and pine, mixed with a sharp metallic whiff of blood that clings to my outfit. The palace is quiet but not peaceful. The whole place is thick with tension and secrets ready to unfold. I'm going to find out whatever Bella thinks she’s hiding.I enter the meeting room, with just one lantern lighting up the place and making shadows dance on the wooden walls. My Beta, Williams, is already up and looking serious as he stands before the long oak table. He knows the reason we're here. Everyone does. Rumors are all over the place. The murmurs are increasing in intensity, slamming into the boundaries of my territory.My mate may have betrayed me.My Luna might be carrying the blood of rogues.I refuse to believe it without proof. I refuse to act on instincts alone. But if this is true, if Bella has defiled the sanctity of this pack with a child that isn't mine, I will not show mercy."You're late," Williams says, his blue eyes assessing me, looking for
Bran's POVThe verdict has been spoken.Bella is guilty.The weight of my words settles over me like iron shackles, heavier than the judgment I passed. I watch as the warriors drag her away, her wrists bound in iron cuffs that suppress her wolf. She doesn't fight. She doesn't even look at me anymore.Not like she used to with love.She's silent as they lead her down the stone steps to the dungeons, where traitors rot. The woman I once called my Luna, the one I trusted above all, now wears the mark of betrayal like a second skin.But even as I stand here, every muscle coils, every breath ragged, something inside me clenches with an unbearable tightness.I should feel relief and vindicated, but I don't feel any of it.The scent of burning torches thickens in the air as the council begins to disperse, murmurs of the night's events carried on whispers. The warriors nod in approval. Elders exchange knowing glances. Even Williams, my Beta, wears the expression of a man who had expected this
Bella's POVChains bite into my wrists, cold and stiff. Their weight drags me down, a reminder of my fall from grace.I sit in the cubicle, my hands bound, my ankles locked together. The silence around me is suffocating, except for the faint murmur of voices beyond the thick wooden doors of the council chamber. They're deciding my fate.But I already know the verdict.I should have seen it coming the moment Bran looked at me with something worse than hatred. A man like him doesn't hold grudges; he simply wipes away the existence of those who betray him.A shudder runs through me, but I mask it with a measured breath. Fear is weakness. And I refuse to let them see me weak.The doors creak open.Light spills into the confined space, showing the strong faces of warriors who step forward to seize my arms. Their grip is firm, and so are their movements. They don't speak to me. I'm not worth words anymore.I'm dragged forward into the hall, the scent of burning torches mixing with the stale
Bran's POVMy room feels like it's closing in with all this silence.The torches on the walls flicker, throwing shadows that twist and turn like reminders of my past mistakes. It feels like a heavy weight on my chest, reminding me that all I've worked for is falling, thanks to Bella.I run my hand down my face, feeling my fingers shake a bit. I'm not sure if it's coming from being mad or just tired. Could be either one.I really shouldn't have let her back in.That thought crashes into me like a war hammer, leaving me gasping for air. I sensed something was off as soon as she came back. The way she talked with a stiff posture and her eyes scanning the room made it seem like she was mapping out all the exits and weak spots in me. She was often somewhere else mentally.Still, I brushed off the warnings.I let out a bitter laugh that sounded empty and piercing. Longing for something that felt like home before everything went to hell, Alpha Bran opened his gates to his enemy without a sec
Talia's POV The training ground is lit up with torches as the night approaches. The air is filled with the smell of wet soil and sweat mixed with burning wood. Warriors are out in groups, talking while the noise of swords clashing fills the air. I gulp, feeling my stomach twist and my nerves high with excitement. What's going on here? Alpha Axton told me it was time to start training and show my worth to the pack. I get it, the truth is I need to work on my self-control. The effect of the portion I took is still in my veins. It comes whenever my anger triggers and leaves when I'm calm. I need to learn how to control it before things get out of hand. I keep clenching and unclenching my fist to help myself feel more centred. "Alright, Talia.". Axton's voice is steady, but there's a sharpness in it like a challenge. He moves forward, gazing round the warriors before nodding toward a woman standing apart from the rest. Lyric. She's got a tall, slender body and tons of streng
It's quiet in the forest, just us walking to goddess knows where. The deeper we walk, the more the trees crowd in, their limbs making a cover that barely allows moonlight to seep in. Alpha Axton takes the lead, moving as if he's walked this path a million times. I don't care where we're headed. I just follow. Deep down, I believe that what he's about to show me is worth my time. We stop at the bottom of a rocky cliff, covered by a veil of ivy. Axton moves the vines out of the way and uncovers a small cave entrance. I hesitate. The air coming out from the cave is thick and seems to vibrate with some hidden things. "Inside." He turns to me. I swallow hard and step in. The cave is large and its walls are lined with ancient symbols that faintly glow in the light. They pulse as if they're alive and responding to my presence. "What is this place?" My breath catches as I question. "A sanctuary," Axton replies. "A place where truths have been buried for long." I trace the markings
POV: The New Seer of the Dark Council (Council of the East)I see her.Even before the stars split.Even before the Moon Goddess lays her hand on her heart.I see the girl awakening.Not with my eyes or with the cursed black things that smoulder in my head and glow when they shouldn't. But deeper. The way roots see water underground. The way wolves hear a storm coming before the first drop falls.Talia.Her name echoes inside me like it's written behind my teeth.She stands in that dream-space, her spirit wide open, and I'm there-barely, briefly. A shadow just outside the light.I wasn't supposed to see her that clearly.But I did.And now I can't unsee her.Her light. Her fear. Her power.The Moonstone has chosen her, and the trials have begun.I sit motionless in the far end of the council chamber, body still as bone, even as the fire in the center crackles and spits dark orange sparks.I don't speak until I must.Until I feel them watching me. The Council of the East-seven old clo
POV: TaliaTalia's body is still in Misfit Town.She lies motionless in her bunk, one hand still faintly glowing with the pulse of the stone. Bran is the first to find her. He had followed the ripple of magic that burst through the trees when she touched the stone. Now, he kneels beside her, his face pale with fear, trying not to panic.But this isn't about her body. It's about where her spirit has gone.Talia opens her eyes to skyless light. She's no longer in the woods or her room or anything that feels familiar. Everything around her is soft and glowing, like the space between stars had taken shape.This place isn't real in the way real places are. It feels more like memory and meaning stitched together. There's no ground, but she doesn't fall. No air, but she can breathe.In front of her, a tall stone arch rises out of nothing. Symbols glow along its edges-the same ones that had appeared on her arms. The same rhythm and same pull.A voice echoes across the space.Talia, Keeper of
Aunt MerleComing back to Misfit Town without being seen was never simple. But this time, it was more than just secrecy-I couldn't let anyone see me carrying the stone. Only the one meant to carry its power should lay eyes on me right now.That's why I used the bone ash spell. Just enough to hide myself from the senses of others. The magic made sound slip away from me and light bent around me. It wasn't perfect. But it was enough.I moved quietly past the outer trees of the town just before sunrise, the stone wrapped tightly in moon cloth and held close to my chest. It wasn't heavy, not in the usual way, but it throbbed with heat and energy-like it had its heartbeat. It didn't feel human. It didn't feel alive. But it was something old. Ancient.With each step closer to the heart of the town, the air changed. It started to hum softly. Like the ground and the trees could sense what I was bringing. Like the town itself was deciding if I should be allowed in.The streets and homes hadn't
POV: TaliaI got up before dawn because something stirred me awake. Dead silence. I don't feel anything at all. It's only a switch. It felt like the air just ditched the world I was familiar with.I sat upright in bed, my breath hanging somewhere between snoozing and shouting. My room still sat in darkness, with the curtains hardly moving. My arms were on fire.I rolled up my shirt sleeves and took a look.Marks. Faint and glowing. It feels like starlight veins running from my wrists to the bend of my elbows. They beat along with my heart-actually, not my heart. Something that goes deeper. Something older.The stone. I haven't laid a finger on it or even seen it, but I can feel its pull. It's like a tune I haven't listened to, but it feels familiar. It's transforming me. I'm not sure how long this will last. Or who I'll turn into by the time it's over.I run my fingers over the glowing trails. They're cozy. Full of life. Not painful. Not yet."Bran?" I whisper, even though I know he's
Aunt Merle's POVIt moved the moment I did.Like it had been waiting for me.The corrupted guardian stepped forward, limbs wrong in all the ways that make your bones ache just looking. It's fur peeling like bark in the sun, muscles twitching under pale, half-dead skin. Its eyes glowed green-brighter now-flickering like candlelight trapped in rot.I didn't move at first. I let my breath settle. Let my pulse slow. Fear is a clever liar. It whispers things like you can't, you're too old, you failed once and you'll do it again.But I'm not here to win. I'm here to protect what needs to be protected.I reach into my bag, my fingers finding the vial of ashroot tincture. My sister made this once, back when she still believed we could hold the line against everything coming for us. I never liked the way it smelled-burnt leaves and regret-but it helps in moments like this. I dab a bit under my nose. It clears the air and sharpens me."Let's get this over with," I whisper, more to myself than t
Talia's POV Strange things are beginning to happen to me after our search for the cookbook in the archives. The first time it happens, I'm brushing dirt off a silver spoon half-buried beneath a pine root, and the second I touch it, the world turns upside down.Not like in the dramatic way people say, but like gravity forgets her job. My knees give, my vision fuzzes, and a weightless heat rushes behind my eyes, burning. A voice I don't recognize, and not mine-whispers something sharp and slanted. The spoon clatters to the ground."Hey!" Bran's voice cuts through the dizziness. "Talia-hey, look at me. Stay with me."I blink. His face is so close, framed by leaves and worry lines. His hands hover just inches from my shoulders, unsure whether to touch me or watch.I grab his sleeve. Just to make sure I'm here. Now. Not wherever that flash dragged me."I'm fine," I say, but it sounds like a lie even to me. My voice is raspy, too breathy."Liar. That's your lying face. Also your 'don't tel
Aunt Merle's POVThis night is way colder than I anticipated.Canada may be known for its brutal winds and icy cold, but there's something uniquely cold about the forests near Misfit town. It murmurs hidden truths. The old ones. Some that remember me, and some I'd rather forget.I stomp through the frozen ground, my boots crunching as I head down the winding trail into the thick woods, my satchel bouncing at my side with each brave step I take. In my bag, I've got some sage, nightroot, a couple of white candles blessed during a blood moon, and a solar power bank that I almost forgot until I felt like I should take it with me.I recognize this path. Even after so many years. Even after grief tried to bury it under layers of avoidance. There was a time when my sister and I carved our initials into one of these trees, laughing like we were still children, despite being mothers by then. My fingers brush against the bark of that same tree as I pass. It no longer laughs. Me neither.This jo
Talia's POVAs we near the exit, an unseen force pulls at my chest. I gasp. I can't move my feet.Then-a pull.Not physical, not something I can fight. It goes deeper, touching my core. An air ripple, a time shift.Flames from the candle sway unpredictably, as if stirred by an unseen wind. The edges of the room fade away. My vision tunnels. My heartbeat slows, and then-Darkness.Then, light appeared.A vision.I'm out of the archives now.I stand in a moonlit clearing, surrounded by the smell of wet earth and pine. The trees whisper familiar voices, pulling me toward the sound.A figure kneels in the clearing, shaking with silent sobs. She is young, with a dirty and tear-streaked face, and her long dark hair is tangled in leaves.She looks at me with luminous, regretful eyes."Forgive me," she whispers, her voice breaking. "I never wanted this."A group of shadowy figures appears from the trees before I can move. They wear black, yet I sense their overwhelming power bearing down on m
Talia's POVThe air in the palace feels oppressive as if my aunt's words are pushing against me. I run my fingers along the wooden table in my study, my mind racing to find answers amid Aunt's revelations.The book was bound to me.My blood is needed to unleash its magic. Does that explain the figures I have been seeing lurking in the shadows? Are they out on a mission to take me?Thoughts swirl within me, weaving through unclear memories. My grandmother sacrificed herself for it, and now someone is ready to spill my blood for its power. This is just too much of a problem than I can imagine.Bran rests on his desk's edge, observing me intently. He crosses his arms, candlelight creating shadows on his face. Since my aunt's words, he remains quiet, yet I feel his discomfort swirling around us."What are you thinking?" He asks, at last, his tone calm.I slowly exhale, placing my hand on my forehead. "That I don't know nearly enough."His eyes show an unclear emotion. "Then let's change t