Xavier***I froze, my mind scrambling to process what Diego had just revealed. I’m the key? My stomach twisted with confusion and growing dread."Explain," I demanded, my voice sharp with urgency.Diego’s eyes locked onto mine, intense and unblinking, as though he were weighing whether to say more. After a long, tense pause, he finally spoke."I can't believe I’m the one saying this..." Diego’s voice faltered as he searched for the right words. "But your bloodline, Xavier. Your father wasn’t just any Alpha. He was the first to bind his soul to the power of the Darkmoon, the only one who could manipulate its dark force. The journal holds the secrets of how he did it—and how it can be undone."A chill ran down my spine. What the hell is he talking about? "What do you mean?" I asked, disbelief creeping into my voice.Diego’s expression grew more somber. "Do you know why your pack is called Dark Moon?" he asked, his gaze unyielding.I shook my head, barely able to process. "Don’t tell me
Xavier***The storm raged outside, but inside the small, dimly lit room, the silence was suffocating. Every word Diego had spoken seemed to echo in my mind like a drumbeat, drowning out everything else. The pages of the journal lay before me, mocking me with their emptiness. My mind raced. Who could have erased the journal? Why? And, most importantly—what did it mean for Henry?Diego pulled me out of my thoughts with a sharp tug on my arm, his face a mask of grim determination. "Come on," he urged, his voice thick with fear. "We have to get to him before it’s too late."I looked at him, the weight of our past hanging between us. The same man who had been the architect of my pain was now the one asking for my help. My emotions were a tangled mess—anger, betrayal, guilt—but I shoved them aside. I couldn’t afford to be distracted. Henry needed me. The Darkmoon pack needed me.We rushed out of the room and down the narrow hallway, the storm’s fury intensifying outside. As we moved, I coul
Xavier***The figure before me stood like a tempest incarnate. Her presence was both fierce and commanding, and I could feel the very air around her hum with an energy I couldn’t begin to comprehend. The storm outside seemed to retreat in her wake, as if it recognized the power she commanded."Who are you?" Dean sneered, his voice full of suspicion and malice, but even he couldn't hide the flicker of fear in his eyes. He took a cautious step back, his pack of rogue wolves shifting uneasily in the shadows.The woman’s gaze swept across the room, cold and calculating, and for a moment, I felt the weight of her eyes on me, as if she could see every secret buried deep within my soul."I am the end of this," she said, her voice rich with authority, each word a hammer striking the very core of this cursed legacy. "The Dark Moon’s reign of terror ends tonight."The storm howled outside once again, but it no longer seemed to be a force of nature. It was no longer a rampaging beast—it was a wh
Xavier****The silence that followed her departure was deafening. The room seemed to exhale, the tension dissipating like smoke in the air. My wolf form shimmered, the shadows clinging to me like a second skin before retreating into nothingness. I stood there, breathing heavily, the weight of her words pressing down on me.Dean remained where he was—a broken figure slumped on the floor. His wolves had scattered, their presence now nothing more than distant echoes in the storm. For the first time, he looked small, mortal—a far cry from the ruthless predator who had tormented me for years."You think this is victory?" His voice was hoarse, his lips curling into a bitter sneer. "You’ve only delayed the inevitable, Xavier. The Dark Moon isn’t a curse you can break. It’s a prison, and you’re still trapped inside."I didn’t respond. His words held no power over me now, not after what I had just witnessed. Instead, I turned and walked past him, my steps steady despite the chaos swirling in m
Xavier***The silence stretched taut, every breath dragging against the sharp edges of my pounding heart. Henry’s darkened grin wavered as I held him, my grip tightening around his neck despite myself. His body burned with unnatural heat—a sharp, unsettling contrast to the ice in his voice.“What’s wrong, Xavier?” He sneered, his tone a haunting blend of mockery and menace. “You can't hurt the man you love, can you? Can you, sweetheart?"I searched his eyes desperately, looking past the shroud of darkness that clung to him like a second skin. Somewhere beneath that void was the Henry I knew—the man who had laughed with me, fought beside me, and loved me. But that flicker of hope seemed so far away, hidden behind the abyss of black that threatened to swallow us both.“Henry,” I whispered, my voice trembling but resolute. “I know you’re in there. Fight this. Fight for us.”For a moment, something shifted. The cruel grin faltered, and a flicker of pain crossed his features. It was so fle
Xavier****A week had passed since that day, yet the weight of everything that had transpired still pressed down on us like a suffocating fog. Henry remained unconscious, his body pale and still. The darkness had retreated, but it left scars deep enough to haunt us all. And I could do nothing but wait and watch, praying for a sign that he would wake up, praying that this nightmare would end.The cage was silent now, save for the occasional drip of water from the far corner. But that silence was a lie—a facade hiding the chaos that raged inside. Dean was there, shackled and bruised, his eyes vacant as he slumped against the cold bars. The light was dim in the corner of the room, but it did nothing to ease the sharp lines of agony on his face.I approached the cage slowly, the sound of my boots against the floor echoing in the stillness. His eyes flickered up at me, but there was no recognition, no defiance—just a hollow emptiness that made my blood run cold. My once-loyal beta, or so I
Xavier****The grip around my neck tightened, and panic surged through me like wildfire. Henry’s hands, once a source of warmth and protection, had become a vice, his fingers pressing into my skin with an unnatural strength. His eyes—golden and wild—held no trace of the mate I had fought for, the mate I had desperately tried to save. The demons that plagued his mind had claimed him completely, twisting him into something unrecognizable.I gasped for breath, my heart hammering against my chest as I struggled to free myself. "Henry, stop!" I croaked, my voice hoarse from the pressure in my throat. But the man in front of me—if it could even be called that—did not respond. He only smirked, his lips curling into a grotesque smile that sent an icy chill down my spine."You always think you can save everyone, Xavier," he whispered, his voice low and laced with venomous sweetness. "But you can't even save yourself."His grip tightened further, cutting off my air supply. I could feel my stren
Xavier****The words hung between us like a death sentence—heavy and unyielding. My heart pounded in my chest, each beat a painful reminder of the choice I faced. Diego stood before me, his jaw clenched, eyes burning with determination, but I could see the flicker of pain beneath his resolve. It mirrored my own, twisting in my gut, tightening my throat.Lyra’s gaze flicked between us, her expression unreadable. "One soul," she said softly, her voice almost lost in the deafening rush of blood in my ears. "Only one of you can make the sacrifice."A bitter laugh escaped before I could stop it. "So, we fight over who gets to die?" The absurdity of it all made my head spin. I had spent so long trying to save Henry, and now... now it came down to this.Diego exhaled sharply. "It won’t be you, Xavier." His voice was unwavering, the finality in it leaving no room for argument. "I won't let you."My throat tightened, words threatening to choke me. "You can’t ask me to stand by and watch you do
Xavier****The storm had not passed. It lingered, restless, as if it too sensed the battle was far from over. Thunder rumbled in the distance, a fading echo of the chaos that had unfolded below. The sky churned with swollen clouds, heavy with the weight of the battle’s aftermath. Rain had thinned to a whisper, yet the battlefield remained drenched—soaked in blood, in loss, in the echoes of war that refused to be silenced.Henry lay motionless in my arms, his breaths shallow but steady—each fragile inhale a reminder of how close we had come to losing him. The weight of his body against mine grounded me, an anchor against the storm of blood and ruin surrounding us. He had fought harder than any of us, given everything to keep us standing. And now, his body bore the cost of that sacrifice. My fingers trembled as I brushed damp hair from his forehead, caught between the relief that he was alive and the gnawing dread of what lay ahead. The abyss had not just claimed Dean—it had opened a do
Xavier***The storm does not yield.But neither do we.The battlefield is a wasteland of shadows and ruin, the echoes of our struggle still vibrating in the air like the last notes of a funeral dirge. Rain seeps into the fractured earth, pooling in the craters left by our war. The scent of damp soil and blood lingers, thick and inescapable.I hold Henry against me, my arm wrapped around his trembling form, feeling the erratic rhythm of his breath against my chest. His body is wracked with exhaustion, his strength nearly spent, but he is here. He is free. And yet, the weight of what has been lost—what has been taken—clings to us like a specter, whispering reminders of those who will never stand beside us again.Dean stands before us, changed beyond recognition. The abyss clings to him, winding its tendrils through his soul, weaving into the fabric of his being. His presence is wrong, a distortion of something that was once human. The light in his eyes has been devoured, leaving behind
Henry***The storm does not yield.Lightning splits the sky, illuminating the battlefield of destruction I have created. The shadows coil tighter around my body, venomous whispers growing more insistent, more cruel. The abyss does not wish to let me go. It does not fear Xavier's words or his unwavering belief. It only craves ruin.But Xavier does not move from where he kneels, battered and bleeding, his body trembling under the force of my blows. His breath comes in ragged gasps, but his gaze remains locked onto mine. There is no hatred in his eyes, no fear. Only that same unbearable resolve."Henry," he murmurs again, voice hoarse yet firm. "I know you're still in there. I know you can fight this."The shadows recoil, thrashing at the edges of my mind, furious at his audacity. A pulse of agony surges through me, sharp and unrelenting, as the abyss fights to reclaim me.I clutch my head, stumbling backward, my breaths coming in desperate pants. "Stop—stop talking, Xavier. You don’t un
Henry***The storm does not relent.Wind howls through the ruined landscape, shards of earth and debris swirling in the chaos I have wrought. Shadows slither along my skin, whispering, clawing, desperate to drag me deeper into the abyss. But amidst it all—Xavier’s hand remains outstretched.I stare at it, trembling, caught between the pull of darkness and the silent plea in his eyes. He doesn’t waver. Not even as the world trembles beneath us, not even as the abyss snarls for its prize. He should run. He should turn back. But he doesn’t.Because he believes in me.His voice, steady despite the raging storm, breaks through my fractured thoughts. “You are not lost, Henry. You are still here.”I want to believe him. I want to grasp onto the sliver of hope he offers, but the weight of the shadows is crushing. My body is not my own. My mind is barely tethered. The darkness is all-consuming, a living force that binds itself to my bones, whispering lies and truths alike.You are nothing but
Henry***The world shatters around me, a cacophony of destruction that echoes through my bones. Everything I’ve ever known is crumbling, slipping through my fingers like sand, and the storm inside me rages with an intensity I can’t control. I am its eye, the center of this chaos, and yet I am powerless to stop it. The darkness surrounds me, pulls at my insides, and all I can do is endure its cold, suffocating grip. The man I was… I can barely remember him. Only fragments remain, scattered like broken glass, and the creature I’ve become is all that’s left.The ground shakes beneath me, the earth cracking as if in warning, and I know, deep down, that I am no longer part of this world. I am tearing it apart, piece by piece, and I can’t stop it.But then, through the howling storm, I feel him.Xavier.His presence, like a heartbeat in the dark, cuts through the noise of the chaos. I feel him in every inch of my being—his heartbeat, his voice, his essence. Even now, as the shadows coil aro
The world trembled beneath the weight of Henry’s fury, as if the earth itself could no longer bear the oppressive darkness that swelled from within him. The very air tasted bitter, thick with a suffocating energy that wrapped around them like an invisible predator. Each breath felt like the last, each heartbeat a drum of impending doom. The shadows, alive and conscious, spiraled around Henry’s form, pulling him deeper into their grasp until there was nothing left but the void.Xavier could feel it—the overwhelming weight pressing against his chest. The pulse of their bond, once steady and strong, now flickered like a candle in a storm. His heart ached with every pulse that grew weaker. He couldn’t let go. Not like this.“Henry!” Xavier’s voice cracked, raw and desperate, clawing at the very air. He took a step forward, but the man he called out to was no longer there. Before him stood a monster, a creature born from torment and rage. The shadows writhed around Henry like serpents, twi
Henry***Pain. Cold. Silence.The darkness was absolute—an abyss without end, a chilling maw that consumed every shred of light, every trace of self. Cold seeped into my marrow, and silence pressed against my ears with suffocating weight. Yet, through that oppressive void, a voice—jagged with desperation and laced with dread—fought to reach me, trembling on the edge of oblivion, a lifeline fraying but unbroken."Henry... Don’t leave me..." Xavier’s voice cracked with anguish, each word trembling with raw fear and unbearable loss, as if his very soul bled through the plea.Xavier.His voice, raw with desperation, sliced through the suffocating shadows like a cold blade, each syllable dripping with terror and raw agony—a desperate plea clawing through the abyss. The searing agony in my chest, where Lyra’s darkness had pierced me, burned with unholy cold, a venomous chain binding me to her malevolent will. Shadows slithered through my veins, but through the torment, I felt it—a frayed, t
Henry***A fleeting memory of Xavier’s warmth—his touch, his voice—flashed through my mind, and the loss burned deeper than the cold air searing my lungs. I sprinted through the forest, every footfall muffled by the damp earth. My heart pounded a frantic rhythm against my ribs, each beat screaming one name—Xavier. Twigs snapped beneath my heels, and branches clawed at my skin, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t stop.Behind me, the shadows writhed and surged, Lyra's presence pressing against my back like an oncoming storm. Her voice seeped through the trees, a velvet whisper laced with venom, carrying an unsettling chill that grazed my spine. It was soft, almost intimate—too close, too knowing—both a caress and a threat. "Come back to me, Henry. You’re mine."I growled, the sound low and feral, something primal rising from deep within my chest. ““I belong to no one,” I spat, the image of Xavier flashing through my mind—his eyes, his warmth—the one who made me feel truly free." I spat, my v
Henry***The warmth of Xavier's touch lingered on my skin long after the fire's embers had turned to ash. The memory of his fingers felt like an anchor, but beneath it stirred a restlessness—a dread that gnawed at the edges of my consciousness. I shouldn't have felt this unease, not after the safety we'd carved from the chaos. And yet, the night whispered with something more, something waiting beyond the glow of the dying embers. It wasn't just a memory—it was a sensation etched into my bones, a tender ache of comfort and longing that warred with the fear stirring beneath my skin.An itch. A tremor.I stood near the window, the cool night air brushing against my overheated skin, carrying the scent of damp earth and the sharp tang of distant rain. The stars above seemed distant, their light muted. A shadow flickered across the courtyard below, too quick to be human. My instincts sharpened.A whisper rode the breeze, soft and enticing, like the brush of silk against bare skin, carrying