Nicola’s body ached with every step as she trudged back toward the pack’s territory. Her muscles were sore from the fight, and her mind swirled with conflicting emotions. The adrenaline that had kept her sharp during her confrontation with Maddie had long since faded, leaving exhaustion and a hollow sense of victory in its wake.She had faced Maddie - and won - but it didn’t feel like a triumph. The hatred in Maddie’s eyes, the venom in her words, lingered like a shadow over her thoughts.“Nic!”Worried expressions of Theo and Chloe melted into relief as they saw her, scratched and bruised but alive.“Don’t scare us like that again,” Chloe said, her voice shaky as she pulled Nicola into a fierce hug. “You look like you’ve been through a war.”Theo’s eyes scanned her injuries. “She got in a few hits, didn’t she? Tell me Maddie looks worse.”Nicola gave a small, tired smile. “She does. Trust me.”By the time they reached the packhouse, word of Nicola’s confrontation had already spread.
The morning sun filtered through Nicola’s bedroom window, but she’d been awake long before its rays reached her. The events of the past few days weighed heavily on her mind, but they also fueled a new determination. If she was going to be Luna, she couldn’t just react to problems - she had to lead.The triplets had spent the night in their own rooms at the packhouse, giving her some much-needed space to process everything. She missed their reassuring presence but knew she needed to prove to herself - and the pack - that she could stand on her own.As Nicola arrived at the packhouse for a meeting with Alpha Marcus, she noticed the wary glances of pack members. Some nodded respectfully, others whispered to one another.Instead of shrinking under their scrutiny, Nicola raised her head high. She’d faced Maddie; she could face this.In the meeting room, the triplets were already seated, along with Alpha Marcus Blackstone and a handful of senior pack members. A large map of the territory wa
Nicola stood in the packhouse’s strategy room, staring at the map pinned to the wall. The triplets and a handful of senior wolves flanked her, their faces tense but expectant. The challenge she’d been waiting for - and dreading - had arrived.Reports of rogue activity had surged overnight. Two patrols near the southern border were attacked, and while there were no fatalities, one warrior was critically injured. Maddie’s betrayal had escalated into something more dangerous: the rogues weren’t just testing their defenses anymore - they were launching coordinated strikes.Alpha Marcus placed a firm hand on Nicola’s shoulder, his expression both serious and encouraging. “This is your chance to prove yourself. Lead this operation. Show the pack you’re ready to stand beside the triplets as Luna.”Nicola swallowed hard, the weight of his words sinking in. All eyes in the room were on her, waiting for her to speak. She felt the familiar stir of doubt creep in, but then she caught Damien’s gaz
Nicola stood outside the packhouse, watching the sunrise paint the horizon in shades of gold and pink. The events of the previous night replayed in her mind - the ambush, the chaos, the victory. Every muscle in her body ached, but she felt a deep sense of pride. For the first time, she hadn’t just survived - she had led.The pack was waking, and word of the ambush had already begun to spread. She could feel their eyes on her, curious and skeptical, as she made her way to the main hall. Today would be another test - perhaps the hardest one yet.Would they see her as a leader, or would they continue to doubt her?The triplets joined her as she entered the hall, their presence grounding her. Dean gave her an encouraging smile, while Dylan bumped her shoulder lightly in a silent gesture of reassurance. Damien, ever the protector, stayed close, his sharp gaze scanning the crowd.Alpha Marcus stood at the head of the room, his commanding presence silencing the murmurs of gathered pack membe
Nicola sat on the couch in her small living room, fidgeting with the edge of a throw pillow. Her mother’s gaze was sharp, knowing - warm, but still firm. Nicola didn’t need to be a mind-reader to know that this wasn’t going to be an easy conversation. The looming presence of Alpha Marcus and the triplets only made the room feel smaller, as if the walls themselves were closing in.Alpha Marcus had taken the chair nearest the fireplace, his posture poised but calm. It was a position of quiet authority, one that didn’t need words to command attention. Across from Nicola, the triplets sat close, their large frames making the room feel less like home and more like a negotiation table.Nicola swallowed, shifting in her seat as her mom’s gaze landed on her like a hawk zeroing in on its prey.“So,” her mom began, her tone calm but heavy with meaning, “I’ve heard a lot about what’s been going on with the pack lately. Maddie. Rogues. Nicola leading patrols...”Nicola winced slightly. She could
Nicola sat at her desk in her small bedroom, surrounded by an army of open textbooks, scattered notes, and three half-empty coffee cups. The triplets had promised they’d help her study, but so far, all they’d done was provide snacks, half-hearted moral support, and plenty of distractions.“You know,” Nicola muttered, underlining a sentence in her biology book with unnecessary aggression, “when you three said you’d help me study, I didn’t think you meant sitting around eating all my snacks and making fun of my handwriting.”Dean, sprawled across her bed with one arm behind his head, smirked. “We’re here for emotional support. And to keep you from losing your mind.”“And how, exactly, are you doing that?” Nicola shot him a glare, pushing a lock of hair behind her ear as she turned the page.“Look how calm you are,” Dylan chimed in from the floor, where he was leaning back against the side of her bed with a bag of chips balanced precariously on his chest. “If we weren’t here, you’d proba
The school hallway buzzed with the usual Monday morning chaos - students chattering in clusters, lockers slamming shut, and teachers herding kids toward class with half-hearted reminders about tardiness. Yet, for the first time in what felt like forever, Nicola noticed something unusual.It was subtle, but it was there.Eyes lingered on her longer than usual as she walked to her locker. Whispers followed in her wake, though this time, they didn’t carry the usual venom she’d grown used to. Some students even nodded at her in what looked suspiciously like... respect.“What’s going on?” Nicola muttered under her breath, frowning slightly as she unlocked her locker.Dean, who’d insisted on walking her to class as usual, leaned casually against the lockers beside her. “Looks like people are finally starting to recognize you for what you are.”Nicola shot him a look, her brow furrowed. “And what’s that?”Dean grinned, his tone teasing. “A badass Luna-in-training who doesn’t take anyone’s cr
The late afternoon sunlight filtered through the school’s tall windows as Nicola walked down the hallway, her backpack slung over one shoulder. The day had been... different. Not the hostile stares and whispered insults she was used to, but something subtler - an undercurrent of curiosity, tinged with admiration.It unsettled her.Whispers followed her as she passed, a soft murmur just loud enough to catch snippets of.“...she was on that patrol…” “...stood up to Maddie…” “...bet she’ll be Luna soon...”Nicola gritted her teeth, gripping her bag strap tighter. Luna soon? The thought made her stomach churn. She wasn’t even sure she wanted that title, let alone the expectations it carried. And yet, the pack seemed to be deciding for her.“Nicola!”The voice snapped her from her thoughts. Dylan had appeared beside her, a wide grin plastered on his face as if he hadn’t a care in the world.“You survived another day,” he said, matching her pace. “Shall I bake you a cake?”Nicola rolled h
The whisper was gone.But the air still felt thick - as if something unseen lingered just beyond reach.Nicola’s pulse pounded as she tightened her grip on the dagger. The runes along its blade gleamed faintly, pulsing in a rhythm that felt disturbingly like a heartbeat. It wasn’t just an ancient weapon anymore.It was reacting to something.Something still here.She took a step forward.Lucas was immediately at her side, his hand darting out to grip her wrist. “Nic, stop. What the hell are you doing?”She barely heard him. The pull was stronger now - not a force, not a command, but an invitation. A whispering thread winding itself around her ribs, urging her forward.“There’s something else,” she murmured, barely aware she was speaking aloud. “Something beneath us.”Elias exhaled sharply, his voice a growl of frustration. “Damn it, Nicola. You already broke the ritual - you don’t need to go looking for more trouble.”But that was the problem.She hadn’t gone looking for it. It had al
A sound that was not a sound split the air.A cry, a scream, a wail of something ancient and enraged. The chamber shook violently, the stone walls groaning under the force of it. The darkness convulsed, writhing like a living creature as the blade tore through its essence.Nicola felt it - something ripping apart, something trying to claw at her one last time before it was unmade.The notebook on the ground burst into flame, the pages curling in on themselves as ink bled out, erasing words written in another lifetime. The symbols on the pedestal cracked, glowing briefly before crumbling into dust.The force screamed.And then - silence.Nicola gasped, stumbling forward, her knees nearly giving out as the darkness collapsed inward, folding into nothingness.Elias caught her before she hit the ground, steadying her. “It’s done,” he said, his voice low, steady.Lucas exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. “Holy shit.”The room felt different. Lighter. Freed.Nicola’s fingers s
A chill slithered through the air.Not the natural kind that came with the Forgotten Sanctuary’s age, nor the damp cold that clung to its stone walls. This was different. Alive. Watching. Waiting.Nicola felt it before she saw it - a ripple in the air, a shift in the space around them, as if the darkness itself was coiling inward. The pages of the notebook trembled in her grasp, a silent warning.Lucas’ body tensed beside her. “Something’s coming.”Elias stepped forward, his eyes narrowing. “Not something,” he corrected. “It.”The force that had been lurking in the edges of her fate, the one woven into the ritual itself. The presence that did not just demand her sacrifice - it was born from it.And it wasn’t going to let her leave.The candlelight flickered, then vanished.Darkness swallowed them whole.A low, guttural whisper curled through the chamber, slithering along the walls like a living thing. Nicola’s breath caught as the air thickened, pressing down on her chest. It wasn’t s
Nicola’s pulse pounded in her ears as she moved toward the faint glow. The pull was undeniable, an invisible thread wrapped around her chest, guiding her deeper into the heart of the Forgotten Sanctuary.“Nicola,” Elias warned, his voice low, tense. “Whatever this is - it isn’t safe.”“I know,” she murmured, but she didn’t stop.Lucas let out a frustrated breath. “You’re walking straight into something we don’t understand.”“I don’t have a choice,” she said, glancing over her shoulder. “She left something here. I need to know what it is.”Elias hesitated, his sharp eyes scanning the corridor ahead, as if he too could sense the shift in the air. His expression was unreadable, but finally, he gave a small nod. “Then we move carefully.”Lucas sighed, clearly unhappy, but followed as Nicola stepped forward.The corridor narrowed, the walls pressing in like the ribs of some ancient beast, and the deeper they went, the heavier the air became. The energy in this place was ancient, woven into
A deep, haunting howl tore through Nicola’s mind, raw and primal. It vibrated through her bones, sending a jolt of electricity down her spine. Her wolf - silent for so long - was awake.Run.The command wasn’t spoken in words, but in instinct, in the frantic pulse of her blood.The figure in the chamber remained still, shifting between shadow and substance, its presence pressing against her like an unseen weight."Nicola…"The way it said her name - it wasn’t a threat. It wasn’t a plea. It was… expectant.Her breath hitched."No."Her own voice sounded distant in her ears, drowned beneath the sound of her wolf's desperate howling. It clawed at her mind, urging her away, away, away.Lucas’s grip on her arm tightened, grounding her. “Nicola, look at me.”She blinked, her vision swimming as she turned toward him.His golden eyes were fierce, unwavering. “We cannot be here.”Elias didn’t lower his blade. His stance was rigid, his muscles coiled, but Nicola knew him well enough to see what
The Forgotten Sanctuary seemed to pulse with something unseen, a presence that stirred beneath the cracked stone and dust-laden air. The deeper they moved into its ruins, the more Nicola felt it - a whisper at the edge of her senses, calling her forward, drawing her toward something she couldn’t yet name.She stood between Elias and Lucas, the weight of Lucas’s words still settling over her like a shroud."Everything you think you know about this ritual is a lie."Nicola clenched her fists, her voice sharp as she demanded, “Then tell me the truth.”Lucas exhaled slowly, his gaze flickering between her and Elias. “I will. But first, you have to be ready to hear it.”She stiffened. “I don’t have the luxury of waiting.”A flicker of something unreadable passed through Lucas’s expression before he finally nodded. “Fine. Then listen closely, because we don’t have much time.”Nicola held her breath as Lucas continued.“The ritual you’ve been preparing for - it’s not what you think. It isn’t
The wind howled through the Forgotten Sanctuary, whipping through the stone ruins like a restless spirit. Nicola’s breath came in uneven puffs, her heart still hammering from the shock of seeing Lucas standing before her.He was real. Not a vision, not a trick of the shadows.Lucas.Her childhood friend. Her almost-mate. The one who had vanished without a word.Now, after all these time, he was here - standing in the very place where she was meant to face her fate.The silence between them stretched, taut with tension and unanswered questions.Elias shifted beside her, his golden eyes sharp and assessing. His entire stance screamed distrust, his fingers hovering near the dagger at his waist. He was ready to act at the slightest provocation.Lucas, on the other hand, looked at ease. Too at ease. He stood with his hands resting at his sides, his expression unreadable, but there was something in his gaze - something heavy. He looked to calm, to stedy. He was diffrent than the boy he was
The Forgotten Sanctuary loomed before Nicola, an ancient ruin carved into the mountainside, its jagged silhouette barely visible beneath the pale moonlight. The air was thick with an eerie stillness, broken only by the distant howl of the wind. The stone walls, cracked and weathered by time, pulsed faintly with traces of old magic - power that had long since faded but never truly vanished.She took a slow breath, inhaling the scent of damp stone and something deeper, something familiar yet unsettling. This was where she had been born. Where her mother, Lyra, had brought her into the world.It didn’t feel like a place of beginnings.It felt like an ending.Elias walked ahead of her, his golden eyes scanning the ruins with an intensity she had come to recognize as something between reverence and calculation. He moved like a shadow, his presence blending into the ancient magic, as if he belonged here in a way she never could.Nicola’s steps faltered as she reached the entrance. The tower
Nicola’s mind reeled as the cavern around her trembled, the echoes of the vision still thrumming through her veins. Her breath came fast, shallow, as she tried to process the truth laid before her.The ritual wouldn’t destroy the darkness. It never had.It had only contained it, delaying the inevitable.She clenched her hands into fists, the phantom sensation of blood on her palms still lingering from the vision. The First Lycan Queen - her ancestor - had given everything to trap the darkness before. But time had weakened the chains. And now, it would fall to her to decide whether to do it again.Or to find another way.A hand on her shoulder grounded her.Elias."You look like you're going to be sick," he observed, voice calm but watchful.Nicola swallowed hard, shaking her head. "I just..." She exhaled sharply. "I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t this."The Keeper stood motionless beside the altar, their silver eyes unreadable beneath the hood. "You came seeking answer