By the time we all sat around the dining table, the sun had fully set.The house smelled like roasted chicken, garlic potatoes, and Mom’s homemade bread—the kind she only makes when we have guests she actually likes.Casma sat on one end of the table beside Mom, her dark brown skin glowing under the kitchen lights, her silver-blonde hair braided back neatly. She laughed as Aria gave her a play-by-play recap of every single thing she and Asher had done that week—including the prank they pulled on Louis that nearly broke the ceiling fan.Ruine sat across from Dad, a little slouched, looking like he belonged in a leather war council rather than at our dining table with floral placemats. His gold eyes skimmed the room lazily, but I knew better. He was taking in everything. Every word. Every shift in body language.Louis sat beside me, shoveling food into his mouth like the world might end tomorrow. Casey—his mate—perched quietly at his side, picking at her plate and keeping her head down
The Oracle’s words still sat heavy on my chest like a stone I couldn’t shake off.I stood at my bedroom window again, staring out at the forest, arms wrapped around myself like that could somehow quiet the noise in my head.The trees swayed with the wind. Somewhere in the distance, a bird chirped.Normal things.But I didn’t feel normal.The air felt… thick. Like something was brewing just beyond my line of sight.I closed my eyes and took a long, shaky breath."Go and prepare, for a great battle awaits you."The Oracle’s voice replayed like a broken record, sinking its claws deeper every time I tried to ignore it.And then there were the dreams…The forest.The crack of thunder overhead.And those haunting gray eyes with the jagged lightning scar.The same wolf. Night after night.I’d told Mom about it once. She got quiet real fast and said she’d speak with the Oracle again if they continued.But it wasn’t just dreams anymore.I could feel it. Even now… standing here… like eyes burni
I crouch low behind the thick line of trees bordering the Crescent Moon Pack’s training grounds, blending into the earth and shadows like I was born here.The late afternoon sun filters through the leaves, throwing patterns across my skin, but I don’t flinch or shift. Years of being a rogue taught me how to stay invisible.I’d been out here since dawn. Watching. Waiting.Scouting.Just like I told the old men at the council tent I would.Basec and Ares are a few miles off, covering the south ridge like we planned. But me? I picked this spot. Not by accident.Something about this part of the territory…It felt electric. Like the air hummed with something I couldn’t explain.And when I saw her walk onto the field…Yeah.That explained it.There she was.The icy-haired girl.The hybrid.The one whose blue-purple eyes haunted me every time I closed mine.I watched from the cover of trees as she stood in the center of the training grounds, hands outstretched, face focused but slightly frus
Tyron It’s been over a week since I told my father my plan to attack the Crescent Moon Pack and capture the hybrid girl. And true to form… he hasn’t said a single damn word to me since.Not a question. Not a comment. Not even one of his usual grunts of approval or irritation.Typical.Him and the other elders have locked themselves away, drawing up their fancy strategies, acting like their decades of stale battle experience means something when they’ve never faced anything like this.They forget… none of it will work without me.I’m the strongest warrior they’ve got. The only one fast enough, smart enough… vicious enough… to get close to that girl. I brought them this plan. I should be involved in every single step.But I know how my father works. He’ll call for me eventually. Probably when the old men finish patting each other on the back for doing nothing.I drag a hand down my face and rub my temples. The migraine that’s been drilling behind my eyes all week hasn’t let up. No amou
That night, I barely sleep.The Oracle's words echo through my head like a haunting melody—one that won’t let go no matter how hard I try to shut it out."There is a greater danger that awaits you, my daughter—the promise of the Moon Goddess..."I toss and turn, tangled in my sheets, my heart pounding as another nightmare takes hold.I’m running again. Through the woods. Barefoot. Breathless. I can feel the cold mud between my toes, the sting of branches scraping my skin. But it isn’t the forest that scares me. It’s what’s chasing me.That wolf.Big. Gray. Silent as death.Its fur is streaked with lightning-like patterns, almost glowing under the moonlight. Its eyes are silver-gray, cold and unreadable—but there's something… familiar about them. Like I’ve seen them before.I sprint faster, but no matter how hard I try, I can’t outrun him. He’s always there—just behind me. I can feel his breath on my neck. His growl deep in my bones.Then he pounces.I jolt awake with a scream stuck in
“Are you sure you brought it back? I don’t remember seeing it on you when they carried you in,” Mom says, her voice tight as she rifles through my jewelry drawer for what must be the tenth time.“I don’t know, Mom,” I reply, the frustration creeping into my voice. “It was fight or flight over there. I wasn’t exactly looking at my hands.”She pauses and gives me a sharp look.I instantly deflate. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to snap. I’m just—stressed. And paranoid. School’s starting soon, and everything’s just... a mess in my head.” I let out a long, shaky sigh and fall back onto my bed.Mom closes the drawer and walks over, sitting gently beside me. She takes my hand, brushing her thumb over my knuckles before pressing a kiss to it.“I know, darling. I know it’s a lot. But you’ve got to stay grounded. You need to be Winter. The rare hybrid. The powerful girl who made even your father believe in the impossible. Don’t let fear drown her. Don’t feed the shadows.”Her words press against someth