Five years earlier"You can't be serious, Uncle." Elias stood before me, barely twenty years old, already showing the attitude that would one day destroy him."I've seen it with my own eyes," I insisted. "Charles Winters is hiding something. A child with powers that could change everything.""The Blood Moon Pack has always been secretive," Elias shrugged. "That doesn't mean they're harboring some magical child."I slammed my fist on the table. "This isn't about pack politics! The prophecy speaks of a three-heart child who will either unite or destroy us all. If Charles is hiding her—""Prophecies," Elias laughed. "You sound like the old witch who lives at the edge of our territory.""Celeste Moreau knows more than you give her credit for," I growled."Mother was right. You're becoming unstable." Elias turned away. "Perhaps it's time for new leadership."I froze. "You would challenge me? Your own blood?""If I must." His eyes flashed gold - the mark of an Alpha. My sister's son, but no
Orion Blackwood's POV I caught the guard's arm mid-swing and turned it behind his back. His knife clattered to the ground. "I don't want to hurt you, Travis," I whispered. "I just need to get inside." Recognition flashed in the young guard's eyes. "Orion? You can't be here! They'll kill you on sight!" "Let them try," I said, releasing him. "I've survived worse than Beta Luther's welcome committee." Eight years in hiding had changed me. Once, I'd been Blood Moon Pack's Head Warrior, Charles Winters' right hand. Now I was a ghost, returning to a place that had forgotten me. Travis glanced nervously toward the main house. "Everything's fallen apart, Orion. Alpha Charles is dead. Kamla was murdered. Amara disappeared. And Beta Luther..." "Is acting Alpha now," I finished for him. "I know. That's why I'm back." Travis hesitated, then gave me his pack jacket. "Take this. It'll help you blend in. The old tunnels beneath the packhouse haven't been sealed. Enter through the east
Luna Seraphina Winters's POV"You cannot enter here," the hooded guardian said, blocking my way. "This temple is forbidden to outsiders."Blood dripped from the cut on my forehead where a branch had struck me during my climb up the mountain. I was tired, hungry, and in no mood for more challenges."I am not an outsider," I said, pushing back my hair to show the mark behind my ear – three silver stars in the shape of a triangle. "I am Seraphina of the Starborn. This temple belongs to my people."The guardian's eyes widened. He dropped to one knee. "Forgive me, My Lady. We thought the Starborn were extinct.""Nearly," I said, my voice bitter. "But not quite."I felt Charles's death like a knife to my heart just hours ago. The link we had shared for twenty years suddenly torn away. I had fallen in the forest, screaming his name. Now I had to hurry. Amara needed me, even if she didn't know I was living.The guardian led me through stone passageways lit by blue flames that needed no fuel.
Rowan Kingsley's POVI ducked as the knife whizzed past my ear and stuck in the wooden beam behind me. Elias Beaumont stood in the doorway, another blade already in his hand."Get out of my house before I put the next one between your eyes," he growled."I'm not here to fight," I said, keeping my hands where he could see them. "I'm here to help Amara.""How did you get past the guards?" Viktor asked from behind Elias."The same way the Guardians will get in if you don't listen to me," I answered. "Your security is good against werewolves, but not against what's coming."I'd been tracking Amara Kings for two years. Watching from a distance, waiting for the right time. I'd seen everything – her imprisonment, her torture at Elias's hands, her escape with Lyra's aid. All part of the prophecy that had ruled my life since I was a kid."Who are you?" Elias asked.Before I could answer, footsteps rushed down the stairs and Amara appeared. Her eyes were red from tears. She must have felt Charl
Elias Beaumont's POVThe bullet grazed my shoulder as I dove behind the fallen table. Wood splintered above my head as more gunfire tore through the home."Viktor!" I yelled over the chaos. "Where are they?"My uncle reloaded his shotgun with trained hands. "Everywhere. At least twenty Guardians outside."I peered through a broken window. Black-clad figures were moving on the house from all sides. In the distance, I caught a glimpse of Rowan's motorcycle disappearing into the trees with Amara hanging to his back.A strange mixture of relief and fear washed over me. She was safer away from here, but the thought of her with Rowan made my stomach twist. I didn't trust him, promise keeper or not."We need to move," Viktor said, breaking into my thoughts. "They'll burn the place down if they have to."I nodded, trying to focus. My pack needed me. But Amara—my true mate—was going into danger without me.The front door crashed open. I shifted instantly, bones popping as my wolf form emerged.
Luther Cain's POVI smashed the burner phone under my boot, grinding the parts into the dirt. The call had taken only thirty seconds, but it changed everything."Amara is still alive," the voice had said. "She's with Elias. They know what you did."My carefully built plan was coming apart. For eighteen years, I'd worked as Beta to Charles Winters, waiting for the right moment to take control of the Blood Moon Pack. Now that stupid girl had ruined everything.I kicked the pieces of the phone into the bushes and headed back toward the pack house. Members nodded respectfully as I passed. They still trusted me. Still thought I was the loyal Beta who'd stepped up after Charles disappeared.They had no idea what I'd done. What I was capable of.Inside my office, I locked the door and pulled out the list of names. Five people who knew too much. Five lost ends that needed to be cut.Marcus Hale topped the list. Elias's Beta had seen me talking to Celeste the night before Kamla's murder. He'd
Elder Thalia Reed's POVThe old books tumbled from the shelf as I yanked the secret lever. Behind me, I heard the heavy footsteps of the Guardians searching the house. They'd already checked this room once, but they'd be back soon.I didn't have much time.The bookcase swung open with a creak, showing a narrow passage. I slipped inside, pulling it closed just as voices approached. My old bones complained as I hurried down the stone steps, my only light a small crystal that glowed blue in my palm.For eighty years, I had served as Elder of the Blood Moon Pack, keeper of our most dangerous secrets. Only three people knew about this secret chamber beneath the pack house. Charles, Seraphina, and me.At the bottom of the stairs, I pressed my hand against the stone door. It recognized my touch and slid open."Finally," Orion Blackwood said, rising from where he sat against the wall. "I've been waiting for hours.""The Guardians are everywhere," I
Amara's POVI'd never looked up at the sky.Not like other folks had; stretching out wide and boundless and full of potential. My world was always broken into fragments, viewed through contradicting bars across my window or the splits in frigid stone walls that held me captive. Outside existed only in fantasy, something I'd dreamed, something I was never supposed to reach.For eighteen years, I had never been anything other than a secret. A pilfered breath in shadowed hallways. A ghost behind closed doors. A Winters by birth, but not by name. No one beyond these doors was aware of my presence.Because I was never supposed to be.I felt all that would change this night. My heart beat rose, as I thought of the possibility and the door opened. Heeling clicks, slow, stiffly, rang through the stillness. And then the voice, honey-sweet and lethal."You're actually doing this?" I heard her say. I turned to see Kamla. She stood in the doorway, with her arms folded, her smile like a knife.
Elder Thalia Reed's POVThe old books tumbled from the shelf as I yanked the secret lever. Behind me, I heard the heavy footsteps of the Guardians searching the house. They'd already checked this room once, but they'd be back soon.I didn't have much time.The bookcase swung open with a creak, showing a narrow passage. I slipped inside, pulling it closed just as voices approached. My old bones complained as I hurried down the stone steps, my only light a small crystal that glowed blue in my palm.For eighty years, I had served as Elder of the Blood Moon Pack, keeper of our most dangerous secrets. Only three people knew about this secret chamber beneath the pack house. Charles, Seraphina, and me.At the bottom of the stairs, I pressed my hand against the stone door. It recognized my touch and slid open."Finally," Orion Blackwood said, rising from where he sat against the wall. "I've been waiting for hours.""The Guardians are everywhere," I
Luther Cain's POVI smashed the burner phone under my boot, grinding the parts into the dirt. The call had taken only thirty seconds, but it changed everything."Amara is still alive," the voice had said. "She's with Elias. They know what you did."My carefully built plan was coming apart. For eighteen years, I'd worked as Beta to Charles Winters, waiting for the right moment to take control of the Blood Moon Pack. Now that stupid girl had ruined everything.I kicked the pieces of the phone into the bushes and headed back toward the pack house. Members nodded respectfully as I passed. They still trusted me. Still thought I was the loyal Beta who'd stepped up after Charles disappeared.They had no idea what I'd done. What I was capable of.Inside my office, I locked the door and pulled out the list of names. Five people who knew too much. Five lost ends that needed to be cut.Marcus Hale topped the list. Elias's Beta had seen me talking to Celeste the night before Kamla's murder. He'd
Elias Beaumont's POVThe bullet grazed my shoulder as I dove behind the fallen table. Wood splintered above my head as more gunfire tore through the home."Viktor!" I yelled over the chaos. "Where are they?"My uncle reloaded his shotgun with trained hands. "Everywhere. At least twenty Guardians outside."I peered through a broken window. Black-clad figures were moving on the house from all sides. In the distance, I caught a glimpse of Rowan's motorcycle disappearing into the trees with Amara hanging to his back.A strange mixture of relief and fear washed over me. She was safer away from here, but the thought of her with Rowan made my stomach twist. I didn't trust him, promise keeper or not."We need to move," Viktor said, breaking into my thoughts. "They'll burn the place down if they have to."I nodded, trying to focus. My pack needed me. But Amara—my true mate—was going into danger without me.The front door crashed open. I shifted instantly, bones popping as my wolf form emerged.
Rowan Kingsley's POVI ducked as the knife whizzed past my ear and stuck in the wooden beam behind me. Elias Beaumont stood in the doorway, another blade already in his hand."Get out of my house before I put the next one between your eyes," he growled."I'm not here to fight," I said, keeping my hands where he could see them. "I'm here to help Amara.""How did you get past the guards?" Viktor asked from behind Elias."The same way the Guardians will get in if you don't listen to me," I answered. "Your security is good against werewolves, but not against what's coming."I'd been tracking Amara Kings for two years. Watching from a distance, waiting for the right time. I'd seen everything – her imprisonment, her torture at Elias's hands, her escape with Lyra's aid. All part of the prophecy that had ruled my life since I was a kid."Who are you?" Elias asked.Before I could answer, footsteps rushed down the stairs and Amara appeared. Her eyes were red from tears. She must have felt Charl
Luna Seraphina Winters's POV"You cannot enter here," the hooded guardian said, blocking my way. "This temple is forbidden to outsiders."Blood dripped from the cut on my forehead where a branch had struck me during my climb up the mountain. I was tired, hungry, and in no mood for more challenges."I am not an outsider," I said, pushing back my hair to show the mark behind my ear – three silver stars in the shape of a triangle. "I am Seraphina of the Starborn. This temple belongs to my people."The guardian's eyes widened. He dropped to one knee. "Forgive me, My Lady. We thought the Starborn were extinct.""Nearly," I said, my voice bitter. "But not quite."I felt Charles's death like a knife to my heart just hours ago. The link we had shared for twenty years suddenly torn away. I had fallen in the forest, screaming his name. Now I had to hurry. Amara needed me, even if she didn't know I was living.The guardian led me through stone passageways lit by blue flames that needed no fuel.
Orion Blackwood's POV I caught the guard's arm mid-swing and turned it behind his back. His knife clattered to the ground. "I don't want to hurt you, Travis," I whispered. "I just need to get inside." Recognition flashed in the young guard's eyes. "Orion? You can't be here! They'll kill you on sight!" "Let them try," I said, releasing him. "I've survived worse than Beta Luther's welcome committee." Eight years in hiding had changed me. Once, I'd been Blood Moon Pack's Head Warrior, Charles Winters' right hand. Now I was a ghost, returning to a place that had forgotten me. Travis glanced nervously toward the main house. "Everything's fallen apart, Orion. Alpha Charles is dead. Kamla was murdered. Amara disappeared. And Beta Luther..." "Is acting Alpha now," I finished for him. "I know. That's why I'm back." Travis hesitated, then gave me his pack jacket. "Take this. It'll help you blend in. The old tunnels beneath the packhouse haven't been sealed. Enter through the east
Five years earlier"You can't be serious, Uncle." Elias stood before me, barely twenty years old, already showing the attitude that would one day destroy him."I've seen it with my own eyes," I insisted. "Charles Winters is hiding something. A child with powers that could change everything.""The Blood Moon Pack has always been secretive," Elias shrugged. "That doesn't mean they're harboring some magical child."I slammed my fist on the table. "This isn't about pack politics! The prophecy speaks of a three-heart child who will either unite or destroy us all. If Charles is hiding her—""Prophecies," Elias laughed. "You sound like the old witch who lives at the edge of our territory.""Celeste Moreau knows more than you give her credit for," I growled."Mother was right. You're becoming unstable." Elias turned away. "Perhaps it's time for new leadership."I froze. "You would challenge me? Your own blood?""If I must." His eyes flashed gold - the mark of an Alpha. My sister's son, but no
Lyra Sinclair's POVI said simply. "No ordinary binding could have held power like hers. It had to be blood magic from all three races." Amara stood suddenly, pacing. "My mother knew. She gave me a choice—keep my power or lose it forever." "And you chose to keep it," I said. "Now you need to learn to control it." "How?" she asked. "Who can teach me to be something no one has ever been before?" Before I could answer, a sharp pain stabbed behind my eyes. I gasped, grabbing my head. "Lyra?" Elias moved to help me, but I waved him away. The whispers came, as they always did—my spirit guides, whispering urgently in my mind. Danger comes. Blood and shade. The mother of lies approaches. "What is it?" Amara asked, worry replacing anger in her eyes. "What's wrong?" I fought to focus through the pain. "We need to leave. Now." "Why?" Elias asked. "What did you see?" "Not see. Hear." I began gathering my scattered goods. "My guides are warning me. Someone's coming. Someone dangerous."
Ingrid Devereaux's POVI smiled thinly. "Because I have something they need."I opened a small wooden box on the table. Inside lay a silver feather—identical to the one Amara had found where her mother apparently died."A trap," Alpha Reiner realized."Call it an invitation," I said. "When Seraphina feels this feather's magic activate, she'll come. And Amara will follow.""You're gambling with all our lives," Alpha Leona threatened."I'm saving them," I amended. "Starting with my son's."After the Council members left, I stood by the window, watching the sun set over the area my husband had built—the legacy meant for my son.The door opened behind me. "The preparations are complete," Kaya said. "The perimeter is secured.""Good. No one enters or leaves without my permission.""And if Elias returns willingly?" she asked softly.I turned to face her, steel in my voice. "Lock him in the holding cells. For his own protection.""Yes, Luna." She paused. "There's something else. A message, f