Elara’s POVThe fire crackles between us, throwing flickering shadows against the trees. Andrew and Michael went somewhere together, leaving just Lora and I, wrapped in silence. She watches me carefully, her sharp blue eyes searching my face like she’s trying to piece together a puzzle.“You’ve been different lately,” she says finally, shifting on the log beside me.The memory of the day the being spoke to me flashed in my mind. His proposal and and my choice.I force a small smile. “Not sleeping well.”It wasn't a lie after all. The voice’s appearance has been bothering me for a long time. Making sleep a bit difficult.Lora snorts. “Try again.”I glance down at my hands, flexing my fingers. I can still feel it—the voice curling around my thoughts, waiting, whispering. I’ve kept it at bay for now, but it’s getting harder.He was adamant to get his way and I was losing. In the game of wills, I was losing and I was scared of what I would do when everything gets out of hand.She leans fo
Andrew’s POVThe moment I heared the commotion some distance away, I knew something was wrong.I had decided to go for a walk with Micheal to discuss matters concerning Elara, the Blood Moon and Dorian.I didn't want to involve Elara because I was worried it will be a trigger to her volatile self, and the last thing I wanted was her getting upset or worked up.That was why I left her in Lora's care but it seems that was just a waste a time. Even though I had left the vicinity of our space, I paid attention to my surrounding and that included where Elara was.That was why, when I heard unusual noise that sounded like a fight, sprinted through the woods right back to our camp.What I didn't expect was the sight in front of me; where Lora was on her hands and knees, coughing. Michael was already beside her, gripping her arm as she struggles to push herself up.His face was cloudy, anger filling his expression. It had all the signs that if it wasn't Elara, he would've personally hunted th
Andrew’s POV“Elara.”Her name left my lips as a whisper, and a plea, but she didn’t react. Looking at her as she stood their, fear almost made my heart go cold.She stood in the clearing, motionless, the dark energy twisting around her like living shadows. It coiled over her arms, her shoulders, flickering like flames—but colder. Her glowing eyes locked onto mine, dark and unfamiliar.And certainly not hers. My chest tightened. As I stared at her, I mentally kicked myself. This was all my fault. If I hadn't pushed her to grow stronger, we wouldn't be having this mess in our hands.In my attempt at trying to help her protect herself, I pushed her into the hands of the dark.“Elara,” I tried again, stepping closer. “It’s me Andrew.”Still, nothing. How come she can't recognize. For crying out loud, I'm her mate. I could practically see my wolf pacing up and down.It was feeling my desperation, regrets and fears. I wish I could control my feelings, but that was just impossible. Especia
Andrew’s POVThe second the darkness around her rose, I moved. When I said I was going fight for her, I hoped it will trigger something in her.But it turns out that I was wrong. She really wants me dead. I had no plans of letting that happen.Elara’s shadows lashed out, writhing toward me like living chains, and I had barely dodged in time when it touched me. The energy burned against my skin, cold and unnatural, leaving a lingering numbness where it grazed my arm.“Elara, don’t do this,” I breathed, my pulse thundering. This was getting out of hand and I knew if I didn't stop her, it could get worse.She doesn’t answer. And I'm worried. Why won't she answer?Instead, she lifted her hand, and the air shifted. Does magic powers come with the veiled sight? I thought it only had to do with the senses as the name suggests but from where I stood, I could see there was more to it.A force slams into my chest, sending me skidding backward. I barely keep my footing, my boots digging into th
Elara’s POVBlood.It stained Andrew’s fingers as he clutched his side, his breathing uneven. His knees nearly buckle, but he stays on his feet, even now—even after I hurt him.No.No, no, no. This wasn't part of the plan. I wanted to be strong to protect him now hurt him.I stumbled back, my hands shaking. I don’t remember striking him. I don’t remember moving at all, but the wound is there, deep and dark and real.Just as I didn't remember knocking Lora out. I thought I was doing the right thing by running, by giving in to the voice within and get stronger.I was so wrong. Now Andrew was hurt because me.“Andrew,” I whispered, my voice barely there. I couldn't think, talk more of speak.He didn’t answer. In between the time I impaled him with my claws, he had turned ashen.He was supposed to be healing right now. Why wasn't he healing already?Michael and Lora crashed through the trees. Lora’s gaze landed on Andrew, and she gasped.Despite the fact that I hurt her as well, I was ver
Andrew’s POV“Elara!”I pushed forward, ignoring the searing pain in my side. My body protested, my wound screaming, but none of it mattered.It was supposed to be healing but I didn't understand why it wasn't. I had a theory but this wasn't the time to indulge such thoughts.She was on her knees, gripping her head, her body trembled like she was fighting something I couldn't see.The shadows twisted around her again. Dark tendrils lash out, rising from the ground like living things, curling around her wrists, her throat—pulling her back.No. I won’t lose her. I won’t let this thing take her away from me. I asked her to train and now it has contributed to her changing into someone I didn't recognize.How was I supposed to live without her? She was my mate, my ride or die and I wasn't ready to live the rest of my life without her.“Elara, listen to me!” My voice was raw, desperate. I stumbled to her side, grabbing her shoulders. Her skin is ice cold. Her breath ragged. And when she lif
Elara’s POVAndrew circled me, his movements slow, measured. His eyes tracked every shift of my stance, every twitch of my fingers. I know what he’s doing—waiting for me to strike first.I didn’t.Instead, I watch him right back, breathing steady, legs bent, weight balanced. The air between us humed with tension. It was always like this when we sparred—like the world narrowed down to just him and me, two forces testing the limits of what we can do.Ever since the day he saved me from turning into a monster, I've noticed that I was far better than I ever was.We never stopped training. And as we trained, I soaked up everything, becoming more and more the fighter I wanted to be If Deveruid or whoever Dorian sends again tries to kidnap me, they will be in for a shock. I was the same person they met earlier.I’m stronger now. Faster. The mark on my skin has changed something inside me, even though I still don’t understand how deep that change ran. But I felt it—power coiled beneath my sk
Andrew’s POVThe tension in the air was tight and suffocating. Everybody seemed to know about the upcoming Blood Moon.Even the kids that were known for mischief had all sombered up and we're now helping in anyway they could.Outside, the pack was preparing—training, sharpening weapons, reinforcing the borders. The warriors knew what was coming. The Blood Moon was only days away, and with it, Dorian’s inevitable attack.I watched from my office window as warriors sparred in the clearing, their movements sharp, disciplined. Even the younger wolves were being taught basic defense, just in case. No one would be spared if we lost this war.No one.Knowing who Dorian was, he would try to exterminate anyone that poses a threat against him or his rule. Including kids.Elara was out there too.I caught a glimpse of her as she dodged a strike from Lora, her body moving like liquid fire. She had changed—stronger, faster. But the mark on her arm was a constant reminder that darkness had once tri
Elara's POVThe scream that tore from my throat didn’t feel like mine.It came from somewhere deeper—bone-deep, soul-deep. My back arched against the pulsing altar, and the red light crashing down from the Blood Moon carved through me like I was paper. Everything inside me felt like it was breaking apart. Shattered pieces of a girl who used to be Elara.Then I heard him."Elara!" Andrew’s voice cut through the chaos.I clung to it.The pain was still there, like I was being ripped from the inside out, but I clung to the sound of him. It grounded me. Reminded me of who I was. Of the nights we used to spend togetger as a couple. As mates. Of the way he whispered my name when no one else was listening.I blinked through the red haze and found him kneeling beside me, hands cupping my face. His eyes wide. Terrified. His thumb brushed the tears off my cheeks, and I leaned into the touch like it was the only thing keeping me alive."You’re still here," I choked out."I’m not going anywher
Andrew’s POVThe world went quiet.It shouldn’t have. There was chanting all around me, the sky roaring with thunder, cultists pacing like wolves ready to tear the altar apart. But all I could hear was the sound of her heart breaking.Elara’s eyes were locked on me—pleading, desperate, furious.And I’d faltered.Fates, I’d faltered.The girl beside her—the replacement—was glowing now. Not metaphorically. Literally. The altar pulsed under her knees, and I could feel the magic reaching for her like it had once reached for Elara.This was the moment.One path ended in her survival. The other? Salvation for the rest of the world.I didn’t move.My chest felt like it was splitting in half. The prophecy I didn't know much about seemed not to care who she was. It just needed a vessel. And now it had one.But she wasn’t Elara.“You said you loved her,” Michael’s voice tore through the tension, sharp and shaking. “So act like it.”I blinked.“She’s dying,” Dorian said again from behind me. Cal
Elara’s POVI couldn’t feel my hands.Not because of the chains—they’d long since numbed my wrists. It wasn’t even the dark magic humming through the stone under me, or the pulsing weight of that fake moon bleeding into the sky.It was the woman.Her.The one Dorian dragged in like an offering. The one who looked like me. I didn't know how he managed to do something this sick all on his own but it had my hackles rising.She stumbled, dirt in her hair, blood down one arm. Her eyes met mine—and I saw myself.I froze.My mouth went dry.No.No, no, no. I have to get to the bottom of this.“What is this?” I croaked. My voice was rough, scraped raw from screaming earlier. “Who is she?”Dorian smiled, cold and smooth. “Insurance,” he said. “A vessel the altar will accept willingly.”“She’s not me.” I pointed out trying to figure out exactly was going on.“She’s enough,” he said. “The Blood Moon doesn’t care for names. Only bloodlines. Only sacrifice.”Behind him, Harrow stood silent, arms f
Michael’s POVI’d seen hell before.I’d seen blood-soaked battlefields, the ruins of old packs cursed by forgotten gods, and the aftermath of hunts gone sideways. But nothing—nothing—prepared me for the madness that unfolded once Elara vanished into the altar.One second she was there, blood burning on the stones. The next, the ground split and swallowed her like she’d never existed. Andrew dove after her, but the crack sealed fast—too fast.We stood frozen. Just for a beat.Then the sky changed.A deep rumble rolled across the clouds—slow and hungry. The black above us began to shift, bruising over with a sickly red hue. The true Blood Moon was still weeks off, but what rose above the mountain now? That was no moon. That was an imitation. Something summoned.Kieran raised his hands, shouting incantations in a language I’d only ever know can be found in hidden scrolls and dark books.The cultists around him echoed the words. Voices rising, and twisting like one. If it wasn't for sac
Andrew’s POVI didn’t look at Elara. Not when I heard Kieran say it. Not when that thing that looked like her stepped into the firelight with dead eyes and a mocking smile.Because if I looked at her right then, I might’ve lost the control I’d been holding onto since we stepped into this cursed clearing. And right now, she needed me steady. Not broken.The Gatekeeper. That’s what he called it.But that wasn't Elara—not really. It was a lie dressed in her skin. Some unholy mimic summoned to rattle us before the real bloodbath began.Greg cursed softly behind me, low and venomous.“We need to move,” he muttered. “Now. They’re baiting us.”Kieran was already turning, robes sweeping the earth as he walked back toward the rise of the altar behind him. “Follow,” he called. “Or run. The outcome doesn’t change.”He was right. If we decided to back down, it won't change anything. His men will give chase and he could use some other means to capture Elara.I didn't want to be away from her.I st
Elara’s POVAfter what happened in tombs, Andrew and I managed to escape that place and made it back to our friends.“Are you ok?” The words hadn’t even fully left Andrew’s mouth when a message hit me. Not through the air, not by any messenger, but inside my head, cold and direct.“Join us willingly, and we’ll spare the rest of your pack.”Kieran.I stood frozen in the middle of the shattered cemetery, my boots soaked from the broken ground that still bled magic. Smoke curled in lazy spirals from the scorched edges of the broken seal behind us. The earth trembled, subtle but steady, like it was breathing beneath our feet.I didn’t move. I didn’t speak.Andrew’s hand brushed mine. “What is it?”I met his eyes, hating what I was about to say. “It was Kieran. He’s offering a deal.”Michael spun around from where he was guarding the broken archway behind us. “What kind of deal?”Greg, who hadn’t spoken since we’d forced the cultists back into the tunnels, just narrowed his eyes. I didn’
Andrew's POVElara stood over the cracked floor, her hands still faintly glowing from the power she’d just unleashed as she tried to protect us. I couldn’t take my eyes off her. She looked like something ancient and untouchable—not terrifying, not to me, but looked different. Changed.The seal beneath the cemetery groaned again, a deep pulse rattling up through my boots and into my spine.“We need to move,” I said, my voice low. “That crack wasn’t the end of it.”Elara didn’t answer. Her breath came in short bursts, her eyes fixed on the broken seal. By now, the spirits had disappeared.I touched her shoulder. “Hey.”She blinked. Looked at me. And for a second, I thought she might fall apart.“It spoke to me,” she whispered. “The seal. Or something beneath it. I felt it looking back at me.”I wanted to lie, tell her it was her imagination. But the air was charged, too still. The kind of still that comes before a storm tears the sky in half.Then, from the tree line, came the low soun
Elara’s POVI stared at the burning door like it was about to swallow me whole. My name—Elara—etched in glowing runes I didn’t recognize but somehow understood. The heat pouring off it wasn’t real heat. It was something else. Energy. Memory. Grief.Andrew’s hand was tight around mine, grounding me. His voice broke through the thrum in my head. “Elara… talk to me. What the hell is happening?”I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.Because I didn’t know.Something inside me did, but I didn’t.The spirits hovered behind us, still chanting. Their words no longer sounded threatening. They were mournful, like an old lullaby twisted by time. One of them stepped forward again—the female with hollow eyes.“You’ve returned,” she said softly. “The Gatekeeper walks again.”I blinked, throat dry. “But—”“You carry her blood,” she said. “That’s enough.”Andrew moved in front of me. “We didn’t come to unlock anything. We came to destroy that stone.”The spirit tilted her head, floating closer. “A
Andrew’s POVThe cemetery was too quiet. Even the birds had stopped singing.I stood at the edge of the wrought iron gate, my hand resting on the cold metal. The paint had long chipped away, leaving behind rust and claw marks. How did this happen? I wondered tracing the mark.Behind me, Elara’s breath hitched, and I turned just enough to catch the flicker of fear in her eyes.“I’m ready,” she whispered.I wasn’t sure she was. I wasn’t sure I was. But I nodded anyway, stepped aside, and let her pass through first.Michael grunted something under his breath, the kind of grumble meant to be heard. Greg followed, silent and sharp-eyed. Lora pulled her coat tighter, flipping through the notes she’d scribbled down from the old texts.This place had been hallowed ground once. Before the cult got their claws in. Before the spirits began to whisper from beneath the soil.We weren’t just walking into a cemetery—we were stepping into the belly of a trap.“Elara and I go first,” I said, stoppin