Andrew's POVThe moment Van disappeared into the shadows, it seemed as if the chaos was over.The whole place that was like a war zone all at once became quiet. Too quiet.I felt it immediatelyโsomething was off.The assassins who had been pressing in, determined, unstoppable and precise, suddenly became docile. Their strikes lost their killing intent, movements no longer aiming to kill us but to get enough breathing space to escape.Then, without warning, they withdrew, all at once. One by one, they melted into the darkness, slipping out of the broken windows and doorway, vanishing as if they had never been there at all.I wanted to give chase and make sure everyone of the bastards were dead but I couldn't. I felt too weak to hold myself up.My blade was still raised. My body, still tense. My breaths came in ragged gasps, the poison twisting in my veins, turning my limbs heavy.Ever since I touched that letter given to me I haven't been myself. It still bugged me how my room came und
Elara's POVThe scoutโs words sent a shock through my system. I was still trying to hold Andrew up as he sat on the floor. The poison showed no signs of slowing down and I couldn't think of a way to get it out of his system. I couldn't even think of what would happen if we left like this.Andrew was right after all. They had never run away. They just had something else in mind. No wonder the scouts couldn't contact us. The lines must have been cut off.โThe eastern wall has been breached!โ I repeated the words, giving my mouth a bitter taste as bile rose.For a second, nobody moved. The air was thick with the smell of blood, sweat, and something worseโfear. I wasn't very good at pinpointing emotions but after I had some level of control over the veiled sight, it was easy to read.Then, as I was trying to figure out what to do next, it seemed as if everything happened at once. Like a dam bursting.Michael cursed and bolted for the door, Lora hot on his heels. Outside, a horn soundedโ
Andrew's POVThe battlefield stank of blood and burning flesh. Snarls and cries of pain filled the air, but they all faded into the background the moment his voice cut through the chaos.โMiss me?โThat voice. That voice always gave me a bad feeling anytime I heard it and I was never wrong.I knew who it belonged to before my eyes even landed on him. Dorian. My biggest rival and the one terrorizing my packfor things that happened a long time ago.I forced myself upright, my limbs screaming in protest. The runeโs poison pulsed through my veins like molten iron, each beat of my heart spreading its slow, numbing fire. My legs felt like they werenโt mine anymoreโlike I was wading through thick, invisible chains.I stumbled around like a little baby just learning how to walk before I finally made it outside.I wanted to lay down and forget everything that was going on but I couldn't do that. I wouldnโt stay down. Especially not now.I clenched my teeth and lifted my head staring daggers at
Elara's POVAnother wave of rogues charged, but I saw them too late. I hadn't expected Dorian to be so decisive. I expected this war to come closer to the Blood Moon. But it was obvious he wanted to defeat us before we had the chance to pose a threat to him.A body slammed into me from behind. I hit the ground hard, the breath knocked from my lungs. Claws raked across my back, and hot breath fanned against my neck.The moment Dorian gave the order, the battlefield erupted once again.The rogues rushed forward like a black tide, their snarls ripping through the night. Andrew barely had time to brace before they crashed into him. He went down beneath a pile of bodies, his form disappearing under gnashing teeth and clawed hands.โNo!โ I yelled as fear turned my blood cold and had my heart racing like it wanted to rio out of my chest. In one quick move, I elbowed the person on my back in the face cracking his nose.Before he got the chance to do anything, I grabbed his head and snapped h
Elara's POVThe battlefield snapped back into focus, but the vision clung to the edges of my mind like a shadow I couldnโt shake. My breath came fast, ragged. Andrewโdead. A stranger standing over him.No. I would never let that happen. As long as I still had breath in me, there was no way I was going to let anyone kill Andrew.It was obvious my wolf also saw what I saw because it was already snaring like crazy.I forced myself to move, even as the weight of what I had seen pressed into my chest. The vision could be a prediction of something about to happen right here. I need to get Andrew out of here before things get messy. Which brings to mind what happened that led to his current situation.This was what the bad feeling was trying to tell me. That things were going to degenerate to this level.Around me, the battle raged on. Wolves clashed, metal rang against claws, and the air reeked of blood and smoke.โElara!โAndrewโs voice dragged me back to the present. I turned just in tim
Andrew's POVI barely heard Elaraโs scream over all the noise. I was busy fighting off Van. And it was an uphill task. It was obvious he would've finished me if I wasn't an alpha. With the way the runic poison was affecting me, I should've been dead already.It was short of a miracle that I was even standing talk more of fighting one of the strongest betas I've ever encountered.So when I heard Elara's cry, for a moment I a chanced a glance behind me wondering what could have made my mate uneasy.And what I saw made my heart skip a beat. It was unusual to have that kind of reaction but when I was so close to death, there was no other reaction that I could muster.The rogueโs claws were a breath away from my spine. I braced for the impact, every instinct in my body tensing for painโthough I was in a stalemate with Van.But it never came. I watched as the smirk on Vanโs vanished and got replaced by a look of confusion.I turned just in time to see that instead of claws, there was a blu
Elara's POVAndrewโs blood soaked the ground beneath him as he stood questioning Tom on the rationale behind his betrayal.When I saw him stab Andrew, the only thing that came to mind was to reap him apart. But just when I was about to carry out my deadly urge, Michael stopped me.I was about to order Micheal out of my way so that I could kill Tom when he said the weirdest thing I've heard since this battle broke out. You should've taken Dorianโs deal.But what I didn't expect was he turning to lunge at me. Unfortunately for him, Michael was there to stop him. I was about to take a swipe at him when I caught sight of Andrew falling to the ground. I forgot about Tom and rushed past them to where Andrew had fallen. Staring down at his bleeding side, rage kindled inside me, burning whatever restraint I had on myself.It wasnโt just a woundโit was a death sentence.But I couldn't afford to leave him like this. So, I dropped to my knees beside him, pressing my hands against his side, des
Elara's POVAndrewโs breathing was too shallow. The moment Dorian had ordered that his men finish Andrew, I rushed back to his side.I wanted to be sure he hadn't died before this fuckers had the chance to try. His skin had lost all its warmth, he was getting cold, his pulse barely there beneath my trembling fingers. I pressed my hands against the wound, but the blood wouldn't stop, wouldn't slow, wouldnโtโNo.This wasnโt how it ended. It couldnโt be how it ended. I won't let it end this way. If I let this Dorian do what he liked, it would set the tone for how the future was going to be.Dorianโs words still echoed in the air. Finish him.Like hell I would let that happen. I snapped my head up. The rogues hesitated, their eyes darting between me and Andrew like they werenโt sure if they should obey. Maybe they sensed itโthe shift in the air, the sudden, violent force building inside me.I felt it too. And I wanted to release it. There was a type of madness that was trying to consume
Elara's POVThe scream that tore from my throat didnโt feel like mine.It came from somewhere deeperโbone-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!" Andrewโs 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."Youโre still here," I choked out."Iโm not going anywher
Andrewโs POVThe world went quiet.It shouldnโt 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.Elaraโs eyes were locked on meโpleading, desperate, furious.And Iโd faltered.Fates, Iโd faltered.The girl beside herโthe replacementโwas 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 didnโt 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 wasnโt Elara.โYou said you loved her,โ Michaelโs voice tore through the tension, sharp and shaking. โSo act like it.โI blinked.โSheโs dying,โ Dorian said again from behind me. Cal
Elaraโs POVI couldnโt feel my hands.Not because of the chainsโtheyโd long since numbed my wrists. It wasnโt 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 mineโand I saw myself.I froze.My mouth went dry.No.No, no, no. I have to get to the bottom of this.โWhat is this?โ I croaked. My voice was rough, scraped raw from screaming earlier. โWho is she?โDorian smiled, cold and smooth. โInsurance,โ he said. โA vessel the altar will accept willingly.โโSheโs not me.โ I pointed out trying to figure out exactly was going on.โSheโs enough,โ he said. โThe Blood Moon doesnโt care for names. Only bloodlines. Only sacrifice.โBehind him, Harrow stood silent, arms f
Michaelโs POVIโd seen hell before.Iโd seen blood-soaked battlefields, the ruins of old packs cursed by forgotten gods, and the aftermath of hunts gone sideways. But nothingโnothingโprepared 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 sheโd never existed. Andrew dove after her, but the crack sealed fastโtoo fast.We stood frozen. Just for a beat.Then the sky changed.A deep rumble rolled across the cloudsโslow 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 Iโd 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
Andrewโs POVI didnโt 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 mightโve lost the control Iโd been holding onto since we stepped into this cursed clearing. And right now, she needed me steady. Not broken.The Gatekeeper. Thatโs what he called it.But that wasn't Elaraโnot 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.โWe need to move,โ he muttered. โNow. Theyโre baiting us.โKieran was already turning, robes sweeping the earth as he walked back toward the rise of the altar behind him. โFollow,โ he called. โOr run. The outcome doesnโt change.โHe 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
Elaraโs POVAfter what happened in tombs, Andrew and I managed to escape that place and made it back to our friends.โAre you ok?โ The words hadnโt even fully left Andrewโs mouth when a message hit me. Not through the air, not by any messenger, but inside my head, cold and direct.โJoin us willingly, and weโll spare the rest of your pack.โKieran.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 didnโt move. I didnโt speak.Andrewโs hand brushed mine. โWhat is it?โI met his eyes, hating what I was about to say. โIt was Kieran. Heโs offering a deal.โMichael spun around from where he was guarding the broken archway behind us. โWhat kind of deal?โGreg, who hadnโt spoken since weโd forced the cultists back into the tunnels, just narrowed his eyes. I didnโ
Andrew's POVElara stood over the cracked floor, her hands still faintly glowing from the power sheโd just unleashed as she tried to protect us. I couldnโt take my eyes off her. She looked like something ancient and untouchableโnot 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.โWe need to move,โ I said, my voice low. โThat crack wasnโt the end of it.โElara didnโt answer. Her breath came in short bursts, her eyes fixed on the broken seal. By now, the spirits had disappeared.I touched her shoulder. โHey.โShe blinked. Looked at me. And for a second, I thought she might fall apart.โIt spoke to me,โ she whispered. โThe seal. Or something beneath it. I felt it looking back at me.โI 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
Elaraโs POVI stared at the burning door like it was about to swallow me whole. My nameโElaraโetched in glowing runes I didnโt recognize but somehow understood. The heat pouring off it wasnโt real heat. It was something else. Energy. Memory. Grief.Andrewโs hand was tight around mine, grounding me. His voice broke through the thrum in my head. โElaraโฆ talk to me. What the hell is happening?โI opened my mouth, but nothing came out.Because I didnโt know.Something inside me did, but I didnโt.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 againโthe female with hollow eyes.โYouโve returned,โ she said softly. โThe Gatekeeper walks again.โI blinked, throat dry. โButโโโYou carry her blood,โ she said. โThatโs enough.โAndrew moved in front of me. โWe didnโt come to unlock anything. We came to destroy that stone.โThe spirit tilted her head, floating closer. โA
Andrewโs 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, Elaraโs breath hitched, and I turned just enough to catch the flicker of fear in her eyes.โIโm ready,โ she whispered.I wasnโt sure she was. I wasnโt 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 sheโd 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 werenโt just walking into a cemeteryโwe were stepping into the belly of a trap.โElara and I go first,โ I said, stoppin