Dorian's POV When I woke up, I was lying on the ground, my head throbbing with pain. Kali and another lady were standing over me with smiles on their faces."Well done, Dorian," Kali said. "You have passed the Trial of Courage."I looked up at her, still confused about what had just happened. Had it been real?And then, even though my vision was still blurry I saw Amelia standing behind Kali, a look of concern upon her face."Dorian, are you okay?" she asked.I stared back, my mind filling with questions. Was this reality? Was Amelia really here?But before I could ask any questions, everything went black again.When I opened my eyes later, I had the nagging feeling that something was not quite right. The trial had been so realistic, so vivid. I could still feel the knife's weight in my hand, the resistance of the creature's flesh as I plunged it in.But it was only a trial, I consoled myself. It was not real.I opened my eyes to find Amelia kneeling beside me, her eyes filled with c
I swallowed hard. "Forgive me. I thought it best not to disturb your work with the light."He moved closer, the weight of his gaze pressing down on me. "You're lying." His hand shot out, pinching my chin, forcing me to look at him. "You forget your place, maid."I met his eyes, refusing to cower. "I meant no harm."For a moment, there was silence. Then, to my surprise, Cida released me and smirked. "If you want to know something, Amelia, all you have to do is ask." Didn't I already ask?Later that night, back in my quarters, the encounter replayed itself over and over in my mind. Why hadn't he punished me? Was this a test? A warning? Whichever it was, I knew one thing: in deeper than I had thought, and Cida a lot more dangerous than I had given him credit for.Gina's warning echoed in my mind. She wasn't wrong about one thing: playing this game with Cida could very well be the end of me. But I couldn't stop now, not when I was so close to unraveling the truth.The Next Morning:Life i
The figure nodded and opened the letter. The farther he read, the wider the smile spread across his face. "Interesting."I waited, unable to utter another word, until finally the figure spoke. "Tell Cida that we accept his terms. The Convergence will happen as scheduled."As I bowed and turned; my mind whirled: What terms? What plan? I have to find out-but I have to make it out of here first.As I took some steps, a familiar face looked at me. Was that? Derek? I could've sworn it was him but because of the cloak and eerie atmosphere, I didn't have time to confirm. What was he doing there?Heading back to the estate, my mind was preoccupied with Derek. Did his brother know what he was up to? By the time I made it back, dawn was already breaking into the world. Cida was waiting for me, standing in the courtyard."Did they accept?" he asked, his eyes aglow."They did," I replied.Cida's smile turned triumphant. "Good. Everything is falling into place."I nodded, though unease coiled in m
At the heart of it all was Cida, overseeing each detail.I watched from the shadows, my mind consumed by Derek. If he was truly tied to Kyrexi, then he was more dangerous than any of us had realized. But what part did he play in Cida's plan?I didn't have much time to dwell on this, a commotion breaking out near the gate. Derek stumbled in, flanked by Arachne. His eyes met mine, still glowing faintly. Cida nodded to me, telling me to leave. But I stayed in a quiet place, quietly observing them."He's here," Arachne said, her voice cutting through the silence that hung heavy over them.Cida's features changed with a flash of acknowledgment crossing over his face. "Kyrexi's vessel," he said with near reverence.Derek frowned at him. "Do not call me that. I had no say in it.""Choices mean nothing," Cida replied suavely. "You are what you are. And you are critical to the Convergence."His face white, his fists rigid and his whole body brimmed over with defiance. "I will never help you."
Amelia's POV Cida's voice cut clear, sharp, commanding. "Follow me. Now."I followed wordlessly, my heart thudding in my chest. I knew what was coming-a reprimand, perhaps worse. Cida didn't tolerate insubordination, and I had stepped far out of line tonight. But as I trailed him through the dim corridors leading away from the courtyard, I couldn't help but notice the tension in his stride. His movements were less fluid than usual, more measured. Controlled.We entered a room lit by flickering sconces, casting around the walls, dancing shadows on his face, illuminating sharp angles of his jaw and that cold precision in his eyes. Deliberately, he closed the door. The soft weight of sound felt almost heavy. He turned then to face me."What were you thinking?" his voice was soft, still laced with steel.I looked down, unable to say anything. It was too complicated, too raw inside me. "I. I thought I could stop it," I mumbled. "I couldn't just stand there.""You disobeyed a direct order,
She was a distraction-a dangerous one. Her defiance, her passion-irritated me, infuriated me. And yet, I couldn't stop thinking about her.Amelia.She was an enigma, a spark of chaos in the otherwise orderly world I'd built for myself. I'd tried to keep my distance, to treat her like any other subordinate. But every time I looked at her, I felt my resolve start to break.She didn't know, of course. I'd made sure of that. I couldn't afford to let her see the way she affected me. To let her know how often I found myself watching her when I thought she wasn't looking. How often her voice lingered in my mind long after she'd spoken.It was foolish. Weak. But no matter how hard I tried to suppress it, the feeling persisted.When she’d stood up to me last night, defying my orders, I’d been furious. But beneath the anger, there had been something else. Admiration. She was brave, even when she had no right to be. And it was that bravery that made her dangerous.I couldn't let her get too clos
Cida's POVThat night, I gravitated toward the quiet corners of the compound where I knew she often went to be alone. It wasn't intentional-or at least, that's what I told myself. But as I rounded the corner and saw her sitting on the stone steps, staring up at the stars, I felt this strange sense of relief.She didn't notice me at first; her attention was elsewhere. Her silhouette was outlined by the soft, silvery shine of moonlight, and for a moment, I let myself simply watch her.She looked peaceful, but I knew better. There was a storm under her serene surface, much as there was under my own."Can't sleep either?" I asked, my voice breaking the silence.She jumped a little and then turned, glowering at me. "Alpha"Amelia's POV I sat outside because I was trying to persuade the moon goddess to help me. I didn't know what I was doing anymore.Was it my destiny to disrupt the Convergence? I was angry! I wanted revenge, nothing more than to see the whole pack in flames. They deserved
"It's not like he ever did!""Maybe Bolton should take over…"The last comment hurt more than he cared to admit.He couldn't take the disrespect and ordered them to move. They scrambled, each going to do his own thing.The room fell silent the instant he stepped into the main hall. Dozens of eyes swung to him, anticipation and wariness etched on every face. Bolton stood near the center of the room, his stance casual, though his eyes were razor sharp.Derek drew in a deep breath, and forced himself to meet those gazes. "I know my absence has created… uncertainty," he started off, his voice firm against the storm that was within. "But I promise you, I did not abandon you."A low murmur spread through the crowd. One of the older wolves, Miza, stepped forward. His grizzled face was etched with concern. "Then where were you, Alpha? And why didn't you tell us anything?"Derek hesitated, the truth slipping like sand through his fingers. "I was… handling a threat," he said vaguely. "One that
She came as a ghost, her step as silent as breathing, her presence cold that seemed to penetrate to the very heart of his pack. She stood before him, her eyes bottomless black as always, her lips as cold as ice."You owe me, Thane," she whispered, her voice sweetly tinged with threat. "And this day's payment."Thane's ground fell away beneath him. All that it had cost him those years of running, that effort to remain one step ahead of his devils, had been for nothing. He had seen today on the horizon, but there before him, weighed down by the burdens of his conditioned responses, a strangling sense of despair struck him.He looked at his pack, whose faces he vowed to protect, and knew he could no longer flee. He had to go back to Arachne, and face the wrath of what he had done, however repulsive. "As you will," he breathed out, his voice slick and unfaltering.The grin of Arachne spread wider, her hunt gleam eyes burning hotter."Oh, Thane," she breathed softly, her voice silky as poi
Bermont’s throat had been ripped out, his body lying lifeless on his desk, his empty face blankly regarding the ceiling. And beside him, Lyanna, her elongated body twisted into an impossible shape, her beautiful face contorted into face of terror.Thane's stomach lurched. This wasn’t a clean kill. It was a massacre.The room was trashed, desecrated by gigantic claw marks bigger than what any wolf could have left and through his friend. Obscene symbols, painted red, thick black smudges, painted on the walls. It was an abomination of deformed, ritualistic butchery, painted to look like that of some horrific supernatural being.Backwards, his wolf started snarling in shock and horror, receding and receding until Thane backed away. Not this. This kind of killing was not what he had signed up for.He suddenly felt like he was being watched. From a corner he saw her. Arachne.She had emerged from the shadows, her hands and lower forearm smeared with freshly-shed blood. She glowed."You—" Th
Years Ago-The room in Bermont's study glimmered blackly with unwritten things, weighed down by pungent smell of burnt pine and acrid taste of bitterness. Bermont, a huge fat man, collapsed over his enormous wooden desk, his shadow falling on pieces of paper here and there.His wife, Lyanna, at the window, statue of coldness, her eyes over some point far away beyond frosted glass. The theatre of authority, its rough tactlessness."You know you can’t be Alpha, Thane," Bermont told him, his tone laced with thoughtless disdain of a man who was certain he was in charge. "You were born to be a follower, not a leader. Learn that, and perhaps, perhaps I'll continue to allow that you might stay at my side. A pet, perhaps."The second half of that tense almost-snarl, cautious bite.Thane's fists were balled, fingernails pressing crescent moon shapes into palms. The wolf within him, that source of strength, snarled fury, its primal power bursting in harmony with his own.Years of that, of provi
The reality struck me like a sledgehammer. I respected her, I looked up to her, and never ever admitted that I loved her, not even to myself. I was just too afraid, too occupied being the person I was supposed to be, too afraid to be rejected.But now that she was in danger, I could not play games anymore. I loved her, had loved her for years, and would do anything to win her back in one piece.There was a knock on the door, shattering me out of daydreaming. Greggory stood there, his face creased with concern."Alpha," he said, "we have a problem."My heart sank. "What?""We've been told by the border patrol," he explained. "They did see tracks, off our territory, into the Nelder forest. But not ordinary tracks. Lena's."I bolted upright, my fists clenching. "Are you sure?"Greggory nodded. "Yes. They picked up her scent. She was definitely there.""But she's been gone for so long," I said. "Why would her scent still linger there?""We don't know," Greggory admitted. "But the prints s
"Words are breath, Alpha. An oath of loyalty must… be flesh." I touched him, my hand tracing the harshest plane of his jaw, feeling the shuddering under his flesh. "Kneel, Alpha," I commanded, my tone falling to a silky pitch, but supported by adamant authority."Pledge yourself to me, here and now, before the ancient powers that lie in wait within this caravan."There was a flicker of defiance in his eyes, the lingering of his Alpha pride. But that was quickly overwhelmed, smothered by the crushing weight of his desperation. Reluctantly, he knelt down, slowly, his gaze still on mine, an internal battle unspoken."Repeat after me," I ordered, my voice low and rich, calling on the inner strength that coursed through me, generating a sense of drama around the event. "I, Killian of the Skyline Pack…"He echoed the words, his voice rasping, just audible, every syllable a concession, a fragment of his freedom surrendered."Promise my allegiance."He stood before me, the gravity of the word
Shakira's POVMy frantic investigation had turned out to be nothing but murky suggestions and dead ends. Ancient texts mentioned domination spells, psychic intrusions, everything apart from the inexplicable, mass damp that hung over Killian's pack.I really couldn’t admit that I knew nothing of what was happening. Not to Killian. My well-crafted reputation of an infamous witch demanded an aura of omniscience, of proficiency at the divine crossroads. To reveal my fallibility, would be to destroy the illusion, to jeopardize all that I had struggled for. And to lose Killian… that was something I was not going to allow to happen.My defense would be in deception. I would pretend to have a solution, to stall and keep Killian in my control, while I desperately searched for a real one, or… created one myself.I got up from my chair, the groaning old wood grumbling a welcome creak in the still caravan. I gazed about at the crowded shelves of jars, bottles, and desiccated herbs. Ingredients. I
Killian’s POVThe weight in my chest was more than crushing, it was overbearing. Every beat a leaden weight in my chest, every breath a struggle. Shakira's words haunted my quarters, taunting me. What did it even mean, to yield to another, to a witch with such a reputation as that? The very thought sent a shiver down my spine.And yet, the happenings in my pack flashed through my mind, the stunned horror and fear on their faces, the unearthly incantation of "Simon is Lord!" ringing in my ears. Dexter's sickening smile, insincere, repulsive, revolved through my thoughts like a record stuck on a groove. My pack was falling apart, family by family, and here I stood, contemplating and hesitating to submit to Shikira's request.Delaying was not going to cut it any longer. Something had to be done but what? Xavier's suggestion of going out to other packs and begging for assistance was practical, logical even. But his advice was replaced by an increasing horror that compelled me to listen to
She took a deep breath, her eyes snapping open. The pool was calm, its reflective mirror of the moon's glow unbroken. Aurora was not. She could feel it. The power that lay within her was no longer latent. It was alive, humming with energy, the essence of White Luna.She looked at Selene, her eyes shining with sudden understanding. "I… I think I understand."Selene's face erupted into a warm smile."The way has just been opened, Aurora. There is much to learn, much to prepare you for. But you will not be doing it alone. I will be here, every step along the way."Aurora's heart was a tempest of the expectation and terror that battled within it. She was a goddess, a new White Luna. Her journey would be challenging, but giving up was not an option.The weight of a new life was heavy on Aurora, more heavily even than any material weight. She was the White Luna, a goddess reborn. Her mind was heavy with the words, a reminder of just how great a weight was on her shoulders. She looked at her
Those words hung heavily in the empty garden, alone-an affront to all she had ever conditioned to understand about the world. She was an Omega, the lowest one to exist within the pack, born to take orders and not give them. This… this could not be. And yet, visions, power flowing through her veins, Selene's presence here-everything screamed for a truth she could not help but believe."Preparations?" she managed to croak with a throat parched and raspy. "For what?"Selene's visage became unbroken. "For war coming. The war you saw earlier. One to raze not your pack alone but all the packs. A war unlike any other."Her mind was a wild knot of possibilities. The rumors of the Thane of Redblood-whispers of another foe-it fit together all too sickly. This, however, was not a pack war; this was a war against something older and far more evil than anything imaginable. Survival war."But..but I am just myself," she stammered without faith in herself, helplessly waving her hands. "I know nothin