The morning light sneaks through the thin drapes, throwing a faint glow over the room. I lay awake, looking at the ceiling, my thoughts a jumbled mess. Callum hasn’t spoken a thing about our chat last night. Not a single word. His calm is like a big weight falling down on me, drowning me slowly.I run over in bed, my tummy knotting with fear. The way Callum had looked at me, split between skepticism and belief…. haunts me. I wanted him to believe me, to stay by me, but instead, he ran, leaving me alone with this huge weight.I roll out of bed, my body feeling heavy a slow. The air in the packhouse seems heavy, as if it’s filled with worry. It’s not only Callum’s distance that’s worrying me—it’s the sense that something bigger is rising above us. Something dangerous.I put on my clothes quickly, trying to shake off the fear that’s settled in my chest. When I continue down the hallway, I hear noises coming from Callum’s office. I wait for a se
My heart is racing in my chest as I travel toward the training fields in the nervous night air. Even though I'm moving as silently as possible, it seems like every step is louder than the one before it. I stay low, out of sight, and in the shadows. I can't allow Greta and Bennet to meet without informing me what they have planned since I know where they're going. Only the faint sounds of wind rustling through the trees can be heard on the lonely training grounds. In front of me, I make out Greta's silhouette, her form flowing through the darkness like a ghost. Bennet is already waiting for her near to the edge of the clearing, and she is headed directly for him. I crouched behind a huge tree, far enough away to be unnoticed yet close enough to hear. I have to force myself to breathe evenly and slowly since my heart is racing. I must retain my composure. I need to think strategically about this. Greta pauses in front of Bennet and whispers gently. With a tone full of excitement, sh
Bennet strides closer, that same arrogant smirk tugging at the corners of his lips, his eyes glinting with venom. "Aurora, do you think you can stop us? With a confident tone, he taunts, "You're outnumbered." In the dismal moonlight, his presence lingers over me like a long shadow. I'm meant to feel intimidated by what he said, but I'm not listening. Right now, I can't afford to let fear govern me. I maintain my sight on him and take a steady breath, pushing the worry away. Despite my pulse hammering in my chest, I say confidently, "I don't care if I'm outnumbered." "I will not allow you to ruin all that I have battled for." He crosses his arms and smiles even wider, apparently amused by my defiance. He tilts his head slightly and says, "You've always been stubborn." However, you're playing a losing game this time, Aurora. You ought to have avoided being entangled in this. The way he stares at me, with that smug conviction that he has already won, merely makes me feel more outraged
Before Bennet can strike, a voice rips through the tension like a sword. "Not so fast." The familiar sound of Callum’s voice cuts through the night air, making my breath quicken. He walks out from the shadows, his towering form lighted by the dim illumination of the moon, producing long, scary shadows on the ground. For a minute, time appears to stand still. Bennet freezes, his hand halfway to me, ready to attack, but suddenly his movements are halted. A sneer begins to develop on his lips, but the sound never entirely exits. Callum’s frigid glare holds him in place. His eyes are piercing, concentrated, and loaded with unstated wrath. The air is heavy with worry, so much so that I can feel it sparking on my skin like static electricity. "Callum..." I mutter, my words scarcely heard above the thumping of my heart. I’m filled with relief, but it’s short-lived. There’s something inscrutable in his gaze, something that unsettles me. He looks... strange. There’s a roughness in his attitu
Bennet is the first to move, and I'm surprised by how quickly she lunges at Callum. His fists are a blur, pounding out in unadulterated, unbridled rage. I fall back, watching in dread as the two males, who had previously been comrades, now battle fiercely and desperately as the impact of their bodies hitting sends shockwaves through the air. I can hardly hear the snarls and groans of the battle taking place in front of me because my heart is thumping so loudly in my chest. Callum, wearing a mask of icy resolve, blocks Bennet's first blow, but Bennet persists. He swings once more, striking Callum's jaw firmly this time. Callum stumbles back, blood streaming from the corner of his lips, and I flinch as the hit reverberates around the clearing. He doesn't fall, though. Callum snaps back, his fist striking with bone-shattering force into Bennet's side. Bennet grunts in pain at the horrible sound, falling over for a second before swiftly getting back to normal. Their eyes are caught in
Greta's fists lash out at me, and her fingertips brush against my arm, but I manage to whirl away from her. The anxiety that I can't afford to lose at this moment is reinforced each time my heart beats. Not when everything is on the edge. I shove her away from me with a sudden, powerful thrust, and she stumbles back. Every frantic breath I take burns my lungs, and sweat pours down my face, obscuring my vision. But I can't give up. I can't let her recover. My body is hurting from the struggle, but I ignore it and focus only on surviving. Greta growls and steadies herself, anger flaring in her eyes. She is by no means done yet. Her squared shoulders and sharp jawline give it away to me. Like an animal in a corner, she is frantic and deadly. You never know what she'll do next. "Aurora, do you believe you've won?" She sneers, her voice venomous. "You are just a helpless little girl acting out a behavior. This is not the place for you. You didn't. Even though her remarks make me wince,
There is a deafening silence following the conflict. Each short breath feels like a battle, and I can hear my own heartbeat thudding rapidly in my ears. My surroundings have become strangely still. The forest itself seemed to be holding its breath, waiting for something to happen, as there were no further cries or growls.A few feet away, Bennet's body is sprawled awkwardly on the ground, unconscious. The ground underneath him is thick and dark with blood streaks. I can't bear to stare at him for very long. I should feel relieved to see him defeated, but instead I feel a nagging, hollow anxiety.Greta is crushed under me, breathing heavily and her chest rising and falling as her wild eyes glare up at me with barely contained anger. Since I took her down, she hasn't spoken, but that doesn't mean she's given up. This isn't over, based on the expression in her eyes. By no means.I ought to feel triumphant. Didn't we win? Greta is down, Bennet is down, and the immediate threat is gone for
Sitting near the crackling fire, the night air hurts my skin. The chill that lingers in the pit of my stomach is not much soothed by the warmth of the flames. I still feel the weight of the war; every ache and bruise serves as a reminder of how nearly we lost everything. My body is still humming from the adrenaline that hasn't totally worn off, and my muscles feel rigid. I peek at Callum, who is seated across from me, his features dancing in the firelight. He appears to be as shaken as I am. I can clearly out the faint pattern of bruises emerging over his jaw, and his clothing are tattered and filthy. Since the fight ended, he has sat there pondering and staring into the fire without saying anything. Then his eyes engage mine, as though he senses my gaze. For the first time in days they become softer, with that comforting warmth returning and a glimmer of the Callum I knew before everything went wrong. The gleam of emotion surprised me. "I should have trusted you from the beginning
Bennet's comments weigh heavily on us both, causing Callum's face to go pale and his eyes to widen in disbelief. I feel as though I can't breathe because of the oppressive silence that envelops me like a vice."My father," Callum mumbles, hardly able to put the words into words. "What happened to your family is his fault?"Bennet doesn't avert her gaze. His voice is weighted with regret, grief, and remorse, and his face is bleak. "Yes."The earth sways. I feel as like I'm standing on the precipice of a collapsing cliff, one step from plunging into an abyss from which I will never be able to recover, and the ground beneath me is shaky.As I turn to face Callum, tears sting my eyes and my heart bursts out in ways I never knew were possible. I stutter, my voice scratchy and hardly audible above a whisper, "You knew." "Did you not?"Callum's face flashes with desperation as he rapidly shakes his head. "No, Aurora. I promise you that I didn't know everything. His hands extend toward me, bu
"I had no idea!" I take a step back, but Callum's eyes are suddenly wild and his hands are reaching for me once more. I must not allow him to touch me. Not right now. Not in this manner. "I never would have…I would have stopped him, Aurora, if I had known. You must think so. Please.I am so conflicted right now that I cannot even begin to describe it. I'd like to think he's real. Yes, I do. However, the truth is staring at me with all of its ugly weight, right in front of me. It was his father's fault. Additionally, Callum was supposed to be unique. The one who wasn't like them was supposed to be him.What if he is, though? What if he is actually just like the others? Better than the monster that robbed me of my family?I try to contain the sob that catches in my throat by putting my fingers to my lips. I won't let him witness my breakdown. Not right now. Not in this manner.I mumble, "I don't know what to believe anymore," in a voice so shattered that it hardly sounds like mine.The
Bennet steps forward slowly, his face serious, something in his eyes that I can't quite identify. A cautionary tale? An appeal? Or worse?"Callum, there's more about Aurora's family that you don't know." Even though his voice is soft, I can feel the weight of it making my stomach turn. "Whatever became of them."My breath catches in my throat and I stiffen. His delivery is more than a simple epiphany. Something sinister is going on. I may not be prepared to hear it.With a look of worry on his face, Callum looks at me before turning back to Bennet. "What are you discussing?"Bennet pauses. For a moment only. However, it's sufficient to validate my worst suspicions.He has some knowledge. Something he ought not to do.There's something about me.My voice is hardly audible above a whisper as I say, "Bennet." "What do you mean?"When he stares at me, his eyes are filled with guilt. Genuine, unadulterated guilt. My heartbeat quickens.Then he utters it."The deaths of Aurora's family were
I stand still, my heart thumping in my chest, the air around me heavy, almost oppressive. My thoughts and basic life are constantly under strain from Victor's words, which linger in the air. Deep within me, I sense a force that is new to me…power that is unbridled and raw…calling to me.Callum puts his hand in mine and wraps his fingers firmly around my wrist, bringing me back to the here and now. Though I can feel the tremble of worry coursing through him, his grip is strong. He draws me away, obscuring my eyes from Victor's piercing stare.Aurora, don't listen to him. He's telling lies. Although Callum's voice is urgent, I was surprised by how deeply it conveys desperation. It's difficult to cling to that right now, even though his comments are meant to reassure me and remind me of who I am and have always been. Because what Victor is saying seems too real.For a second, I want to believe Callum when I look at him. Even while I want to fully trust him, I can feel the change, the fla
As Victor observes me, his smile is icy, bordering on cruel. His eyes shine with contentment, and I can feel his words weighing heavily and suffocatingly on me. It feels like the earth has moved underfoot and I'm sinking into an unavoidable darkness. His cold, relentless presence hovers above me."You think you're just an ordinary wolf, Aurora?" His low voice is a warning, a taunt. "That is far from who you are."His words tighten with every breath, encircling me like a trap and causing every fiber in my body to clench, freezing me in place. I whisper, "You don't know what you're talking about," yet something inside of me recognizes. I have a strong want to believe him, yet I am unable to do so. I won't. This isn't possible.Victor takes a stride toward us, bringing us closer. My pulse quickens as I sense the heat of his presence. His calculating, black eyes never leave me. He knows he has me where he wants me, and his smirk widens as his lips twist higher."Haven't you always sensed
I'm under pressure from the rogue, but I don't have time to reflect. No more. Everything is blending into a single, chaotic jumble of snarls, blood, and desperation as the globe spins too quickly. Even if my hands shake around the dagger, I am no longer strong enough to defend myself. Not by themselves.A slight smirk tugs at Victor's lips as he stands across from me, his eyes never leaving mine. He knows, I see. He is aware of my thoughts and feelings. The decision I must make.The decision is pressing down on me like a thousand pounds, and I can feel my chest constricting and my breathing getting short. I turn to face Callum, who has always been there for me and is my guardian. The one who, even in the most dire circumstances, has never faltered. There is something raw in his golden eyes: love, rage, and terror. His voice is low and desperate, and he tightens his hold on my arm, drawing me back slightly.Callum's voice is hardly audible above the din of the battlefield, but he whisp
As it charges with its teeth bared and saliva streaming from its mouth, the rogue's eyes pierce mine. I automatically sidestep, my heart hammering against my ribs, but the beast is faster than I thought. The air is knocked out of my lungs as it crashes into me. Pain shooting through my chest, I fight to stay upright as the forest spins.The rogue is unrelenting as I swing my knife, aiming for its throat. Snarling, it dodges and pushes me back toward the trees. The impact's force causes my eyesight to blur, and for a split second, I worry that I won't survive this battle.My feet slip on the blood-slick floor as I scramble. Even if my breathing is labored, I don't give up and continue to move. It's no longer just about me. It's about defending my pack and those who have battled beside me. I cannot allow Victor to triumph.I lift my dagger, the blade gleaming in the moonlight, as the rogue lunges once more. I swing it as hard as I can with what little strength I have left. A deep gash i
The night devolves into mayhem. The air is filled with growls and snarls as bodies collide, claws tearing through fur, fangs digging into flesh. Blood is all over the woodland floor, and the smell is overpowering. A rogue lunges at me, its eyes blazing with bloodlust, before I can even react.Callum moves like a blur and slams a vicious blow into it before it can get to me. With a shriek of anguish, the rogue falls to the ground as his claws sever its side. He doesn't think twice. With one more deadly strike, he completes the job and turns to face me."Stay close," he growls, looking over the battlefield with his golden gaze. "I won’t let them touch you."I tighten my hold on my dagger and nod.Bennet, on the other hand, battles like a man under a spell. His movements are precise, his strikes are powerful, and each attack is planned for maximum damage. Tonight, he is different. He doesn't hesitate or let any residual feelings stop him. With every enemy he defeats, it seems as though h
As we run through the woodland, Callum's hand firmly holding mine, the tension in the air is palpable. Every stride Victor's army takes gets louder and closer until I can hear it echoing in my ears. The trees appear to close in, winding around us like a prison, and my heart thuds in my chest."We must continue to move," Callum exhorts in a stern yet quiet voice. Even though I can feel the weight of the looming conflict bearing down on us, his eyes spark with resolve.I nod, but my body is exhausted from the mental maelstrom roiling inside of me as much as the running, and my legs feel heavy. Though Bennet's revelation still taints my thoughts like a poison, I can't afford to be weak right now. Not when we are about to die.The rustle of leaves in front of me abruptly stops me in my tracks. As others start to appear out of the darkness, I know what's happening and my blood chills. Victor's outlaws. They are present. There were dozens of them, encircling us from all sides and obstructin