The severity of the onslaught rattles the packhouse like it's made of paper, forcing the walls around us to shudder. Panic growing within me, I clutch to Callum's arm as my breath freezes in my throat. I can feel the deep, awful rumbling of the earth beneath us vibrating in my bones. There's going to be something. Something powerful. A tremendous shatter reverberates down the passage, and then there's the definite sound of claws scuffing the floor. I whip my head toward the door, my heart hammering. Wolves. They're present. Callum snags my hand without thinking, his grasp solid and tight. He says, calmly but urgently, "We have to move." His eyes are filled with resolution rather than fear. His body is tense and prepared for whatever is going to break through, so he drags me toward the door. Wolves, their fur bristling with fury and their eyes blazing, leap through the door as it breaks open. For a time, the loudness overwhelms me and I freeze. The air is filled with growls and snar
Bennet is just a few feet away, his stance straight, his face as hard as stone. He is encircled by ferocious renegade wolves. When Callum stands guardedly in front of me, I feel the tension in his body and tighten my hold on his arm while my heart pounding in my chest. "You didn't anticipate it being this simple, did you?" Bennet's voice pierces the calm like a dagger. He appears to be relishing the worry and uncertainty in the air because of his chilly, even mocking look. Callum's body stiffens before me as he lets out a low-pitched growl. "Bennet, you're doing something wrong. With an outraged tone, he advises, "This isn't the way." Despite the danger all around us, I feel protected due of his shielding position. Bennet's lips curl into a smirk as he chuckles bitterly. "Error?" he says again, shaking his head. "No, Callum, it was a mistake to imagine that you could shield Aurora from all of this. You have no concept what's involved. I can still see the wrath burning in Bennet's
Like a keen, merciless knife, Bennet's sentence cuts through the tension. Callum, tell her. Let her know who you truly are.I go cold. His implication-laden words stay in the air, and my heart speeds as I fight to understand what's going on. Callum hasn't revealed something that lies beneath the surface. In an effort to find answers, my look flickers between Bennet and Callum, but all I see is calculating coldness on Bennet's face and something much more worrisome on Callum's. "What is he discussing?" I ask in a shaky but forceful voice, my need for clarity overtaking me. At first, Callum avoids eye contact with me, his jaw tensing as though he's fighting an internal struggle. I can see his hands squeezing into fists at his sides, and his broad shoulders are tense. Something is being hidden by him. Something significant. And he is being torn apart by whatever it is. His voice is thick with feeling as he starts, "There are things I haven't told you, Aurora." My chest tightens with w
Callum's secrets weigh so much that, as he stands in front of me, his towering frame seems much smaller. As he turns to face me, his shoulders slump and his typically erect stance breaks. My heart is throbbing in my ears as I wait for him to say anything, and the calm between us is stifling. He breaks the solitude at last in a soft, regretful voice. Years ago, before we met, I negotiated a deal with someone. a deal that went south for me. His remarks sway the room. I attempt to relax myself by taking a short step back as my breath freezes in my throat. A bargain? What's the issue? Though I can't quite bring myself to say it, the question is burning on my lips. Whatever this contract was, I could tell from the fear in his eyes that it would ruin the delicate world I have built with him. I make an attempt to look him in the eye, but he swiftly turns away, as though he can't bear to see how upset he is going to make me feel. "Callum, what type of bargain?" I speak in a whisper, but it
Aching beneath the weight of Callum's revelation, my heart tightens. I feel as if someone has hit me and taken the breath out of my lungs. As the truth strikes me more, my hands start to tremble and my chest feels constricted. He made a bargain—with them. He placed me in peril, well knowing of the possible implications. I glance at him, trying to find an explanation, anything that would justify this betrayal. "You struck a bargain with them?" The grief is so palpable and visceral that my voice quivers as I speak. "Callum, you put me in danger? How would you achieve that? I can feel the words ripping through the small shards of my confidence in him. I quickly shrink away from the guy I thought I knew as he makes a timid step toward me. His voice is full of anguish as he says, "I didn't know it would end like this." "Please, Aurora. You were never intended to be engaged in this. I never wanted to do you harm. His words linger, but they don't make the sorrow go away. Between my love
The tension in the air is suffocating and weighty. I'm not sure whether it's because of Greta's surprise visit or Callum's treachery, but every time I breathe, my chest feels tighter. Anger, sorrow, betrayal, and most crucially, bewilderment, clash as my mind rushes. How did things get so out of hand so fast? Callum was supposed to be the only person I could rely on to keep me safe. But now I find myself wedged between the woman who wants to further break my relationship and the guy who just wrecked it. Like a predator enjoying its meal, Greta advances slowly and methodically. My skin crawls as her lips twist into a cunning smile. She purrs, her voice filled with joy, "Looks like your precious Callum isn't as perfect as you thought, Aurora." Her comments make me tense. My body is tense in every way. I look at Callum, who has a pale face and huge, guilty eyes. The way Greta's eyes shine with hate, as though she's been waiting for this moment, wanting to watch me crumble, is what has
I remain still, divided between two worlds. I can still hear Greta's voice, her offer creeping like a wicked spell into my thoughts. I'm not sure which direction to go, and it kills my heart to twist. Callum is standing close by, his eyes beseeching me to choose him in spite of everything, his face etched with remorse. "Don't listen to her, Aurora." Callum has a frantic, unpolished voice. Although his words cut through the tension in the air, they don't actually assist to quiet the pandemonium inside of me. His lies still sting, and his treachery is still raw. How can I ever again trust him? Is it possible for me to look at him the same way? EhinBut, Greta the situation is only made worse by her presence. Her lips curl into a satisfied grin as she takes a bold stride forward. "He has misled you, Aurora. He has consistently placed you at jeopardy. For what purpose? For his own self-interest. It seems like she's giving me a lifeline I didn't know I needed because of how smooth and ent
The tension that suffocates us permeates the air around us, making everything heavy. I can feel it engulfing me and clinging on so strongly that I'm having problems breathing. As I watch the figure walk out of the shadows and into the moonlight, I stand immobile, my pulse hammering. My spine receives a shiver from his presence; it's chilly and menacing. Victor. I've recently heard tales about this person. He has a reputation for being harsh, strong, and secretive. Even though I don't know him, I can feel the sadness flowing from him even though I haven't seen him before today. His eyes flicker over Callum and Greta before focusing on me, and he smiles maliciously as he glances around. He replies, "Looks like I arrived just in time," in a mockingly smooth voice. My skin creeps at the sound of it. He oozes confidence as he stands erect, and from the way he glances at me, it seems like he already knows how this will end, treating me like a piece in his diabolical plot. Beside me, Cal
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