Kieran’s POVBriony's words weighed like a stone against my chest.She said in a hushed, respectful voice, "Kieran, the Lunar Queen is more than just a myth." She is reborn every hundred years. And this time... Evans, I think. I could feel the chill creeping up my spine even though the air in Briony's hut was heavy with herbs and the smell of burning incense. Across from me, the elderly healer sat with her hands folded in her lap and dark eyes from unspoken words. With a deep exhale, I ran a hand over my hair. "You can't be sincere." Briony's eyes never left them. "Boy, do I appear to be kidding?”Inside of me, my wolf shifted uneasily. The border attack, the symbols, the warrior who was possessed... And now this. All the signs pointed to something much greater than any of us could imagine. Evans, though? An Omega who went into exile? The girl who had been nothing but a cause of conflict and violence in this pack? My desire was to deny it. But I secretly couldn't. Leaning forward
Evans' POVAs I moved silently through the corridors of the packhouse, the cold air wrapped around me like a cloak as the words from the eavesdrop of their meeting stinged my heart. Every movement was deliberate and intentional, my breath shallow and escaping in running gasps, my pulse a relentless throb against my ribcage. I knew I had just quite a little time–minutes. The clock ticking in my head as though my existence was being timed–before the council ended my stay in the pack.Briony’s words still reeled through my mind, flickering every fibre of my brain. *You are the last of your kind…. You must awaken.* The truth had opened its self before my very eyes, tugging me into a destiny I wasn't set for, tethering me to an ancient prophecy that I couldn't fathom. But I wasn't about to sit and wait for their action of seeing me alive or dead.I had to escape. The pack was still uncomfortable from the previous attacks, warriors guarding every corner, their eyes primal and sharp with su
Evans’ POVThe dungeon was suffocating, the air filled with damp earth and intoxicating scent of organic decay. The walls felt as though they were closing in, the only source of light was the piercing penetration of the silver beam of the moon, burning through the iron bars of the cell. Every creak of the stone below me sent a cold jolt up my spine, but it wasn't the chill or isolation that made me reel on my baraged thought. It was the guttural voice. That chilling voice that penetrated through the darkness.I wasn’t alone in this nightmare.A slow, intentional shuffle pierced through the reverberation of the corridor bars. My muscles tensed as a shadow stretched toward me, extending unnaturally against the gleaming torchlight. My breath escaped my lungs for a while. Then, from the thick darkness, a figure covered in cloak surfaced.“Who are you? And what are you doing here?” My voice was trembling, laced with both fear and panic.The figure hesitated for a second before taking its i
Kieran's POVI could sense a problem as soon as I entered the council chamber. The air was heavy with anxiety, and it weighed me down like an insurmountable burden. Sitting in a semicircle, the elders' harsh stares and unsaid accusations stared at me. As I looked into their eyes, my wolf restless beneath my skin, my pulse thumping in my ears.Evans had left. And she had been rescued by someone.My jaw tightened and my fists clenched as I tried to control my annoyance. She had to be secured and kept locked up until we could decide how to handle her. That was something I had ensured. Nevertheless, this morning when the guards inspected the dungeon, they had found nothing but an empty cell and an unlocked door swinging in the cold night air.Elder Rowan's voice was as keen as a dagger. "Beta Kieran," she said. "Do you have any idea how this happened?" I forced myself to stay calm. "None," I confessed. "But I intend to find out."Elder Maelis spoke after a cautious exchange of looks amon
Evans’ POV As I ran, the wind howled through the tall trees, their branches reaching toward the sky like skeletal hands, and the night air felt harsh against my skin. Even though my legs hurt and my lungs burned, I continued. I was unable to. Not when every instinct told me I needed to leave. My nose were flooded with the smell of moist dirt, but beneath it was something more, something old, something familiar. Whispering to me in a voice I couldn't quite understand, it curled about me and pulled me onward. Before I left the dungeon, my fingers clenched around the cloak I had taken from the supply tent. I *knew* where I was heading, even if every step took me farther into uncharted terrain. The Pack of Nightclaws. Even though I didn't know why, I felt compelled to go there. It seemed as though an unseen force was pulling me toward them and directing my every action. Was it destiny? Was it insane? Or was it the voice that had been haunting me since I was a child and appea
Kieran’s POVPain. When my senses came back, that was the first sensation I experienced. Every limb felt weighted as if I had been buried under stone, and a deep, gnawing pain ran through my body like molten iron. My throat ached as if I had swallowed fire, and my breath was ragged and shallow. My nostrils were flooded with the aroma of damp dirt and herbs. I blinked against the faint candlelight flashing across the walls as I forced my eyes open. I was in the cottage of Briony. As I fought to sit up, a moan escaped my lips. My stomach churned with sickness, and my body reacted by tensing up. Briony's voice cut through the dense fog that was obscuring my thoughts and said, "You're awake."I looked over and saw her sitting next to me, her face creased with fatigue. Her hands were already reaching for another handkerchief drenched in some foul-smelling cure as she looked at me suspiciously. "How much time?" I could hardly speak above a whisper due to my raspy voice. "Three days."T
Evans’ POV As I rode into the darkening woods, I felt a tremendous weight of stillness on my chest. I was surrounded by Nightclaw warriors, whose presence was a menacing force that both alarmed and fascinated me. Every stride they took was deliberate and coordinated, as though they were transporting something—*someone*—much bigger than a wayward omega. I clenched my teeth and mentally repeated the Alpha's commands, my pulse pounding. * "You are not who you think you are." * An unexplainable shudder went through my body the instant he said it, making my blood run cold. Something had existed in his eyes—certainty, dread, and adoration. And I detested it. I was not unique. I was the outcast, Evans Blackthorn, the mate who was spurned. For my entire life, I had been a shadow and a bother. Now, though, I was being treated like something... *more.* I kept thinking about what the Alpha had said as we got closer to a huge, old building tucked away in the center of their domain.
Kieran’s POVThe silence in the woodland was eerie. There are no insects chirping. There are no leaves rustling. No screams from afar. Just absolute silence. And there was never any benefit to silence in the wild. I took my time, following Evans' fragrance into the thick forest that extended past the boundaries of DarkMoon territory. Under my skin, my restless wolf pushed me on. Something wasn't right, even though I had been following her for hours, the faint remnants of her perfume taunting me. I couldn't get Briony's warning out of my head. * "If she awakens too soon, she may lose herself completely." * I was more uneasy with the recollection of those words than I wanted to acknowledge. I have already witnessed mighty wolves being reduced to mere creatures by the consumption of power. Evans wasn't simply in danger if Briony's claim that Evans actually bore the Lunar Queen's blood was accurate. The danger *was* her. With their twisted branches extending toward the
Evans’ POV Even though the woodland was quiet once more, the storm inside of me continued to rage. My body buzzed with the lingering strength that wasn't really mine even after th scuffle was over and the Eclipse warriors had fled like shadows slipping through night crevices. I didn't know if it had ever existed. The heat that was still seething beneath my skin was not much relieved by the chilly night air. I had to fight every breath I took to suppress the energy, act as though nothing had changed, and ignore the fact that my wrist was still burning. However, I was aware that I wasn't the only one that noticed. Kieran was keeping an eye on me. His eyes, like twin shards of ice, had been fixed on me since the end of the battle, penetrating the darkness. It weighed heavily on my back, and I could feel the tension between us churning with unanswered questions. Focusing on the firm weight in my hand, I strengthened my hold on my dagger. I'll do anything to get grounde
Evans’ POVIt was too quiet at night. Silence was a predator that lurked just before turmoil broke out, but I had learned to trust it. The smell of pine and damp earth filled the air, but there was something more there as well. A hint of deterioration. A caution. Every muscle in my body tensed like a spring as I gripped my daggers tighter. The others gathered around me, anxious, anticipating. The warriors of Eclipse were near. I sensed it—a weight against my flesh, an invisible force scuttling through my bloodstream. A glimmer of motion. In between the woods, a shadow passed my vision. I whispered, just loud enough for the warriors beside me to hear, "Remain vigilant." I heard knives unsheathing with a gentle click. A few feet away, Kieran's presence served as a reassuring anchor despite the stress from our previous conflict at his room. However, I was unable to consider that at this time. A sigh. A change in the atmosphere. Then….A haze of movement. The ini
Evans' POVI could sense a problem as soon as I entered Kieran's quarters. He was standing by the fireplace, the walls framed by sharp shadows from the flames. He had his back to me, his fists clenched, his shoulders tense. The tense atmosphere in the room was oppressive. I gulped the lump that had formed in my throat, hoping my heart would calm down. With caution, I whispered, "Kieran," scarcely raising my voice above a whisper. He didn't look around. His eyes still blazed to the outskirt of his room. There was a dense, oppressive silence between us. I stepped closer, but his voice sliced through the silence like a sword before I could get close. "For what length of time were you going to conceal this from me?" I went cold. He spoke in a tone that was worse than anger. It was tinged with pain, treachery, and an untamed, raw quality that was hidden beneath the surface. I took a swallow. "What did I keep from you?" He laughed sharply and without humor. "Evans,
Evans PovTension permeated the war chamber's atmosphere. The weight of the revelation seemed to descend upon us like an unbreakable storm cloud, and the walls, adorned with faded banners and old maps, appeared to close in. Standing in the middle, Lucien's glittering eyes were piercing with power. Even though he was always an imposing presence, there was something about his posture today that seemed different—tense, cautious, as though even he wasn't sure how to say the words that would make all the difference. Briony's face next him was unreadable. She had always been hard to figure out, a lady who kept secrets like weapons and was selective about when and how to reveal them.They had both decided to share one of the most deadly realities of all tonight. With a calm but foreboding tone, Lucien started, "The return of the Eclipse King is not merely a possibility." "It is unavoidable." I tightened my jaw. "And what does that mean exactly?" Briony remarked, her emerald ey
Evans povThe night was restless and long. The cool air cooled my perspiration as I sat by the open window with my fingers locked around the material of my cloak. Shadows flashed and danced like ghosts of the past as the moon's silver light spilled across the wooden floor. Or perhaps future ghosts. The mark that connected me to Draven was still there on my wrist, a dull, pulsating warmth. I could have ignored it at first because it had started off as a whisper of heat. However, it now burnt like a brand, telling me that I was selected by fate with each heartbeat. Fate. That was a word I detested. I had fought my entire life against the expectations of who I should be and what other people wanted me to be. Yet here I was once more, imprisoned by an unseen force from which I was powerless to free myself. I wouldn't give up, though. I had made up my mind. Kieran. Love, devotion, and guilt were among the feelings that rushed through me at the mere mention of his n
Evans’ POV Prophecy weighed me down like a noose, getting tighter every second. It was evident in the way Kieran's gaze pierced me, probing, asking, and requesting something I was unable to provide. The revelation had broken him, and the stillness that followed was more agonising than any charges that were yelled. With the fire in the hearth flickering wildly as though it, too, could sense the storm building inside Kieran, the room was filled with the smell of cold iron and burning wood. He had his arms folded across his chest, his broad shoulders rigid, and his palms so firmly clenched that I thought I could hear the slight crack of his bones under strain.At last, he muttered, "You don't believe this," in a low, controlled voice that had a hint of desperation and sharpness beneath the surface. I took a deep breath. I was unwilling to accept it. Even though the name Draven seemed like poison to me, his presence had become entrenched in my thoughts, fantasies, and sense of self. I
Kieran’s POV The battlefield was a graveyard of silence. The Eclipse warriors had vanished as if they had never been there, leaving only the scent of blood and death in the air. My chest heaved as I struggled to regain control over my body, my limbs still weak from whatever power Draven—the Eclipse King—had been used against me. But it wasn’t the pain that burned through me the most. It were his words. *You were never meant to be her mate.* *She belongs to me.* Every word from Draven dropping as though I was a baby without any words.With anger burning through me like wildfire, my hands balled into fists. That someone had the audacity to claim Evans still made my wolf growl in defiance. My friend. Except... I looked over at her. She was still there. She was motionless as she gazed at the location where Draven had vanished. The odd glow of the symbol on her wrist was still there, pulsing. I could see how her breath caught in irregular gasps and how her fingers trembled be
Evans’ POVLike a death omen, the smell of blood and burning permeated the air. Far away, screams rang out, a clamor of anger, suffering, and conflict. I was in the center of it all, my body throbbing with energy I had never really released before, my pulse thumping in my ears. The battlefield was filled with the clash of steel and the snarls of nightclaw warriors as they engaged the intruders. This time, there were more members of the Eclipse Coven, and they moved and attacked with precision. Their purpose was to take me, not to destroy. I wouldn't allow it. With his claws shining in the moonlight and his teeth exposed, a rogue sprang at me. Before I could think, instinct took over and my body moved. His claws just missed my throat as I sank low, feeling the rush of air. I spun and rammed my palm into his chest with a burst of sheer power. My contact sent him flying backwards like a shockwave. His body went limp as he hit the ground with a terrible snap. I stared at my h
Kieran’s POV As I paced outside the Nightclaw council chamber, the air was heavy with the smell of moist ground and burning wood. Within, the elders discussed the outcome of Evans' trial in quiet tones, which were a mixture of fear and respect. I balled my fists. Beneath my flesh, my wolf skulked, restless and uncomfortable. Evans had gone through the sacred ordeal, and I had seen her stumble through images that made her relive her worst nightmares. She had seen me standing over her body at the conclusion of it. When she came out, her mark throbbing on her wrist, her breathing ragged, her eyes locked onto mine. The unspoken words between us had been more powerful than any blade, even yet she had remained silent. Did I really have to betray her? The doors of the chamber creaked open, and the Nightclaw Alpha, Cedric, stepped out first, his face carved from stone. His piercing golden eyes locked onto mine, unreadable. Behind him, Briony and the other elders followed, their exp