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 I felt the weight of ancient power crushing down on me like an invisible force in the temple air. The blue flames of the torches that lined the stone walls came alive as soon as I entered, creating unsettling shadows on the tall murals. Stories of long-forgotten monarchs, fought and lost wars, and sacrificed blood were inscribed on every square inch of this hallowed place. And there, on an altar of black obsidian, was the relic at the heart of it all. An interior light pulsed from a single, polished stone barely bigger than my palm. The Nightclaw Alpha had guided me here silently, pointing to the altar with an enigmatic face. He informed me that this temple had been unaltered for generations and was constructed for the Lunar Queen's lineage. However, I sensed it. The draw. awareness. This location had been anticipating my arrival. I swallowed hard, my heart hammering against my ribs. My fingers twitched at my sides, the temptation to grasp for the artifac
Kieran’s POVAhead of me, a harsh wall of tall woods and grizzled fighters, the Nightclaw boundary loomed. Even though my muscles were tense from the constant pursuit and my breath was labored, I continued. I couldn't. Here was Evans. And if I needed to get to her, I would burn through the whole forest. The air was heavy with the smell of pine and damp ground, but underneath there was something darker. Here, the energy was different, ancient, and it crackled under my skin like static electricity. As soon as I stepped close to their land, I saw figures move out from the shadows and out from behind the dense trees. Warriors of the Nightclaw. At least a dozen, their stances tight with animosity, their eyes keen. The huge, dark-furred, amber-eyed beast who led them stepped forward. Even before he spoke, I recognized him. Alpha Theron His voice was low and tinged with suspicion as he remarked, "Beta Kieran, you've come a long way." "But you're not going to get any farther." I s
Evans' POVThe temple was dense with darkness that felt like invisible hands gripping my skin. There was something living there, not simply a lack of light. A spectacle. My heart was irregular and my breath came in quick gasps as I rubbed my palms against the chilly stone walls. The door was absent. No light crack. No sound but my own heartbeat pounding against my ribs. Then, it began. A low whisper. It slithered through the shadows, wrapping around me like an invisible chain. *"You should not be here."* The voice sent ice through my veins. It wasn’t just a voice. I had it. Heaving in my chest, I whirled around, trying to find the source. A figure moved forward as the darkness changed. I was the one. Not *me*, though. Her form wavered between flesh and shadow as she stood at the edge of the emptiness. Even with the hood drawn down over her face, I could still see the sharpness of her features—**my features.** —despite her flowing black cloak. The air wa
Kieran’s POV The air was heavy and oppressive, crackling with tension all around me. As I stared down my opponent in the Nightclaw dueling arena, my muscles tensed and my breath came in rapid bursts. “Why do you test my ego?” my voice barely above a whisper, as I clenched my grip on the chest of my opponent. This fight wasn't what I wanted. Evans was the reason I had come. However, the Nightclaw Alpha had left me with no other option. I was a trespasser, an outsider in their territory, and I had no right to demand answers. According to their customs, I had to show my value with blood. The warrior in front of me was enormous, his golden eyes flashing with merciless resolve, and his dark fur bristling in the moonlight. An experienced combatant—someone who had probably fought innumerable wars. But I had, too. I squatted down and bared my teeth. The murmurs of the wolves that were observing me were overpowered by my heart's ferocious beating. **If I win, I might be abl
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