Evans’ POVThe darkness enveloped them, oppressive and unchangeable. I was sinking—weightless, lost in a sea of unending darkness. My name sounded like a spectral chant as the air around me sparked with invisible energy. "Selene." "Selene." I scratched at the empty space, looking for anything to help me stay grounded. However, nothing was present. Just smoke-like shadows that slithered past my fingertips. I gasped for air as an invisible force dragged me farther down into the chasm. The murmurs then became screams. Voices overlapping, agonized cries, a cry of agony. With my heart racing, I whirled around, trying to find the source. As the shadows grew thinner, changing figures emerged, women in flowing white robes with veils covering their faces. They were standing in a circle, with *someone*—something—in the middle. A spooky silver light glowed from their raised hands. I cautiously moved in closer. The central figure raised her head. I gasped. My face was on
Kieran’s POVI needed to know what the hell I was becoming.The mark on my arm, the one that had burned itself into my flesh the moment Evans collapsed in the ritual, still pulsed beneath my skin. I could feel it thrumming with every heartbeat, as though something inside me was waking up alongside her. Evans hadn’t spoken much since we left the Nightclaw borders. Not since the battle. Not since her power had erupted and wolves had bowed to her while others had turned against her in fear. And not since she had heard my doubt. Is she still the same? I had asked myself. She had heard me. And something between us had fractured. She pulled her cloak tighter around herself, her posture rigid as she focused on the path ahead. I detested the quiet. At last, I remarked, "We need to discuss what happened back there." Evans didn't look at me, but I could see her grip the reins firmly. "There is nothing to discuss Kieran." I grumbled, pushing my horse forward to get a glimpse of h
Evans’ POVThere was complete darkness in the temple. The burning pain in my hand subsided to a dull throb, and I began to breathe in shallow, short gasps. As if whispering secrets only I could hear, the hilt of the golden dagger, the **Blood Oath Blade**, was still firmly grasped in my fingers. Kieran was kneeling next to me, his hands firmly grasping my shoulders, his voice gruff with haste. "Evans! Speak up!” I made an effort, but my throat felt constricted, as if something invisible were pressing against it. My heartbeat pounded like war drums in my ears, and the pressure in my chest increased. The whisper then resurfaced. * "The Lunar Queen has made her decision. However, will she govern or burn? * All at once, the torches around the walls rekindled, illuminating the massive carvings that line the stone walls of the temple with flickering light. Beside me, Kieran tensed up, his silver eyes sweeping across the shifting darkness. "What the devil is happening, Evans?
Kieran’s POVLike an iron collar, the Nightclaw Alpha's mistrust weighed heavily on me. The pack was a broken entity, trapped between awe, dread, and the harsh truth of the war that was drawing nearer and nearer ever since the battle, when Evans' mark had blazed and wolves had bowed before her voice. Evans was at the centre of it all. She was evolving. In the energy that crackled around her, invisible yet sensed by every wolf that dared to stand too close, as well as in the way she carried herself, her shoulders squared as though she were carrying the weight of something invisible. In the past, I had witnessed her retreat, repressing whatever supernatural force was residing within her. Now, though? It was now becoming lost in the cracks. The pack sensed it, too. The Nightclaw Alpha, Gregor, strode in front of me in the dark council chamber, his annoyance obvious. "Kieran, you run the danger of being here. It's worse with Evans around. You expect me to let her stay
Evans’ POVThe warrior's eyes were fixed in a dead gaze as his body lay still on the floor of the war hall. My name, his last word, reverberated in my brain like a spectral whisper that would not go away. Beside him, Kieran knelt with his wolf barely contained beneath his skin, his fists clenched. I could feel the mistrust of the Nightclaw elders choking me as they stood in stiff stillness around us. With his eyes fixed on the marks etched into the lifeless warrior's arms, Gregor, the Alpha of the pack, had not yet spoken. Despite the lump in my throat, I swallowed. I knew I was going to be the next topic of discussion concerning this act. I felt it even if I didn't know how. When Gregor finally spoke, "Evans," his voice was low and tinged with an unintelligible word. "Are you aware of what this signifies?" My fingers clenched into the fabric of my cloak, I shook my head, shrugging my shoulders. "No Alpha Gregor. I am not aware." He looked at me like he was looking for a
Kieran’s POVI didn't hesitate when I heard the crash coming from Evans' chambers. My instincts sharpened as I tore down the corridors, my wolf charging forward. My stomach twisted into knots as the air was filled with the smell of blood. Evans dodged a dagger as I threw the door open, her golden eyes blazing with fury and strength.In the little candlelight, two shadowy creatures hovered above her. I knew it was her fault that one was already falling, but the other was relentless.The assassin was too quick. Too talented. He aimed his flashing blade toward her throat, seeing her eyes from the flick seconds already closed for the acceptance of defeat. I shrieked. “No!”I made a lunge at the figure.I tackled him in the middle of his blow, and a savage snarl tore from my breast. We rolled over jagged wooden splinters and smashed onto the floor. He got up fast and flipped over, but I was there immediately, my fists swinging, hitting his ribs with a crack that made my stomach turn.
Evans’ POVI couldn't get the message etched into the scout's body out of my head. * "Her awakening will bring the end of us all." * The words had echoed like a prophecy whispered from the depths of something ancient and relentless, and I had hardly slept since they were said out loud. I ran from the room, leaving Kieran to the strange figure as I held my head due to the loud muffled noises. *Evans. Your awakening will bring the end of us all.* I sensed it in every look and cautious stride around me, even though no one had stated it directly. The pack was terrified– war-afraid. Fearful of me, and already disdaining me. I was, too, for the first time. ******The aroma of herbs filled Briony's hut, strong and acrid. Dried roots and vials, cures for everything from a simple fever to wounds that would not heal, were piled high on the little wooden shelves. However, nothing in this place could make me better. With my hands clutching the borders of my cloak as though clinging
Chapter 55: The Eclipse’s WarningKieran’s POV “But what do you really do?” I asked the figure who by Evans was the *Eclipse Coven*He let out a guttural grin. “You act as though you don't know.” “I have passed the message to your leaders already.” he said, his tone stern and brave.I could feel the stench of every word. Every movement that seemed powerful as I couldn't dominate or gain control over the situation. “And….”“...And.” the warm smirk remained on his lips. “Oh! Don't worry. You will know soon.” He said, turning out towards the window when a knock hit at the door.“Beta Kieran!” A delta guard called from the other side of the door. “I have been looking for you and luckily I found you.”I lost patience from the guards words. “Just shut up! What do you want?” My voice was loud and stern.The figure called before flying through the window. “Goodbye beta Kieran! I will see you soon.” He said, before letting out a dark laugh.I darted my eyes back to the door. “And who is calli
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