Miranda's P.O.VThe shadows of the forest reach long, and the coolness of the air tickles my skin as I hide behind the trees to watch Alex's house in the distance. Maxine clings tightly to my chest, her small heartbeat steadily skittering in time with my own. How she and the Eclipse Essence had saved her from Alex's ruthless clutches shoots like an unsettling specter in my mind. That power. It was a curse and a blessing at the same time. It saved me, marked me, and now I'm stuck in this chaos that I do not know what to do with myself.I escaped. At a price.Alex, and all his wickedness and greed for power, was only a scrawny wolf—a very pathetic creature whom the thirst for something more had devoured. Thirst for Eclipse Essence had blinded him to everything else. He never loved me; he only needed what I held inside me. Now, I watch from the shadows how silent his house is, home, under the night sky holding his new life - his family.My once-hardened heart, but each time betrayal set
Maxine's P.O.VI sat on the edge of my bed, my mind moving around in circles, focused intently on the clock on the wall. Each tick seemed to drag by time tortoise-slow, minutes elongating into hours. My mother's voice echoed within my head - "Stay in your room, Maxine. Don't come out till we say."But now an hour, two hours had passed with no one coming to see or say anything. My anxiety was gnawing inside, twisting my stomach into knots. What on earth was going on? Why wasn't I allowed to be there?The room, however, was broken by the door slowly creaking open. Alph walked into the room, his face serious, his expression tense. My heart leaped in my chest as I stood up and ran towards him."What's going on? Are you finished?" I asked, trying to sound even as my voice began to shake."Yes, we are," he replied coolly and analytically, sounding like a robot instead of a man.I frowled my brow in time and frustration. "What's the matter with Alph? What was this about? Why wasn't I allowed
Alph P.O.VPale moonlight filtered through above the canopy; we moved quietly through the forest, throwing eerie shadows upon the ground. My heart seemed to pound in my chest; every muscle tensed. Leo was out there, and with him, the civilian pack-wolves created by coercion, turned from humans by the strain of their existence; forever driven by rage and a bloodlust, they could no longer be the people they once were. Now they had become something far darker, something twisted. Leo was at their helm.Beside me, Martin and Trevor moved in silence, their faces equally drawn with a grim determination. We needed to find Leo, stop him before this got any worse. The fragile peace between the wolves and the humans had always been on the edge of shattering, but Leo was about to smash it to smithereens. And if that happened, everything that we had all fought for would be torn asunder."We're close," Martin whispered, his voice barely audible over the wind rustling through the trees.I nodded, my
"Where do you think you're going?" Adam had only just made it to the gate when Coreen's voice came ringing into the air. He turned round, his jaw setting as he found her standing before him, arms across her chest, eyes shooting fire with anger. She was out of place, glaring furiously because she'd been left behind while the rest of the pack moved on.“And who are you?" Adam asked low, and not in the mood for a fight.Coreen stepped closer into his personal space, irritation clear across her face. "It doesn't matter who I am. Where's Martin? Trevor? Alph? Maxine? Everyone's gone, and I was asleep, clueless. What the hell is going on?"Adam sighed, his impatience growing thin. "We don't have time for this. Just follow me. We need to find Maxine before something worse happens.She raised her gaze to the sky; then her eyes widened at that creepy red hue bleeding across the horizon. "I have never seen the sky like this before."Adam hurried his pace; he didn't want to hear more. "It is a
"There are so many." Coreen hissed when she saw the next civilian pack she did not expect that they were a lot. And there are so many against them.Adam stepped in front of Sarah and her pack, panting hard, all his muscles tightened, watching her every movement. She was quick to attack, all sudden and swift and accurate, but Adam was prepared for this experience. The release of powers between them seemed to send waves reverberating through the clearing, every thrust of power forcing the tension within to rise. His head ran busy in his thoughts: *I have to bring this to an end, before the eclipse reaches its peak.*He could feel the tensions mounting in his body under the strains, but it was too late now. He caught Sarah's wrist in mid-swipe, twisted her arm, letting her lose her balance. She snarled and her eyes burnt with fury."You should have left this place alone," she growled as she threw herself free and circulated around him again, her movements calculated now. "You can't stop
Alph P.O.VAir thick with anticipation, humming and crackling in the silence before the storm. Breath came in ragged gasps, cold metallic taste of blood heavy on my tongue. I could feel the tremor of my limbs, weight of exhaustion pulling at me like anchors, but I couldn't stop. Not now. Not with everything on the line.I had watched Alex loom over Maxine, a brilliancy of cruelties playing in his eyes, his hands being vice grips that wrapped around her neck and squeezed, draining. He wanted to steal her, the power of the eclipse, that being who made her what she was—more, even better than a she-wolf; more, even better than my sister. He took everything.The night where the only light comes in the form of the eclipse, bloody on his face."Let her go," I growled, my voice barely more than a whisper, but it carried enough menace that I saw Alex pause, his gaze flicking to me."Or what?" His voice was smooth, calm, a deadly kind of calm that made my blood boil. He was taunting me, daring
Alex gripped the essence of the eclipse in his hands, the dark power surged through his body. The air around him crackled and grew thick with tension. He smiled, twisted, curving around his lips, a smile that eclipsed the world for the moment. Alongside him Leo grinned, equally proud, his face heaven-to-toe in pride for his father. They had what they desired: control over the eclipse, the most forceful energy known to wolves."Alexander, please! Maxine is still your daughter!" Miranda's voice broke through the silence, each word bleeding with desperation. She was pleading to her former mate, reaching out to the man that once cared for her and their family.But Alex's features were harsh and unyielding, bearing no expression of regret. He looked down upon Leo before directing his gaze to Sarah slumped on the ground, her body battered and her spirit broken, yet with eyes torn between loyalty towards her father and the need to do the right thing."I have a son," Alex said in a voice drip
Maxine P.O.V"Maxine, I need your help."The voice echoed in the hollow of my room, a room painted shades of gray, where color did no longer exist. The air was heavy, heavy with oppression, and lifeless. I could see Sarah standing at the edge of the balcony, her eyes wide with urgency."Maxine, hurry," she said once more, her voice rising above the haze. She motioned for me to step out after her, moving toward the open balcony doors."I'm sorry, Sarah. I should have told you I was going to my grandma's," I said guiltily as I made my way to the balcony. Without hesitation I leaped over the ledge, landing softly by her side.But it felt off. Sarah was not looking at me anymore. The smile was there, but it did not reach up into her eyes. The warmth and the familiarity were all misplaced."I don't have time for this. Forget it, Maxine," she said, shaking her head sideways. "Let's go to our favorite coffee shop.""You're not mad?" I asked, confusion swirling inside me. Part of me was relie
Thirteen Years Later…."Maxine, your daughter was found in the woods," the messenger said his voice quivering in shock and disbelief. "It's not confirmed yet, but the healer said her blood matches yours. It is … from your bloodline."Maxine froze, the aching ache of longing in her chest now replaced by the flicker of hope that she hadn't felt for years. She had scoured the earth for Hannah, year after year, refusing to let go of hope. The pack continued to move forward, living and thriving, but for Maxine, her heart was suspended in time. Since Hannah was taken from her by Leo, nothing in her life had held the promise of joy ever again.Rededicating herself, Maxine sped off to the healer's chambers. As she entered, her breath caught in her throat. There lay, on the bed, a young woman who resembled she had been taken from the very pages of Maxine's memory—a young Hadzen, her son, at the age that had passed since his own existence. This young woman was carrying his features that so clos
Hannah P.O.V.It was going to be perfect. Tonight. I wore my white dress. Wildflowers clutched in my hand. The heartbeats in my chest are not from fear but with excitement. It's going to be the beginning of our new life. Now he stood before me at the altar, his face alight with a radiant smile as he looked out at me as if I were his entire world, the small circle of his family smiling warmly to engulf me in a feeling of belonging that, up to now, I had never known."Victor," I panted, barely above a whisper. This was it. We were here finally, about to promise our lives to each other. Away from the craziness, away from the world of packs and politics, we had found a haven within the humans. We could just. exist. Love. Grow.But I could take only one step in his direction when a sound pierced the stillness, like a knife. A heavy thud of paws on earth. My body tensed, my instincts screaming at me. I knew that sound. Wolves.They descended upon us before I even had time to react.The cere
Days slipped by, going to waste and slipping past one another in that little village where Lenor and her family dwelled. Hannah could see reason in her new life; she curled up in their little house in the warm spots and clutched a blanket she had spotted the first night there - light in scent with a fragrant smell of lavender - which Lenor brought home those aspects of comfort after years of love and care.In those early days, her quiet sobs filled the home, breaking the silence every morning and night. Only Victor, the ten-year-old boy who found her by the riverbank, could sometimes pull her out of her sadness." Hadzen…," she would whisper the name of her brother, softly, as if a fragile yet determined voice; as if saying it may somehow bring him closer: "Hadzen… "Victor would sit there, looking at her with a tearful light of sadness and determination in his eyes. He didn't understand the depth of her pain but could see how much she was hurting, and he wanted to help. After digging
"Hadzen!"The hysterical voice echoed through the night as Hadzen leapt out of bed his heart pounding. He could hardly see the figure in the darkness on the balcony but he knew he wouldn't mistake that shriek."Hannah!" he yelled jumping to his feet as his twin sister's body was dragged away by a tall, dark figure.Looking over his shoulder, he flashed Hadzen a derisive smile before leaping over the balcony. "Catch you later, Hadzen."He plunged into darkness with Hannah's screams."HANNAH!" Hadzen shouted, sprinting toward the balcony-but she was already gone."Hadzen! Wake up!" his mother cried in a panic, shaking him out of dazed shock.Hadzen blinked, dazed. To his left was his mom, Maxine, crying, her face streaked with tears, scared. His father, Alph, paced around the room, scanning everywhere, up and down."Where's Hannah?" Hadzen stuttered his words, his voice thick with panic. He looked to the bedside he shared with Hannah; she was gone."M-mom. she was here, right next to me
Five years had passed since then, and the children's laughter was again louder, as Hannah and Hadzen played with their cousin Dylan under the great oak tree in the courtyard of their estate, a warm afternoon spent in sheer energy as the three children ran round the great oak tree in the garden."Hannah! Slow up, wait for me!" he yelled as he chased after her as she plunged toward the tree. He had just been bumped by Tylan, their family friend, and was laughing as he tried to catch up with Hannah who always seemed faster."Catch me if you can, Dylan!" she laughed as her brown curls bounced and she climbed higher into the branches of the tree.Hadzen sat on a nearby bench, with a book in his lap, reading and looked up from his story with a frown. "Hey, don't be so noisy!" he said sternly.Hannah stopped half-way up the tree, looked down to Dylan who stood under, panting. The two looked at each other, their mischievous grins even as they understood each other without words — this was som
Eight months had passed since the arrival of her twins, Hannah and Hadzen, and the house was full of baby laughter and gentle cooing. Sunbeams streamed through the windows as she sat on the floor playing with Hannah cradled in her arms. "Dada, tell him Dada," Maxine said, nodding towards Alph, who was sitting nearby cuddling their son Hadzen.Hannah's look remained steady, directed up at Alph as her mouth worked on the syllables with a visible effort. "Da-ah," she said, her voice unstable but clear enough to send a shiver down Maxine's spine.Maxine opened her eyes widely in amazement. "Oh my gosh! You spoke!" she squealed, hugging Hannah closer. "That is my baby girl, such a rapid learner!Not to be outdone, Alph grinned and held Hadzen aloft in the air, bouncing him lightly. "Okay, little man, let's show your mom what you've got. Can you say 'Ma-ma'?"`Hadzen was shrieking with laughter as Alph twirled him around, his chubby little hands reaching up toward his dad. Though no words
There she lay in the bed, her body now enervated but the spirit of her high and big. She could hear the softly crying sounds of her newborns-the twin babies that she had fought hard to bring into this world. They were perfect, tiny, with so much life within them. One boy, one girl. She already decided on the names: Hannah and Hadzen. And as she looked at them there, all rolled up in their cradles, they all seemed like such ordinary babies. Their innocence filled the room, and it was quite impossible to believe that so much danger still surrounded them.Her heart hurts to love and to worry for them. She was a mother now, and truly, she wanted to be able to protect them. However, at the back of her mind is the warning her mother had given her: the curse of the eclipse essence. It still lingers over her, over her family. She needed to know the truth.Coreen, her stepsister, stood in the same room with her maids. She had come to visit as soon as she heard about the birth, but Maxine could
Miranda paced back and forth in the dimly lit room, her heart racing as she tried to keep her tears from falling. The weight of her decision was suffocating, and her chest tightened with every step she took. She glanced at Erick, her oldest and closest confidant, hoping he might have some way to ease the unbearable pain in her heart. But his face was set, his eyes focused."You know what will happen!" Miranda snapped, her voice breaking under the pressure. "I already told you that! This isn’t just some story or legend. It’s real, Erick."Erick leaned back in his chair, rubbing his temples. "I know, Miranda, I know. But we have to do it anyway. We don’t have many options left.""What options?" Miranda's voice was laced with frustration as she threw her hands into the air. "What way out do you think we have? I don’t want to lose Maxine! She’s the only one I have left." Her voice faltered as her fear took hold. "You know how dangerous it is to have the eclipse essence in one bloodline. I
Maxine poured milk into a glass, watching it swirl before handing it to Coreen. She looked at her sister’s swollen belly, trying to imagine what it would be like to hold her own child in her arms.“So, you and Trevor?” Maxine asked, raising an eyebrow as she leaned against the counter.Coreen grinned, placing a hand on her round stomach. “I didn’t know I’d fall for that jerk, either,” she admitted with a laugh. “But he’s hot, I’ll give him that.”They both burst into laughter, the sound filling the small kitchen. It felt good to share a moment of levity, especially given how serious everything had become lately.“How many months now?” Maxine asked, her gaze flickering to Coreen’s belly as she took a sip from her own glass.“Eight,” Coreen replied, her voice casual despite the significance. “It all started after that one wild night, and well… it just kept going from there.”Maxine shook her head, smiling. “So, you’re about a month ahead of me, huh? You always were a bit ahead of the ga