Mia's POVAs I made my way back towards the base, the weight of the curfew imposed by Alpha Fenrir hung heavy on my mind. The streets were deserted, the only sound the soft echo of my footsteps against the pavement. Despite the late hour, the moon cast a gentle glow over the city, bathing everything in its ethereal light.As I neared the base, a flicker of movement caught my eye, and I looked up to see Lycidas sitting on the roof, his gaze fixed on the moon above. There was something mesmerizing about the way he gazed up at the moon, his expression thoughtful and somewhat unnaturally contemplative.A pang of curiosity stirred within me. Without hesitation, I made my decision—I wasn't quite ready to retreat to the confines of my bed just yet. Before I knew it, I found myself climbing the nearest tree, determined to join him.With each handhold and foothold, I felt a rush of adrenaline course through me, my muscles straining with the effort of scaling the tree. But as I reached the top,

Mia's POVAs my heart thumped wildly in my chest, I found myself caught in a whirlwind of emotions. Lycidas' close proximity only seemed to intensify the rush of feelings coursing through me, leaving me feeling both exhilarated and unnerved at the same time. Every breath felt like a struggle as I tried to maintain composure in his presence.The air around us crackled with an unseen energy, charged with the weight of unspoken words and unexplored possibilities. Every breath felt like a struggle as I grappled with the flood of sensations coursing through my veins, leaving me teetering on the edge of exhilaration and trepidation.But amidst the chaos of my racing thoughts, Lycidas suddenly stiffened beside me, his gaze fixed on something behind me. I turned to follow his line of sight and felt a jolt of surprise at the sight of a group of people emerging from the house and disappearing into the forest.The light of the moon was just enough that I could make out that they carried a corrup

Mia's POVTogether, we watched in silence as the world around us seemed to warp and shift, reality bending and twisting in ways that defied explanation. I had a feeling I had experienced this before somewhere - and quite recently too - only, perhaps, a different 'flavour' of it as it were. Do not ask me to explain - I am well aware how absurd that sounded.Then everything seemingly snapped into place, the world itself apparently having decided to reinforce reality. I gazed up at the sky, and my breath caught in my throat as I beheld the monstrous entity hovering above the forest. It defied description, a grotesque amalgamation of twisted limbs and alien appendages.The creature's body was an oval mass, pulsating with a sickly hue that seemed to shift and morph with each passing moment. Three pairs of spindly legs extended from its underside, each ending in jagged claws that twitched with an otherworldly energy.From its grotesque mandibles hung a network of sinewy threads, each one

From my vantage point among the treetops, I surveyed the battlefield below, searching for any weakness in the creature's defenses. But my hopes were dashed as I watched Lycidas struggle against the overwhelming tide of webbing, his movements growing sluggish under its oppressive weight.With a surge of determination, I leaped from tree to tree, seeking to flank the creature and strike at its vulnerable points. But with each bound, the webbing seemed to stretch and contort, forming a barrier that blocked my path and sent me tumbling back to the forest floor.Struggling against the constricting bonds, I felt panic rising within me as the creature's webbing tightened around me, threatening to immobilize me completely. With each futile attempt to break free, the webbing only seemed to grow stronger, its adhesive grip becoming increasingly difficult to overcome. Desperation clawed at my chest as I realized the futility of my efforts, my movements growing sluggish and labored.As I landed a

Lycidas' POVThe soft glow of moonlight filtered through the curtains, casting a gentle illumination over Mia's room as I sat by her bedside, my fingers intertwined with hers as if holding onto a lifeline. The rhythmic rise and fall of her chest was the only indication of life, her face serene in slumber as she lay unconscious before me.I never realized how much I would miss her until now – the absence of her laughter, her vibrant energy, leaving a gaping hole in my heart that seemed impossible to fill. And yet, here she lay, so close yet so far, trapped in the grasp of an unknown darkness that threatened to consume her whole.I squeezed her hand gently, willing her to wake up, to return to me so that I could see the light in her eyes once more. But no matter how fervently I wished for her recovery, she remained still, her breathing steady but shallow, a silent reminder of the fragility of life.My mind drifted back to that fateful night when the ritual had gone awry, the memory of t