Novel-novel oleh Birdy Edwards

CHAPTER 140Isabella's POVI looked at Lucas and Darcy Stormfang, the couple I had always thought of as my parents. They were warm and welcoming, but my heart dropped when I met Lucas’s eyes. In that moment, a sudden truth struck me like a lightning bolt these people I loved were not my real parents. My sense of who I was felt shaky, weighed down by secrets that had been hidden for too long.“Oh wow, Isabella!” Darcy’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts like sunlight breaking through dark clouds. She ran over to me with her arms wide open, looking both excited and relieved.I stood still, my body tense with mixed feelings. When she hugged me tightly, it felt almost smothering and deeply wrong. My gut told me to pull back, but I awkwardly wrapped my arms around her. “Hey, umm, mom,“ I said, my words sounding strange and stiff as I spoke.She stepped back, her eyes shining with tears she hadn’t shed, and she looked at me like she wanted to remember everything. “You look so grown! It’s b

CHAPTER 139Isabella's POVI held on tight to the edge of my dress, feeling the cloth twist around my fingers as thoughts of Ethan raced through my mind. The car engine hummed quietly, barely heard over the storm in my heart—a wave of doubt, fear, and desire. Up front, the guards from the Ravensong Pack sat straight, their presence both reassuring and heavy. Their silence was full of respect, hanging in the air like a shared understanding of the burden I carried, but their weariness reminded me of the chaos affecting us all.I looked over at Emily. She was looking out the window, deep in thought, as if she was in a different world from ours. The quiet in the car felt like a heavy blanket, pressing down on my chest, making it hard to breathe because of my worries.Finally breaking the heavy silence, I spoke up, my voice a quiet sound that struggled against my fear. “Do you think he’ll be okay?” My question lingered in the air, filled with the worry gnawing at my stomach.Emily looked a

CHAPTER 138Elena's POVThe steam surrounded me, dulling the noisy thoughts in my head. I stood under the pouring hot water, trying to feel better, but it only made my inner chaos worse. Axel had done the unthinkable—he’d caught Logan. My heart ached at the idea. I had pushed him to kill Logan, to end it all, but he chose to keep the pain going. His sick love for torture fed my anger just like the water calmed my skin.“Oh, Logan,” I whispered, my voice lost in the steady sound of the shower. “What trouble are you in this time?”I pictured his pale face, hurt and beaten, blood covering his skin like war paint. It should have been easy—a quick act of justice. But things got messy. Ethan had arrived, my bringer of chaos, saving Logan and pulling me deeper into this nightmare. They were all plotting against Axel and me, and why? Revenge? For the mistakes I’d made?I hit my fist against the tiled wall, pain rushing through my knuckles as anger boiled inside me. “Damn it!” I yelled, lettin

CHAPTER 137Ethan's POVAs I walked out of the Ravensong Packhouse, the big door closed behind me with a hard bang, cutting off the soft sounds of Elder Darius's serious words. A cold feeling washed over me, a mix of confusion and fear that I couldn’t shake.“Unite the packs,” they said. “Be the Alpha King,” they pushed like it was easy. I couldn’t help but laugh quietly at how crazy it all seemed. Lead a whole community of werewolves? How could I handle such a huge responsibility?The troubles of managing my pack were already tough the idea of carrying the hopes of every wolf in our land felt like a huge mountain over me, impossibly tall and overwhelming.As I walked deeper into the sunlight, I nervously rubbed the back of my neck. It seemed pointless, but it was my way of trying to calm the doubts in my mind. What did it mean to be the Alpha King?Thoughts of my father filled my head, each memory reminding me of his weary face and the heavy load he carried. He made huge sacrifices f

CHAPTER 136Ethan's POVAs I walked behind Captain Luke down the tight hallway of the Ravensong Packhouse, my mind was buzzing, keeping pace with the loud wind outside. Luke's firm steps echoed on the wooden floor, giving me stability during the chaos in my head. When we arrived at the door to the big meeting room, it swung open, revealing a person sitting in the middle of the long, shiny table.“Elder Darius,” Luke said with a nod, moving aside so I could go in.I was stunned when I saw Elder Darius. He was taller than anyone I knew, with hair that fell to his broad shoulders and a face that showed his age and strength. It made me nervous and gave me a lot of respect to know he had come to Ravensong.“elder Darius,” I said, my instincts taking over, and I bowed deeply, a natural response that showed my respect for him.“Ah, Ethan Bloodmoon,” he said with a smile, waving for me to stand up. “You don't have to bow to me. We are all family here.”I sat up, forcing a small smile, but his

chapter 135elena's povi walked awkwardly through the thick bushes breathing heavily as the smell of the sewers stuck to me. the awful escape axel and i just had from the ravensong pack felt like a bad dream i couldn’t forget. with every step, tiredness tried to pull me down, and my once-clean clothes were now dirty and messy. the sweat mixed with dirt felt terrible and all i wanted was a hot bath—the comfort that felt so far away right now.“hang on a second, axel,” i said, my voice tight. i saw a fallen tree and couldn’t fight the urge to rest anymore. i moved toward it my body begging for a break.“elena no!” axel’s desperation broke through my tiredness as he reached me gripping my arm before i could collapse onto the trunk. “we can’t stop. not now. we don’t know how close they are.”“i understand but... i'm really tired.” my arguments sounded weak but i couldn't get rid of the pain in my muscles. “just a little longer.”he shook his head firmly. “we don’t have time for that. you

CHAPTER 140Epilogue*Three Years Later*The afternoon sun cast dappled shadows over the clearing where laughter rang through the trees. Two small figures darted between the trunks with their giggles bright as they dodged behind bushes.“You can’t catch me, Dad!” A little boy with wild dark hair just like his father’s peeked out from behind an oak, grinning.Derek growled playfully while flexing his fingers like claws. “Oh, I will catch you, Lucas. And when I do..”Before he could finish, a tiny blur of reddish brown curls barreled into his legs. His daughter, Maya, clung to him while giggling. “Got you, Papa!”Layla sat on a large flat rock nearby, shaking her head with a smile. “Careful, Derek. She’s fast, just like me.”Derek scooped Maya up, tickling her sides until she shrieked with laughter. “Oh, is that so? Then let’s see…”Lucas chose that moment to sprint past, and Derek lunged, easily capturing the boy under one arm while Maya dangled over his shoulder. “Got you both!”

CHAPTER 139Layla's POVThe grand council chambers of the Bloodwood Pack House buzzed with a nervous energy that was almost palpable. The room, usually reserved for the most solemn of occasions, was filled to capacity. Alphas from the allied packs, their faces a mixture of exhaustion and grim determination, occupied the inner circle of seats. Behind them, the revered Council Elders, their expressions grave, sat with an air of ancient wisdom. In the very back, a scattering of Beta's and trusted warriors stood, silent witnesses to the unfolding history. The air was thick with the scent of pine and old parchment, mingled with the earthy aroma of dozens of powerful wolves.Derek and I entered together, a phalanx of guards silently parting before us. As we reached the raised dais at the head of the room, a hush fell, the murmuring dying down to an expectant silence. Every eye in the room was on us. On him, the victorious Alpha King. And on me, the Luna Queen who had banished a goddess.

CHAPTER 138Layla's POVThe acrid stench of battle still clung to the air, heavy and metallic, a constant reminder of the carnage we had just barely survived. But the sounds of dying men, the desperate cries of retreat, had ceased, replaced by the hushed movements of our victorious pack. Yet, right here, before us, one last discordant note persisted.Daisy.She knelt, a pathetic figure, yet her eyes, blazing with an unholy fire, were anything but. Her hands were bound roughly behind her, her once pristine clothes now torn and stained with grime, but her spine remained rigid, defiant. The soldier who held her arm kept a firm grip, clearly anticipating resistance.“Bow, traitor!” the soldier snarled, pressing down on her shoulder, but Daisy held firm, her jaw set.“I will never bow!” she shrieked, her voice raw, echoing across the stunned silence of the battlefield. It was a sound that scraped against my very soul, resurrecting ghosts of a past I thought I'd buried. “Never to you, Layl

CHAPTER 137Layla's POVThe killing blow was poised, the very air vibrating with the malevolent power that coursed through my veins, Malkin’s will a roar in my mind. Derek lay broken, his eyes locked on mine, a silent plea that seemed to pierce through the goddess’s control. “I love you, Layla,” he’d whispered, and those words, so raw and true, were the first crack in the iron grip around my soul.A flicker, then a torrent. The memories hit me like a physical force, images flashing behind my eyes, not of power or conquest, but of warmth, of peace. Derek’s hand in mine as we walked through the sun-dappled forest, his easy laugh echoing through the trees. The first time he truly looked at me, not as the abandoned girl, but as his fated mate. His lips, warm and gentle, pressing against mine under the moonlight, a promise in every touch. The way he held me close, chasing away the shadows of my past, whispering words of safety and belonging. His unwavering belief in me, even when I doub

CHAPTER 136Derek's POVThe roar of my pack echoed through the valley, a fierce symphony of triumph and pursuit. The enemy, broken and scattered, fled like rats from a sinking ship, their dark magic dissipated, their will shattered. One moment, we were locked in a desperate struggle, the next, the tide had turned with a violent, irreversible surge. It felt like the ground beneath us had tilted, sending our foes tumbling into the abyss.“Pursue them!” I bellowed, my voice raw but strong, slicing through the lingering din of battle. “Leave none to carry tales of their failure! Let their retreat be a rout!”My warriors, fueled by adrenaline and victory, needed no further urging. They surged forward, a relentless wave of fangs and fury, chasing the last pockets of resistance deeper into the surrounding forest. The air still hummed with spent energy, the scent of blood mingling with the metallic tang of ozone, but the terror that had gripped this land for too long was finally receding. Y

CHAPTER 135Layla's POVMy heart, already a bruised drum in my chest, leaped with a fresh, desperate hope. Reinforcements. Real reinforcements. The silver tide that had begun to trickle in from the south now surged, a torrent of armored forms, their howls ripping through the smoke-choked air. From the west, a deep, resonant roar Derek’s roar, unmistakable even through the chaos heralded the arrival of the Snowrest Pack.“They’re here, My Queen!” Rowan’s voice, hoarse but jubilant, cut through the din. He stood a breath away, sword still dripping from his last kill, his eyes wide with a mixture of exhaustion and exhilaration. “Just as he promised!”I could only nod, my throat tight. The sight of them hundreds, thousands, pouring into the city like a cleansing flood was almost too much to bear. They moved with a disciplined ferocity that my dwindling, weary warriors could only dream of. Swords flashed, spears pierced, and arrows rained down in deadly volleys. For so long, we had fough