Novels by MidasPen

Ciara's POVThe guest quarters were modest but comfortable—a small room with a bed piled high with furs, a washbasin, and a window that looked out over the training grounds. The servant who led me there bowed and left without a word, closing the door softly behind her.I stood in the middle of the room for a long moment, my body aching, my mind spinning. The events of the past day crashed over me in waves—the battle, the shift, the running, the capture, the reunion with my uncle. It felt like a lifetime had passed since I had woken up in that forest, alone and confused.Then I stripped off my torn, filthy clothes and stepped into the bath that had been prepared for me. The water was warm, almost hot, and I sank into it with a groan of pure relief. The heat seeped into my muscles, loosening knots I hadn't realized were there. I watched the water turn pink, then red, then pink again as the blood—mine and others'—washed away. The metallic scent of it filled my nostrils, a reminder of eve

Ciara's POVHis face went through a dozen emotions in the span of a heartbeat. Shock. Disbelief. Recognition. And then something that looked almost like pain."Ciara?" he repeated, as if saying my name again would make it more real. "Is it truly you?"I nodded, not trusting my voice.He turned to the wolves who had captured me, his expression shifting from shock to fury in an instant. "Release her. Now."They scrambled to obey, their hands falling away from my arms as if I had burned them. The scarred man who had been so confident moments before suddenly looked very small."Alpha, we didn't know—she said—""Get out." His voice was cold, commanding. "All of you. Now."They fled. The doors slammed shut behind them, leaving me alone with my uncle in the vast, empty hall.He crossed the distance between us in three long strides, his hands reaching out to cup my face. His eyes searched mine, looking for something. A lie. A trick. But all he found was me."It is you," he breathed. "By the M

Ciara's POVI raised my hands slowly, palms open, the universal sign of surrender. The wolves around me didn't relax. If anything, they tensed further, their growls deepening, their bodies coiling like springs ready to snap."I'm not a threat," I said, keeping my voice calm and steady. "I'm lost. I crossed your borders by accident. I didn't know where I was going."The scarred man who had shifted studied me with cold, calculating eyes. He didn't believe me. I could see it in the hard set of his jaw, in the way his fingers twitched at his sides."Lost," he repeated, the word dripping with skepticism. "A lone she-wolf, wounded and unarmed, wandering through our territory at dawn. You expect me to believe that?""It's the truth." I met his gaze without flinching. "I was running from something. I didn't mean to cross into your lands. I'll leave now. I'll go back the way I came. You'll never see me again."I took a step backward, toward the stream. The wolves closed in, tightening the circ

Ciara's POV The world was a blur of motion and instinct. I was there, but I wasn't in control. I was a passenger in my own body, watching through a fog as my wolf ran. And ran. And ran. I felt the earth beneath our paws—cool and soft, alive with the scent of pine and moss and prey. I felt the wind in our fur, sharp and exhilarating. I felt the power surging through our muscles, raw and ancient, a force of nature that had been caged for too long. She was magnificent. She was terrifying. And I couldn't reach her. I tried to call out, tried to push through the fog that separated us, but the wolf was too strong. The subconscious was in control, primal and absolute. She was hunting—not for food, but for the sheer joy of it. She was running because she could, because she had been trapped for so long and now she was free. I felt her howl, a sound that was not my own, a sound that echoed through the forest like a challenge to the gods themselves. I tried again to reach her. To tell her

The hours crawled by like centuries.The sun had risen and begun its slow descent toward the horizon, painting the sky in shades of amber and gold. I had been searching for six hours. Maybe seven. Maybe more. I had lost count somewhere in the tangle of trees and shadows, somewhere between the desperate howls and the crushing silence that followed.My body was failing me. Every step sent fire through my wounds, every breath a sharp reminder of how close I had come to death the night before. The bandages were soaked through with blood—some old, some new. I had torn stitches hours ago, reopening wounds that should have been healing. I didn't care. I couldn't care. Not while she was still out there.I had shifted hours ago, forcing my broken body into my wolf form because it was faster, because my senses were sharper, because I needed every advantage I could get. But even in this form, I couldn't find her. Her scent had vanished into the wind, swallowed by the forest. No trail. No tracks.

Draven's POVI watched as Marcus held his sister like she might disappear if he let go. His shoulders shook with silent sobs, his face buried in her hair. Liora clung to him just as tightly, her small hands fisted in his tunic, her body trembling with the force of her own tears.I forced myself to my feet, ignoring the protests of my body. Every wound screamed, every muscle burned, but I pushed it all down. I had learned long ago how to function through pain. Thomas moved to steady me, his hand hovering near my elbow, but I waved him off. I needed to do this myself.I crossed the distance between us, my steps slow and careful. Marcus looked up as I approached, his eyes red and swollen, his face streaked with tears. Liora turned her face toward me, her expression wary. She didn't know me. She didn't know if I was friend or foe.But she would learn."Liora," I said, keeping my voice soft. Softer than I used with anyone except Ciara. "My name is Draven. I'm a friend of your brother's. I'