Novels by Golden Fingers

KILLIAN.By sunrise, Crescent Moon was preparing for a confrontation nobody wanted. Warriors gathered near the eastern border, checking their weapons while families watched from doorways. I ordered our defenders to hold their positions and protect the homes behind them. Garrick wanted fear spreading through the pack, but I would not help him.I reminded the guards that nobody was to attack unless our people faced immediate danger. We would not answer a challenge to our leadership by turning our territory into a battlefield. One captain frowned at my instructions, clearly expecting harsher orders, but he bowed and carried my message to the waiting warriors.Candice stood beside Leo near the council steps, her hand resting briefly against his shoulder. I could see the tension in my son's face, though he tried hiding it. He had spent years watching me make decisions, and today he would have to defend his beliefs without borrowing my authority.“You don't have to prove everything today,”

CANDICE.Elaine's words left me staring at the sealed record. My mother had been gone for years, yet she was still revealing pieces of a life she had hidden from me. I looked at Helena and Elaine, then carefully broke the old seal, wondering what Evelyn had left behind for us.Inside lay folded pages covered in Evelyn's familiar handwriting. They contained names, dates, and symbols connected to the ancient blood roads. Other entries listed families whose bloodlines had been altered or falsely registered by the Circle. My stomach tightened as I began to understand what my mother had been documenting.“These aren't ordinary family records,” I said, spreading the pages across the table while trying to steady my voice, “she was tracking the Circle's activities for years, and she wanted someone to know what they had done.” Elaine leaned closer, recognizing several names among the entries with growing concern.Helena lifted one page carefully, avoiding its brittle edges. “Some families were

CANDICE.Returning to Crescent Moon should have felt like victory, but I watched every face as we entered, wondering how many wolves still feared tomorrow. We had survived the gathering and secured our first alliances, yet the people here needed more than promises. They needed to believe this territory belonged to them again.I began with the children rescued from Northern Vale, visiting their rooms and asking their caretakers how they were adjusting. Some had started playing together, while others kept their belongings close and refused to sleep unless they could see the door. One little girl asked whether she would be sent away for making mistakes.“Sweetheart, nobody is going to send you away for making a mistake,” I told her, kneeling beside her bed so she could see my face, “you are allowed to be a child here. You can laugh, cry, ask questions, and change your mind without worrying that someone will decide you are no longer useful.”She stared at me, twisting her blanket between

CANDICE.The gathering place stood between three territories, surrounded by ancient trees and guarded by wolves who no longer knew which laws they were expected to obey. I walked beside Killian while Leo followed close behind us, his shoulders straight despite the tension gathering around the entrance. Today would test everything we had fought to build.“Remember that not everyone here wants peace,” Killian reminded Leo, adjusting the clasp on his coat before looking directly at him, “some of them want the old world back, and they will use every mistake you make to prove their point.” Leo nodded, but I noticed how tightly he held his hands together.“I understand, Father,” Leo answered, lifting his chin as he looked toward the gathering hall, “but I can't spend my life trying to make people comfortable with every decision I make.” Killian studied him for a moment before giving a small nod, and I felt a quiet sense of pride watching Leo hold on to what he believed.Inside, leaders from

LEO.The argument outside the council hall followed me long after the former Circle supporters left. Wolves stood in small groups, speaking quietly whenever Killian passed, and I caught the uncertainty in their faces. They wanted someone strong enough to protect them, but many still believed strength meant giving one person the right to decide everything for everyone.I had grown up watching my father carry the weight of every decision, and sometimes I had mistaken his certainty for the only kind of leadership that worked. Now the pack was changing beneath our feet, and I could not tell whether people were frightened of the future or simply angry that nobody had promised to control it for them.Three young wolves approached me near the eastern walkway, their expressions careful as though they expected guards to drag them away for asking the wrong question. The tallest, a broad-shouldered boy named Tomas, glanced toward the hall before speaking. “When you take your father’s place, are

CANDICE.I knew the meeting would be difficult when I saw the former Circle supporters waiting beyond Crescent Moon's boundary. They stood in groups, speaking quietly, their expressions hard. Killian walked beside me, but I could feel the tension in him. Neither of us knew whether they wanted peace or another fight.Garrick stepped forward before we reached the gathering place. He was a broad-shouldered Alpha with silver threaded through his dark hair, and he carried himself like someone accustomed to being obeyed. He looked at Killian first, then turned toward me as though deciding whether I deserved to be included."Alpha Killian, the collapse of the ancient blood system has left our people vulnerable, and you cannot expect us to accept uncertainty as the price of freedom," Garrick declared, planting his feet firmly. "We need a leader who can guarantee protection, not someone who allows every wolf to question the authority keeping our territories safe."Killian listened without inte