The world was nothing but rushing wind and darkness.Then—impact.Pain shot through Evelyn’s ribs as she slammed into something cold, unyielding. Water swallowed her a heartbeat later, its icy grip dragging her under. She kicked, thrashed, lungs burning until her head broke the surface. She coughed violently, the storm above spitting rain into her face.The river carried her, relentless. She clawed at jagged rocks, finally dragging herself onto a narrow strip of mud. She lay there for minutes, trembling, her breath sawing in and out. Her body screamed in pain, but she was alive.Eron thought he’d killed her. Good. Let him believe it.When her strength returned, she staggered into the woods, barefoot, soaked to the bone. The cold gnawed at her skin, but worse was the emptiness in her chest. She’d been exiled. Stripped of whatever power she’d scraped together. Selene had made sure of that.She didn’t know how long she walked before the scent hit her—sharp, metallic. Rogues.A low growl
The cold air bit against Evelyn’s skin as the two warriors dragged her across the territory, away from the warmth of the hall, away from the last shreds of her dignity. Her feet stumbled across the roots and stones beneath them, but they didn’t stop. They didn’t speak.She had screamed in the council room.Now she was silent.Until they reached the edge of the woods—where the trees gave way to the open, wind-lashed cliffs of the Shadowfang border.Only one warrior remained now.The other had turned back, leaving her with the tall, broad-shouldered male who hadn’t said a single word since she was marked. His face was stern, unreadable, eyes sharp beneath the hood of his cloak. His hands were calloused from years of training, his scent unfamiliar—but old.Old blood. Old pain.The winds howled louder here, the cliff’s edge a jagged blade against the storming sky. The mist swirled like ghosts.“This… this isn’t the boundary,” Evelyn rasped, stumbling as she tried to steady herself. “This
SELENEThe room was no longer silent.The echoes of the healer’s verdict rippled through every heart present, each shout, each gasp, a stone cast in the direction of Evelyn’s crumbling facade.She stood still only because I still held her arm. Her face was pale, almost grey, her lips trembling, eyes wide and unfocused as if trying to process the speed at which her world was collapsing.The elders were no longer watching passively. They were murmuring amongst themselves, exchanging glances full of disapproval and scorn. Warriors crossed their arms, silent but visibly disgusted. Betas shook their heads, whispering to each other, some with clenched fists at their sides.This wasn’t a scandal.This was betrayal on a sacred level.“You brought shame to the Alpha,” Elder Kael’s voice boomed suddenly, louder than the others, gravel-laced and full of fury. “You brought shame to all of us.”Evelyn flinched like the words struck her physically.She turned to Zarek.“I can explain. Please—just h
SELENELeila’s eyes met mine as she reached the base of the stairs. I held her gaze for a moment—silent, steady—before I finally spoke.“Gather the elders,” I said. “And the senior pack members. Bring the new healer too.”Leila didn’t flinch. She nodded, calm and obedient, and turned without hesitation.Evelyn’s head snapped toward me, her voice laced with fury. “What the hell are you planning to do?”I took a slow step toward her. She backed up instinctively, her cloak brushing the hallway wall.“If you run,” I said, my tone low and venom-laced, “I will find you. And I will kill you.”She froze.“I’m done letting snakes slip through cracks. You’ve bitten one too many times, Evelyn. Now it’s time to burn the whole nest.”She swallowed hard, eyes darting past me like she was looking for escape. There wasn’t any.Minutes passed. I didn’t speak again. I didn’t need to. My silence said more than enough.Then soft steps returned—Leila, now walking briskly, her cloak swaying.“They’re comin
SELENELeila’s eyes met mine as she reached the base of the stairs. I held her gaze for a moment—silent, steady—before I finally spoke.“Gather the elders,” I said. “And the senior pack members. Bring the new healer too.”Leila didn’t flinch. She nodded, calm and obedient, and turned without hesitation.Evelyn’s head snapped toward me, her voice laced with fury. “What the hell are you planning to do?”I took a slow step toward her. She backed up instinctively, her cloak brushing the hallway wall.“If you run,” I said, my tone low and venom-laced, “I will find you. And I will kill you.”She froze.“I’m done letting snakes slip through cracks. You’ve bitten one too many times, Evelyn. Now it’s time to burn the whole nest.”She swallowed hard, eyes darting past me like she was looking for escape. There wasn’t any.Minutes passed. I didn’t speak again. I didn’t need to. My silence said more than enough.Then soft steps returned—Leila, now walking briskly, her cloak swaying.“They’re comin
SELENE“Just go Evelyn, that estate would be a better place for you to avoid more troubles.” I said, my voice low.“More troubles? I am yet to start.” Evelyn muttered then she smiled. “Alpha, I have one piece of information that would shock you.”“Go on.” Zarek said, his voice deep.“Alpha Zarek,” Evelyn said louder this time, her voice trembling but sharp as a blade, slicing through the stunned silence like it had been waiting for this moment. “Your sister Leila is pregnant. And your Luna—your beloved Selene—has known about it since day one.”My heart stalled. The wind in the courtyard died. Even the guards stopped moving.Behind Evelyn, Clara let out a sharp inhale. But it was Zarek I felt the most—how his presence shifted beside me. Rigid. Disbelieving. Hurt.I stood frozen, spine straight, shoulders tense. I didn’t feel guilt. Not immediately.No—what I felt was something colder. That precise, deadly calm before the storm breaks. Like I’d just been handed a sword that already had