Evelyn froze for a heartbeat, her pulse still racing from the encounter in Lucien’s office. The cool night air brushed against her skin, the torn nightgown hastily pulled back on, its thin fabric doing little to hide the flush on her cheeks or the disarray of her hair. Mira stood at the end of the hall, her sharp eyes narrowing as they swept over Evelyn, missing nothing. The Luna’s presence was commanding, her dark auburn hair catching the faint moonlight filtering through the keep’s narrow windows, her posture rigid with suspicion.“Where are you coming from?” Mira asked, her voice low but laced with an edge that could cut stone. Her gaze flicked past Evelyn, toward the closed door of Lucien’s office, and her lips tightened.Evelyn smoothed her expression into one of practiced innocence, her mind racing for a lie that would hold under Mira’s scrutiny. She tilted her head slightly, letting her dark hair fall in a way that obscured the faint red mark Lucien’s mouth had left on her thro
The Silvermist kept silent under the weight of midnight, the only sounds the occasional crackle of a dying fire and the distant howl of a lone wolf. Evelyn couldn’t sleep. The furs on her bed were warm, but the cold in her bones wasn’t from the air.The garden was a gamble. Lucien had mentioned it in passing earlier, his voice low as he described the quiet place where he went to think. If he was there, she could use it. If he wasn’t, she’d learn the layout of his territory under moonlight. Either way, she’d win something.The air outside was crisp, the mist curling like ghostly fingers around the roses and ivy. The garden was tucked behind the keep, a maze of stone paths and thorny blooms, silvered by the moon. She found him there, as she’d hoped—leaning against a low wall, his silhouette sharp against the night. His shirt was open at the collar, sleeves rolled to his elbows, as if he’d been pacing for hours. “Lucien,” she said softly, stepping into the light. Her voice was a calcula
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