Chapter 12 – Ghosts in the MoonlightKael’s POVThe dungeon still smelled of iron and blood when I left it behind. The echoes of the rogue’s voice followed me up the narrow stone stairs, each word dragging behind like a curse I couldn’t shake.She didn’t want to see you.The torchlight flickered along the walls, shadows stretching long and thin across the corridor, but all I could see was that damned smirk—the way the rogue said her name. Serena.He’d spoken it like it was sacred. Like it belonged to him.My hands clenched before I even realized it, the phantom sting of rage burning my palms. The guards had to drag me off him before I tore his throat out. But the damage was already done. His words had sunk deep, festering where reason couldn’t reach.Serena might be alive.I’d buried her in my heart years ago. Mourned her until the pain turned into something sharp and cold. Until I learned to live with the silence she left behind. And now—now this filthy rogue claimed she was out ther
Chapter 11 – The Ghost That BreathesKael’s POVThe night reeked of blood and smoke.Rogues had come from the eastern ridge—fast, silent, and vicious. We’d taken most of them down before the moon reached its peak, but the stench of betrayal lingered long after the fight was done.Now, in the stone chamber below the fortress, I stood before the last one breathing.He was on his knees, wrists bound in silver chains, skin blistered and raw where the metal touched. His head hung low, hair matted with dirt and blood, but the moment I entered, he raised his gaze. And smiled.“Alpha Kael,” he rasped, voice hoarse yet mocking. “I was wondering when you’d come.”I crossed the distance in three strides, grabbing a fistful of his shirt and yanking him up. “You came into my lands. You slaughtered my guards. Tell me why before I rip the answer out of your throat.”The rogue’s smirk widened, teeth flashing under the dim torchlight. “You wouldn’t kill me. Not when I’m the one carrying her message.”
Chapter 10: Testing LimitsAriana's POV The training arena reeked of sweat and blood. Sunlight poured in through the floor to ceiling windows, casting enough shades of light to make the sandy grounds hot to the feet. I tried so hard not to flinch and show an atom of weakness, but it was harder than I thought.I swallowed hard as I realized that I was placed right there, in the center of the room, for the attention of everyone—for all eyes to be fixed on me, watching and waiting for me to make a mistake, a spectacular move, whatever it was that surged through their intrigued, merciless eyes.Sigh. Classic werewolf dispute. Always looking for some sort of entertainment from the weaker ones.Too bad because I was going to prove them wrong today.Placing my attention forward, I watched as the eleven women walked forward to stand in a half circle before me. Each warrior, strong and fierce in their own ways, their teeth flashing at me as a sign of intimidation as our eyes locked from the s
Chapter 9 – Secrets and SuspicionsAriana’s POVThe days after the rogue attack were a blur of whispers and wary glances. Wherever I walked in the Moonfang packhouse, I felt eyes on me—curious, measuring, suspicious.They’d seen what I did that night.What I couldn’t explain.Power that came out of nowhere and left me trembling, hungry for more. Power no ordinary wolf should have.Now every time I stepped into the training grounds, conversations dipped, voices hushed. Some looked impressed. Others? Afraid.I hated it.But I hated feeling weak even more.So, I trained. Harder than ever.The morning sun beat down on the sparring ring as I squared off against one of the pack’s female warriors—a tall, sharp-eyed wolf named Selene. She moved like water, her strikes clean and calculated. Mine… not so much. My arms ached from the weight of the wooden staff as I blocked another blow.“Too slow,” Selene taunted, spinning and sweeping for my legs. I barely jumped in time, landing on shaky feet.
Chapter 8 – Luna Training BeginsAriana’s POVThe courtyard still smelled faintly of blood when dawn bled across the sky. I hadn’t slept not really. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw claws ripping, teeth flashing, my own hands slick with crimson.And Kael’s eyes.Saints help me, those eyes would haunt me forever.Now, as I stood on the edge of the training arena, heart pounding like a drum in my ribs, the weight of every stare pressed down like iron chains. Warriors, ranked and ruthless, milled across the packed earth, their breath curling in the cold morning air. I caught fragments of whispers drifting my way like poisoned darts.“That’s her.”“The omega who killed two rogues.”“Kael’s pet project.”I curled my fingers into fists to hide the tremor. Yesterday, I’d been invisible. Today, I was a spectacle.“Eyes forward.”The command cracked like a whip. My gaze snapped up to the female instructor striding across the ring—a tall, sinewy wolf with scars etched into her bronze skin lik
Chapter 7 – First Rogue AttackAriana’s POVThe night split open with the sound of howls. Not the disciplined cadence of trained wolves, but something raw and jagged, the kind that scraped across your bones and left frost in your veins. Rogues.I gripped the edge of the window frame so tightly my knuckles ached. Beyond the balcony, the Moonveil courtyard was chaos. Warriors clashed in a blur of fur and claws, their snarls tearing through the wind. The metallic scent of blood rode the breeze, thick and sharp, making my wolf stir restlessly inside me.Kael was out there.Even among the frenzy, I found him—black fur gleaming under the silver wash of the moon, a shadow made flesh. He moved with lethal grace, every strike precise, merciless. When he lunged, rogues fell like broken branches. When he roared, the night itself seemed to shudder.He had told me to stay inside. Locked. Safe.But standing here, useless, while my heartbeat thundered like a war drum? It felt like being buried alive