FAZER LOGINRAVENThe new house smelled like hope and sawdust.I sat on the edge of the unfinished porch, my legs swinging over the side. The wood was cool against the back of my thighs. I traced the silver marks on my wrist, watching how they pulsed in time with the first stars appearing overhead.A footstep crunched on the gravel behind me. I didn't have to look. The air grew warmer, smelling of woodsmoke and old leather.Dominic sat down next to me. He didn't say anything at first. He just rested his large, scarred hand on the porch next to mine. He looked tired, his golden hair messy from a day of shouting orders and moving stone, but his eyes were soft as they swept over the valley."The roof goes on next week," he said. His voice was a low rumble, the kind that made me feel warm "Jax says the wood is string enough. It won't warp when the snow hits.""It’s beautiful, Dominic," I whispered."It’s just a shell," he corrected, his fingers finally reaching out to cover mine. His skin was hot, a
RAVENAfter the adrenaline of the mine and the heat of Jax’s embrace, a strange restlessness had settled into my marrow. I had slept for a few hours, tucked safely against Jax’s side, but the silver marks on my neck had begun to hum— I was restless.I slipped out from under Jax’s arm, moving silently. He didn't wake up, though his brow furrowed for a second as he felt the loss of my warmth. I tucked the blankets around his broad shoulders, lingering for a moment to watch the steady rise and fall of his chest. He looked younger when he was asleep, the hard lines on his face softened.I stepped out into the hallway. The air was cool, smelling of the fresh pine planks used to board up the library.I didn't head for the kitchen or the courtyard. I followed the pull in my chest, the invisible thread that led toward the back of the house, where the old stone archives sat nestled against the mountain’s roots.The door to the archives swung open without a sound.Inside, the room was bathed in
JAXI didn't move for a long second. I couldn't. My heart was slamming against my ribs, and the air in my lungs felt like it had been replaced by smoke. I’ve been in a hundred battles. I’ve seen men torn apart by teeth . I’ve looked into the eyes of death so many times I know the color of its iris.But I’ve never been as afraid as I was when that shadow-thing turned its white pits toward her."Raven," I rasped.My voice sounded foreign to me—cracked and raw. I pushed myself up from the stone wall, the pain in my chest a dull roar. The impact had probably cracked a couple of ribs, but I didn't give a damn. I crawled toward her, my boots sliding on the damp, cold floor of the mine.She was on her knees, her small frame trembling so hard I could hear her teeth chattering. The orange glow of her magic had faded, but the silver marks on her wrists were still pulsing with a faint, dying light. She looked fragile. She looked like a piece of glass that had survived a hammer blow but was cover
JAXI didn't move for a long second. I couldn't. My heart was slamming against my ribs, and the air in my lungs felt like it had been replaced by smoke. I’ve been in a hundred battles. I’ve seen men torn apart by teeth . I’ve looked into the eyes of death so many times I know the color of its iris.But I’ve never been as afraid as I was when that shadow-thing turned its white pits toward her."Raven," I rasped.My voice sounded foreign to me—cracked and raw. I pushed myself up from the stone wall, the pain in my chest a dull roar. The impact had probably cracked a couple of ribs, but I didn't give a damn. I crawled toward her, my boots sliding on the damp, cold floor of the mine.She was on her knees, her small frame trembling so hard I could hear her teeth chattering. The orange glow of her magic had faded, but the silver marks on her wrists were still pulsing with a faint, dying light. She looked fragile. She looked like a piece of glass that had survived a hammer blow but was cover
RAVENThe sun was barely up, but Jax was already sweating.I found him at the north perimeter, where the forest pushed hard against the compound’s stone walls. He was stripped to his waist, his back a map of old scars and fresh bruises from the battle in the library. He was swinging a heavy iron sledgehammer, driving thick silver-plated stakes into the ground.Clang. Clang. Clang.It was the heartbeat of a man who didn't know how to rest unless his hands were busy.Jax didn't look up when I approached, but his shoulders shifted. He knew it was me. He knew my scent, the sound of my boots, and the specific rhythm of my breathing. That was the thing about Jax; he didn't need to see you to protect you. He just felt the space you occupied in his world."You’re up early," he said but didn't stop swinging."The room was too quiet," I said, leaning against a nearby cedar tree. "Dominic is still asleep. Cole is probably snoring loud enough to shake the barracks. And Merek... well, Merek is be
RAVENDominic had left an hour ago to oversee the reinforcements of the north gate. He hadn’t wanted to go, but I’d practically pushed him out the door. The man was full of protective energy, and if he stayed in this room any longer, he was going to start pacing holes in the floorboards.I sat by the window, my fingers tracing the marks on my wrist. They didn't feel like skin anymore. Every time the sunlight hit them, they shimmered.I was staring at a patch of dead grass in the courtyard when a sudden thwack hit the glass.I jumped, my heart leaping into my throat. For a split second, I expected to see a shadow-walker or a splatter of black ink.Instead, I saw a pinecone.It was wedged into the corner of the window frame. A second later, another one flew up from below, bouncing off the glass with a cheerful ping.I pushed the window open and leaned out.Cole was standing in the dirt three stories down. He wasn't wearing a shirt—he rarely did when the sun was out and his golden-brown
DOMINIC The high council did not send letters. They sent men in grey suits with cold eyes and clipboards. They arrived at the main gate just as the sun was hitting the peak of the mountain. They were the "inspectors"—high-ranking wolves from the capital who came to make sure the Iron Howlers were f
MEREK The rogue was dying, but it wasn't a wound of the flesh. It was a wound of the spirit. He had been found at the edge of our territory, shivering in the mud. He was a young wolf, barely a man, but he was covered in black, pulsing veins that moved under his skin like snakes. It was a "Hollow C
COLE The tension in the training yard was so thick you could cut it with a hockey skate. On one side, you had Jax—the Enforcer. He was a wall of muscle, ink, and bad attitude. He lived for the weight room and the fight. On the other side, you had me. I was fast, I had the static spark, and I knew h
MEREK The air in the north tower was thin and smelled of old starlight. I stood by the stone window, my hands resting on the cold ledge. To a human, the wind sounds like whistling. To a wolf, it sounds like a howl. But to a spirit, the wind is a library. It carries the voices of everyone who has ev







