LIRAAldric folded his hands together. "Now that we are all in agreement, there is one last matter to discuss."I turned to him. "You must leave soon," the Elder continued. "The Valenwood Pack has remained hidden for a reason. They might not welcome you easily."But before he could respond, my father stepped in, his expression tense. My father, always the protector, never the one to show vulnerability, now looked like a man whose world had been flipped upside down. I met his gaze, a question in my eyes, but he didn’t wait for it."I’m coming with you," he said, his voice low but resolute. "I’ve kept you from the truth for too long. I’ve kept you safe and I won’t let you face this alone.""Father," I began, but the words felt weak on my tongue. He wasn’t giving me a choice, and I knew it. My father, Tobias, was the Alpha of our pack—he couldn’t sit idly by while I searched for the answers to who I really was."You will need me," he continued, his voice thick with something I couldn’t q
LIRAThe morning air was crisp, carrying the scent of damp earth and pine as our group rode through the dense forest. Sunlight filtered through the towering trees, casting shifting shadows along the moss-covered path. The rhythm of hooves striking the dirt ground was the only sound that accompanied our travel, yet it felt like the forest itself was holding its breath, watching us, waiting.I stole a glance at my father, who rode beside me, his expression unreadable as always. His stoic demeanor was a constant presence, an unyielding force of control. Alpha Tobias, my father, had insisted on coming along, bringing ten of his own warriors to join our group. Despite his silent disapproval of my bond with Caius, he had made it clear that my safety was his priority—whether I liked it or not. The air between us was tense, yet unspoken. He had not addressed our issues directly, but his actions said everything. His gaze rarely lingered on me, his attention always focused ahead, as if determin
LIRAThe wind howled through the dense forest, swirling snow around our boots as we stood at the edge of the darkened valley. Our breath curled into the cold night air, a plume of white vapor fading into the frosty emptiness. The world seemed alive with the biting chill, but beneath it, a heavy unease pressed down on us like a suffocating blanket. The night was silent, save for the harsh whispers of the wind and the occasional crunch of snow beneath our feet. Yet, I could feel something—something lurking just beyond the reach of the moonlight, watching us, waiting.My father stood at my right, his broad form a silent sentinel in the dark. His warriors formed a protective semicircle around us, their dark silhouettes outlined against the pale snow. The tension in the air was palpable, thick with the foreboding sense that we were on the cusp of something dangerous. My father’s sharp gaze never wavered, his eyes scanning the edges of the valley, taking in every shadow, every flicker of mo
The captured warrior sat bound to a thick wooden post in the center of the camp, his wrists and ankles secured with silver-forged restraints. The dark night air whipped around him, but he didn’t flinch, his sharp amber eyes unwavering as he glared at the wolves surrounding him. The cold night seemed to press down on us, thick with the weight of what was to come. Caius, Tobias, Lira, and the others stood in a half-circle before him, each of us on edge, eyes fixed on the warrior. The fire crackled behind us, casting dancing shadows across the faces of those gathered.Ronan was the first to break the silence. His voice was low, tinged with that unrelenting cynicism he always carried. “You should consider yourself lucky,” he muttered. “We usually don’t keep strangers alive when they attack first.”The warrior scoffed, the sound rough, carrying the weight of experience. “And I usually don’t get captured,” he replied, his voice thick with the remnants of a hardened past.Caius stepped forw
The silence stretched for several moments as Lira processed everything Dain had just revealed. The weight of it settled on her shoulders, pressing down with the heaviness of a thousand unspoken truths. Her mind spun as she grappled with the implications of what she had just learned. She had always known there were gaps in her mother’s story, but she never expected those gaps to be so vast, so tangled in the shadows of betrayal and lost legacies.Caius was the first to break the silence, his voice steady but edged with disbelief. “You’re saying that Valenwood really still exists. That Alpha Theron, Lira’s grandfather, is still leading the survivors.”Dain’s amber eyes met Caius’s, unwavering. “Yes,” he confirmed with a nod, his voice thick with both reverence and sorrow. “And he would want to see his granddaughter.” His gaze flickered toward Lira, his next words meant only for her. “You carry his blood. Even after all these years, you belong to Valenwood.”Lira wasn’t sure what to say.
The air was crisp as they set out before dawn, the distant mountains silhouetted against the dim glow of the fading moon. The night’s lingering chill clung to Lira’s skin, but she barely noticed. Her mind was too preoccupied with the weight of the journey ahead.They were heading into the unknown—into Valenwood, a place shrouded in secrecy for over half a century.Tobias rode beside her, his presence grounding yet heavy with unspoken thoughts. To his left, Dain remained stoic, his expression unreadable as his sharp eyes scanned their surroundings. Caius, ever the silent guardian, positioned himself protectively near Lira, while Ronan and the other warriors flanked them at a distance.As they rode, Lira found her gaze drifting to Dain. His story had lingered in her mind ever since his reveal. A man who had spent his life protecting a land few believed existed. A man who had lost everything to Malakar’s forces.She broke the silence. Lira took a deep breath, her hands tightening around t
The further south they traveled, the denser the forests became. The air was thick, not just with the scent of damp earth but with something else—something unseen.Magic.Caius was the first to voice what they were all thinking. “Something is different here.”Dain, riding ahead, nodded. “This is the magic of Valenwood. It has kept us hidden for decades.”Elias frowned. “If it’s magic, then who cast it?”Dain’s expression darkened, his brow furrowing as though the question had dug into an old wound. “A witch named Morgana Blackthorne.”Lira straightened in her saddle, her eyes narrowing. “The same witch who helped my parents?”“The very same,” Dain confirmed. “She was an ally, but she was also secretive. She never revealed the true extent of her abilities, only that she had sworn to protect Valenwood.”Ronan whistled low, impressed. “A witch who can hide an entire pack for years? That’s powerful magic.”Dain nodded grimly, a haunted look crossing his face. “It is. And I learned a fracti
Night fell faster than expected, and the group quickly set up camp in a clearing surrounded by towering pines, their tall trunks casting long shadows in the dimming light. The campfire crackled, sending orange sparks into the air, as the wind whispered through the branches above.Lira sat by the fire, the warmth from the flames doing little to chase the cold that settled deep in her bones. Her thoughts swirled—Morgana’s magic, the prophecy, and now, Dain’s unexpected revelation about his bloodline. The pieces of the puzzle were slowly coming together, but she felt no closer to understanding the full picture. She glanced at Dain, who stood at the edge of the camp, his back turned to the fire. He was staring into the darkness of the forest, his posture rigid, as though he was waiting for something—or someone.Unable to let the silence linger, Lira stood and moved toward him, her steps soft on the forest floor. She paused when she was close enough to speak without disturbing the quiet of
MORGANAThe scent of rosemary and dried bloodroot clung to my robes as I pored over the fifth tome of the morning. My fingers trembled—not from age, but from urgency. It had been two days since we discovered the truth.Two days since I learned that Malakar had not merely touched Caius’ mind… but had laced himself into his very shadow.A tether. A slow poison.A curse older than most witches alive today.I hadn’t slept. The fire in my chamber barely flickered anymore, kept alive only by the pulse of my magic and the constant rustling of pages. On the table before me, scrolls lay scattered, ink smudged by my hurried notes. I’d summoned wind spirits for answers. Brewed insight draughts. Called on the ancestors through the Oracle’s Mirror.Nothing had given me what I needed.Because this was no ordinary corruption. Malakar wasn’t just feeding off Caius—he was waiting. Waiting for the right moment to seize full control.And that moment was drawing near.Caius hadn't said much in the last t
CAUISWe scoured the halls until our feet ached and our patience thinned.Every wall, every crack, every space in the packhouse was searched—twice. The talismans Ysara gave us were sensitive, humming lightly in our palms whenever they neared even the faintest trace of cursed energy. But for hours, they offered nothing but silence.Until Kora stopped dead in her tracks."Wait… the old stone hearth," she said, her voice sharp with realization. "The one in the original east wing kitchen. No one uses it anymore, but it's still there."The east wing. Of course.No one cooked there now. The kitchens had been rebuilt on the other side after the fire years ago. But the room remained accessible—used occasionally for storage, sometimes by pups playing hide-and-seek. A forgotten relic of our home’s past.And the perfect place to hide something no one was meant to find.We rushed to the hearth, the talismans growing heavier with each step.As soon as we crossed the threshold, the symbols on the t
MORGANA I didn't walk. I ran. The vision still echoed behind my eyes like lightning that refused to fade. I had no time to waste, no room for caution. I clutched the edge of my cloak and stormed through the halls of Grimhowl, the weight of destiny—and dread—pressing down on my shoulders like an avalanche ready to fall. Caius. Lira. They needed to know what I saw. The future was still uncertain, a thread split in two. One path led to fire, ruin, and death. The other—hope. But both required a choice. A sacrifice. A weapon. And time, we had little of that left. I reached the dining hall, heart thudding in my chest, relief washing over me as I spotted them all inside. Lira stood beside Caius, her hand resting gently on his. Tobias and Thoren sat nearby, deep in conversation with Seraphina and Dain. Deanna and Elowen were seated next to Ronan and Kora, who looked up the moment I entered. Elias stood at the far end, arms crossed, eyes alert. Even the Elders Council had g
MORGANA The moment I stepped out of the war room, scroll clutched tight to my chest, I felt the weight of centuries settle on my shoulders like a cloak spun from memory and magic. The Map of the Bloodseer. I had heard of it in whispers—in forgotten tomes and fragmented chants. A myth, they claimed. A tale told by seers too old to trust and too mad to be believed. But it was real. Right in my hands, pulsing faintly with the tangled threads of fate itself. This could be the turning point in the war. Or a trap we were too desperate to ignore. I moved quickly through Grimhowl’s stone halls, ducking into the small chamber I’d claimed as my study. Candles flared to life with a flick of my fingers. Runes on the walls shimmered, reacting to the old magic now saturating the space. I laid the map out carefully across the old table, heart pounding not with fear—but with urgency. Because this time, it was personal. My hands hovered over the parchment, and I whispered an incan
CAUIS I stood at the head of the hall, my hand resting lightly on the back of Lira’s chair, listening to Ronan speak. His voice echoed just enough to remind us all why we were really here. "Alright, as beautiful as all these long-lost family moments are,” Ronan began, flashing a small grin, “we didn’t come back just to cry and sniff each other’s hair.” A few chuckles rumbled through the hall—Kora rolled her eyes, Seraphina smirked into her cup, and even Tobias cracked a grin. But I could feel the shift in Ronan’s tone even before the humor faded from his face. “We come bearing news from the Village of Enomenos,” he said. Just like that, the air changed. I straightened. “Then we need to meet. We’ll keep this here brief and move to the war room.” “Thoren, Tobias, you and your daughters stay,” I added, catching my mate’s gaze and brushing my fingers across her hand. “You deserve the time to catch up.” “But unfortunately for Elias,” Ronan smirked over his should
ELIAS The warmth of the dining hall clashed with the tension humming beneath my skin. We’d only just returned—Thoren, Ronan, Kora, and I—bringing news from the nearby village. We hadn’t been gone long, but in war, every hour stretched thin. Every moment was weighted. And yet, in the middle of it all, I found myself rooted in place—not by dread, not by urgency—but by a scent. I froze near the entrance, my breath catching. It drifted through the air, cutting through the aromas of roasted meat, earth, and fire. This scent was different. Unmistakable. Fresh rain on wildflowers. Sweet… and wild. Mate. My head snapped toward the far end of the hall. And that’s when I saw her. She stood beside Dain, half-shielded by the curve of his arm. Her gaze was already on me. Wide-eyed. Curious. Like she felt it too. No—she knew. The world narrowed. Sounds dimmed. I took a step forward before I even realized I was moving. My heart thundered in my chest as I closed
SERAPHINA The warmth of familiar arms still lingered on my skin. I was wrapped in it—reunion, laughter, tears. The scent of my mother, the comforting cadence of Tobias’s voice, even Morgana’s sharp, dry wit—it all created a fragile kind of joy, stitched together by disbelief. I was home. Somehow. Even though the walls were different, the ground colder, and the people scarred by what had come before, I was here. After so long, I let myself breathe again. Because suddenly, something cold twisted in my gut. My father. The joy faded from my face like ash on the wind. I turned sharply, searching the faces around me—Tobias, Morgana, Dain. Dain. He stood near the fire, his arms crossed, face half-cast in shadow. “Dain,” I said, stepping forward. “Valenwood… what happened to it? Where’s my father? Is he still—” I couldn’t finish the question. My voice cracked, and the unspoken horrors hung between us like smoke. His jaw tightened, lips pressing into a thin l
THOREN Ysara’s words clung to the air like a spell. “Yes, I am a Bloodseer, and only few of us are left. I’m the only one in Enomenos. We are not simply part witch and part wolf—we are two complete souls living as one. One soul bound to the craft of magic, the other to the wildness of the wolf. Balanced. Powerful. But vulnerable to corruption. And once turned, a Bloodseer becomes the perfect servant of darkness.” Her voice held both strength and sorrow. For all her wisdom, there was weight behind every word—weight that had settled into her bones from carrying the burden of truth for far too long. Her gaze drifted across the room, landing briefly on Kora, then Ronan, and finally me. “That is why I remain hidden,” she continued. “I'd rather die righteous than live twisted. But these people…” she gestured subtly to the villagers gathered in the shadows, “they need me. So I walk a thin edge.”I swallowed hard, the scent of smoke and ancient herbs thick in the cavern air. The fir
THOREN The girl’s name was Elianna. A quiet strength pulsed in her steps as she led us deeper into the woods, through a narrow trail flanked by thick underbrush and twisting roots that reached like hands from the forest floor. The silence of the village had followed us, replaced now by the occasional crackle of twigs and the distant hoot of an owl, despite the sun still shining overhead. Ronan walked close, eyes scanning the shadows. Elias brought up the rear, her steps light but cautious, her hand never far from the hilt of her dagger. The rest of our warriors followed closely behind. Eventually, Elianna paused in front of a large outcropping of moss-covered stone. She placed her hand on its surface, whispering something in a tongue I didn’t recognize. The stone shimmered, then split down the center with a soft groan, revealing a narrow entrance, just large enough for one person at a time to slip through. "After you," she said, offering a small smile. Inside, the passage wa