LOGINNero POVThe message refused to leave my hand.The rough white cloth rested across my palm as my horse carried us along the winding forest road. Every few minutes my eyes drifted back to the words burned into the fabric.You're already too late.Stop chasing me.Or I'll harm one of your companions.The letters seemed darker every time I looked at them.Ahead of us, the road curved between towering pines. Evening light filtered through the branches, painting long shadows across the dirt path.The only sounds were the steady rhythm of hooves and the distant cries of birds settling in for the night."Alright." Rook finally broke the silence. "I've had enough."I didn't look up. He pointed at me. "You're being weird."Caya smirked. "He has been since the little girl gave him that towel."I folded it and slipped it inside my coat. "It was nothing."Rook snorted. "You've read 'nothing' at least twenty times.You've got eyes, not dementia.""I was making sure I read it correctly." I ignored
Remi POVThe moment Gemma finished speaking, the five elderly women surrounded me like wolves circling fresh prey.I instinctively took one step backward.“Oh no,” I muttered.Parrot snorted inside my head.One of the women—a tiny grandmother with bright silver hair piled into an impossible bun—clapped her hands together.“The future Luna! I told you she’d be prettier than Gemma described.”“Oh hush,” Gemma laughed. “You’ll embarrass the poor girl.”Another grandmother squinted at me. “Too much talking.”She pointed toward the hallway. “Bedroom.”“What?…Why?”“So we can scrub you.”Parrot made a choking sound. They’re going to skin us alive.Gemma folded her arms. “It wasn’t a request.”They didn’t even give me time to breathe.The second the bedroom door shut behind us, the five grandmothers moved like a well-practiced hunting pack. One locked the door. Another pulled the curtains. A third was already pouring steaming water into a large wooden tub that had somehow appeared in the co
Nero POVWe rode hard through the morning mist, the three of us cutting a straight line east. My horse’s flanks were already damp with sweat. I didn’t slow.Rook finally broke the silence with a loud groan. “For the love of the Goddess, Nero, are we racing the sun or just trying to kill the horses?”Mist drifted across the narrow road as our horses picked their way through the rocky pass. Dew clung to every blade of grass, and somewhere below us a river thundered through the valley, hidden beneath a blanket of white fog.Rook leaned forward in his saddle. “If you keep that pace we’re going to arrive as three corpses and one very confused horse.”Caya grinned. “Speak for yourself. I’m enjoying the view of Nero’s stiff shoulders. Very heroic.”I glanced down. Alpha Manuel’s ring was still tucked pocket. I hadn’t let it go since the buyer’s house. Every time I looked at it the same question circled: How deep had the Chimera reached?I needed to find the hooded assassin before I reached
Remi POv Continued I stared at Mordor like he’d grown a second head.“You don’t remember anything?” I asked. “How is that possible?”Bram still wouldn’t look at me. Ever since I’d used my wolf body to keep him from freezing, he’d fixed his eyes on Mordor like the man was the most fascinating thing in the room. His ears were faintly pink. I pretended not to notice.Ooooh, Parrot purred inside my head. This is awkward.Shut up, I told her.You cuddled another man.I kept him alive.Nero is still going to make that face.Which face?The one where he smiles… before someone dies.I ignored her and focused on Mordor. He sat against the wall, hand pressed to the gash on his forehead, looking more exhausted than dangerous.Mordor slowly shook his head before wincing. "Every time I try..." He pressed two fingers against the bandage around his forehead. "...it feels like my skull is splitting open.""You expect us to believe that?" Bram asked."I don't care what you believe." Silence settled b
Remi POVWarmth flooded through every part of me. The moment the shift settled, the cold vanished as though it had never existed. Rain hammered against my thick fur, but instead of freezing me, it rolled off in heavy streams. My wolf shook herself once, spraying droplets across the unfinished cabin.Bram stared at me, rubbing both hands together. His lips had already started turning pale." You’re Lucky," he muttered through chattering teeth.I snorted "Don't look at me like that," he said. "You look comfortable."I was ,more than comfortable. I felt... alive. The forest called to me. Every scent drifted through the rain. Wet earth. Pine. Moss. Rabbits hiding beneath roots. Deer somewhere to the east. The entire mountain breathed around me.Meanwhile Bram shivered harder. He glanced around the cabin. "No dry wood." I followed his eyes.Every corner leaked. Water dripped through cracks in the roof. The few blankets we'd brought were soaked. Even the storage room wasn't dry anymore."T
Nero PovThen I heard footsteps. They were running. I didn't think so I moved taking the stairs two at a time, I sprinted toward the second floor.A door slammed open. "Damn it! I charged down the hallway just as a bedroom window exploded outward.Glass burst into the morning air. By the time I reached it, a dark figure had already landed on the roof of the neighboring house with impossible balance.Black cloak. With his face completely hidden beneath a hood.The figure turned for the briefest second. Then the figure ran.I jumped through the broken window without slowing.Wood cracked beneath my boots as I landed on the roof "Stop!"The assassin never looked back. They leaped across the narrow alley with effortless speed.I followed and the rooftops blurred beneath us. Loose tiles shattered under every landing.The gap between us stayed exactly the same. It was like they already knew where every roof would give way. Who are you?The figure reached the edge of the village and launched i







