MasukChapter 69
Every morning Raven woke to the quiet warmth of Axel’s arms wrapped around her, the heavy thrum of his heartbeat beneath her cheek. Sometimes she would lie there, pretending to be asleep just to feel his hand move through her hair, his breath tickling the edge of her ear. It was the kind of peace she’d never imagined she’d deserve and for once she allowed herself to breathe.
Raven sat on the steps outside the training hall, boots off, toes brushing the grass. Soldiers trained nearby, their laughter cutting through the usual discipline.
“Enjoying the calm?”
Axel’s voice was soft behind her. When she looked back, his hair was still damp from shower, his shirt half-unbuttoned, sleeves rolled to his elbows. The sight alone made something in her stomach twist and flutter.
“It’s strange,” she murmured. &ldqu
Chapter 75The battlefield stretched like a scar across the land. Smoke and ash hung in the sky, the sun obscured by the pall of destruction. The Moonriders’ fortress, though partially intact, had been battered by the initial surge of Lyandra’s forces. Stones cracked, fires burned in scattered heaps, and the air itself seemed to vibrate with the dark pulse of Hollow energy.Raven hovered above the inner courtyard, her aura a whirlwind of golden-black fire that bent the air around her.Below, Axel cut a path through the chaos. Moonriders and warriors were falling back, some injured, some overwhelmed by the relentless Hollow born giants that surged forward with terrifying strength. Sparks of magic ignited in the air with every strike, and the Hollow energy warped the very ground beneath their feet.“Raven!” Axel roared, dodging a sweeping blow from a Hollow born warrior. H
Chapter 74The dawn was an angry red over the Moonriders’ fortress. The air trembled with anticipation, carrying the faint metallic scent of magic, and blood.Raven stood atop the fortress wall, the wind tugging at her dress, her hair a dark river whipping around her face. Below, the Moonriders moved like shadows, their formations precise but tense. Her gaze was fixed on the horizon, where the first glimpses of Lyandra’s army appeared: massive Hollowborn giants, their bodies twisted by dark magic, skeletal forms reinforced with blackened iron, and soldiers bearing banners black as a moonless night.Malrik, his voice low and urgent, appeared at her side. “Raven,” he said, his tone uncharacteristically strained, “they’re larger than the scouts reported. We’re seeing the full might of the Black Dominion. You… need to prepare yourself.”Raven’s
Chapter 73Inside the main hall, Raven moved slowly, each step deliberate. Her pregnancy was now unmistakable. Her robes clung softly to her growing belly, the gentle swell a sign of life amidst the chaos surrounding the pack. She carried herself with quiet grace, her aura radiant yet tinged with the faint shadows of the Hollow Blade’s lingering influence.Malrik had insisted the hallways be cleared of unnecessary distractions, and the pack responded with discipline. Every warrior seemed to hover in the background, eyes alert and protective. Raven had never felt so both guarded and exposed.Axel’s return to the fortress was quiet, but the moment he stepped into the main hall, his gaze found her instantly. Time seemed to stop as he took in the sight of her. Though her body had grown softer, warmer with life, her presence burned brighter than ever and her aura shimmered with gold light threaded with hints of black.“Raven…” His voice broke slightly, the raw emotion threatening to overpo
Chapter 72Raven moved quietly among the sick, her eyes shadowed with exhaustion.“Drink this,” she said softly, kneeling beside a young warrior lying in the infirmary. The boy’s breathing shallow; his pulse was faint.“I can’t,” he rasped. His eyes shimmered faintly violet, the early mark of Hollow infection.Raven steadied her voice. “You must. It’s blessed water mixed with moonroot. It’ll help you fight it.”He swallowed weakly, grimacing as the liquid burned down his throat.Raven brushed his damp hair from his face, murmuring something in the old tongue. A flicker of light passed from her fingertips into him, a healing pulse but the recoil was immediate. Her own chest burned with pain, her veins flashing with dark light.She bit back a gasp.Malrik, who’d been helping the healers, saw it. “You need rest,” he said gruffly. “You’re overusing your magic again.”She forced a faint smile. “I’m fine.”“Bullshit.”“Malrik”He dropped his tone, softer now. “You’ve been at this for three
Chapter 70Raven stood on the balcony overlooking the training field. Her fingers traced absently along the cold railing, her other hand pressing against her stomach, a reflex now. She didn’t mean to, not consciously. But something there pulsed softly, warmly… alive.The realization had come in whispers but she didn't understand as she remembered the faint nausea, the sudden exhaustion, the strange rhythm of her magic pulsing in two beats instead of one. It terrified her as much as it awed her.Down below, Axel was drilling the new recruits. His voice carried through the wind. deep, commanding, familiar. She watched him move: fluid, lethal grace wrapped in muscle and purpose. But beneath it, she could feel his tension. He hadn’t said it aloud, yet she knew he sensed her distance, her avoidance.Raven turned away, clutching her cloak tighter. As questions raced in her mind, what did he think? Is he ha
Chapter 71Raven sat in silence at the far end, wrapped in a dark cloak that hid the faint curve of her belly. The war table gleamed beneath torchlight; a map of the Northern Realms sprawled across it, punctured by blades marking borders, pins marking armies.Axel stood at the table’s head, his voice low but sharp as he addressed the gathered council of wolves.“Two months of rebuilding,” he began, “and now we have news of Lyandra’s banner flying over the Frostmarch. If we wait, she’ll come to us stronger than ever. We can’t afford that.”Malrik slammed a gauntleted fist against the table. “Then we strike first. Catch her before her armies spread.”Maddox shook his head, his usual swagger replaced by grim restraint. “And risk walking into a trap? She’s clever. If she’s showing her banners







