LOGINCIAN'S POV
The cold was unbearable. It wasn't the normal cold of winter air or snow. This was inside me, in my blood and bones, spreading through my veins like poison.I was on my knees, gasping for breath that turned to white fog in the air. My hands were pressed against the ground, and I could see frost forming on my skin. Not on top of it, but underneath, like ice was growing inside my veins and pushing through."Cian!" Rowan's voice was rough with pain. He was on the ground beDANTE'S POVI watched Lara collapse over Rowan's frozen body, her sobs tearing through the small shelter. Cian was barely conscious beside his brother, the frost spreading across his skin in the same deadly patterns.They were both dying. And I was sitting here useless, with broken ribs and wounds that wouldn't stop bleeding.But maybe I wasn't completely useless."Lara," I said, my voice rough with pain. "I need to go."She looked up at me, her face streaked with tears. "What? No. You're injured. You can't—""I need to find answers," I interrupted. "About the curse. About how to stop it.""Where would you even look?""Northwind Palace library." I used the wall to pull myself upright, every movement sending sharp pain through my broken ribs. "It has the most complete collection of ancient texts in the north. If there's information about the Frostborn Curse, it'll be there.""That's insane," Lara said. "Kael will kill you if he finds you there."
LARA'S POVI knelt beside Rowan, my hands shaking as I touched his frozen face. Ice had formed in his eyes, making them look like crystals instead of living tissue. He wasn't breathing. Or if he was, the breaths were so shallow I couldn't see them."Cian, help me," I begged, turning to look at him.But Cian was barely conscious himself. The frost had spread up his arms and across his chest, the crystalline patterns glowing faintly in the moonlight filtering through the trees. He was on his hands and knees, shaking violently."We need... shelter," he gasped. "Can't stay... here."He was right. The wolves were still out there, hunting us. And both twins were dying. I needed to get them somewhere safe, somewhere I could try to help them.But how? I was pregnant, wolfless, and completely alone except for two dying Alphas and an injured bodyguard."Dante," I called out, remembering he'd been with us. "Dante, where are you?"A groan came from behind a falle
CIAN'S POVThe cold was unbearable. It wasn't the normal cold of winter air or snow. This was inside me, in my blood and bones, spreading through my veins like poison.I was on my knees, gasping for breath that turned to white fog in the air. My hands were pressed against the ground, and I could see frost forming on my skin. Not on top of it, but underneath, like ice was growing inside my veins and pushing through."Cian!" Rowan's voice was rough with pain. He was on the ground beside me, clutching his chest. I could see the same frost spreading across his skin, following the paths of his blood vessels in crystalline patterns.This was killing us. Whatever this curse was, it was literally freezing us from the inside out.Through the haze of pain, I heard Lara scream. "No! Stop! Leave them alone!"She was awake. The sound of her voice, even terrified, gave me strength. I forced my head up to look at her.She was still tied at the base of the altar, struggl
ROWAN'S POVWe were halfway through fighting our way out of the palace dungeons when it hit me. Not a physical blow, but a realization so sudden and clear it stopped me in my tracks."The safe house," I said, my voice cutting through the sounds of combat. "They wanted us away from Lara."Cian looked at me, his storm gray eyes widening with the same horrible understanding. "This was all a distraction."Kael's laugh echoed off the dungeon walls. "Finally figured it out, did you? Too late, though. My men reached the cabin twenty minutes ago."Hot rage exploded through me. My wolf surged forward, demanding blood. But Cian grabbed my arm, holding me back."We need to go," he said urgently. "Now."We abandoned the fight, both of us shifting partially to move faster. Dante was barely conscious between us, but we dragged him along anyway. We'd promised to save him, and we weren't leaving him behind.The wolves tried to stop us, but we fought through them with
LARA'S POVI woke to the sharp smell of damp stone and old blood. My head was pounding, and for a moment I couldn't remember where I was. Then it all came rushing back. The cabin. The chase through the forest. Alden's smile as he drugged me.I tried to move and realized my hands were bound behind my back. The thick rope cut into my wrists, tight enough to hurt. I was sitting on a cold stone, my back against something hard.The altar. I was at the base of the Moonspire altar.Panic flooded through me. I pulled against the ropes, but they didn't budge. My feet were tied too, ankles bound together."You're awake. Good."Alden's voice came from somewhere to my left. I turned my head and saw him standing near one of the massive stone pillars that surrounded the altar. He was still wearing those dark robes, and in the moonlight, he looked almost like a priest.A very evil priest."Let me go," I said, my voice hoarse. "Please, I'm pregnant. The baby needs—"
LARA'S POVI was still staring at the ancient text about Moon-Silence when I heard them. Motorcycles. Multiple engines roaring through the forest, getting closer.I was scared. Were the twins back already? That was fast. But something felt wrong.I stood from the chair by the fire and moved to the window, peering through the gap in the curtains. Headlights cut through the darkness, weaving between trees. Not two bikes. Five. Maybe six.Not the twins.Panic flooded through me, cold and sharp. I dropped the book and ran to the back of the cabin, looking for another way out. There had to be a back door, a window, something.The motorcycles were getting louder, closer. I could hear them cutting their engines, hear boots hitting the ground. Hear voices calling to each other."Spread out. She's in there. Don't let her escape."Kael's men. He'd found me.I found the back door and yanked it open as quietly as I could. The forest stretched out behind







