로그인Would you still trust someone who smiles while betraying you?
Rumi couldn’t meet my gaze, as if refusing to acknowledge the obvious swelling around her eyes. “Soren said he ran into you last night near the male dormitory. What were you doing there? And why did you tell him you were with me?” I pressed. “I was annoyed at him, so I just went along with whatever he said,” she answered quickly. “I was rushing back because curfew was only minutes away… I didn’t mean it. Did something happen?” “A lot…” I told her everything that had unfolded in the hunting grounds. I watched irritation spread across her face. “I knew it! Muriel is hiding something. She acts soft and harmless around everyone, but when Soren isn’t around, she threatens people. She even uses the fact that she’s the Blackwood Pack’s princess to intimidate them.” “And that’s exactly why I want nothing to do with her,” I said. “She’s going to be my sister-in-law, but… why doesn’t she use the Wilder name?” “She claims she wants to keep a low profile. Apparently, contrary to what she’s
[Gwyneth]“It’snot about Soren or anyone else.I’msimplystatingwhathappened.”I laid everything out: how Muriel tried to harm me, how the fox had eaten the berries, and how I used my weapon to take it down.“That’sa serious accusation.Where’syour proof?”shechallenged.“The powder you chose as a weapon left a stain in my hair. And your shoe print,” I pointed at my white tank top, where the mark was still visible, “it’sright here. Itwouldn’tbe difficult to see whether it matches yours.”The ground near the waterfall had been muddy, especially along the upper ridge wherewe’dstoodyesterday.“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Muriel stammered, taking a
[Lucian]Mr. Howard entered the High Chancellor’s office, an occurrence rare enough to raise concern. He was still in his pajamas, clearly roused from sleep and rushed here without a moment to spare. He feared very few people in this school… only the three who ruled it.“High Chancellor Flint,” he began, trying to steady his breath, “why was the First Claw sent to fetch me?”Flintdidn’twaste time. “A conflict broke out among the students last night. One from your class is missing.”The news barely registered on the academic master’s face. “Doesn’t that happen often enough? Fights break out between them all the time.”His expression practically said:‘what does any of this have to do with me?’“You’re not wrong,” I said evenly. “Pack houses wi
[Gwyneth] My mind drifted back to when I was fourteen. I had been crouched in a corner, weeping… not out of weakness, but out of a desperate need to release the pain that had built up inside me. “Are you alright?” a boy asked. When I looked up, I saw him, the Alpha’s son of the Ravencrest Pack. Their pack had come to visit for my sister Lynn’s engagement, and somehow, in the middle of all that celebration, he had found me here alone. “My sister… she’s the only one who loves me in this pack. And now, you’re taking her away,” I said, trying to make sense of the tightness in my chest. “But she loves my cousin more,” he replied. “No! I can’t accept that! Sister Lynn is the one who always defends me from those who bully me…” ‘Even from her own mother.’ I kept that part to myself. There was a brief pause before he spoke again. “What if I take her place? What if I’m the one who protects you instead?” I slowly lifted my gaze to him, and that was when it started. The quiet, unfamilia
[Lucian] Darkness had swallowed the hunting grounds whole, but I didn’t need my eyes. I followed Gwen’s scent like a thread pulled taut through the black. At one point, I reached a patch of moonberry bushes, where the smell of her hands lingered strongest. She must have gathered a large amount here, probably using them as bait to lure a fox. I moved again, running, following the trail she left behind. Then a boar’s roar echoed through the grounds. Instinct took over, my body surged forward before thought could catch up. Near the waterfall, I saw it just as the boar was about to sink its claws into the chest of an unconscious figure on the rocks. Before it could reach Gwen, the executioner’s blade was already in my hand. I didn’t hesitate. One swift motion severed its arm clean off. The severed limb crashed onto Gwen as the boar let out a pained howl and staggered back. “Leave!” The command tore from my throat, my wolf rising within me like an alpha’s curse. In that instant, I c
[Lucian] The wolf runs for his life, but cold-blooded killers always do when they finally meet something faster. I chase him through the dark of the woods, the executioner’s knife in my grip, my eyes burning violet in the shadow with a single purpose to end him. I surged forward and leaped, cutting through the air before landing directly in his path. He stumbled back, panic flooding his face the moment he saw me. “N-no, please!” he begged. I reach out and close my hand around his throat, slowly crushing the air from his lungs. His struggles grew weaker, his breaths shallow and broken. Right when he was on the brink of losing air, I flung him hard against the rocks. The impact echoed. He barely had time to gasp before I was on him again. I forced him down and carved the mark of Virel into his forehead. Nothing fancy, just a crude circle slashed with an ‘X,’ just a symbol of what he was. His scream tore through the forest. Around us, the temperature drops, the wind sharpens, ris







