MasukMARKING CEREMONY - NIGHT ONE~TATE'S POV~The sacred clearing felt alive with magic. Candles flashed in perfect circles around white stones that seemed to glow from within. Protective words shimmered in the air like heat waves, and the scent of sage and something sweeter filled my lungs with each breath.The entire Pack surrounded us, standing in reverent silence. I could feel their expectation pressing against my skin, their hope that this ceremony would finally complete what we'd started months ago.Mathias stood before me, shirtless, his chest marked with swirling symbols painted in something that looked like gold dust. The crescent moon hung directly overhead, bathing everything in silver light."Are you ready?" Vida asked softly.I nodded, not trusting my voice. My heart hammered so hard I thought everyone could probably hear it.Vida raised her hands and began chanting in a language I didn't recognize. The wards grew brighter, pulsing in time with her words. The Pack began hummi
BOND CRISIS~TATE'S POV~The war council met the morning after Elena's trial. Every allied Alpha had been invited to the Packhouse, along with their Betas and key warriors. The great hall was packed with supernatural leaders, all discussing the same thing: whether protecting me was worth starting a war.I sat between Mathias and Daxon at the head table, trying to ignore the effect of dozens of eyes on me. Some looked at me with respect after yesterday's trial. Others with fear. And a few with barely hidden resentment."The situation is clear," Marcus addressed the room. "Marcus Blackthorn of Nightshade Pack has declared his intention to take Tate Osborne. He's allied with Heriberto, a warlock of significant power. Together, they represent a threat not just to Silverfang Pack, but to all of us.""A threat you brought upon yourselves," Alpha Reeves from the Northern Packs said bluntly. "No offense to the girl, but this started when you chose a human as Luna. If you'd simply followed tra
PACK TRIAL - DAY OF JUDGMENT~MATHIAS'S POV~The trial grounds had been prepared according to ancient tradition. A large circle of stones marked the judgment space, with torches burning at each cardinal point. Every Pack member who could attend stood around the circle, along with representatives from allied Packs and several neutral observers.At the north point sat Marcus on his Alpha throne, with Daxon and me flanking him. Vida stood to the side, ready to verify any magical testimony. And at the center of it all stood Elena, dressed in white as was tradition for the accused, her father beside her.Alpha Richard looked like he'd aged ten years in three days. His eyes were haunted, his shoulders slumped. But when he looked at Elena, there was still fierce protectiveness there.Tate stood at the south point, alone except for two guards. She'd refused to let me or Daxon stand with her. "This is my accusation," she'd said. "I need to present it myself."She looked small in the large spac
TRIAL ANNOUNCEMENT~TATE'S POV~The hour Vida had given me felt like both an eternity and a heartbeat. She'd pushed me harder than ever before, forcing me to channel magic until my nose bled and my hands shook. But when the time came, I stood at the Packhouse entrance with Mathias and Daxon flanking me, ready to face Heriberto.Except he never came.At the fifty-nine-minute mark, his presence vanished from the borders. The dark magic signatures Vida had sensed simply disappeared, like smoke in the wind. The Hunters retreated. And Heriberto left nothing behind except a burned message on the ground outside the property line."Another time, little witch. When you're alone."That was two days ago. Two days of lockdown, of constant patrols, of sleeping with one eye open. Two days of Vida teaching me control while Mathias and Daxon planned for a war that might never come.But I had other things on my mind. Specifically, Elena.I'd been watching her. Not physically....she wasn't allowed near
JAMIE'S CHOICE~MATHIAS POV~I raced upstairs, my wolf howling in panic. Through the bond, I could feel Tate's terror spiking, could sense something strange pressing against her mind. The safe room was built into the center of the Packhouse. No windows, reinforced walls, and covered in protective wards. It was as secure as we could make it.But as I reached the hallway, the emergency lights flickered on, casting everything in red. Four guards lay unconscious outside the safe room door.I burst inside to find Tate standing rigid in the center of the room, her eyes glowing with an unnatural light. And between her and the door stood Jamie.Jamie had arrived two hours ago, immediately after his last exam, driving straight through without stopping. He'd walked into the Packhouse looking exhausted and determined, demanding to see Tate. Daxon and I had barely finished explaining the basics of the supernatural world to him when the attack began. Now he stood facing our possessed mate, his h
OWEN INTERROGATED~MATHIAS'S POV~The emergency Pack meeting was the most tense I'd ever experienced. Warriors lined the walls, Vida sat beside Marcus, and at the center of the room, bound in silver chains and surrounded by a protective salt circle, sat Owen.He'd been captured an hour after the school incident. Three of our scouts had found him wandering near the forest border, muttering to himself. The dark magic radiating from him was so strong that even our human guards could sense something was wrong.Now he sat there, calm despite the chains, despite the fury radiating from every wolf in the room. That eerie smile never left his face."Owen Clarke," Marcus began, his Alpha voice making the air vibrate. "You are accused of conspiracy, of working with enemies of this Pack, and of attempting to harm our future Luna. How do you plead?""Guilty," Owen chirped. "Of all of it." Shocked murmurs rippled through the room."You confess?" Tate asked from beside me, unable to hide her surpri







