LOGINCALEB’S POVI stumbled backward, my legs trembling as I forced myself to put distance between the altar and me. The moment I cleared the space, the senior academy board members stepped into a tight circle.“Unleash it now!” Miss Lyra commanded, her voice cutting through the heavy air.Together, they unleashed an ancient restraint formation, casting a heavy net of blinding white light and thick iron links directly over Thalia. The spell-bound metal hit her broad back with a harsh metallic screech, the glowing sigils burning bright as they tried to force her down onto the stone floor.Despite being bound, Thalia was far too powerful in her corrupted Lycan state. She thrashed against the glowing metal, the dark mist surrounding her body flaring with violent energy. She let out a deep rumble that shook the ground beneath our boots, dust raining down from the cavern ceiling.Suddenly, I felt a sharp, violent tug deep inside my chest.“Agh!” Ragnar gasped nearby, dropping straight onto his
CALEB’S POVThe chaotic clash of steel and dying screams finally faded into a heavy, suffocating silence.The chamber was completely wrecked. Bodies of the Silverveil warriors and Ryker’s men lay scattered across the blood-soaked stone, leaving only two figures standing in the center of the carnage. Ryker and the massive, dark-furred beast that used to be Thalia.I stood near the far wall, my chest heaving as blood trickled down my side from my reopened wounds. Beside me, Ragnar leaned heavily against a broken stone pillar, his breathing ragged and uneven. We stayed close, watching every movement, ready to throw ourselves into the fray if she needed us.“Caleb, we have to pull her back,” Ragnar’s voice echoed weakly through our mindlink. “Her aura is getting darker.”“I know,” I replied in my head, keeping my eyes fixed on her towering form. “Right now, she just needs to survive this. We can figure out the corruption later. As long as she lives, we can find a way to save her.”That wa
RAGNAR’S POVThalia had gone completely berserk.I sat frozen on the damp stone floor, my heart hammering against my ribs as I watched my mate transform into a nightmare. She was killing mindlessly, her heavy Lycan body moving like a shadow, tearing through Ryker’s men before they could even draw their weapons. Severed armor and dark blood showered across the altar, turning the entire underground chamber into a butcher shop.I could only stare in sheer horror at the carnage, completely paralyzed by the sheer violence of her transformation.“Ragnar,” a harsh whisper cut through the sound of slaughter.I snapped my head sideways. Caleb was leaning against the stone pillar beside me, his face pale and covered in sweat. He gestured weakly toward the heavy iron shackles binding our wrists to the wall.“We need to help each other out,” Caleb rasped, his eyes burning with desperate determination. “We can't just sit here while she loses her mind.”“My wolfsbane hasn't worn off,” I grunted, t
THALIA’S POV“Eight.”Ryker’s voice was ice-cold, echoing off the damp stone walls like a funeral bell. I didn’t know what to do. I tried desperately to stop my body from healing so I would save Ragnar and Caleb but I couldn’t do it. Every effort felt wasted.Above Ragnar’s exposed neck, Loam tightened his grip on the executioner's axe, lifting the heavy steel blade even higher into the dim torchlight. My breath caught in my throat. I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe. I just stared at Ragnar, my mind racing through every single memory we had shared together. I remembered how terrified I had been of him at first, how hard I had tried to run and avoid him, and how he had constantly pursued me regardless, refusing to let me handle my burdens alone when he found out that I was not Lucien. He had helped me long before he found out that I was his mate. Even when I pushed him away or when I hated him unjustly, he was still there. Still waiting for me. Still protecting me and I couldn’t ev
THALIA’S POVA sharp, violent burn flared in the middle of my chest, so hot it felt as though my flesh was melting from the inside out. Almost instantly, a wave of pure relief washed over my body.For a fraction of a second, the heavy weight that had rested on my shoulders for my entire life vanished. I felt light, almost weightless and a massive surge of ancient strength roared through my veins like a raging river. The chains above my head hummed beneath my hands. I thought the seal had broken completely. I thought I was finally free. Then, just as quickly as it had arrived, the strength vanished, and crushing pain slammed back into my body.I gasped for air, tears stinging my eyes as my body fell back against the cold stone of the altar. Below me, I could hear the heavy, labored breathing of my mates.Ragnar and Caleb were chained to the stone floor, their skin torn, whipped so brutally that dark blood pooled around them. Yet, every time they managed to open their eyes, their focus
CALEB’S POVI watched the nightmare unfold before my eyes, my wolf clawing frantically at the surface of my mind, desperate to rip every throat in this room to shreds. I thrashed against my heavy restraints, trying with every fiber of my being to shatter the metal, but the man pinning Ragnar and me to the stone floor was unnaturally strong. It didn't help that they had injected us with a heavy wolfsbane mixture earlier, a dark, suffocating toxin that made our muscles leaden and crippled our strength.“Thalia, look at me,” I rasped, my voice tearing through my raw throat. “Hold on. Please, just hold on.”She coughed, a spray of dark crimson blood spilling over her chin, her chest heaving as Ryker mercilessly pulled the curved dagger out of her stomach. Thalia jerked violently, a soft, broken whimpering escaping her lips as fresh blood poured over the altar sigils.I was forced to watch her bleed, completely powerless to save my mate.Ryker raised the blood-stained dagger, staring at
RAGNAR "We have arrived."The door swung open, and I heard the chauffeur's sharp intake of breath following his horrified gaze. I looked down at my unbuckled belt, my trousers pooled around my ankles in a bunched mess.Yeah. That probably looked bad.Before I could say anything, not that I owed an
THALIAThe one on the left was easily six foot two. He looked fit, and lean—an athletic warrior’s build. He had platinum blonde hair, and a book in his hands, and… he looked like he wore his heart on his sleeve. Beautiful was the word to describe this porcelain skinned man. He reeked of Alpha, and
THALIA [ONE WEEK LATER] The leather trunk sat by the door, packed with everything 'Lucian Ashen' would need for his first semester at The Howling Spire. Formal uniforms, training clothes, books on wolf history, combat theory, and some hidden necessities of my own. I stood in front of the mirror
THALIA Lucian lay sprawled at my feet with wide lifeless eyes. The party was in full swing and I was outside. But this already happened. I had already lived this moment, I chased the assassin, I fell…My fingers instinctively went to my head, there was no injury and no single drop of blood. “Ok







