With a final, trembling effort, he pressed something cold and hard into my palm, forcing my fingers to close around it. “Keep... keep it safe…”His hand fell away, his last breath a silent sigh. I looked down. In my hand, smeared with his blood, was a guardian fraction badge.“No, Kael! No, stay with me!” My voice rose into a hysterical plea as I saw life leave his eyes. Malcolm, who’d been standing behind me, knelt and pressed his fingers to Kael's neck. He looked up at me, his own expression shattered.“No. It can't be,” I denied, shaking my head, my hands gripping Kael's shoulders as if I could physically shake his soul back into his body. “Kael! You promised you'd come to our wedding! Why are you here like this? Who did this to you!? Tell me... Kael, wake up!”Malcolm's arms wrapped around me, pulling me away from the gruesome scene and into the solid strength of his chest. “Shhh, my love. You need to breathe. We will find who did this. I promise you, we will.”“No! Why must it
We all turned in unison as Jane and Harper approached, their strides swift and purposeful.“What is it?” I asked immediately, forgoing any pleasantries.“Luna,” Jane replied, her voice the steady, firm tone of a senior Sentinel. “Alpha Malcolm sent us to retrieve herbs to treat silver-inflicted wounds.”My eyes darted to Mom, a fresh wave of panic cresting inside me. Mom, understanding my silent terror, spoke for me. “The stock of Silverspark root we gathered... it appears someone has tampered with it.”Harper looked between us, his expression a mix of confusion and growing unease. “Forgive me, Beta Imogen, but... what exactly does that mean?”“It means,” I clarified, my voice cold and hard as the reality set in, “that someone has stolen nearly ten kilograms of Silverspark root from this silo. All we have left are the common medicinal herbs.” Harper’s stoic composure cracked. His face paled. “By the Moon... that's bad. That's catastrophic,” he breathed, the gravity of the situation s
I rose to my feet and strained to get a clear view of the approaching group, my heart pounding as I muttered, “They look badly injured.”“It could be,” Malcolm replied grimly, shrugging off his jacket with a sense of resolve, “Stay here; I'll go check it out.”With commanding authority, Malcolm strode forward, flanked by a few vigilant sentinels, my Dad, and Allison, as they advanced to the threshold of the Gate.My Mom steadied me as she helped me down from the carriage, her grip firm and reassuring.“What on earth is happening, Mom? Who are they? Could Nathaniel have summoned another pack to launch an attack?” I demanded, my voice trembling with mounting panic.“Nathaniel wouldn't dare, my dear. It's simply not possible, especially in the state he was in,” Mom reasoned, though her eyes remained fixed on the scene at the gate.In the distance, I watched Malcolm and my father speaking with the strangers. Their postures were tense, the conversation clearly grave. After a moment, Alli
We were all stunned into silence, our hearts pounding in shock as the furious shout echoed from the chapel's doorway.There stood Nathaniel, his clothes torn and disheveled, reeking of booze like a man who'd drowned his demons in a bottle all night.“No one lays a damn finger on her! She's mine!” Nathaniel bellowed in a drunken rage, his voice cracking like thunder through the stunned crowd.Not a moment later, Yoan bolted forward, seizing Nathaniel by the arm and yanking him back with brute force. “What the hell are you doing, Nathaniel? Have you lost your goddamn mind?”“Get off me! I'm taking Angie back to Pearl Harbour, where she belongs!” Nathaniel slurred, his words sloshing out in a haze of alcohol, his eyes wild and unfocused.“How dare you crash my sister's wedding after you've already destroyed her gardens and shattered her life!” Allison snarled, stepping in like a fierce guardian, his face flushed with fury as he blocked Nathaniel path. “Guards, seize this lunatic!”The se
Mom pulled something from her pocket that was shaped like a delicate seashell. I looked up at her, my eyes full of silent question.Understanding my gaze, she gently opened the shell. Inside was not a powder or a cream, but what looked like a shimmering, pearlescent dust. With the utmost care, she dipped her finger into it and softly swept the substance across each of my eyelids.A strange, cool warmth spread from her touch, and for a fleeting second, my vision seemed to sharpen, the colors in the room becoming impossibly vibrant. “Mom... what is that?” I whispered, my voice filled with awe and a flicker of uncertainty.She smiled, a secretive, ancient look in her eyes. “A very old blessing, my dear. From my mother, and her mother before her. It is said that on her wedding day, a Luna should not only see the world before her…” she paused, her voice dropping to a hushed, meaningful tone, “...but also catch a glimpse of the paths that lie ahead. Now, look again.”I turned back to th
“That looks like... smoke. Or an explosion. I don't know, but it's massive,” I said, standing up and moving to the balcony railing for a better look.Malcolm was right behind me. After a tense moment, his voice was low and firm. “Angie, get inside.”“Why?” I asked, only half-turning. “Is it dangerous?”“I believe so. Come in. I'll send a team of Sentinels to investigate—“He never finished his sentence.The door to my room burst open, and Dan and Allison rushed in, their faces etched with panic. Right behind them, my mother and Lira appeared, their expressions a mirror of the same, chilling fear.“What's going on?” I asked, my gaze darting between their urgent faces.Dad let out a dismissive grunt. “Just a few trespassers caught at the border. It's nothing major. The Sentinels are handling it,” he explained briskly, setting a jar of chocolate wafers on my bedside table. “These are for you.”“And I made you this, sweetheart,” Mom added, holding out a food container. “Your favorite, l