The quick snapping of bones, the stretching and expanding of limbs—each movement brought with its laboured pain made Camille want to dissolve into nothingness.The fear in Sigewuf's eyes as he was held aloft was the only antidote she needed to dull the ache coursing through her joints. As he shifted back into his human form, he appeared smaller, full of frailty as she held him in her arms.Camille’s mouth opened wide. She wanted to speak, but the growl that escaped felt like a volcano erupting…Pushing her hands as if they were alien invaders invading her body, she lunged for his chest, feeling the pulse of his racing heart as she stared into his eyes. “Aren’t you just like them?” Sigewuf muttered quietly. “The very monsters you hunted and killed. You’ve become like them—bloodlust. Untamed and unfit to live amongst us.”The colour in her eyes shifted to a light indigo blue. Sigewuf let out a weak chuckle through his strained breath. His face was turning purple. He needed air.No soone
Camille’s POV The faces of the men and women seated in the room were deathly pale, their expressions cold and calculated. The villain they had once been lurked behind those piercing eyes—eyes daring, alert, scanning.They were sharp. Always watching. Perched to catch every sound, every movement.If only they could peer into each soul walking through that door, perhaps they would see the truths behind each facade. These individuals had once been pack warriors, elders, alphas—powerful figures during their reign.I moved carefully, taking a seat beside Alpha Vikron, as everyone else waited in tense silence. My hands were icy, despite the heater humming steadily in the corner.Vikron had only told me about the council the night before. His usual warmth was replaced by an unyielding, hard expression as he sat upright, elbows resting firmly on his thighs.Figures emerged from behind the curtains, settling into their seats. They whispered among themselves briefly before turning their attent
I can't believe you made her join Ariella's team! Skyla's voice was pensive as she tried to contain her anger. I whirled the chair toward one of the shelves, spotting the cinnamon-colored one I was searching for. "Get used to it. It's going to remain that way." "Is this about Adrish or the council? You've refused to talk about what happened there. Or did Rhaul Rawson ask you to send her out? Which one is it?" The coldness in my eyes was the pin I needed to fix those running wheels Skyla had as a mouth. She pursed her lips, keeping her head down. "I'm sorry. I crossed the line." "Whatever I do or do not do to Camille Loeka is entirely my business and not yours, Skyla. Let that stick very closely to your mind." "Noted, Alpha," she said before picking up the records from the table and, without another glance, left the office. Rhaul Rawson wanted to see Camille. It was the way he had said it, with that sludgy accent I hadn't heard in years. "She has to appear before the council
There was a soft tap on the door as I sat on the silver reading chair in the room. “The door’s open,” I called out.Ariella emerged from a corner of the doorway, her usually radiant smile compressed into a thin, strained line. “Alpha Vikron requests your presence downstairs.”“Alright, I’ll be down shortly,” I said, closing the open textbooks on the table. *Unlocking Your Wolf and Discovering Who You Are,* both recommended by Skyla, had instructed the library attendants to allow me to keep them as long as I wished.“Why did you come?” I had my back turned to Ariella, but I knew the question was directed at me. Why had I come here? I couldn’t even formulate an answer. “Is there something else you need, Ariella? Besides that, I received your message, and I’m coming down,” I frowned, still avoiding her gaze.“Yes, I want something. I want you to leave us alone! Go back to wherever you came from and never return. All you’ve done these past months is stir tension and distract Alpha
Vikron's POV ACHDAV - PINNACLE OF THE PRIME COUNCIL 9:36 p.m. “So, the tare tries once again to grow mixed with the wheat,” one of the council members said, his voice laced with lordly mockery. Most of the faces in the council were unrecognizable. Many were new; they hadn’t been here eleven years ago. However, some of the older council members, despite their familiar faces, I couldn’t recognize. They had aged gracefully, but their withered, gruesome stares betrayed years of hardship. Behind me, a soldier forced my head down. I snorted with derision at the hard push. Tough guy. But I knew I could take him out. The hard strike on my face nearly left me breathless as I collapsed to my knees. “Giving silence as an answer to a high council member is forbidden!” Rhaul Rawson snorted, fury burning in his eyes. “Get him up!” he ordered, moving away to his seat. “You were clearly banished from the Darkstar Pack after your cruel betrayal, which led to the fall of warriors who were far b
Vikron's POV****Elder Adrish stood at the opposite end of the study, legs crossed over each other as he stared ahead, jaw set straight. I knew this wasn't going to be our usual pep talk.His worn jet-black curls were beginning to show a slow spread of white speckles. Age was making its mark on him, even though his body still had the strength of his younger self.The silence was becoming unnerving. I wanted him to say something or lash out, start with a long session of reprimand, but he said nothing; his expression was unreadable.“Well, how did the summit go? I wasn't expecting you back until fall,” I finally said.What I got was a deadpan, hard stare.“Of course you weren't expecting me,” he replied. His jaw clenched and unbleached; he was chewing his words, careful not to spill everything out.Tucking one hand into my side pocket, the other raking through my hair, I said, “Look, if it's about Camille, you…”“Is that what you call her? Camille?” he interrupted, using that thick acc