LOGINMia’s POVThe name lingered in the air.The Valley of Forgotten Kings.Even after the words left the Guardian Beast’s mouth, no one moved.It was as though the sanctuary itself feared the place.The Ancient Guardians stood silently.The wolves who had just united against the Devourer now looked uncertain.Not afraid of the enemy before us.Afraid of what waited beyond it.I looked at the Shadow King.For the first time in a long time…I saw hesitation in his eyes.Not for himself.For me.“What is the Valley of Forgotten Kings?”My voice broke the silence.The Guardian Beast lowered its gaze.“A grave.”A chill passed through me.“For who?”“For those who carried the Covenant before you.”The answer settled heavily.I looked down at my glowing mark.All those who came before me.All those who failed.All those who sacrificed everything.“Why would the Crown be there?”The golden Ancient Guardian stepped forward.“Because it was never meant to be found easily.”Its voice was deep and p
Mia’s POVThe horn echoed again.Low.Ancient.Powerful.Its sound rolled across the sanctuary like a living wave, vibrating through the stone beneath my feet and into my very soul.Once.Twice.Three times.The Heart of Luna hovered above the shattered seal, spinning slowly between silver light and living shadow.Every pulse it released rippled through the air.Not as an attack.As a summons.The Guardian Beast lifted its massive head.“It has begun.”Its voice carried a mixture of awe and dread.“The Covenant has called its guardians home.”A deafening rumble answered.The walls of the sanctuary trembled.Cracks raced across the ancient ceiling, not from the Devourer’s power this time…But from something approaching.The mountain itself.The Shadow King stepped beside me, his sword drawn, silver eyes scanning every entrance.“They’re here.”The first roar shook the sanctuary.A moment later, an enormous wolf leaped through the broken archway.Its fur shimmered like molten gold benea
Mia’s POVThe Devourer smiled.It wasn’t a smile of joy.It was the smile of something that had waited thousands of years for a meal.Its enormous body continued to rise from the shattered prison beneath the sanctuary.Dark mist rolled from its form like an endless tide.The sanctuary groaned.Ancient pillars cracked.The Heart of Luna flickered.Every instinct screamed at me to run.But my feet refused to move.The Devourer’s countless crimson eyes remained fixed on one person.Malachar.“My faithful servant.”Its voice echoed through every stone.“You have done well.”Malachar bowed his head.It wasn’t the respectful bow of a disciple.It was the proud bow of someone expecting a reward.“I have fulfilled my oath.”“You have.”The Devourer’s laughter rumbled through the sanctuary.“For two thousand years…”“You whispered into the ears of kings.”“You poisoned councils.”“You nurtured fear.”“You turned brother against brother.”Every word struck the survivors like a hammer.Members o
Mia’s POVThe sanctuary fell into a deathly silence.No one moved.No one even seemed to breathe.The voice still echoed from the broken seal beneath our feet.Calm.Patient.Satisfied.“You have all served me well.”A chill crept up my spine.I knew that voice.So did the Guardian Beast.Its massive body had gone rigid, its golden eyes fixed not on the shattered seal…But on someone standing among us.Slowly…The Guardian Beast lowered its head.“No…”it whispered.“You.”Confused murmurs rippled through the sanctuary.I followed the Guardian Beast’s gaze.There, standing quietly near the outer edge of the gathering, was one of the sanctuary’s oldest attendants.An elderly man wrapped in faded gray robes.For as long as we’d been here, he’d never spoken more than a few words.He had tended the sacred flames.Repaired broken lanterns.Helped injured wolves without asking for recognition.Everyone knew him.No one questioned him.He simply…Belonged.Ava frowned.“That’s… Elder Rowan.”
Mia’s POVSilence.No one moved.No one breathed.The Guardian Beast remained bowed before me, its massive form trembling ever so slightly.Not from fear.From reverence.Around us, the sanctuary was frozen.The wolves who had survived the battle stared as though they no longer knew who I was.Or perhaps…They knew exactly who I was.“The… Heir?”Someone whispered.Another voice answered.“No…”“That’s impossible.”“The bloodline ended.”“It can’t.”Their murmurs spread through the sanctuary like ripples across still water.I looked down at my arm.The mark was still there.Silver and shadow intertwined in elegant spirals, pulsing softly beneath my skin.It no longer felt foreign.It felt…Like it had always belonged to me.The Shadow King slowly released my hand, though he didn’t step away.His silver eyes searched my face.“You came back.”His voice was barely above a whisper.For a heartbeat, neither of us spoke.Then I smiled weakly.“I told you…”My throat tightened.“…I’d try.”
Mia’s POVDarkness swallowed me whole.The Shadow King’s hand disappeared above me.His voice—“Mia!”—faded into the endless abyss until all that remained was silence.Then…Nothing.No falling.No pain.Just…Stillness.I opened my eyes.I was standing in the middle of an endless lake.The water was as smooth as glass, reflecting a sky divided in two.Silver moonlight stretched across one half.A sea of stars covered the other.There was no horizon.No beginning.No end.Only me.And someone waiting.A man stood several paces away.He wore neither silver nor black.His robes shifted between both colors, as though they couldn’t decide which they belonged to.His long hair was white at the roots, dark at the ends.Even his eyes were different.One silver.One black.He looked… familiar.Not because I’d met him.Because every statue in the Hall of Balance had carried traces of his face.“You’ve come farther than any Keeper before you.”His voice was calm.Gentle.Ancient.I swallowed.
Alpha Bladen POVBloodmoon did not wake to silence that morning, it woke to bells.Not the sharp warning chimes of danger, not the frantic calls that had become far too familiar in recent weeks, but deep ceremonial bells that rolled through the pack like steady heartbeats. They echoed off stone and
Mia Heather POVThe moment the door clicked shut behind the last student, Liora stepped closer, eyes filled with concern. Brin hovered beside her, fingers nervously twisting the hem of her uniform."Are you– Are you really okay?" Liora asked, voice low, almost a whisper, as if speaking louder might
Loren’s POVI stood in the doorway longer than I should have, watching Mia curled beneath the blankets, her breathing slow and even.I was sure she'd have a long first day and a part of me wanted to stay and guide her through, protect her from the ravaging wolves in Aetherion but I thought against
Mia Heather's POV The corridors of Aetherion stretched wide and pale beneath the early sun. Polished marble catching the light in soft gold streaks, spotless aesthetic and the perfect cut between grass and path, left me awestruck. It seemed as though filth had no place being there.Everything smel







