Mag-log inThe forest was quiet, almost reverently so. The battle against the rogues had passed, leaving only the echoes of night and the hum of Selene’s blood, steady and controlled. For the first time in weeks, peace settled over their territory not the false calm that came before a storm, but a gentle, tangible tranquility that carried the promise of recovery and growth.Selene woke each morning to the golden light of dawn spilling through her window. The hum in her veins was no longer chaotic, no longer threatening her wolf was coiled within her chest like a living anchor, steady and guiding. Each morning, she rose and trained, first alone, feeling the Moon’s pulse in her blood, then with Damien, whose presence grounded her when the pull of power became overwhelming.The forest became her classroom. She ran through the trees, leapt over fallen logs, tuned herself to the subtle currents of life around her. She could hear every rustle, every heartbeat of the wildlif
Dawn was a fragile thing, stretching pale fingers across the forest, and yet it did little to soothe the chaos Selene felt within. The rogues had fled, leaving scorched earth and splintered trees in their wake, but the victory was hollow. The scent of burnt foliage and blood lingered in the air, mixing with the tang of her own sweat and the hum of her still-awake wolf.Selene sank to the ground, knees digging into the soft soil, her hands still glowing faintly from the silver energy she had unleashed. Her chest rose and fell, lungs burning, heart hammering not from fear, but from the surge of power coursing through her veins.We did it, her wolf murmured. But it was only a beginning.Damien crouched beside her, eyes scanning the perimeter. His presence was a tether, grounding her when the world felt like it might tip again. “Are you hurt?” he asked, voice low but tense. His fingers brushed against her arm, careful, protective.&l
The forest trembled with motion. Shadows twisted and surged, dozens of rogue figures moving in silent, lethal waves. Their eyes gleamed like fractured gold under the moonlight, their claws catching the silver glow, sharp as razors. Selene’s pulse thundered in her ears, echoing the rhythm of her wolf inside her, which pressed urgently against her ribs, demanding release.Damien’s voice cut through the night, sharp and commanding. “Selene! Focus!”She turned toward him, heart in her throat. He was crouched near the window, tense and ready, muscles coiled like springs. His eyes swept over the approaching rogues, calculating, unyielding. “They’re testing us,” he said. “Waiting for you to hesitate.”Selene closed her eyes, letting the Moon’s pull wash over her. The hum in her blood surged, a living, breathing force that entwined with her wolf. Every nerve ending, every fiber of her being vibrated with raw energy. She could feel the forest, the soil beneath the house, the wind stirring thro
The night didn’t end.Selene sat awake long after the candles had burned to stubs, their melted wax pooling like frozen tears across the sills. Shadows stretched across the room, long and curling, flickering as if the air itself was breathing with a secret life. Sleep hovered just beyond reach, elusive and teasing, like a ghost she could feel brushing against her skin but never touch. Every time her lids grew heavy, she felt it the pulse. Slow, steady, ancient. Not her heartbeat, but something older, buried deeper than muscle or bone.Her wolf stirred within her, restless, uneasy. Its presence was no longer a whisper but a tremor in her chest, a low hum that resonated in her bones. It’s moving again, it murm
The place smelled of rain and blood.Selene’s heartbeat echoed in her ears as she knelt beside the injured scout. His skin was pale, his breathing ragged. The attack had been fast, brutal rogues again, but something about it felt wrong. Too organized. Too focused.“They didn’t come to kill,” Myra muttered, pressing cloth against the scout’s wound. “They came to send a message.”Selene’s hands trembled as she held the man still. “What kind of message?”But before Myra could answer, the wind shifted. A strange scent cut through the air ,ash, metal, and something… older. Her wolf surged to the surface instantly, a sharp growl echoing inside her chest. Danger. Wrong. Too close.Selene’s gaze darted to the treeline just beyond the courtyard. Nothing moved, yet her instincts screamed. Every nerve in her body buzzed like the air before lightning strikes.Then Damien’s presence. His aura rolled across the fi
The first sign was silence.Not the peaceful kind that came after work, when the packhouse finally quieted and everyone settled down but a heavy, humming stillness that didn’t belong.Selene stood by the kitchen window, drying her hands. Outside, twilight clung to the trees, the horizon painted in the pale blue of oncoming night. The children had gone to bed early. Patrols were still out. Everything looked… normal.But her wolf stirred uneasily beneath her skin.She froze, dish towel forgotten. The air smelled wrong faintly burnt, like smoke carried from a distance. She tried to shake it off, but her pulse wouldn’t slow.Then it hit her.A sharp, searing pulse through the bond. Pain that wasn’t hers.Damien.The connection flared so suddenly she almost doubled over. For a second, she saw flashes fire, runes, blood, eyes like white fire. Then nothing. Just his heartbeat echoing weakly t







