MasukThe scent of blood still lingered in the air.
Even after the fires were put out, even after the bodies were buried, the smell clung to the earth sharp, metallic, and unrelenting.
Selene stood near the training grounds where the battle had ended hours ago. The soil was torn and blackened, streaked with ash and claw marks. The once-green field looked like a scar. Warriors moved in silence, clearing debris, dragging broken spears into piles. No one spoke unless necessary. The night
The quiet of the gardens hadn't calmed Selene, instead it had only let the hurt she was feeling turn into anger. She left her untouched tea on the stone bench, turned back toward the packhouse, She was done waiting for the everyone in this house to decide what she was allowed to know, She was the Luna not a fragile porcelain Inside the office, Damien sat with his head buried in his hands. The desk around him was a chaotic mess of papers. Every muscle in his body ached with a bone-deep fatigue, his mind spinning in endless circles over the Witch Queen's unseen chess moves. He felt entirely drained, hollowed out by the silent warfare threatening his pack and the suffocating distance stretching between him and his mate.The heavy oak door swung wide, banging loudly against the wall.Damien flinched slightly at the sound, his shoulders tensing defensively as he snapped his head up. But the moment his eyes landed on Selene standing in the doorway, the exhaustion entirely vanished from his
The morning light that filtered through the high windows of the Shadowfang dining hall was pale and devoid of warmth. It did not bring the usual comfort of a new day; instead, it only served to illuminate the stark, icy distance that had settled over the packhouse.Selene sat at the long wooden table, a cup of tea cooling between her hands. She wasn't hiding in her room, nor was she weeping. Her posture was perfectly straight, her expression entirely blank as she stared down at the dark amber liquid. When a nearby guard bowed she returned it with a faint, hollow smileWhen Damien entered the room, the air grew instantly heavy and tense.He looked as though he hadn’t slept a single minute. The sharp line of his jaw was shadowed with stubble, and his clothes were the same ones he had worn during the confrontation the night before. His eyes immediately sought out Selene, a desperate, vulnerable flash breaking through his alpha composure.He walked over to the table, stepping into her spa
Veyra sat alone inside her room, the curtains drawn tightly as moonlight barely slipped through the cracks. The communication crystal rested in her hand, colder than usual against her skin. For a long moment, she simply stared at it, her thoughts restless. Ever since the last attack, something had changed not only inside Shadowfang, but inside her too. Malric’s face kept flashing through her mind.Everything was becoming harder to balance.Taking a slow breath, she activated the crystal.Dark energy flickered across its surface before the figures of the Witch Queen and Rogue King appeared. The Witch Queen stood tall and graceful as always, white hair cascading over her shoulders, her pale eyes unreadable. Beside her, the Rogue King leaned against his throne lazily, though the dangerous look in his scarred face never faded.Before either of them could speak, Veyra straightened slightly. “I wasn’t aware Shadowfang would be ambushed tonight,” she said carefully. “Or tested.”The words had
Night had fallen heavily over Shadowfang. The forest surrounding the pack was unnaturally quiet, the kind of silence that made even experienced warriors uneasy. Clouds covered the moon, and cold wind moved through the trees like something alive. Inside the pack house, Selene sat near the fireplace wrapped in one of Damien’s shirts, trying to focus on the same page of a book she had already read five times. Her mind kept drifting, unsettled, like her body was waiting for something she couldn’t see.Ever since training earlier that day, that feeling hadn’t left her. A tightness in her chest. A restless pacing in her wolf. Something approaching. Something wrong. She slowly lowered the book onto her lap and stared into the fire. That was when the first howl broke the silence outside. Then another. And another.Selene shot to her feet instantly. The door burst open seconds later and Damien stepped inside already dressed for battle, his expression hard. “They breached the western border,” h
The next morning, Selene woke before the sun fully rose. Soft golden light slipped through the curtains, painting faint patterns across the bedroom walls. For a moment, she simply lay there staring at the ceiling while the memory of the dream replayed itself inside her mind. The endless white space. The warmth. Her mom’s voice telling her she would not fall.Slowly, Selene rested a hand against her stomach.The fear was still there.Of course it was.War was still coming. The Witch Queen still wanted her. The power growing inside her still frightened her in ways she could barely explain. But something about it felt different now Quieter Like it had stopped fighting her.Beside her, Damien was still asleep, though even now one arm remained wrapped protectively around her waist. His face looked more relaxed than it had in days, but the faint crease between his brows remained. Even in sleep, he carried the weight of the pack on his shoulders.Selene carefully slipped out of bed, trying
Sleep did not come easily to Selene that night. Even with Damien beside her, even with the warmth of his arm wrapped protectively around her waist, her mind refused to rest. Too much had happened in such a short time. The strange pain earlier that day. The terrifying wave of power that had burst from her body and spread through the entire pack. The fear in everyone’s eyes afterward. And worst of all the fear inside herself.She lay awake staring at the ceiling while the fire crackled softly in the corner of the room. Moonlight slipped through the curtains, bathing the bedroom in silver light. Beside her, Damien slept lightly, though even in sleep his brows were slightly furrowed, as if his wolf remained alert. Protective. Always protective.Selene slowly rested a hand against her stomach.Her baby.Their baby.The thought still felt unreal. A part of her was happy, happier than she had ever imagined possible but another part of her was terrified. Everything around them was falling apa
Veyra paced in her room, the soft glow of lights casting long shadows across the walls. The wound on her shoulder throbbed faintly, a lingering reminder of the hit she had taken for Selene. She flexed her fingers, absently massaging the burn beneath her skin“Is this time to move on to the next pla
The moment Veyra disappeared beyond the borders of the pack lands, Selene felt it an unexpected lightness settling in her chest.Relief.It surprised her how quickly it came, she had just finally chosen to accept veyra and not listen to her instinct. Selene stood near the training groun
The pack hall buzzed with activity, the usual rhythm of footsteps, shifting weight, and murmured instructions filling the air. Yet beneath it, a tension hung, taut and unbroken, almost invisible to the casual observer. Damien moved through it like he owned it because he did. Every wolf there foll
The training grounds had long since emptied, but Selene remained.The earth beneath her feet was scuffed and uneven, marked by hours of movement footwork, pivots, controlled strikes. Sweat clung to her skin, dampening the loose fabric of her training clothes, yet she didn’t slow down







