LOGINDarkness does not claim Sofia all at once.
It peels away in layers.
The weight of her body fades first—the ache in her chest, the burn in her lungs, the frantic echo of Theo’s voice calling her name. Then sound dissolves, stretching thin until it becomes a distant hum, like wind moving through hollow bone.
When sensation returns, it is not pain she feels.
It is present.
She stands on a road that does not exist on any map she has ever see
Darkness does not claim Sofia all at once.It peels away in layers.The weight of her body fades first—the ache in her chest, the burn in her lungs, the frantic echo of Theo’s voice calling her name. Then sound dissolves, stretching thin until it becomes a distant hum, like wind moving through hollow bone.When sensation returns, it is not pain she feels.It is present.She stands on a road that does not exist on any map she has ever seen.The ground beneath her feet is pale stone veined with silver light, warm and faintly pulsing, as if alive. The sky above is neither night nor day—an endless twilight washed in moon-glow, where constellations drift like memories rather than stars.This is not a dream.Her blood knows it.“This is the Memory Field,” Sofia whispers, the words arriving without thought. “The place between.”Between past and present.Between li
The moon is wrong.That is the first thing Sofia notices.It hangs too low in the sky, swollen and darkened, its pale surface bleeding into shades of crimson that stain the clouds drifting across it. Blood moons are rare—bound to strict cycles, predicted generations in advance by Skywatchers who charted the heavens long before the Council learned to weaponize prophecy.This one should not exist.And yet it does.Skywatch Tower rises above Moonveil like a spear aimed at the heavens, its spiral stairs carved from white stone veined with moonrock. From here, the entire territory stretches outward—forests, rivers, and borders drawn and redrawn by centuries of bloodshed.Tonight, every wolf feels it.Howls echo from distant ridges. Patrols halt mid-step. Even the most disciplined sentinels glance skyward, unease rippling through their ranks.The blood moon has risen days ahead of prophecy.And nothing good ever comes early.TheoThe moment the moon breaches the cloud cover, my wolf snarls.
Moonveil does not feel the same when Sofia returns.The stone corridors hum differently beneath her feet, as if the manor itself has learned to listen for her now. Whispers trail her steps—some reverent, some fearful, some sharpened by resentment. Wolves bow their heads too quickly. Servants avert their eyes. Even the torches seem to burn a shade paler as she passes.She does not linger.Her thoughts are fixed on one name.Althea.The Devereaux private wing sits apart from the rest of the manor, wrapped in layered wards meant to suppress scent, magic, and sound. It is the kind of protection reserved for sensitive political matters and confidential information.
The sanctuary does not stay silent for long.The moment the scroll seals itself, the hum beneath the stone shifts—deepening, straining, as if the ancient ruins are suddenly aware they have been discovered.Then comes the sound.Footsteps.Too many.Too careless to be packed.Theo’s head snaps up, every muscle coiling as his wolf surges forward.“We’re not alone,” he says, voice low.The words barely leave his mouth when the first explosion of stone echoes through the outer chamber.
The forest changes before Sofia ever sees the fire.Shadowfang has always been wild—untamed, older than Moonveil, a place where the trees grow twisted, and the ground remembers blood. But tonight, the air itself feels wrong. Heavy. Charged. As if something has been pulled too tight and is about to snap.Theo slows beside her, one hand lifting instinctively. The bond hums between them, restless and alert, carrying his unease straight into her chest.We’re not alone, his presence murmurs.“I know,” Sofia answers under her breath.They move forward anyway.The clearing opens
They do not return to Moonveil.Not after the forest.Not after the way the air itself seemed to recoil from Sofia’s power, after the way immortal flesh had turned to ash beneath her instinctive strike. The manor would be a beacon now—too visible, too predictable.Theo does not say it aloud, but Sofia feels the decision settle into him like armor.They disappear before dawn.The sanctuary lies far beyond the patrol routes, hidden where the forest grows old and feral. Roots as thick as walls twist over moonrock cliffs, sealing away a place that has not felt footsteps in centuries. The entrance reveals itself only when Theo presses his palm to a weathered stone marker etched with symbols older than any pack law.The earth exhales.Stone shifts.A passage yawns open beneath the roots, swallowing them whole.SofiaThe air inside the ruins hums.Not with danger—but with memory.Moonlight filters down through cracks in the ceiling, catching on broken pillars and shattered altars. The walls







