ANMELDENLENORA“Punished!?”The word tore out of me before I could stop it. I pushed myself up on the bed, ignoring the sharp, burning pain that shot through my body. It was worse around my shoulder and neck, spreading like fire beneath my skin, but the shock of his words drowned it out.Orion didn’t move.“Yes,” he replied, his voice tight, controlled in a way that immediately made my chest constrict.I stared at him, my breath coming faster. “I got bitten by a… a vampire-werewolf thing,” I said, my voice trembling despite my effort to steady it. “Isn’t that punishment enough? I might not even survive and—”“Don’t say that.” His tone cut through mine, sharp and immediate.I froze.The intensity in his voice made something inside me falter, but the fear already clawing at my chest didn’t stop. It only grew, twisting tighter, dragging memories I didn’t want to feel back to the surface.“I didn’t know, Orion,” I whispered, my voice breaking as my fingers curled weakly into the sheets. “Please d
ORION“Lenora!”Her name tore out of my throat as I caught her before she could hit the ground again, her body limp against mine, far too light, far too cold. Blood soaked through my fingers where I held her, warm and slick, and the metallic scent of it mixed with something far worse.Venom.My pulse spiked violently as I tightened my grip on her and ran.Branches lashed against my arms, snapped beneath my boots as I pushed through the forest with no regard for anything but speed. The world blurred around me, the distance between the forest and the castle stretching unbearably long.Noctari venom didn’t give time.It didn’t wait.It killed.Faster than wolfsbane. Faster than silver. Once it spread through the bloodstream, it shut everything down—organs, instincts, even the wolf itself.“Stay with me,” I muttered under my breath, my voice rough as I glanced down at her pale face. “Lenora, stay with me.”She didn’t respond.Her head lolled weakly against my chest, her breathing shallow,
LENORA“Orion!”My voice tore out of my throat before I could stop it, raw and sharp, echoing through the clearing as the creature lunged at him.Everything happened too fast.One moment, Orion stood between me and the Noctari, his body tense, eyes blazing with a fury I had never seen before. The next, the creature’s arm twisted unnaturally, its claws elongating in a grotesque, jagged stretch before slashing across his chest.I gasped, my breath hitching painfully.“Orion!”But he didn’t fall.He didn’t even flinch.The claws had torn through his shirt, slicing skin beneath, but he barely reacted. His jaw tightened, eyes narrowing as if the pain meant nothing, as if it only fueled him further.“Is that all?” he growled, his voice low and dangerous, laced with something that made my pulse stutter.The Noctari tilted its head, its lips stretching into a crooked, unnatural smile. “You bleed,” it rasped, its voice scraping against the air like broken glass. “Good. That means you can break
ORION“Is everyone secured?”My voice cut cleanly through the tension hanging in the war room. Every head turned toward me, the air thick with unease, anticipation, and the faint metallic scent of fear that even trained warriors could not fully suppress.“The inner gates are locked, Alpha,” one of the guards replied quickly, straightening as he spoke. “All patrol units are in position.”I stepped forward, my gaze hard as it swept across them. “And the women and children?”“They’ve been moved to the lower quarters,” another answered, but his tone lacked certainty.I stopped in front of him, my presence enough to make his shoulders stiffen. “Moved is not secured,” I said coldly. “Tonight, they won’t go for strength first. They’ll go for vulnerability. Fear spreads faster that way.”His throat bobbed as he swallowed. “Yes, Alpha. We’ll double the guard.”“Triple it,” I corrected sharply. “And no one leaves the castle. Not for any reason.”A murmur of agreement followed, but I barely hear
LENORA“Run.”The word hadn’t fully settled in my mind before my body reacted. I turned and bolted.Pain tore through my ankle the moment I pushed off, sharp and vicious, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t. My breath came out in ragged bursts as I forced my legs to move faster, branches whipping against my arms and face as I plunged deeper into the woods.Behind me, I heard it, but it was not running.It walked. A slow, deliberate crunch of leaves underfoot, unhurried and controlled, like he had all the time in the world. A low whistle cut through the night air, eerily casual. “Come out, come out, little wolf…” his voice drawled, amusement lacing every syllable.My stomach twisted violently.I stumbled forward, catching myself against a tree before I could fall. My fingers scraped against rough bark as I pushed off again, ignoring the sting, ignoring the dizziness clawing at the edges of my vision.“I’m not a wolf,” I whispered under my breath, though the words felt hollow even to me.The
LENORAI stared at the door for a long time after Orion left.The silence he’d abandoned behind felt heavier than his presence. It pressed against my chest, tightening with every passing second, until breathing itself became an effort. My fists curled slowly at my sides as his words replayed in my head; Stay in your room. Wait until the hunt is over.No explanation or trust. Just orders.“Not happening,” I muttered under my breath, my voice low but firm.If he thought I would sit here like some obedient prisoner while the entire world shifted outside these walls, then he clearly didn’t know me at all.I pushed myself to my feet and began pacing, my mind racing faster than my steps. The door was locked. The windows… I turned sharply toward them, eyes narrowing as an idea began to form.The curtains swayed gently with the night breeze, silver moonlight spilling across the floor. Slowly, deliberately, I approached the window and pushed it open wider. A cool gust brushed against my skin,
LENORAI stormed back into my room, slamming the door behind me harder than I’d intended. The sound echoed off the stone walls, sharp and final, but it didn’t make me feel any better.Orion’s arrogance, it wasn’t just irritating, it was suffocating. Every word he spat, every command he barked, made
OrionThey did not flee immediately.For a fleeting moment after the first of them fell beneath my claws, the rest lingered at the edges of the clearing, their malformed bodies shifting in slow, unnatural motions as though they were weighing the cost of retreat against the pull of something far mor
LenoraThey were closing in.I could feel it.Not just see it.Not just hear the faint, unnatural drag of their movements against the forest floor.Feel it.A tightening.Like the air itself was shrinking around me, pressing in from all sides as those creatures circled slowly, deliberately, their g
OrionSomething was wrong.I felt it before I understood it. A disturbance that was subtle, yet still lingering there, unmistakably.It threaded through the air like a fracture in something unseen, pressing against my senses in a way that demanded attention. My steps slowed along the corridor, my g







