LOGINHundreds of arrows, with their tips bubbling with a sickly green, lethal silver poison, descended toward the place everywhere. Duncan was still pinned on top of Malphas, his claws buried in the giant’s throat. Zach was on his knees at the edge of the ring, panting heavily, his small body completely exhausted after unleashing his royal roar. Heidi stood right behind him, her small hands clutching her brother’s shirt, her eyes wide with fear as the deadly rain fell straight toward them.There was no time for Duncan to move. There was no time for Oscar to swing his blade.But inside Amora’s chest, the ancient maternal instinct did not just spark, it erupted into an all-consuming wildfire.A blinding, snow-white light exploded from her skin, so bright that it completely erased the crimson stain of the blood moon. Her human shape melted instantly, her bones shifting and expanding with a fluid, majestic grace. In less than a second, the elegant woman in the forest-green dress was gone.Sta
On this third morning, the air was freezing. A thin layer of frost coated the ground, but it didn't last long.By the end of the first ten minutes, the frost was entirely melted, replaced by a steaming, violent splash of red.The duel was a bloodbath.Duncan moved with a terrifying, wild speed that shocked everyone watching from the perimeter. He didn't use the clean, elegant martial arts of the royal palace. He didn't waste time trying to form energy shields that would only invite Malphas’s corruption. He was fighting the mountain way low to the earth, using the slippery mud to his advantage, shifting his weight just before the giant's massive fists could connect.But Malphas was way older and stronger, and his raw physical power was catastrophic. Every time his eight-foot frame collided with Duncan, the sound of tearing flesh and bruising muscle echoed across the valley.Duncan’s gray shirt had been completely ripped away. His chest was covered in long, jagged claw marks that drippe
Three days. The number hung over the place like a heavy, dark cloud. The unnatural red tint of the blood moon had faded, but the psychological chill Malphas left behind remained. In seventy-two hours, the duel would begin. If Duncan won, the South would find peace. If he lost, Amora and her children would become the property of a monster.On the first morning of the countdown, the mountain mist was thick and freezing. Down in the mud of the estate’s private training yard, two men stood facing each other.Duncan Alonso had stripped down to a simple black pair of training trousers. The thick white medical bandages around his ribs were tightly bound, but a faint smudge of pink showed that his internal wounds were still bleeding from the strain of his previous exertions. His silver-grey eyes were fixed on the man opposite him.Oscar Wayne stood with his boots planted deep in the damp earth. His massive, rugged arms were crossed over his broad chest, his blue eyes filled with a mixture of
Duncan Alonso stood frozen, his extended claws trembling slightly as the sheer weight of Malphas’s words crashed into his soul. For five years, he had lived in a prison of guilt. He had blamed himself for being blind, for letting Katherine destroy his marriage, and for allowing his family to exile his fated mate. He had believed it was all his failure.But it hadn't been an accident. It had been a grand design. The puppet strings stretched all the way back to the dark northern territory, held firmly in the massive, scarred hands of Alpha Malphas."You..." Duncan’s voice was a low, fractured whisper. The silver light in his eyes flared violently, fighting against the crimson stain of the blood moon. "Every lie Katherine told... every piece of silver poison... it was all you.""Of course it was," Malphas chuckled, the sound vibrating through the dirt beneath their boots. The giant Ancient took a slow step forward, the dry grass crunching under his heavy weight. "Katherine was greedy,
The violent crimson light of the blood moon stained the meadow, turning the joyous festival into a living nightmare. The protective barrier stones at the edge of the Wayne territory did not just crack; instead they exploded into fine white dust, their ancient magic shattered by a raw, overwhelming force.The terrifying, metallic howl faded, leaving behind an eerie, suffocating silence. The music had stopped. The bonfires were nothing but dying blue embers. Hundreds of shifters stood frozen, their breath catching in their throats as a heavy, unnatural pressure dropped over the valley. It felt as if the air itself had turned to lead, making it difficult to even stand.Duncan stood firmly in front of Amora, his claws fully extended, his silver-grey eyes glowing with a lethal brilliance. Even with his chest tightly bound in medical bandages, his Alpha posture was completely unyielding. To her left, Oscar raised his heavy iron hunting blade, his massive chest heaving as his own Alpha aura
It was the Night of the Alliance Feast. This festival had been planned weeks ago to formally celebrate the peace treaty between the Silver Crescent Pack and the Wayne Pack.But beneath the laughter and the rhythmic beating of the drums, a sharp current of fear ran through the crowd. Only twenty-four hours had passed since Susan Wayne discovered the Dark Moon Scent-Nullifier device buried near the playground. The elite enforcers from both packs were not drinking. Instead, they stood along the perimeter of the meadow, their hands resting on the hilts of their silver blades, their eyes scanning the black wall of the forest.Duncan and Oscar had agreed that the festival could not be canceled. To cancel would show the hidden spies that the Alonsos and the Waynes were frightened. They needed to project absolute strength and unity.Amora stood near the edge of the pavilion, wearing a simple but elegant forest-green dress that complimented her striking emerald eyes. Her long hair was pinned
Amora sat on the edge of the velvet mattress, her freshly washed hair damp against her shoulders. She had scrubbed her skin until it was red, desperate to wash away the scent of the Alonso mansion, the sterile smell of the clinic, and the lingering grease of Katherine’s heavy perfume. The high-tec
The journey back to the city did not feel like a ride for peace. It felt like a transport to a high security prison.Amora sat in the back of the armored black SUV, her face pressed against the cold glass of the window. The glass was heavily tinted and reinforced with steel mesh, rendering the outs
Inside his vehicle, Duncan’s hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly the leather split beneath his fingers. His silver eyes reflected the glow of the dashboard. The agonizing emptiness in his chest, the sudden, terrifying silence where Amora’s life force should have been was driving his inner wo
Oscar lay flat on the metal examination table, his chest bare. The thick, pale scars from his past were now overshadowed by the thick black veins crawling upward from his shoulder, snaking around his neck like a choking collar. Susan Wayne moved frantically around the table. Her hands, usually so







