POV: Keira
I barely slept.
My stomach twisted into tight, stubborn knots the moment I opened my eyes. The light outside my window said morning, but everything inside me screamed run. My thoughts spun circles around my head, all tangled up in panic and what-ifs.
Second-to-last trial.
Just two more, and this nightmare might finally end.
But I didn’t feel strong. I felt small. So small like the forest itself might eat me alive.
I forced myself to sit up, one foot touching the cold floor, then the other. My shoulder still ached from the last combat trial, and my ribs twinged when I moved too quickly. I tried not to wince as I pulled on my hunting gear.
“Whoa,” Nylo said from above the bedpost, “Did someone roll you down a hill or did you sleep like that on purpose?”
I glared at him.
He fluttered down, carrying something in his tiny arms—a bunch of wildflowers, messily tied to
POV: KeiraThe moon hung low behind a veil of thin clouds, its dull silver light seeping through the jagged cracks in the stone ceiling. The training quarters were quiet now, the kind of quiet that felt heavy, like it could crush you if you let it. The air was thick with the lingering stench of sweat, dust, and the faint metallic tang of blood. Somewhere in the dark, soldiers shifted on their cots—breathing, snoring, muttering in their sleep.I lay still on the thin, lumpy cot they’d given me, my arms pressed tightly against my bruised ribs. Everything hurt.My muscles trembled, not just from exhaustion but from the way they’d been pushed past their limit. My skin burned where it was scraped raw, the cuts on my knuckles stinging with every faint movement. My head pulsed, a dull throb that matched the rhythm of my heartbeat.And yet… I couldn’t sleep.Not yet.I turned my face toward the cold stone wall, letting out a slow, shaky breath. The ache wasn’t just in my body. It ran deeper,
POV: KadenThe balcony stone was warm under my forearms as I leaned forward, eyes locked on the training grounds below. The sun burned high, relentless, casting harsh shadows across the dust-choked field. Heat shimmered in waves, but she didn’t falter.Keira.Small. Bruised. Bloodied.She moved like the pain was nothing. Like her body wasn’t screaming at her to stop. Her shirt clung to her skin, soaked with sweat. Her hands, raw and bleeding, trembled as she gripped the wooden sword. Her knees had buckled twice—maybe three times—since I’d started watching.But she didn’t stay down.Not once.She stood. Fought. Burned.Her form was sloppy, her footing unsteady, but those eyes… they blazed. Fierce. Unbroken. Even from up here, I could feel the heat of her defiance. She was a spark in a world that wanted to smother her.I tilted my head, lips curling into something like a smile. Not amusement. Not quite. It was… curiosity. Hunger, maybe. Pride.“What did those fools do,” I muttered under
POV: KeiraThe training grounds were cold. Hard. Endless.I landed face-first in the dirt, the sharp sting of gravel scraping my cheek. My arms throbbed from being dragged. My knees buckled from the fall. But I didn’t cry out.I wouldn’t give them that.Boots circled me. Harsh voices barked orders in the distance. The scent of blood, sweat, and steel filled the air. Warriors—tall, strong, unbothered—trained under the rising sun like this was just another day.To them, it was.To me, it was war.A war to stay alive.I pushed myself up, spitting dust from my mouth, just as a tall woman stepped forward.Her armor was thick. Her hair buzzed short. A scar ran across her jaw like a warning.She looked me up and down, her lip curling in disgust. “You’ll break before midday.”I glared at her.Not with words. Just my eyes.That was enough.Behind the fence, Nylo clung to a post, his tiny face pressed between the bars. “Show them your moonlight, Kiki!” he squeaked.My chest tightened. I gave hi
POV: Prince KadenI stood in front of the viewing orb, hands clasped behind my back, watching her.The glass shimmered with silver light, revealing the girl curled in the corner of her cell. Her body was bruised, wrists red and raw from the iron cuffs, but her eyes… her eyes were sharp. Alive. Watching.She didn’t weep. Didn’t scream.She waited.“She’s quiet,” I murmured.“She’s dangerous,” my Beta replied behind me. His voice was tight. Controlled. But I could smell the fear beneath it.I didn’t turn around. “She’s small.”“Wolves come in all sizes,” he said. “But that one—she’s not just any wolf. That’s the cursed Omega. The one from the Moonfell Trials.”My jaw tightened. I watched as she stroked the tiny creature on her shoulder. The sprite glared at the orb like it could see us. Curious thing. Oddly loyal.“She doesn’t act like an Omega,” I said softly.“She’s not,” the Beta answered, stepping closer. “She’s the one the visions warned us about. The girl who can resist the Alpha
POV: KeiraThey threw me into the cell like I weighed nothing. Like I wasn’t even living.My body slammed against the stone wall with a force that rattled my teeth. A sharp groan escaped my lips, but I clenched my jaw before the pain could steal more sound from me. I wouldn’t scream. I wouldn’t give them that.The door clanged shut with a violent finality, the echo of metal ringing through the tiny space. I blinked hard, trying to clear the blur in my vision. The cell was small—no bigger than a storage closet—and bitterly cold. The stench of old blood clung to the air like rot, curling into my nostrils and settling in my throat. Chains hung from the far wall, rusted and stained dark. A single flickering torch in the hallway threw dancing shadows across the floor, mocking me with its wavering light.I stayed where I’d fallen, breath shallow, ribs pulsing with pain.Then I heard it.A familiar scurry. Light paws. Quick claws.“Idiots,” Nylo muttered, scrambling through the bars before t
POV: KeiraThey dragged me back into the throne room the next morning.My legs shook beneath me, every step heavier than the last. The stone floor was cold, rough under my bare feet. My wrists burned from the silver restraints. My throat was dry. My body… tired.So tired.But I didn’t let myself fall.I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.Kaden, I realized, sat on his throne like a god carved from shadows—lazy, relaxed, but with those sharp eyes that never stopped watching. He leaned forward slightly when he saw me, his gaze trailing slowly over my body like he was sizing up a piece of meat.A faint smile pulled at his lips.My stomach turned.Nylo sat on my shoulder, his tiny paws gripping my tunic. He hissed low in his throat, fur bristling like a wildcat.“Touch her,” Nylo growled, baring his sharp little teeth, “and I’ll bite your face off, you glorified shadow puppet!”Kaden chuckled, low and slow. The sound curled around the room like smoke.He stood from his throne and walked t