LOGINFinn's POVBy the time I got there…It wasn’t a conversation anymore, it had turned into a gathering.A circle of wolves, mostly younger, a few seasoned fighters mixed in, listening.And at the center was Ethan.He stood with his back half-turned to me, posture loose but controlled. Dark hair, lean build, eyes that always looked like they were calculating something three steps ahead.He hadn’t noticed me yet.“I’m not saying she isn’t powerful,” Ethan was saying. “You all saw the reports. Heard what she did at the Veil.”Murmurs of agreement filled their circle.“But power isn’t the same as belonging.”That got louder reactions from the men.“She shows up out of nowhere, suddenly she’s the Lunar Queen, suddenly we’re expected to just accept that everything changes?” His voice sharpened. “That we change?”A few heads nodded, some hesitated.He pressed.“What happens when she decides Blood Moon isn’t enough?” he continued. “When her kingdom comes first?”“That won’t happen,” someone sa
Finn's POV“You’ve all heard the rumors,” I said, my voice cutting cleanly through the murmurs. “So let’s stop pretending otherwise.”That got their attention.A few wolves shifted uncomfortably, amongst the pack gathered.Others straightened, eyes sharp with curiosity…or suspicion.“It’s not rumors,” one of the older warriors spoke up. “Messengers came at dawn. Rogues crossing into the Lunar Kingdom. A battle inside the Veil itself.”“And our Luna at the center of it,” another added.And that was part of the problem.I kept my expression neutral. “Careful how you phrase that.”A younger wolf scoffed. “Why? Because we’re supposed to just accept it? That our Alpha bonded himself to some slave girl who suddenly claims she’s queen of a kingdom no one’s seen in centuries?”A ripple of agreement followed.There it was, the fracture.I stepped forward slowly.“Watch how you speak about her. Have some respect for our Luna Maya!” I said evenly, “She is the reason half of you are still alive
Lucien's POVThe moment the Veil opened for us,I knew something was devastatingly wrong. The power pouring through the breach wasn’t controlled anymore. It was unstable, and wild, surging in violent waves that made every instinct in me scream.“Maya…” I breathed.I ran.I didn’t wait for the others, moved on instinct, not caring about formation, strategy, anything, but Maya.The world on the other side hit like a storm, silver light, shattered earth, magic still crackling through the air like the after effect of lightning.Bodies lay scattered, and free.And at the center of it all, was Maya.She was falling, I saw it happen inslow motion, like the world itself was trying to hold onto her but it couldn’t.“MAYA!”I moved before the sound even finished leaving my throat, and caught her just before she hit the ground.Her body was too light, and still.No.No, no, no…“Maya, hey…hey, look at me,” I said, my voice already breaking as I dropped to my knees with her in my arms.Her head
MAYA’S POV“You feel it now, don’t you?” Alvin said, though his voice was tighter than before. “The power. The hunger.”He stepped forward, shadows curling around him like living things.“It will consume you.”“It already tried,” I replied, my voice echoing with something not entirely human.The air shook.Silver light exploded outward, forcing his shadows back.“And it failed.”He attacked first.Dark energy lashed toward me, fast as lightning, meant to bind, to crush, to break.I didn’t move, there was no need to, the Veil moved for me.The attack dissolved before it could touch me, unraveling into nothing like it had never existed.Alvin’s eyes widened just for a second.Then he smiled.“Good,” he murmured. “Show me what you are.”The ground beneath us cracked open.From it rose tendrils of corrupted magic, writhing, screaming as they shot toward the prisoners, toward me, and everything.He wasn’t just attacking me, also trying to force me to split my focus.Save the wolves he hel
MAYA’S POVThe grove pulsed with silver light weaving through the ancient trees, the air thick with magic that answered to me now. Behind me, the Veil remained open, my army pouring through like a living tide.And in front of me, Alvin Shadowmane no longer looked untouchable.He looked uncertain.“You’ve already lost,” I said, my voice carrying unnaturally across the grove.His composure cracked slightly.“You think opening the Veil makes you a queen?” he sneered. “Power is not claimed in moments of spectacle, child. It is built over decades. Controlled, and Mastered.”“Then you should have done a better job controlling yours,” I replied coldly.His eyes flashed. The ground beneath us split.Dark energy surged upward, clashing violently against the silver light radiating from me. The grove screamed, ancient magic colliding, tearing at the balance of the place itself.“So be it,” Alvin said, his voice dropping. “If you won’t kneel… then you’ll break.”He lifted his hand, and the pris
Lucien's POVThe world burned silver behind them.Even in the chaos of battle, I felt the shift. The surge of power that didn’t belong to this forest, to this war.Maya.Relief hit first, then awe because whatever she had just done changed everything.Garett felt it too.His attention flickered for half a second, just a glance over his shoulder toward the unnatural light flooding the trees.That was all I needed.I surged forward, my claws drove into his side, knocking him off balance. He snarled, twisting, but he was slower now, weaker, and tired.We circled each other, both bleeding, both breathing hard but only one of us still had something to fight for.“You feel that?” I said, voice rough. “That’s your war ending.”Garett spat blood onto the ground. “It’s not over…”“It is.”I lunged again.This time, he didn’t dodge fast enough.We crashed to the ground, my weight pinning him as my claws pressed against his throat. One move…One push, and it would be done.The battlefield seeme
Ethan's POVThe night air was cold.My eyes was alert in the night like day.I stood at the north watchtower, arms folded behind my back, eyes fixed on the dark stretch beyond Blood Moon’s gates.Five nights of standing still while everyone else slept.That was my sentence.Beta Finn’s voice replay
Maya's POV"Stay close," Lucien murmured, his hand finding mine. "We're being watched."I'd felt it for the last hour, eyes tracking our every movement. The weight of predatory gazes pressing against my skin like physical touch. Lyra stirred restlessly inside of me, she was not afraid, but alert.
Maya's POVThe nightmares persisted.At first, they were soft.Just shadows, sounds, a blade hitting stone.A wolf howling far away, then they got louder.I was standing in the courtyard again. Smoke everywhere. Blood on the ground. The moon was red and too big in the sky.Marcus stood in front o
Ethan's POVI didn’t follow them on purpose.That’s the lie I tell myself.The truth is, I always watch more than people think. Scouts learn early that survival isn’t about strength. It’s about seeing what others miss.The clearing wasn’t on my patrol route.But something pulled me there. And what







