*Silver Fang Pack, Midnight* The moon's light shone over jagged ridges that covered the lands of Silver Fang territory. The forest here had trees crawling thick across the borders. Wolves always whispered that Silver Fang’s soil never forgot blood. Inside the war hall, long tables were pushed aside to make space for the gathering. Dozens of warriors stood shoulder to shoulder, their eyes fixed on the dais where their Alpha loomed. Alpha Zaiden was not a man built for softness. His hair was streaked silver with the feral strain that marked his bloodline. His broad shoulders carried a dark fur mantle, his wolf’s presence radiating, pressing against every spine in the room. He lifted his hand, and silence fell instantly. “They think we have forgotten,” Zaiden began. “They think our silence is weakness. Starblood marches with Greenwood, Shadow bends their knee, and even Moonlight cowers beneath Ryder’s banner. They think Silver Fang has grown tame.” A ripple of snarls broke throu
*Shadow Pack —The Gathering Grounds, Dawn*The drums of Shadow Pack did not beat that morning. Normally, at the first light, the wolves would gather in rhythm to remind the mountains they were strong, and united. But when the Flame had stepped into the temple, silence had swallowed the pack whole.Whispers were heard at every corner.“They say the Flame is here.”“I saw her last night, light was bleeding from her skin.”“She will save us.”“She will destroy us.”Each wolf clung to their own version of the truth. Mothers clutched their pups tighter, elders shook their heads with unease, and younger wolves argued in the courtyards until their voices cracked.Crystal had not seen any of it. They had arrived at the pack compound the previous night and she had remained unconscious.Alpha Darius stood at the edge of the gathering grounds, his shoulders squared, his expression hard as stone. His dark eyes scanned his people, taking in every flicker of unrest. The scars across his jaw caugh
*Temple of the Flame, Silent After the Trial*No one dared to breathe too loudly. The last sparks of the guardian’s dissolving form still glowed faintly before fading into the stone floor of the temple. The echo of his voice… Guardian of the Vessel, lingered in every ear.Crystal, still leaning against Ryder, her body trembling. Her chest heaved as though she had run for miles. “Crystal, look at me” he whispered.She forced her gaze upward, and her heart lurched at the fear buried beneath his Alpha composure. Ryder was the High Alpha, the wolf who commanded four packs, the one wolves bent their knees to… but here, before her, he was just a man terrified of losing his mate.Her lips parted to reassure him, but before the words could form.A sudden flare burst from her skin.It was silver fire. Not the golden flame that had always marked her… no, this was di
*Temple of the Flame*One by one, the whispers of betrayal, regret, and pain faded into silence, leaving the group swaying as though waking from a fevered dream. Crystal stood at the front, her hand still clasped tightly in Ryder’s. Behind them, the others gathered… Ethan and Alia, Luca and Thalia, Darius and Evren. Each of them knew what they had faced in their illusions, but none dared speak.At the center of the chamber, the altar glowed. Fire trickled across its surface as liquid light, running in molten rivulets down the carved lines. Crystal gasped. Her chest still ached from the illusion she had endured… the vision of loss, of Ryder bleeding out in her arms, of her fire turning against her. She clutched Ryder’s hand, but even his warmth could not ease the way her wolf stirred uneasily.The flames twisted upward, pulling together into form. At first it was only fire, but then it took shape… a tall figure cloaked in silve
*Inside the Temple, After the First Trial*They stood where the illusions had left them. The stone altar still glowed faintly.Crystal leaned into Ryder, her body visibly shaken from the vision’s hold. His arm held her, and though he said nothing, his golden eyes dared anyone to even look at her too long.Darius’s jaw clenched, his wolf bristling beneath his skin. Crystal noticed Evren seemed tense than the rest, and the way his gaze flicked toward her.Before she could ask questions, the altar shifted from its place.The stone floor beneath it, cracked open into four separate paths, each archway framed with glowing runes that thrummed in the form of flames. A voice filled the chamber.“Those who entered together must divide. Bonds will be tested. The paths will judge not what you fear, but what you can endure.”The runes flared, and the paths shone with different lights.One was red.Another light was soft green, giving the view a forest at dusk.The third was pale white.The last s
*Inside The Temple*One moment, the altar was covered in pale fire light spilling around the stone.Next, the runes around the altar glowed faintly. The light moved outward in a circle, catching each of them in its glow… Ryder, Ethan, Alia, Luca, Thalia, Darius, Evren and Crystal herself.Darkness.It wasn't night yet, but the entire world had been swallowed.Crystal staggered back but found no ground beneath her feet. When she blinked, the others were gone.*Crystal’s VisionThe forest stood before her. She was standing on Moonlight Pack’s clearing, familiar yet distorted. She heard a sharp and cruel laughter. George stood there, his arm wrapped around Amy. His lips curled in the same sneer he had on, the day he rejected her.“You were nothing,” he spat. “Not even worth a mate bond.”Crystal’s chest tightened, but before she could answer, the vision changed. George and Amy blurred into Ryder… except not her Ryder. His golden eyes were cold.“You were just a weapon. That is all you e