“I know you,” Darius whispered to the wolf. “You’re Ashera. You’ve been trying to come back to her, haven’t you?”
The wolf didn’t speak, not in words. But her energy radiated sorrow and hope intertwined.
Darius knelt beside the little girl, his breath curling in the frigid air. The memory around them flickered, a subtle shift in light like the realm itself was listening. Cassandra’s younger form stepped slightly closer, her fingers still tangled in Ashera’s fur. Her face tilted with curiosity, a child's wariness dancing in her gaze.
“You know my wolf,” she said quietly, her voice barely above the wind.
Darius nodded with a soft smile. “I do. Her name is Ashera. She’s been waiting for you for a very long time.”
The little girl blinked, lips twitching into a small, secretive smile. She glanced around quickly, at the empty lot, the trees beyond the fence, as if c
Rowan had posted himself near the door like a sentinel. At times, he’d walk to the edge of the bed and just stare, jaw tight with uncertainty. Other times, he disappeared to pace the halls, struggling to shake the phantom sensations of the spirit realm that still clung to his skin.And Darius…Darius Thorn moved like a man walking the knife-edge between two worlds.During the day, he handled pack affairs, barely. He led morning drills with the warriors, met with the Beta Council to keep the region stable, and sent scouts to monitor the borders. But even then, his mind wandered. His sentences trailed off. His patience frayed.At night, he kept vigil by her bedside.He didn’t speak to her. Not really. But he watched her. He listened to her breathing. He counted each rise and fall of her chest, praying to the Moon Goddess that there would be a next one.On the second night, just before dawn, she stirred.It started sma
“The circle…” she murmured weakly, voice raw. “It’s gone. The runes, burnt out. They’re not recharging. We’re done. No more journeys.”“No complaints here,” Rowan wheezed as he rolled onto his back. “I feel like my brain got turned inside out.”“Good,” Sela muttered.Maris knelt beside Cassandra and pressed two fingers to her pulse. “She’s stabilising,” she said quietly. “Still unconscious, but her vitals are evening out. That transformation nearly broke her, but she made it through.”Darius slowly pushed himself upright, his muscles aching with every movement. His eyes didn’t leave Cassandra.Rowan groaned, sitting up with effort. “She almost took us all with her in the process.”Sela gripped her thighs and pushed herself upright, her knees wobbling beneath her. Every step felt like she was dragging a mountain
She was crouched in the corner of a hidden chamber beneath the main temple. Her knees were pulled to her chest, her tiny body shaking with sobs. Her long black hair stuck to her cheeks, dirt and ash smeared over her face. The protective sigils on the walls pulsed weakly, a sign that the spell concealing her was already weakening.Footsteps echoed above them. Shouting. Battle cries. The thud of dying wolves.Suddenly, the chamber door slammed open.A woman, elegant, fierce, regal even in soot-stained robes, stumbled in, bleeding from a gash across her brow.Her golden eyes landed on the child immediately. “Ashera!” she cried.Darius blinked. Ashera?Rowan turned to him, confused. “Did she say… Ashera?”Darius’s heart thudded heavily in his chest. “That’s the name of her wolf.”“No,” Rowan murmured, eyes wide. “I think… that’s her
He turned slowly, his gaze falling on Cassandra’s still form. “They weren’t just shifters. They had… other gifts. Psychic ties. Energy manipulation. Some believed they were blessed by the Moon Goddess herself. The other packs panicked. They feared what would happen if the Halcyn ever turned violent.”“And so,” Sela said coldly, “they struck first.”Darius nodded once, rage tightening the corners of his eyes. “Massacre. They called it justice. But it was fear. Politics. Cowardice.”Rowan moved to the foot of the bed, his expression tense. “If Cassandra’s from that bloodline, and she’s just now awakening… everything inside her, wolf, power, memory, is waking up at once. No wonder she’s rejecting it. It’s too much.”The runes were still glowing faintly, flickering like candlelight at th
“I know you,” Darius whispered to the wolf. “You’re Ashera. You’ve been trying to come back to her, haven’t you?”The wolf didn’t speak, not in words. But her energy radiated sorrow and hope intertwined.Darius knelt beside the little girl, his breath curling in the frigid air. The memory around them flickered, a subtle shift in light like the realm itself was listening. Cassandra’s younger form stepped slightly closer, her fingers still tangled in Ashera’s fur. Her face tilted with curiosity, a child's wariness dancing in her gaze.“You know my wolf,” she said quietly, her voice barely above the wind.Darius nodded with a soft smile. “I do. Her name is Ashera. She’s been waiting for you for a very long time.”The little girl blinked, lips twitching into a small, secretive smile. She glanced around quickly, at the empty lot, the trees beyond the fence, as if c
“And if Darius dies in there?” Rowan shot back. “What then? Who pulls him back?”Sela went quiet.Darius looked at Rowan. His second. His brother in all but blood. “Rowan…”“I won’t let you do this alone,” Rowan said. “You may be willing to gamble your soul, but I’m not willing to lose you, neither is the pack.”Sela sighed. “Very well. But if either of you lose focus in that realm, if she panics or fights you, I can’t protect your bodies. Once the soul leaves, you’re in her world. Her rules.”Sela’s eyes glinted as she turned from Cassandra’s unconscious wolf form and said in a clear voice, “I’ll need salt.”Without hesitation, the healer handed her a small carved bowl of coarse white salt. Sela knelt gracefully, her movements fluid with purpose and power. She dipped her fingers into the bowl and began to draw symbols on the floor in deliberate, spiraling patterns—ancient sigils that pulsed faintly the moment her salt-tipped finger