FAZER LOGINThe courtyard of the Moonridge estate buzzed with hushed anticipation. Guards lined the cobblestones, backs straight, hands clasped behind them, as the distant thunder of hooves and boots carried on the wind. The banners of Alpha Rufus’s pack appeared first: dark crimson cloth bearing the sigil of a wolf’s head pierced with a silver spear then his entourage emerged. Rows of warriors marched in precise formation, their armor blackened leather reinforced with steel, their steps perfectly in sync. Their eyes were sharp, unyielding, like soldiers more than wolves. The weight of their presence pressed heavily over the courtyard, and even the Moonridge wolves straightened, as if subconsciously intimidated. At the head of the column rode Alpha Rufus. He was a towering man, broad-shouldered, his hair streaked with iron gray. A scar slashed diagonally across his cheek, pale against his weathered skin, and his eyes, cold, piercing steel, swept the courtyard with calculated precision. When he
The halls of Moonridge High were mostly empty late afternoon, save for the muted echoes of footsteps and the faint hum of voices carrying from the library. Skylar was only half-aware of where he was walking, his mind had been a storm for days, Amanda’s words and silences gnawing at him like splinters beneath his skin. He hadn’t meant to stop when he passed the library doors but the sound of Cassian’s voice, low and serious, caught his ear, pulling him to a halt. "—I don’t like it, Stace", Cassian was saying. "The more we look, the clearer it becomes. There isn’t a safer way." Skylar’s jaw tightened. He leaned closer, hidden just out of sight. Stacie’s voice came next, hushed but urgent. "Then we have to keep looking. We can’t let her even think about going through with it. You saw her face when we read those words. She’s desperate enough to try, Cassian." Skylar immediately knew they were talking about Amanda. He pressed in closely so he could hear more. "Do you really think she
The library was quiet that afternoon, its tall shelves looming like guardians over secrets no one wanted to be unearthed. Dust floated in the air where sunlight streamed through stained-glass, painting the worn wood in fractured colors. Amanda sat at one of the heavy oak tables with Stacie and Cassian, the three of them bent close over a stack of cracked leather-bound tomes. Her fingers traced the faded script of an open page, the old ink bleeding slightly from centuries of wear. It was the first time in weeks that hope flickered in her chest—small, fragile, but there."This one mentions Silver Wolves again", Stacie whispered, pulling a book closer.She tapped at a faded illustration of a wolf with fur like moonlight, its eyes bright silver. The caption beneath read: "Luna-born, Touched of the Moon". Amanda swallowed hard, staring at the picture. She had always hated that word— different, even when she was back in New York. Nobody wanted to be different but here, staring at the image
Amanda sat on the edge of the training mat, her chest still heaving from sparring. Sweat soaked through her shirt, plastering it to her skin, but she hardly felt it. She stared intently at Cassian, her chest tightened, her breath caught in her throat. "What are you saying?"His gaze was steady, serious. "The bond with Skylar. I can help you break it completely, but only if you’ll let me" Amanda froze. Her world tilted, spinning between disbelief and desperate hope. Break the bond, freedom, no more searing agony every time Skylar brushed past her, no more stolen emotions bleeding into her heart. No more torment, it sounded like a dream, too good to be true and for a moment she dared to believe it but Cassian’s voice pulled her back down."If you agree to be with me, Amanda, I’ll give you a way to sever it, to give you that freedom", he told her.Her pulse pounded in her ears."Be with you?", she asked.Cassian’s lips twitched, almost pained."Not just as a friend, more. You already kn
Amanda was changing. Her laughter, once quick and unguarded, had dulled into silence. Her eyes no longer sparked with defiance when Tessa sneered; they only hardened, walls building brick by brick. Instead of completely retreating into the shadows, Amanda trained harder. Cassian had started with simple sparring, teaching her stances and counters, but she pushed him for more. Where once she stumbled and giggled at her clumsiness while training, she now demanded another round, another drill, another bruising strike until her knuckles throbbed red."Again", she panted, fists up, sweat streaking down her temple.Cassian arched a brow, catching her next punch easily in his palm."Amanda, you’ve been at this for two hours. At this rate, you’re going to collapse", he told her, concern etched into his face."I said again", she repeated, her voice sharp enough to slice.For the first time, he didn’t joke back. He just let her punch, his chest tightening with something he couldn’t name.---Sta
Amanda woke to silence. The room was still, the pale gray light of dawn creeping across the curtains. For a moment, she didn’t move, her body heavy with warmth and the lingering memory of the night before. The ache of the bond still throbbed inside her, but softer now, soothed by the reckless, desperate closeness she had shared with Skylar. She reached for him, but her hand touched only cool sheets. Her eyes snapped open. The space beside her was empty, already long abandoned, but his scent still clung faintly to the air: pine and smoke, sharp with the edge of his wolf, but the man himself was gone. Amanda sat up slowly, her chest tightening with each passing heartbeat. She told herself he had just stepped out, that he would come back, but as the minutes stretched into an hour, reality carved itself sharp inside her. She defeatedly swung her feet over the edge of the bed and slowly began her day.When she finally saw him again, it was in the main hall. Skylar stood with Tessa, his exp
Dinner at the Blackthorne estate was like a formal affair. The long mahogany table stretched down the center of the grand dining hall polished so clean it gleamed in the candlelight. The chandelier above flickered with golden fire and servants in muted tones moved like ghosts between courses. Amand
By the end of her third day at Moonridge High, Amanda knew exactly where she stood, beneath everyone. It didn't matter that her new stepfather was practically the richest man in Moonridge. It didn't matter that she wore the same uniform or walked the same polished halls, she sat alone at lunch, eve
The road twisted through a tunnel of low-hanging trees, their bare branches clawing at the sky like crooked fingers. Amanda leaned her forehead against the glass and exhaled, fogging it slightly. Beyond the mist, the forest seemed alive, like it was watching their car ride by."Almost there", her m
Dinner at the Blackthorne estate was usually a stiff, awkward formal affair, but tonight the tension could have split the long mahogany table in two. The chandelier overhead gleamed, servants moved like shadows pouring wine and setting silver trays, but none of that polished elegance could disguise







