MasukWinter followed Sophia and the elders toward a side tunnel. Behind her, she heard Olivia's voice rise slightly. The tunnel led to a small chamber. Inside, three more elderly witches waited. The full Whispering Council. Six women watching Winter with expressions ranging from curious to skeptical. The chamber's walls were carved with protective symbols that made Winter's skin prickle. Wards against intrusion. Whatever happened here would stay private. "Sit," the eldest witch said. Her voice was raspy but firm, gesturing to a stone stool in the chamber's center. Winter sat. The stool was uncomfortable, positioned deliberately so she faced all six Council members at once. Sophia stood to the side. "Winter Moon," the eldest witch continued. "Daughter of Sophia, granddaughter of Morwenna. We have questions about your time in the Crescent citadel. You will answer truthfully." Not a request. A command. "Yes, Elder." "How long were you in the Alpha King's custody?" "Weeks. I'm not sur
The mate bond pulsed in her chest and Winter pressed her hand over her sternum. Levi noticed, his gaze tracking the movement "the bond is still there," he said quietly. Winter nodded. "It's always there. Cold and distant but present. Like he's on the other side of a wall I can't see through." "Does it hurt?" "Sometimes. When I think about him too much. When I wonder if he's looking for me or if he was relieved when I disappeared." "He's looking." Levi's tone was certain. "Alpha Kings don't lose their mates without searching. If even half the stories about Ezekiel's possessiveness are true, he's probably torn apart half his territory trying to find you." The image should be frightening. But what Winter felt was complicated warmth mixing with guilt. "Would you go back?" Levi asked. "If he found you. If he asked." Winter opened her mouth to say no automatically, but the word stuck. Because she didn't know the answer. The citadel had been lonely and frightening and suffocating. Bu
"You're going to ruin her life because Levi won't give you private lessons?" Alice's voice cracked. "That's what this is really about." "This is about protecting our community." But Olivia's tone had shifted. Less certain. "If I'm wrong, no harm done. The council will investigate and clear her. But if I'm right and we do nothing, she could get us all killed." Footsteps retreated down the tunnel. Alice stayed outside Winter's alcove for a long moment before she finally left too. Quieter. Slower.. Winter sat up on her pallet. Her hands were shaking and that tight feeling in her chest had spread to her throat. Vex pushed through the curtain and pressed his muzzle against her shoulder. "She thinks I'm a spy," Winter whispered. The words tasted wrong. Absurd. But also terrifying because if Olivia believed it, how many others might? Vex huffed. dismissive. Unconcerned. "The Council meeting is tonight." Winter's stomach twisted. Hearing Olivia's accusations changed everything. Now it
Winter woke to arguing.The voices were muffled through the curtain separating her alcove from the main tunnel, but loud enough to pull her from sleep. Female voices, both familiar. Alice and Olivia."-don't care what you think you saw," Alice was saying. Her normally gentle tone had gone sharp. "You're making things up because you're jealous.""I'm being observant," Olivia shot back. "You're so busy befriending the half breed that you can't see what's right in front of your face."Winter's chest tightened. She stayed perfectly still on her pallet, barely breathing. Vex was silent outside (probably awake and listening too)"Don't call her that," Alice said."Why not? It's what she is. Half werewolf, half witch. Doesn't belong to either world but somehow gets all the attention anyway." Fabric rustled. "Levi spends every evening training her. Your sister barely got two sessions before he said she wasn't ready. But Winter shows up and suddenly he's available for private lessons every sin
Winter tried again. And again. Each attempt got slightly better, the shadow tendril maintaining solidity for longer periods. By the tenth try, she could lift the stone a foot off the ground and hold it suspended for several seconds. Her head ached. A dull throb behind her eyes that suggested she was pushing too hard. "That's enough for tonight," Levi said, apparently noticing her discomfort. "You've made extraordinary progress. Most students would take weeks to achieve what you've done in an evening. " "I don't feel extraordinary," Winter said. The words came out more bitter than intended. "I feel exhausted." "Magic takes energy. You're burning through reserves you didn't know you had." Levi collected the stone and pocketed it. "Go rest. Eat something. Tomorrow we'll work on sustained manipulation." Tomorrow felt impossibly far away. Winter's entire body felt heavy, her mind fuzzy. But she nodded anyway. Vex fell into step beside her as she headed toward the exit. The beast's pr
existing as shadow felt incredible and terrifying. Winter had no heartbeat, no breath, no physical sensations beyond the abstract awareness of being darkness given consciousness. The mate bond had changed too. instead of sitting in her chest, it threaded through her entire dispersed form. Distant and cold but present everywhere at once. (Ezekiel would hate this. Or maybe he'd understand it. Being something other than human, existing outside normal limits. The curse probably felt similar.) Winter focused on gathering herself. The shadow rippled, contracted, began forming a center point where her body should be. It was harder than dissolving had been. Like trying to remember a shape she'd always known but suddenly couldn't quite picture. Slowly, piece by piece, Winter reformed. Legs first, then torso, arms, head. The shadow clung to her for a moment before finally releasing, leaving her standing in regular human form again. She gasped. The sensation of having lungs and breath and a
“It’s just a cake, Snow,” Jax sighed. “It’s not going to bite.”As if summoned by the tension, the bond’s hum intensified slightly. Winter’s gaze flickered to the main door. The shadows in the small gap beneath it seemed to shift. He was out there. Listening.She stared at the cake, her stomach twi
“Just enjoying the fine afternoon, Beta,” Rasmus said, his voice oozing false deference. “Imagine our surprise at finding such a rare flower blooming in our dreary garden.” His pale eyes fixed on Winter, his gaze insolent and slimy. “Your post is on the eastern wall, Rasmus,” Jax said, his voice d
He opened his mouth, then closed it, as if words had completely failed him. His gaze dropped to where her small hands were clenched in the fabric of his black tunic, her knuckles white. “You’re... you’re hurt,” she whispered, her voice a ragged, trembling thread of sound. His gaze snapped back to
“Exactly!” Rasmus agreed, leaning forward, his eyes alight with fervent energy. “He didn’t defend his honor. He defended a piece of property. He’s acting like a common cur with a new bone, snarling at anyone who comes near. He’s bewitched. Distracted. He skulks in the shadows, he barely speaks, and







