Bran's POV "Alpha, we should do something about this issue now and right here. We can't cross our fingers and watch our pups die just like that." A council member is finally speaking after several seconds of murmuring between them. I watch in silence, not because I'm weak or because I don't know what to say, but because I can't seem to figure out where all these are coming from."We've always respected you and your decisions since you were chosen to be our Alpha, but your silence in this issue is painting another picture." His gaze returns to the other council members like he is asking for their permission to proceed, and they nod, giving him the go-ahead to speak. "We can't help but think that there's something you have done wrong to bring us this calamity. Selene is angry at us for something done wrong. If not, why would our sacrifices not have been accepted by the moon goddess after a series of attempts, and she keeps on striking us with death and rogue attacks?" I look into spac
Bella's POV "You have to leave now! Before Alpha Bran meets you here or else your head will be fed to the Pack dogs." The nerve of Alpha Lucian's beta is to show up here. What is he thinking? Did he think I'm going to allow him to show up here and destroy everything I've worked hard for? For some weeks now, he has been on my tail, telling me lies in the name of custom, "rouges can't be born outside their territory", and who cares about that fucking custom? I have to make him leave before Bran comes out. That might arouse suspicions in him, and I wouldn't want that. "Leave now!" I shout again, but it seems this is not going to work. "Do you think I'll leave without you going with me? You don't belong here; you belong to us...well, till that pup comes to this world." He insists, mocking the guard's attempt to throw him out."Are you guys just going to cross your arms and watch this lunatic display? Aren't you going to throw him out now?" I'm trembling inside of me but faking composu
Talia's POV I stand swiftly as the footsteps are approaching, the sound louder now as if the person is coming closer. I glance around and find a stray log, big and thick enough to break someone's head in case they're enemies. I don't recollect speaking to anyone except Alpha Axton, his guards, driver and some of his maids. Maybe it's one of them though. I'm tempted to let my guard down, but I brace again, holding the log with my two hands on high alert in case it's not any of them. "Aaarrrrr!!!" We both are screaming, I close my eyes, lifting the log so high that it falls back behind me due to its heaviness. I open my eyes slowly to meet the gaze of a pretty lady; she should be in her mid-twenties like me. Her cute eyes widen in fear and her trembling hand is holding a beautiful flower."Hi..." I greet awkwardly, dusting them my hands on my trousers and stretching my hand to shake her, but she looks at me awkwardly before silently going to sit on the log I was sitting on earlier be
Talia's POV For several minutes I have tried dusting off this weird purple smoke Jasper caused, but they won't go. "Can't you do something, Jasper? Are you just going to stand there watching me go around looking like this?" I rant, but to be fair-Jasper has tried, but the smoke won't budge."Talia, you know you look good in purple." Luna teases, casting me a smiley, almost laughing look."Uhm..uhm, let me try again." Jasper rummages his bag one more time. "I got it yeah," he exclaims, bringing out a fish-like small little container."Have this, Talia; it's a scientific soap; it will wipe the smoke off your body and return your normal colour." "Uhmm, Jasper, are you sure Talia is not going to turn pink completely after bathing with this soap of yours?" Luna questions scratching the back of her head. Jasper was about to talk when faint footsteps rummaged through the clearing towards our direction. Also, the voice of someone, probably a young Pup, talking from a distance. "Hold on Jas
Talia's POVThe morning air is crisp, carrying the scent of the earth and flowers as I step out of my small home. The traces of dawn can still be seen in the sky, painted in shades of pink and gold. I stretch my arms, feeling a slight ache from yesterday's activities, Jasper, Luna, and Finn getting covered in purple smoke and then surviving Greta's terrifying glare.For the first time in a long time, I don't feel like an outsider. I feel like I truly belong here, but I still have to be careful in making my decisions. I don't want to end up in a Pack just like Starlight.A knock at the door startles me from my thoughts."Coming!" I call, moving towards it.When I open the door, Luna stands with her calm smile in place. Behind her, Jasper rests on the frame, arms crossed over his chest. Finn is perched on Jasper's shoulders, grinning."Talia, we've come to kidnap you," Luna announces causing me to blink repeatedly. "Excuse me?""She means we have something important to tell you." Jaspe
Talia's POV The festival is nothing short of magical. Lanterns glow softly, casting golden light over the town square. Long wooden tables are set up, covered in platters of food so delicious that my stomach growls just looking at them. Music drifts through the air, played by a group of werewolves with makeshift instruments, their laughter and voices filling the night.People dance, their movements are uncoordinated but full of joy. No one seems to care about looking perfect. There's freedom in that, a kind of wild happiness.Then comes the communal meal.I sit at a table surrounded by my new friends. Luna, Jasper, Finn, and even Greta-who I have since learned are not as terrifying as she looks (though still slightly terrifying). The food is delicious, but my appetite dwindles one by one, and people start sharing their stories."I was born the runt of my litter," an older werewolf named Rowan says, his deep voice carrying across the table. "Too weak to shift. My pack saw me as useless
Talia's POV Axton is gazing at me steadily, and even at that, I still can't read him; something tells me whatever he's planning to say is not going to hurt me, but how can I even listen to that when the only words I have ever heard from Alpha's like him are words of rejection.My head pounds with the expectations of what he is about to say, but I remain calm. Que sera sera. The festival hums around laughter, music, and distant clatter of plates- but at this moment, it feels like it's just the two of us, standing at the edge of something that neither of us can quite define."I see potential in you, Talia," he says finally. "You belong here more than you think. Do you want to stay here with us?"I let out a slow breath. "I don't know." It's the most honest answer I can give. The wolves here are kind, but I still can't bring myself to the conclusion. Not until I'm convinced that I will be fine here. I expect him to push, to convince me that I should stay, but instead, he only nods, as
The moment the guard calls Alpha Axton, tensions arise in me, and I can't help but wonder what the urgency is all about. I've just decided to stay here in the Misfit town. Have I made the right decision?Alpha Axton's relaxed stance vanishes and he immediately replaces it with a commanding tone. "What is it?""There's an incident at the border." The guard's voice is urgent. "You're needed immediately."Alpha Axton turns to face me, and I can already see the concern in his eyes; I nod permissively, and, with a nod, too, he turns on his heels and strides off, his cloak blowing behind him. I watch him disappear into the night, questions ringing in my head. An incident and what kind?But before my thoughts can spiral too far, Luna appears at my side, bumping her shoulder against mine and rolling her eyes. "Relax, Alpha Axton, can handle anything."I nod, though I still feel the uneasiness. Still, there's nothing I can do about it now. Instead, I head home.Getting to my cottage, I step i
POV: The Dark Council Head "You should be scared of the man you're becoming. Despite all the powers and fights, you lack that inner peace you've always wanted. You have no mate, no children and most of all no joy. It's painful because I'm tied to you. And now I cannot even have my fair share of happiness just because you chose the dark part." Fen my wolf purrs. He won't just keep quiet for once. "I am Malrik. This is the life I have chosen, and as a part of me, you deal with it." When I said everyone turned against me when I was a nobody, I mean everyone including my wolf. Don't get this wrong. He was once my ally, but since I chose this part he turned. Fen and I had never agreed since then. At first, I was not happy about it, and I cursed Selene for giving me a wolf who was not always on the same page with me, but not anymore. He can think whatever or say anything. My plan stays. I had once been hidden. But not anymore. Now I shake the ground of every supernatural court. Vampi
POV: The Dark Council HeadI walk down the corridor in silence. The floor beneath my boots is cold, each step I take echoing through the hall. I don't enjoy the silence, but I've grown used to it. These halls remember everything. Every lie. Every betrayal. Every choice I made.She floats beside me, her spirit glowing faintly in the light. Elara. The keeper's grandmother. She was once a powerful wolf. Now, just a spirit. But still dangerous and still strong. I guess that's my mistake. I should have ended her life that night. I shouldn't have locked her spirit up. "You walked without permission," I say. My tone is calm, but it has a warning behind it. "Again."She lets out a dry laugh. "I don't belong to you."We keep walking. The torches along the walls flicker more brightly as she passes. Even fire respects her. That's always been the case."No," I object. "But you are bound here. You should know your boundaries. You can't just keep roaming about any time you feel like, you know; som
POV: The Old Keeper (The New Seer)I was never supposed to hear her voice again. But she never seems to stop calling and coming. The hall glows, a hint of her presence.The old runes on the walls emit a dim shimmer-not bright enough to chase away shadows, but enough to remind me that I'm not alone down here. I sit with my back against the cold stone wall, my legs stretched before me and one foot bouncing softly in rhythm with the whispers in my head. The whispers never stopped since she returned. Or let's say since she had been aware of my presence here.I remember once being brave and knowing who I was. Now I count moments by the number of breaths I can take before my past claws its way into my thoughts.And just like every time before, here she comes.Her voice reaches me before her form does-soft, low, and carried like wind through bone."You remember more than you should."It echoes through the hall like it's soaked in moonlight. Her hunting yet comforting voice. She's closer now
POV: The Old Keeper (The New Seer)I was meant to be the Stone Keeper. I was chosen right before birth. So says my grandmother. My parents were killed because they weren't supposed to bring me to life. But it happened somehow and they got punished for it. The stone started calling to me when I was young. I heard its voice, felt its pull and sometimes touched it. But that was in my dreams. I was happy, and proud or maybe the right word is overjoyed to be the chosen one.The Moon Goddess chose me. Not because someone told her to, or because I asked. The stone chose me itself. So I heard. I stood alone on Starlight Crest, high above the land, with the wind pushing at my back. The light of the moonstone reached out to me, surrounding me. I felt its warmth settle inside my chest. At that moment, I truly believed I had found my purpose.I was proud and brave. Maybe even foolish.That night, everything changed.I was meant to complete the trials to become the official Keeper. I had already
POV: The New Seer of the Dark Council (Council of the East)I see her.Even before the stars split.Even before the Moon Goddess lays her hand on her heart.I see the girl awakening.Not with my eyes or with the cursed black things that smoulder in my head and glow when they shouldn't. But deeper. The way roots see water underground. The way wolves hear a storm coming before the first drop falls.Talia.Her name echoes inside me like it's written behind my teeth.She stands in that dream-space, her spirit wide open, and I'm there-barely, briefly. A shadow just outside the light.I wasn't supposed to see her that clearly.But I did.And now I can't unsee her.Her light. Her fear. Her power.The Moonstone has chosen her, and the trials have begun.I sit motionless in the far end of the council chamber, body still as bone, even as the fire in the center crackles and spits dark orange sparks.I don't speak until I must.Until I feel them watching me. The Council of the East-seven old clo
POV: TaliaTalia's body is still in Misfit Town.She lies motionless in her bunk, one hand still faintly glowing with the pulse of the stone. Bran is the first to find her. He had followed the ripple of magic that burst through the trees when she touched the stone. Now, he kneels beside her, his face pale with fear, trying not to panic.But this isn't about her body. It's about where her spirit has gone.Talia opens her eyes to skyless light. She's no longer in the woods or her room or anything that feels familiar. Everything around her is soft and glowing, like the space between stars had taken shape.This place isn't real in the way real places are. It feels more like memory and meaning stitched together. There's no ground, but she doesn't fall. No air, but she can breathe.In front of her, a tall stone arch rises out of nothing. Symbols glow along its edges-the same ones that had appeared on her arms. The same rhythm and same pull.A voice echoes across the space.Talia, Keeper of
Aunt MerleComing back to Misfit Town without being seen was never simple. But this time, it was more than just secrecy-I couldn't let anyone see me carrying the stone. Only the one meant to carry its power should lay eyes on me right now.That's why I used the bone ash spell. Just enough to hide myself from the senses of others. The magic made sound slip away from me and light bent around me. It wasn't perfect. But it was enough.I moved quietly past the outer trees of the town just before sunrise, the stone wrapped tightly in moon cloth and held close to my chest. It wasn't heavy, not in the usual way, but it throbbed with heat and energy-like it had its heartbeat. It didn't feel human. It didn't feel alive. But it was something old. Ancient.With each step closer to the heart of the town, the air changed. It started to hum softly. Like the ground and the trees could sense what I was bringing. Like the town itself was deciding if I should be allowed in.The streets and homes hadn't
POV: TaliaI got up before dawn because something stirred me awake. Dead silence. I don't feel anything at all. It's only a switch. It felt like the air just ditched the world I was familiar with.I sat upright in bed, my breath hanging somewhere between snoozing and shouting. My room still sat in darkness, with the curtains hardly moving. My arms were on fire.I rolled up my shirt sleeves and took a look.Marks. Faint and glowing. It feels like starlight veins running from my wrists to the bend of my elbows. They beat along with my heart-actually, not my heart. Something that goes deeper. Something older.The stone. I haven't laid a finger on it or even seen it, but I can feel its pull. It's like a tune I haven't listened to, but it feels familiar. It's transforming me. I'm not sure how long this will last. Or who I'll turn into by the time it's over.I run my fingers over the glowing trails. They're cozy. Full of life. Not painful. Not yet."Bran?" I whisper, even though I know he's
Aunt Merle's POVIt moved the moment I did.Like it had been waiting for me.The corrupted guardian stepped forward, limbs wrong in all the ways that make your bones ache just looking. It's fur peeling like bark in the sun, muscles twitching under pale, half-dead skin. Its eyes glowed green-brighter now-flickering like candlelight trapped in rot.I didn't move at first. I let my breath settle. Let my pulse slow. Fear is a clever liar. It whispers things like you can't, you're too old, you failed once and you'll do it again.But I'm not here to win. I'm here to protect what needs to be protected.I reach into my bag, my fingers finding the vial of ashroot tincture. My sister made this once, back when she still believed we could hold the line against everything coming for us. I never liked the way it smelled-burnt leaves and regret-but it helps in moments like this. I dab a bit under my nose. It clears the air and sharpens me."Let's get this over with," I whisper, more to myself than t