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
Talia's POV I hardly got any sleep last night. With my hair finally back to normal and glowing, my brain just won't chill out with so many thoughts. My recipe book is not just a bunch of old family recipes. It's more powerful than I think. What happened yesterday was funny, but at the same time is pointing my attention to something I might not be aware of in this recipe book. I remember the Fluffy traveler's bread recipe, the enchanted stew of plenty, There's a chance it could get dangerous. But I still feel that adrenaline pumping inside me. I've never felt this way before; it's like I finally have something that's truly mine. Not my wolf, not a mate, not my pack's approval, but mine. I'm curious about what else I can try out, so I browse through my recipe book again and my gaze lands on another recipe. Titan's Drink Just hearing the name gives me chills. Promises of lasting power, and strength that goes beyond anything. A drink that warriors used to have before heading
Talia's POV My heartbeat's all over the place, and I'm breathing funny.Alpha Axton is looking straight into my eyes, and I can tell he's got questions on his mind. How do I put this into words? This is something I can't share with anyone. At least until I figure out what it is.As Alpha Axton gets nearer, I feel this weird tingle all over-like someone just flipped a switch. The power goes out. That powerful energy and overwhelming force? They're gone for good.I blink and stretch my fingers, feeling a bit shocked. I just broke a tree branch with a light touch, and now I feel fine. This makes little sense.I tightened my fists, checking if there was any leftover strength, but nothing came up. It's like the effects of the potion were never there.Did I imagine it? Axton's eyes narrow as he checks out the broken branch lying on the ground. He looks tense, and I can tell he heard that noise.He steps closer and says, "Talia. I heard something snap from across town. That was the sound of
Aunt Merle The cup is warm in my hands, though my fingers have started to shake a little. From remembering too much and too fast. I promised myself not to recollect those sad days again. But the moment Talia mentions it, that old steady part of me takes over again. The part that always knew when to hold on and when to speak. I set the cup down gently on the side table and turned to her face. She sits quietly across from me, her eyes narrowed enough to show she's trying to piece together things faster than I'm revealing them. And maybe she is. She's always been quick. Elara would have called it "moon-wit," the gift of seeing through what's unspoken. That's part of her awakening anyway. I sigh. "The first thing she made," I begin again, smoothing my palm across my knee, "was what she called the Enchanted Stew of Plenty." Talia's head lifts a little. Her lips part. I see the memory hit her instantly. "Wait," she says slowly, "I-I made that. When I left the Starlight Pack. I was on
Merle's POV The sky is pale when I leave my house, a faint blush of pink stretching above the rooftops like an apology for the cold. I pull my shawl tighter around my shoulders, fingers stiff with age and something else I won't name yet. Something tugging at my heart, low and slow, like a warning hum in the bones. I dreamed of Elara last night. My sister, as she was and as she no longer is-or shouldn't be. She stood at the edge of a field I didn't recognize, surrounded by a stillnes so deep it felt unnatural. She didn't speak with her mouth. Her lips didn't move. But I heard her voice all the same, soft and clear as spring wind. She flowed in the air like she was some kind of liquid and then took someone else's form again before standing and backing me. Free me. It wasn't like a plea when she said it. It was a command. And I-I woke with my throat raw from unshed cries, sweat clinging to the back of my neck. But it wasn't fear I felt. It was certainty. Certain that something w
Talia's POV The ache in my chest has nothing to do with the trials. Not this time. It starts the moment I open my eyes and realize I'm still hearing her voice, not in echoes or memory, but as if she's still speaking to me through something beyond the veil. Free me. It won't stop circling in my head, curling into corners of my mind, I thought were hardened by now. But the softness is still there-the part of me that remembers how her arms felt, how her laugh sounded when I got my first shift wrong and ended up stuck halfway for a full hour. And since then, I couldn't shift again till I suddenly didn't see her again. I had believed my mother when she said we were relocating for good, and because I was being laughed at for not being able to shift. What if our relocation was because of threats or something? I heard of Grandma's demise shortly after our relocation, and I never got the chance to say goodbye properly to her. Could this be what I'm thinking? I sit up, slowly. The palac
POV: BellaI never planned to return to him, and definitely not here in his so-called chambers where everyone literally runs around when he barks orders. I don't want to be anyone's puppet. Not again. I vowed to rise all by myself and take my rightful position at the top.But life has a way of stripping your pride until all you have left are the bones of survival. And tonight, I walk on those bones-step by step-toward the place I swore I would never crawl back to.Ahead lie the gates of the Dark Council, adorned with ancient carvings and writhing shadows. They recognize me and that's because I don't seem to stay away from here. Even though I tried to stay away, they kept me like a ghost in their halls.I lower my hood. My face is raw from the wind and shame. I walk in freely as always. The guards don't stop me. He must've known I'd come.I walk into the chamber. It hasn't changed. The same looming pillars, carved obsidian thrones, and his suffocating presence cling to my lungs like sm
Marlik's POV (The Head of the Dark Council)They call me the Hand of Silence. The One Who Casts the Longest Shadow. But names lose meaning after centuries. What matters is control and purpose. And keeping chaos chained at the edge of the world.And yet, even now, even with the full strength of the Dark Council bent beneath my voice, my mind lingers elsewhere.Bella.Her name lingers like a thorn in my breath. It's distracting.I remember the first time I saw her. She was clearly broken, but not crushed. That's the type of woman I like. A young woman with fire behind her betrayal. Most who betray their pack run with shame and regret. But she held no regret. Only bitterness, and hunger-for power, recognition and for something more than what the Starlight Pack ever allowed her to be.She was cast out after her deception-the foolish plot to replace Bran's fated mate with a rogue's child in disguise. A gamble as bold as it was stupid. And when it failed, she expected death. Instead, she wa
Author's NarrationTalia stirs beneath her blanket, but her eyes remain shut. She's gone again, not in body, but in spirit.This is the second trance. The next gate is as the Moon Goddess has instructed.She wakes in a place where everything hums. The sky is gold. The ground feels like air. Light moves like water, rising and falling in waves. There's no wind, scent, or sound-just the heavy presence of something waiting.She stands, heart quiet but alert. She knows now not to speak because the Trials don't answer to voice, only to action. The Moonstone glows faintly on her chest, and she grazes it with her fingers. It feels warm and ticking, like her heartbeat.The light around her shifts, pulling itself into a straight path which leads her on as she takes cautious steps.After walking on air for some seconds, the golden air fades, and she finds herself in a clearing ringed by tall glass walls. Each one shows a version of her. In one, she's small again, clutching her mother's scarf. In
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