ログインBrenda’s POVCold hit me first. Then the gold started under my skin. I opened my eyes and the snow was not melting. It was burning with light.My arms were covered in gold. It ran down to my hands and across my chest. It was not just light. It was power. Old power.I stood up. My body was steady and my head was clear.Lord Void was on the ground. His men were on the ground too. They pushed themselves up with weapons in their hands and surprise on their faces.Lord Void stood last. He was taller up close. Shadows moved under his feet and up his legs. He looked at me and he did not look away.I laughed. The sound came out low and it was not mine. It carried across the ridge. “Have you ever seen magic like this?”He tilted his head. “I know magic. But this is different.”He did not sound afraid. He did not sound shocked. He sounded curious.“I would not have come here if I did not want your help,” I said. “But it seems you are unwilling since you attacked me.”I turned and started walkin
Zeth’s POVThe camp was already coming apart when I arrived.Tents were being pulled down. Weapons disappeared into leather cases. Fires were stamped out one by one.We were leaving. And for the first time since I came to Noctaryn, I wasn't sure leaving was the right decision.Daro fell into step beside me. He was young. “What happens now, Alpha?”I kept walking. “We leave.”Toren’s voice came from behind me. “Will we be safe going back? The Crescent wolves are getting stronger. They’re calculating now. They don’t just run and bite anymore.”I glanced over my shoulder at the line of men behind us. “We’ll survive.”Another man asked from the line. “And the ascension ceremony?”I stopped for half a second. “We’ll do it when we get home. Sun and moon can wait seven days to share the sky.”I saw my tent ahead. And I saw Brenda. She was walking past the Aurion camp, slow, as if she owned the ground under her feet.She looked wrong. Her clothes were dirty, and there was blood on the edge o
Ashton’s POVThe war room smelled like steel and old maps.Xander stood at the head of the long table, his hands flat on the wood, and every wolf in Noctaryn and Aurion was watching him.“We have seven days,” Xander said. “Seven days until the ceremony of ascension. We will make it memorable."The Moon Goddess was said to appear during every Ascension. Both Sun and Moon wolves believed her presence brought luck to the pack that hosted her. It was one of the few traditions we shared.Seven days. I counted them in my head and hated every number. Zeth and his men would have to leave. The thought hurt more than I wanted it to.One of the Aurion soldiers at the far end of the table cleared his throat. “Alpha,” he said. “Since we are together now, since this alliance has not happened in forever, why can’t we hold the ceremony together? Sun and moon, side by side. It would mean something.”Murmurs moved through the room. He wasn’t wrong. It would mean something.Xander didn’t answer right aw
Ashton’s POVThe war room smelled like steel and old maps.Xander stood at the head of the long table, his hands flat on the wood, and every wolf in Noctaryn and Aurion was watching him.“We have seven days,” Xander said. “Seven days until the ceremony of ascension. We will make it memorable."The Moon Goddess was said to appear during every Ascension. Both Sun and Moon wolves believed her presence brought luck to the pack that hosted her. It was one of the few traditions we shared.Seven days. I counted them in my head and hated every number. Zeth and his men would have to leave. The thought hurt more than I wanted it to.One of the Aurion soldiers at the far end of the table cleared his throat. “Alpha,” he said. “Since we are together now, since this alliance has not happened in forever, why can’t we hold the ceremony together? Sun and moon, side by side. It would mean something.”Murmurs moved through the room. He wasn’t wrong. It would mean something.Xander didn’t answer right aw
Brenda’s POVHessa stared at me and it wasn’t fear or anger in her eyes, it was pity. I hated that more than anything. “The spell,” I said again, and held out my hand. “Tell me what I need to know.” Hessa glanced down at the Book lying beside me on the floor, then back up at me. “No.” My fingers curled into my palm. “You just cast it.” “I cast nothing for you,” she said. That was when my patience broke. “You know exactly what I’m asking.” I stepped closer and the cell felt too small with both of us in it. “You think you can refuse me?” Hessa smiled. “You locked me beneath your palace and chained my magic.” She lifted her wrists and the skin was raw where the iron had cut in. “You can take everything else, Brenda. But you will not take this from me.” I stared at her. “What?” “My knowledge.” I laughed because what else was there to do. “You’re in no position to bargain.” “Neither are you.” That hit harder than I expected. I looked toward the door where tw
Brenda’s POVYou would want to ask me how I got the Book of Wolves. Well... we are no ordinary family, and my father is no ordinary noble man.The key was cold in my palm. It was iron, old, and it bit into my skin the way secrets always do. Father kept it on a chain around his neck, but he was careless when he slept. Or maybe he wanted me to take it. Men like him always want someone to blame when the world falls apart.I opened the secret door that father never allowed anyone access. The wood was aged and swollen from years of damp. It cracked before opening, a sound like bones shifting.Inside was a small room. No windows. The air smelled like dust and old leather and something metallic that I couldn’t name.There were totems, artifacts, books, and bowls carved with runes stacked on shelves that bowed under their weight. This was where Noctaryn kept the things it was too afraid to burn and too dangerous to use.And my father was the Noctaryn keeper. The keeper of the secret books, t







