MasukAshton’s POVThe air inside the open-air training terrace hummed with a sharp, electric snap that tasted like ozone and winter rain.High above us, the natural crystal dome of the hidden valley caught the midday sun, refracting beams of golden light down across the smooth obsidian stones. My paws felt light against the ground—lighter than they had ever felt in my life. Stripped of the heavy, suffocating containment seal my mother had forged into my soul, my white wolf form felt entirely different. The old, dull ache that used to drag at my spine was completely gone, replaced by a deep, resonant thrum of power that pulsed right beneath my pelt in time with my heartbeat."Do not force the magic, Consort," Elder Dauz’s voice echoed gently across the stone terrace. He stood near the edge of the low stone wall, his human form wrapped in woven linens, watching me with quiet, unblinking patience. "Magic is not a weapon to be swung like a sword. It is breath. It is light. You do not command
Ashton’s POV"If we are to have any hope of facing the impending threat, the White Wolf must be fully activated."Elder Dauz’s voice broke the quiet of the subterranean sanctuary, rich and heavy with ancient weight. He stood across from me, his long, thread-bound robes dragging softly over the worn mosaic tiles."I felt the residual shockwaves when High Priest Alaric tried to push your magic back at the palace," Dauz continued, his eyes locking onto mine with an unyielding intensity. "He meant well, but forcing an unsealed mark is like trying to draw water from a dammed river. It was chaotic. Incomplete. Today, we complete the ritual the right way—the way of our ancestors."The silver basin sat between us, filled to the brim with clear spring water that hummed with a quiet, luminescent blue light. Around us, the massive roots of the great oak stretched up into the shadow-draped ceiling, breathing out the rich scent of cedar, crushed herbs, and ancient earth. The lingering tension fro
Xander POVBefore the old man could say another word, the heavy, sap-scented air inside the roots of the grand oak tree suddenly turned to ice.It wasn't a natural mountain draft. It was the suffocating, dead-cold vacuum that always preceded the dark—the same terrible drop in temperature we had felt in the Aurion sanctuary right before the dark wood broke through our floorboards.My hand didn't think; it reacted.In a fraction of a heartbeat, my broadsword cleared the leather scabbard with a sharp, screaming hiss of steel. The blade caught the amber sunlight filtering through the golden leaves above, throwing a fierce silver arc across the stone floor.I shoved Ashton and the boys behind my broad shoulders, dropping into a fighting stance. My teeth bared as my inner Moon Alpha rose to the surface, ready to tear apart whatever nightmare had followed us through the Sun-Gate."Xander, wait…" Ashton breathed, his fingers catching the edge of my tunic.The shadows near the vaulted root-arc
Ashton POVThe grass beneath my boots felt unreal, soft and damp with dew. Standing in a sunlit valley hidden deep within the northern crags, while freezing winds raged beyond the stone wall, felt like stepping into a forgotten dream.Elder Dauz remained bowed before me, his white head pressed low against the earth, the blue crystals in his collar humming in a low, resonant frequency that vibrated straight through the soles of my feet."Please," I murmured, my voice trembling slightly as I took a step forward, my hand extending on pure instinct. "Please... rise."The old white wolf straightened with a slow, fluid grace. Light shimmered across his fur like silver thread, and within the span of a breath, his giant wolf form melted away into the tall, broad-shouldered figure of an elder man. He wore flowing robes of woven linen and dark blue silk, bound at the waist by leather straps etched with glowing runes. His hair was long and snow-white, framing a face lined with centuries of quie
Zeth’s POVNoah didn't hesitate.He stepped straight out from under my arm, his small boots crunching hard on the icy shale as he walked directly toward the towering slate wall. His left palm was glowing bright—that thin, blinding thread of silver starlight bleeding through his fingers, pulsing faster with every inch he gained on the stone."Noah, hold on," I barked, my boots skidding on the slick rock as I reached out to grab him.He didn't stop. He placed his bare, glowing palm flat against the carved paw of the ancient wolf etched into the rock. The stone beneath his hand gave off a low, vibrating hum, but the giant cliff face remained sealed, dark and impenetrable against the fog.Noah turned his head back over his shoulder, his silver eyes wide and terrifyingly clear. "Bring Akim."Xander didn't argue. His Moon Alpha instincts were screaming at him to keep our youngest buried in his cloak, but he stepped forward without a second thought, his broad arm cradling Akim tightly agains
Ashton’s POVThe mountain wind didn't just blow through the pass, it bit through leather and wool, turning every breath into a thin, white plume of fog.Behind us, the distant, muffled echoes of Alaric’s ward shattering were still ringing in my ears.Xander moved half a pace ahead of me, his shoulders hunched forward to shield Akim. He held our youngest son pinned flat against his broad chest, his thick arms locked around the blanket so securely that hardly an inch of the baby was exposed to the freezing air. Beside him, Zeth had Noah hooked under one arm against his hip, his other hand white-knuckled on the grip of his bare hunting blade as his eyes swept every shadow along the trail.We dragged ourselves through the narrow iron grate at the mouth of the service passage, plunging out onto the slick, jagged rocks of the upper northern ridge."We can't hit the main road," Zeth gritted out, his voice a low, rough rasp that barely carried over the gale. "Sisil has guards posted at every







