LOGINSennaI woke up that morning feeling like I was in two places at once. Few days left until the big thing, and everything in the compound felt too real, too close. I had to keep going, but it was getting hard to hold it all in.The day started normal, with me checking on Lyra in the training yard. She was getting better, her moves sharper since I showed her that new hold. "Hey, Senna, watch this," Lyra said, grinning as she flipped her partner. "Better than last time?""Yeah, way better," I said, clapping. "Keep at it, and you'll beat anyone." Lyra's confidence was growing, and it made me smile, but inside, my mind was racing. The mission countdown ticked in my head, while I acted like just the healer here. Rhea caught up with me later in the hall, chatting like always. "Senna, you look tired. Did you sleep?" she asked, bumping my shoulder."Not much," I admitted. "Been working on that fever treatment." Rhea nodded, her eyes curious. "Want help? I can mix the herbs." We talked about it
Senna"If I get caught, they will kill me. Not just kill me once, but kill me until there is nothing left of this second life."I sat at the small wooden desk in my room. The candle was short and the flame was shaky. I had a piece of paper in front of me. I needed to see the whole plan in one place."Okay," I whispered to the empty room. "Let’s see what we have. Talk it out, Senna. Don't miss anything."I wrote a list. My hand felt a little shaky, but I forced it to stay still."Records of the land they took? Yes. I have those," I said softly. I checked a box in my head. "The secret file from the archive? Yes. Those are safe under the floorboards."I looked at the next line on my paper.I tapped the pen against my chin. There was a big hole in the middle of my list. I stared at it until my eyes hurt."But I don't have the big one," I told the candle. "I saw it once. The original order. The one Caius signed himself. The one that told the soldiers to kill everyone in Ashveil. I saw it,
AelaThe letter did not have a fancy seal or a stamp from a royal house. I was standing by the big map in the strategy room when Theron walked in.“It’s here,” Theron said. He didn't move past the door. He just held a piece of paper in his hand.“What is it?” I asked. My voice sounded a bit thin.“A letter,” he said. “A messenger brought it through the side door. No pack marks. No codes. He said it was for your eyes only.”“Who is it from?” I asked, though I think I already knew.“Senna,” Theron said. He walked over and handed it to me.I took it. My fingers were shaking, just a little bit. I looked at the handwriting. It was neat but fast, like the person writing it had a lot to say but didn't want to waste time. I didn't sit down. I stayed standing, right there by the map of the territories. I read it once. Then I read it again.Aela, the letter said. I want to meet you. Not as the Alpha meeting. Not with packs watching. We need to go somewhere neutral.It was signed at the bottom.
SennaSilence is a scary thing when you know someone hates you. It was a Tuesday afternoon when I realized. I was in the kitchen area looking for Lyra. Usually, Lyra is there to help me."Rhea, have you seen Lyra?" I asked. Rhea was busy cutting a big pile of meat."She is not here, Senna," Rhea said. She did not look up from the meat."Is she sick? I can go check on her in her room."Rhea stopped cutting. She looked at me with sad eyes. "She is not in her room. She was put on the field rotation this morning. The outer fields."I felt like someone had punched me in the stomach. The outer fields are where the heavy work happens. It is late autumn. The ground is hard like rock. They have to pull up old roots and move big stones to get ready for the winter. Only the biggest, strongest wolves do that work. Lyra is sixteen. She is an Omega."Who put her there?" I asked. My voice sounded flat and cold."Vera did," Rhea whispered. "She said the pack needs everyone to do their part before th
SennaElder Orin has eyes that do not work, but he sees things better than I do. Every Thursday, I go to his room and rub oil into his hands because his bones hurt. It is a thing we do now. It is a job, but it is also a secret. He sits in his big chair and I sit on a stool and the room smells like dead leaves and the medicine I make."Does it hurt today?" I asked him. I took his right hand. His skin feels so soft."A little bit," Orin said. "But the red is going away. Look."I looked. He was right. The puffiness around his knuckles was down. I started to rub the oil in circles. I used my thumbs. I tried to stay very calm because Elder Orin can feel the way people move."There is a storm coming," he said. He looked at the window even though he can not see anything. "The air feels heavy. The moon is going to be big tonight.""The calendar says it is a full moon in three days," I said."The calendar is a piece of paper," Orin said. He laughed a little bit. "The air tells me the truth. Yo
CaiusI stood there at the gate, staring out at the empty road. Two days without her felt longer than I thought it would. The compound kept running just fine, but something inside me wouldn't sit still.I went through the motions like always. First thing that morning, I handled the territorial report with the pack elders. "What's the status on the north border?" I asked Duncan, one of my top warriors. He handed me the map, his face all serious."Quiet for now, Alpha, but those rumors from Silverfang are picking up," Duncan said, pointing at the edge. "They might test us soon."I nodded, keeping my voice steady. "We'll be ready. Double the patrols tonight." I didn't raise my voice.Today, my mind kept drifting. I checked the time, thinking about where Senna might be on the road. I pushed it away and moved on to the next thing.Next was the morning assembly in the main hall. A bunch of my wolves gathered, waiting for me. I stepped up front, arms crossed. "Any issues to report?" I said,







