LOGINSleep didn’t come easily anymore. Even when my body was exhausted— Even when my eyes closed— My mind never fully rested. But this time… It wasn’t the voices that woke me. It was something else. Something deeper. Stronger. Calling. My eyes snapped open. Darkness filled the room, quiet and still—but my heart was already racing, breath uneven like I had been running. For a moment, I didn’t move. Didn’t think. Because the feeling was still there. Not fading. Not like a dream. Real. A pull. Low. Constant. Somewhere beyond me. “What… is that?” I whispered. No voices answered. No thoughts brushed against mine. For once— My mind was silent. Completely silent. And that— That was wrong. I sat up slowly, pressing a hand against my chest. The feeling pulsed again. Not pain. Not fear. Something else. Something… ancient. It didn’t feel like it came from outside. It felt like it came from within me— But was reaching outward. Calling. Or responding. I swung my
The chamber was carved from stone older than any pack. Cold. Silent. Unforgiving. No windows. No light except the dim glow of ancient flames burning along the walls—unnatural, unmoving. At the center of the room— They gathered. The High Council. Not as wolves. But as something more. Something older. “She has awakened.” The voice echoed through the chamber, low and certain. Not a guess. Not a question. A fact. Another figure shifted slightly in the shadows. “That level of resonance…” a second voice murmured. “It cannot be ignored anymore.” Silence followed. Heavy. Because they had all felt it. The surge. The ripple through the unseen threads that connected mind, spirit, and power. A disturbance. Not chaotic. Not accidental. Directed. Controlled—if only for a moment. “She crossed the threshold,” a third voice said. “And returned.” That— That was the part that mattered. Not that Althea used her power. But that she went somewhere she shouldn’t have been
The healer’s wing was quieter this time. Not silent. But calmer. Like the storm had passed— and everyone was still waiting to see what it left behind. I hesitated outside the door. For the first time since everything happened— I wasn’t sure if I should go in. “You’re going to stand there all day?” Kael’s voice came from behind me. I stiffened slightly before turning. He stood a few steps away, arms crossed, expression unreadable. “I wasn’t sure if I was welcome,” I said honestly. “That’s new,” he replied. Fair. I exhaled slowly. “How is he?” Kael held my gaze for a moment. Then— “He’s awake.” Something in my chest tightened. Relief. Nervousness. Something else I didn’t want to name. “And?” I asked. “He’s alive.” A pause. “Thanks to you.” The words weren’t warm. But they weren’t cold either. They just… were. I nodded once. “I didn’t—” “Don’t,” Kael cut in. Not harsh. Just firm. “I already know.” That stopped me. Because for once— I didn’t have to
The training grounds didn’t feel the same anymore. Not after what happened. Not after what I did. Saved him. Almost lost myself. Both truths sat heavily in my chest as I stepped onto the stone once more. This time, the watchers didn’t hide. They stood at the edges—warriors, sentinels, even a few healers. Watching me. Not with fear alone. Not with trust either. Something in between. Like they were waiting to see which version of me would show up today. The one who saved a life. Or the one who almost destroyed one. “You feel it,” Ronan said from behind me. I didn’t turn. “Yeah.” “The difference?” I exhaled slowly. “They’re not just afraid anymore.” “No,” he agreed. “They’re uncertain.” That might have been worse. Ronan stepped past me, stopping at the center of the field. “Today changes things,” he said. I frowned slightly. “How?” He turned to face me. “Yesterday, you reached into a mind and pulled someone back from the edge of death.” A pause. “That means
The moment the connection broke— It didn’t leave quietly. It tore out of me. Pain slammed into my head like something had split it open from the inside. My breath hitched violently as the world tilted, sound crashing back all at once—too loud, too sharp, too much. I staggered. Then everything dropped. Strong hands caught me before I hit the ground. “Althea.” Ronan’s voice was there—but distant. Muffled. Like I was hearing him through water. “I—” My words broke off as something surged through me. Not my thoughts. Not entirely. Fear. Sharp. Suffocating. Not mine. I’m not ready— The voice wasn’t spoken. It echoed inside me. I gasped, clutching at my head as the feeling twisted deeper. “No—get it out—” I whispered, panic rising. Another wave hit. Pain. Not physical. Memory. Darkness pressing in. Breath failing. The cold pull of something dragging downward. His memory. His fear. It was still inside me. “She’s not stabilizing—” “What
Darkness. Not the kind that comes with closed eyes. Not the kind that fades when you wait long enough. This darkness was… different. Endless. Silent. Heavy. For a moment, I thought I had failed. That I hadn’t reached him at all. That I had simply… fallen. My breath echoed strangely around me as I took a cautious step forward. There was no ground. And yet— I stood. “Hello?” I called softly. No answer. Only silence. But not empty silence. Something was here. I could feel it. Faint. Flickering. Like a dying flame. I closed my eyes briefly, focusing. The thread. The connection I had felt before. Weak. Fragile. But still there. “Come on…” I whispered. “You’re still here.” I followed it. Step by step. Through the darkness. Until— Something shifted. A flicker of light appeared ahead. Small. Unsteady. I moved toward it quickly. And as I got closer— The darkness began to change. Shapes formed. Blurry at first. Then clearer. Trees. Sky. Sunlight bre







