“Freya,” Torin’s heart leaped.It wasn’t just Freya stepping out from the shadows—it was all three of them.Freya, Caleb, And Alice. The three had met while navigating tha path of the dark realm of Nightveil.They had been there the whole time, veiled by a silence spell Freya had invoked the moment they arrived. Only her spell could work, even Alice’s couldn’t the moment they stepped in the building. They had been hiddening and listening. Absorbing every foul, twisted confession Elira had spewed.Freya moved first.A wind blasted from her hands—not conjured by command but born of fury. A spiraling surge of raw power crashed into Elira’s chest, lifting her from the ritual stone and hurling her into the far wall like a discarded ragdoll. Her scream was cut off by the impact.The cat leapt from Freya’s arms, landing nimbly beside Torin’s chained form. Freya released a spell that destroyed Elira’s own which she used in cloaking the building to make other’s magic impotent. The building ru
Fear was potent in the air.The cavernous ritual hall’s atmosphere was deadly, dimly lit by flickering torches and the ominous red glow from the blood-runes on the floor. Chains rattled as Elira’s captives groaned, their bodies still aching from the earlier assault.Imogene was now chained among the sacrificial circle, her hands bound behind her, ankles locked to iron rings embedded in the floor. Garrick and Alpha Silas had been forced apart, tied to opposite columns like relics awaiting destruction.Elira stood between them, the hem of her dark ceremonial robe dragging across the stone floor as she moved. Her face was calm, too calm — the kind of serenity only found in someone who believed the madness had already been won.Garrick twisted against his bindings. “You’re insane if you think this will work,” he spat. “Your dead sister wouldn’t have liked this.”Elira didn’t even look at him. “Oh, sadly, she was never my blood.” Garrick could only stare. Even Imogene didn’t understand.Al
The impact of Elira’s magic had hurled both Torin and Penelope across the damned building like ragdolls. The air still vibrated with the force of it. Dust lifted in plumes, swallowing visibility in a grainy fog. Elira’s triumphant smirk had not even settled when a deep, guttural growl crawled around them.And then—Torin moved.At first, it was just a twitch in his fingers. Then his chest expanded with a massive inhale. His body jolted upright with supernatural speed, his muscles tightening, shifting, expanding. His bones cracked and reformed in a grotesque rhythm as he surged into his monster form—half-wolf, half-man, but something darker than either. Thick veins bulged across his arms, his claws curved like blades, and his teeth bared like ivory knives.Elira took a single step back, visibly startled.Torin didn’t wait.He launched himself across the chamber, his body collided with hers in an explosive tackle. She shrieked as she crashed into the stone wall, and before she could rec
Eyes opened across the monster’s skin, one after the other, blinking with a sickening wetness, each reflecting not Caleb’s face but the moments he wished had stayed buried.It revealed when he told Zeus that Tyler and Torin were twins. Caleb’s heart burned. He had only told Zeus because he felt betrayed that Torin could keep such from him. He only needed someone to tell. And when he and Zeus did a background check and got to hear about the curse, they had thought it was better to let the elders know so that measures could be taken and Tyler and Torin could live freely as twins.Atleast, that was his motive. He never knew they would want to kill Tyler because he was a twin. He had lived with th guilt since he heard of Tyler’s death and that was more reason why he wanted to follow Torin here to fight for Tyler’s release. It was his fault Tyler and Torin had to be in these mess in the first place.“I didn’t mean to…” Caleb murmured.But the creature laughed—a sound that echoed like break
“Ahhh!” Freya screamed as she was hurled from the portal like a leaf cast into a storm, her body spiraling through the violent energies until it ejected her into the cursed soil of Nightveil. She stumbled forward but didn’t fall. Her knees bent, absorbing the shock. The big black cat she cradled in her arms let out a sharp, startled yowl and then settled as her grip tightened protectively around it.The air smelt like burnt incense mixed with rusted iron. Shadows slithered along the jagged trees, and the soil beneath her boots crackled as though bones were scattered beneath the dirt. Freya’s gaze swept the terrain. The sky above was veiled in swirling violet clouds. A low, tremulous growl resonated from her chest as her wolf stirred within her restlessly. Her wolf could only be this restless and…longing for one reason. She gasped. She sniffed once. Then again. A smile grazed her face.Torin.Her heart clenched. His scent was here. It was faint, but was present. He had passed through
The ground beneath the runic circle trembled as Alice completed the final sigil. Blue light surged upward, curling through the space like smoke. The portal tore itself open before the gathered wolves, the energy crackling with a sound that vibrated through bone and air.Kiera, Freya’s confidant, watched with narrowed eyes, her fingers twitching like she was afraid. She glanced at Caleb. “This better be real.”Caleb didn’t respond. His gaze was fixed on Alice, hard and piercing like he was willing to read her mind. “If this is a trap, you won’t live long enough to regret it.”Alice, unbothered by their suspicion, turned toward Athena, who stood at the edge of the gathering, arms folded, face darting around. “You stay.”Athena blinked, masking her delight behind a mask of indifference. “Stay? Why?”Alice didn’t bother repeating herself. “Someone needs to remain here, in case Freya returns. It was the agreement.”Caleb cut in sharply. “It’s a good idea. Honestly, I wouldn’t trust you at