MasukLivia’s POVThe Great Hall was transformed completely.Hundreds of candles glowed along the high stone arches, casting golden light across the crowded tables. Blackwood wolves and Hartwell guards stood side by side, their voices roaring in unison as drums echoed off the ancient timber ceiling.At the center of the raised dais stood the high stone altar, no longer tainted by dark magic or siphons, but scrubbed clean and adorned with blue mountain flowers and green pine boughs.My father sat on the right of the dais, his face relaxed and full of pride, while Alpha Magnus stood on the left, his arms crossed over his chest, watching the hall with a broad, rare smile.Asher stood beside the altar waiting for me.In the warm moonlight, he looked striking—his dark hair brushed back, his broad shoulders filling out the formal Blackwood coat, his golden eyes locked onto mine from the second I stepped onto the stone floor.I walked down the central aisle, the silver silk of my dress rustling so
Livia’s POVThe noise in the lower hall hadn't stopped since sunrise.Servants scurried across the flagstones carrying heavy bolts of crimson and midnight-blue silk, while young guards polished the iron sconces until they mirrored the torchlight. For the first time in fifteen years, the banners of Hartwell Pack and Blackwood Pack hung side by side along the stone rafters, their woven emblems overlapping above the main dais.I stood by the tall arched window in my bedroom, watching the courtyard below. Blackwood riders and Hartwell scouts sat together at the long wooden benches, sharing ale and meat without a single hand hovering near a sword hilt."You're staring again," Asher’s voice rumbled softly from the doorway.I turned as he stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. He had traded his heavy battle leather for a dark tunic embroidered with subtle silver thread across the shoulders—the formal crest of a Blackwood heir. He looked impossibly broad, his golden eyes warm as
Livia’s POVThe dawn mist was just beginning to lift over the courtyard as Asher and I rode through the stone gates of Hartwell Keep.Word had already spread ahead of us. Guards lined the inner wall, their iron spears lowered in quiet respect, while the elders of both packs gathered on the broad stone steps leading to the Great Hall.Grand Oracle Vane was already locked in an iron cage toward the back of the courtyard, surrounded by four High Council paladins. The High Judge stood near the heavy oak doors, his gray cloak wrapped tight against the morning chill, waiting for us.Asher dismounted first. Before I could reach for my reins, his hands were at my waist, lifting me down from the saddle gently. His touch was steady, familiar, and completely unbothered by the dozens of eyes watching us.My father sat on the bench near the entrance, leaning heavily on his carved wooden cane. Beside him stood Alpha Magnus, his tall, scarred frame imposing as ever."The ruins are clear," Asher repo
Livia’s POVThe noise of the courtyard faded as Asher led me down the winding trail behind the temple ruins, away from the clinking iron chains, Torin’s sharp commands, and the pale, defeated glare of Grand Oracle Vane.He didn't stop until we reached a sheltered ledge overlooking the mist-filled valley. The wind was cold, but Asher’s coat was wrapped tightly around my shoulders, heavy with his scent of pine and rain."Sit," he said softly.I sank onto a fallen stone column, my legs still trembling from the violent aftershocks of the curse breaking. Asher dropped to one knee in front of me, taking both of my cold hands in his broad, calloused palms. He didn't speak. He just held my hands against his chest, letting his pulse steady mine."The square," I whispered, the words finally coming out without the searing pain behind them. "I thought you were standing on the platform watching me die. But you weren't on the platform."Asher looked up, his golden eyes raw and exposed under the moo
Ch. 53Livia’s POVThe violet light burned through my eyelids, cold and sickening.It wasn't just pain. It was an anchor ripping backward through fifteen years of my life. White-hot agony sliced across my temples, pulling up images faster than my mind could process them.A cold stone cellar... Vane’s ring scratching against my collarbone... Asher cried out as iron chains rattled in the dark..."Livia!" Asher’s voice cracked over the roar of the dark magic.He didn't hesitate. The moment the violet fire flared, he lunged across the broken stone, shielding me with his body. The dark wire snapped against his heavy leather coat, sparks spitting violently as the wards tried to bite into his skin."Stay down!" he snarled, his wolf breaking through his posture – his jaw tightening, his golden eyes glowing with raw, lethal fury.Vane stumbled back toward the altar, raising the curved ritual blade, his hands caked in dark, corrupted blood. "You cannot break a temple oath, Blackwood! Her mind b
Ch. 52Livia’s POVThe pine needles underfoot deadened our steps, but every branch scraping across my cloak sounded like a blade sliding from a sheath.We moved in a single line through the floor of the ravine. Above us, the high ridge blocked the moonlight, throwing the trench into thick, suffocating darkness. Ahead, Beta Torin moved like a shadow, his hand constantly resting on the pommel of his sword. Behind us, six High Council paladins followed in total silence, their silver armor dulled with mud and charcoal to kill the sheen.Asher stayed half a step ahead of me, his body angled slightly outward to shield my right side. His wolf was close to the surface. I could feel the heat radiating off his skin, the low, silent hum of his aura vibrating against my pulse point."Half a mile," Torin whispered, dropping back beside us. He gestured toward the jagged silhouette of two broken stone pillars rising above the tree line. "Vane’s acolytes have set up ward flares along the main stone







