LOGINWhen alone and unoccupied, the Great Hall was a different place.The stone tables, all long, the banners, the frozen fire at the extreme end of it all—everything of it seemed diminished somehow, as though the chamber had drawn breath since the pack had swept away.The fingers of Rollins were still interwoven with mine. Neither of us stood up to take his departure."We would sort it out," he said. I did go on turning that over in my mind, and troublesome it was to feel how heavy a stone I was not convinced it would be. Together. Like it was simple. As though I had not just gone in the presence of our whole pack and told them I was a thing none of them thoroughly knew yet."You shaking yet?" Rollins asked in a low tone.I hadn't noticed. I peered down at my hand that was free, and he was right—there was a gentle trembling, though hardly noticeable."I’m fine," I said."Emily."Just my name. Nothing else. But the manner he did it stayed the lie out of me."I am not fine," I replied. "But
Dawn came whether I was ready for it or not. Most of the night, I had been sitting still as I watched the fire in the hearth diminish to a low amber and listened to the sound of Rollins breathing beside me. Steady. Even. It was the type of rest that would be afforded by a man who understood how to bear the burden of the world and nevertheless get rest under it. I envied that. My mind was like a wheel that could not be turned off by the words of Marcus, the looks of the pack watching me, and the name of Everett that was in my heart like a rock that had no mind of moving. Pale light was filtering through the slender window in our room when I was already standing, clad in my plain linen gown and standing in front of the hearth with my arms crossed across myself. The coals were nearly cooled down. I stirred inaudibly and saw the dim sparkles commence and expire. "You didn't sleep." The voice of Rollins had been low and slow and it had been behind me. I did not wheel round. "I
The stroll to Ironclaw took longer than it ought to. By the time I looked over the tree line, which divided Shadowcrest and open country, the moon was rising, and the cold had made teeth chatter. I drew my cloak still warmer round, my feet sinking in the frost-bitten ground. Marcus said something to me that followed me like smoke that I could not escape. “You are the key to something bigger than getting packs together.” I did not want to become a key. I did not want to be a weapon, a prophecy, or a load in a lineage of blood. But I was accustomed quickly to the sensation of being desired, of belonging somewhere, even before the ground ceased being under my feet. Before I could reach the outer wall, the torches at the gate of Ironclaw were lit, and the flames were being blown about by the night wind. As I went under the sentries on the parapet, they looked down. One nodded. The other turned a blind eye. I noticed that. The manner in which eyes drifted off me now in uncertainty,
Marcus’s words lingered long after he walked away. “There are things you don’t understand yet.” What could he possibly know about my powers or my heritage that I didn’t? It gnawed at me as I paced back and forth in the clearing, the cool evening air doing little to calm the storm inside. Rollins had left to handle pack business, leaving me alone with my thoughts—a dangerous thing, given the weight of what had just transpired. I couldn’t get Marcus out of my head. His offer to train me, the intensity in his eyes, and his cryptic words—it all pointed to something more. Something he was holding back. And I hated that. I hated the feeling of not being in control, of not knowing the full picture. I needed answers. Now. The night air was cool as I stepped into Shadowcrest territory, my heart pounding in my chest. The memories of rejection and humiliation haunted every step I took. Bu
Emily’s POV: My breath hitched as Liam’s words sank in. The weight of them felt like a boulder crashing onto my chest. “Everett…” I whispered, my voice trembling. “No…” I had never met him, but Mia had told me enough. Everett had been loyal to Cassandra, a part of her schemes. He wasn’t innocent, but still… I killed him. I stared down at my hands again, my fingers trembling. How could something that came from me, something that I couldn’t control, take someone’s life? I felt Rollins step closer, his warmth trying to soothe me, but it wasn’t enough to chase away the dread growing inside me. "Emily," Liam's voice was soft, but there was something uneasy in his tone. "He wasn't one of us. Everett's betrayal... he deserved what came to him. But still, this power you have..." I swallowed hard, blinking away the tears forming in my eyes. “I didn’t mean to. I didn’t want to kill anyone.” Rollins took my hand, his grip firm but gentle. “You didn’t know, Emily. You were trying to
Marcus's POV The moment Emily’s power surged through me, I expected agony. But instead, the pain that had once gripped my body began to fade. My wounds, which had seemed so severe, were closing, the skin knitting itself back together as though the injury had never existed. I could feel it her power, coursing through me, not as an attack but as something else entirely. Healing. As Leon and the others helped me back to our territory, I was already standing on my own, walking steadily beside them. They exchanged glances, clearly puzzled by my sudden recovery, but no one dared say a word. When we arrived back at the pack, the others stared in silence, their eyes wide with both relief and uncertainty. I could feel their confusion their Alpha had returned, seemingly unscathed, but something had shifted. It wasn’t just the wound that had healed; there was a palpable tension in the air, a sense that everything had changed the moment Emily had intervened. Leon was the first to break the si
As I stood there, catching my breath, the reality of what had just happened hit me. The pack was under attack, and Cassandra had betrayed us. I needed to find Rollins and warn him about Cassandra. I shifted back into my human form, not caring about the blood or the scratches that marred my skin. Ri
The following morning, I was at the training grounds with Liam, the training ground only for high ranked wolves, as Rollins had instructed. Liam was patient but relentless, pushing me to the limits of my abilities. Every punch, every kick, every maneuver was meant to bring me closer to controlling t
Marcus glanced at Rollins, then back at me. “There are ancient texts, hidden in the old pack archives at my place. The answers you need might be in there.” Relief washed over me at the mention of answers, but a nagging doubt gnawed at the back of my mind. Why was Marcus helping me? Why hadn't he men
Rollins's POV The journey to the archives was longer than I anticipated, the path winding through dense forests and rugged terrain. The further we went, the more I realized just how isolated and remote this part of Alpha Marcus’s territory was. It was as if the archives were deliberately hidden away







