MasukMAYBEL’S POVSomething inside me felt really off. My chest was burning with a rage so intense it scared me. It was that same ugly anger I had when Ceryn and her rogues kidnapped me, but this time, it was even worse.The first thing I did was kill my father’s Nightbound mate. I didn’t hesitate at all, I’ve had enough of her nonsense. Normally I wouldn’t kill her but since I have this quest to kill any rival would go down by my hands. Even when she hit the ground, I still felt empty. Something inside me craved more— needed more. I needed to spill bloodI followed Aether back onto the battlefield, and it was like I transformed into a different person. I fought like a beast. Every assassin that crossed my path fell to my sword, blood splattering across my face and hands. I wiped it off with my sleeve and continued fighting. My sword was moving so fast I could barely control it; at one point, I almost stabbed one of my own wolves.That’s when Aria rushed toward me, her eyes blazing. “Maybe
AETHER’S POVWhen the messenger rode in, and informed me that the Nightbounds were already in our territory my stomach dropped. Our entire plan has been compromised. The Nightbounds were lying in wait on the road. Someone within our own walls had given them everything— our initials, our plans, our information, all of it.Betrayal tastes like a bitter herb, more like poison and it’s more painful if it’s from people you trust. There was no time to dwell on it. The deed has been done, we needed to act fast before they massacred my warriors. I sent Elira to BlueCrest to go help out immediately knowing they were weak— Castillo couldn’t do it alone and Nelson was still healing from the previous injuries. Andrew's men were tough, but they needed a heads-up, so I instructed him through the Alpha’s link to guide his border. Our plans have been leaked and the Nightbounds might probably come for them too. Elira moves fast and strikes like lightning. If she hadn’t been aware, or warned us rep
“What are you doing here?” I asked again, my voice sharp but my lips were shaking a bit. I wanted to hear it from his own mouth that he wants to kill me just as he was a cohort that orchestrated my mother’s death.Even though I wanted the benefit of the doubt, deep down, I already knew the answer. My father had always chosen the Nightbounds over me, over anything else. He was ready to kill and shed blood to be in their good book. So why should today be any different? He wasn’t here for me, he was here to help Nyra, to fight alongside her and finish what he’d failed to do when I was a child. Kill me!Nyra stepped closer, a wicked grin spreading across her face, her laughter dark and cruel. “Are you dumb or are you pretending to be slow? Why else would he be here bitch! He’s here to help me, of course. Did you really think otherwise?” Her magic twisted around her like a dark cloak. “How does it feel, Maybel? Knowing your father has betrayed you from the moment you were born… right up u
The next morning, the air was thick with tension, making your chest feel heavy, like a storm was waiting to break. Northwoods had been preparing for days. We trained hard under Elira’s sharp scolding, Aria’s powerful spells, Laziel’s relentless drills, and Aether’s fierce leadership. Every wolf felt on edge, and every guard was prepared and ready. We’d been promised this battle was ours to win.But betrayal has a nasty way of tainting victory before it even starts, and sometimes where plans are made, there’s a possibility that there will be a black sheep. By dawn, as we marched out— hundreds of warriors in perfect formation, wolves baring their fangs, weapons shining with steel and silver— the unexpected happened. The forest path ahead shimmered with shadows, distant chants like people gathering and just then, they appeared. The Nightbounds.Not just a handful. Not a few assassins strolling around but an entire army. Waiting, ready, and fully armed to the teeth.And right at the cent
I didn’t even realize I was running until I was halfway back to my room— my heart racing, hands shaking. It felt like the chamber walls were closing in on me. The love declaration I have just seen between Andrew and Gladys… and then Laziel catching me spying? It was just too much to handle right now.Just as I turned to leave I thought I heard Andrew’s footsteps behind me, quick and heavy, like he was chasing me or trying to come after me. For a moment, I thought maybe he would. Maybe he’d explain things, saying he didn’t mean what he said to her, maybe he’d stop me, or remind me that what I’d witnessed wasn’t what it seemed. But he didn’t. Instead, I heard her voice— soft yet firm— stopping him in his tracks.“Alpha please don’t!” It was Gladys.Her words weren’t harsh, but they hit hard.“If you go after her,” she whispered, “it means you don’t really want me.”I hesitated in the hallway, uncertainty gripping my whole body.At first, there was silence, and then Andrew’s voice came t
I pushed the infirmary door open, my chest tight and my jaw clenched. The air inside was filled with the smell of herbs, dried blood, and the faint trace of ash from the healer’s incense. There he lay at the far end of the left, my so-called father. The man whose acts haunted my nights, whose betrayal left scars on my soul. His breaths were shallow, each rise and fall of his chest so fragile as he struggled for breath, like he was hanging on to life and death.When his eyes opened slowly, they were the same silver-grey as mine. For a moment, I thought I saw a flicker of pride there… but then tears gathered in his eyes and slid down his weathered face.“Maybel…” His voice rasped, broken like glass scraping against stone. “The reason I left you… Why I abandoned you… It wasn’t because I didn’t love you.”My heart hardened instantly. Lies, always lies. But I let him continue anyway.“The Nightbounds wanted me to kill you, just like they let me watch your mother get killed.” His lips tremb







