LOGINThe horn echoed again but this time, it sounded closer. Its sharp cry bounced off the walls until it seemed to come from every direction at once.Kael turned toward the tunnel they'd come through. "They're moving faster than I expected."Rynese looked over his shoulder. "How long do we have?"Kael listened for a moment. "Just a few minutes... Maybe even less."Valkyrie had already extinguished the lantern. The only light left came from thin shafts of moonlight filtering through the roots above them."We need to leave," she said. "If we're still here when they arrive, we'll be trapped."Kael nodded. "Take the map, I'll cover the rear."Everyone started moving except for Zara, she looked down at the note in her hands.*Don't let Kael read it.*She folded it carefully and slipped it into the inside pocket of her cloak before anyone noticed."Zara?" Kael's voice pulled her back. "You coming?"She forced a smile. "Yeah."Deep down, guilt settled heavily in her chest, she had never hidden a
The tunnel was barely wide enough to breathe.Cold river water rushed around Zara's knees as she crawled after Kael, one hand pressed against the damp stone to keep herself steady. The ceiling hung so low that she had to duck her head, and every now and then loose gravel rained down from above."This is officially the worst idea we've had," Rynese muttered somewhere behind her."You've said that about almost everything we've done," Valkyrie replied."And I've been right every time." Despite everything, Zara smiled but It lasted only a second.The current grew stronger. Kael stopped so suddenly that she almost ran into him."What is it?" she whispered.He didn't answer. Instead, he raised one hand, signaling everyone to stay quiet. The only sounds were the river... And something else.A metallic clink, it was soft and Rhythmic as though a chain had been dragged across stone.Zara felt every muscle in her body tense."Did you hear that?" she breathed.Kael nodded."It came from ahead."
The pages stopped turning just like that.The soft rustling faded until the sanctuary was silent again, leaving only the distant roar of the underground river.No one spoke. Zara stared at the Codex, unable to shake the feeling that it was alive.Kael stepped out from behind the pillar first. He didn't go straight to the pedestal, instead, he walked to the entrance of the sanctuary and listened until he was sure the two Belmar guards had gone."They're gone," he said quietly, "but just for now"Rynese finally let out the breath he'd been holding. "I honestly thought one of them was going to turn around.""So did I," Zara admitted."They were close enough to hear us breathe."Valkyrie crossed the room and relit the lantern, warm light spread across the chamber once more, chasing away the shadows."We don't have much time," she said. "If those men report back to Eveline, she'll know someone else is down here."Kael nodded."Then we find out why Wisteria took the first page before they re
Nobody moved after that, the pages continued turning on their own.The sound of the pages was almost gentle, yet it filled the entire sanctuary. Every soft rustle echoed through the chamber until it was impossible to tell whether it came from the Codex or from the darkness itself.Rynese was the first to take a step back. "I don't like this."No one laughed, not even Valkyrie.Kael stood perfectly still, his eyes fixed on the open book. The silver in his irises had become strangely bright, reflecting the pale glow that now seeped from the pages.Zara looked at him before she looked at the Codex, he wasn't blinking."Kael."There was no response. She reached for his hand, the moment their fingers touched, he flinched as though waking from a dream."What happened?" he asked."You were staring into space.""At what?""The Codex."He frowned. "I don't remember staring into it."A knot formed in Zara's stomach because he genuinely didn't remember.* * * * * *The glow faded eoon after it
No one spoke, not after what they had just seen.Zara couldn't take her eyes off the words carved into the stone.*Don't trust the voice.*She traced the letters again with her fingertips. The grooves were still rough around the edges."They're fresh," she murmured.Valkyrie crouched beside her, examining the carving more closely. "I'd say less than a day."Rynese looked from the message to Kael."So... Wisteria knew about the whispers?"Kael didn't answer, he was still staring at the chained book in the center of the sanctuary. His expression was unreadable but Zara noticed something the others didn't.His jaw was clenched so tightly that the muscles in his neck stood out beneath his skin.She walked over quietly. "Kael."He didn't respond to her, she touched his arm. Only then did he seem to return to himself."What?" He said, turning to look at her. "You drifted."He frowned a bit. "For how long?"She hesitated before speaking. "Long enough that I had to call your name twice."Hi
The climb ended on a narrow ledge carved into the cliffside.One by one, they dropped onto solid ground, boots scraping against damp stone. The roar of the underground river filled the cavern, loud enough that they had to stand close to hear one another.Zara wiped the moisture from her face and looked up, the doors were even larger from this angle.They had been cut directly into the rock, their surface worn smooth by centuries of dripping water. Moss clung to the edges, and pale roots snaked across the stone like veins, no symbols covered these doors or grand carvings.Only a single crescent moon sat in the center, it was so weathered that it was almost invisible.For the first time since entering the tunnels, Kael looked uncertain."I've never seen anything this old," he admitted.Valkyrie stepped forward, running her fingers along the stone. "It predates the northern kingdoms.""How can you tell?""The tool marks." She pointed to the edges, "They're different."Rynese leaned close
Kael ran as fast as he possibly could. For a Lycan, that meant faster than the speed of light.Zara was still hurt from the former battle, and her exhausted body gave out midway through their escape. He had no choice but to carry her on his back to avoid losing any more time.She was slipping in an
Her knees gave out beneath her.Zara collapsed hard into the blood-soaked dirt.No.No, this could not be real.The world around her became muffled and distant. The survivors blurred together into meaningless shapes while the mutilated body before her remained horrifyingly clear.Alpha Tyrone stepp
Zara closed the book abruptly when she couldn't take it any more. She struggled to keep her emotions in check but her frail heart betrayed her. She kept the book back in place, knowing it was fate that had made her to come across the book. She stormed back into the chamber beneath the Moonstone Pa
"Have you lost your damn mind, Zara?!" Denice screamed at the top of her lungs. She had been awakened rudely that morning by low groans that seemed to be coming from Zara. The deep graons didn't sound lady like and Denice had to quit her sleep to find the source of the endless groans that kept her







