WinterI jolted awake.Heart pounding. Skin clammy.It wasn’t a dream this time. No lightning, no howling, no shadows chasing me through the woods.Just this… deep, bone-deep dread I couldn’t shake.I stumbled out of bed, throwing on a hoodie over my tank top and slipping into sweatpants. My bare feet slapped against the cold wooden floor as I rushed downstairs.Mom and Dad were in the kitchen, talking in hushed voices. Louis was at the back door, checking the locks, and Asher and Aria were already arguing over breakfast like it was any normal day.But it wasn’t.I could feel it in my blood.“Mom, Dad,” I said, louder than I meant to. Everyone froze and looked at me.Dad’s brow furrowed. “What is it?”I swallowed hard, trying to find the words that didn’t sound insane.“There’s something coming. I don’t know when. I don’t know how many. But something’s coming for us. I feel it.”Mom exchanged a look with Dad—quiet but sharp. That silent language they always spoke when things were bad.
Tomorrow.It all comes down to tomorrow.Weeks of strategy meetings, sleepless nights, and brutal training sessions—finally, it’s time to strike.I sat on the edge of my bed, sharpening my arrows with steady hands, letting the rhythmic scrape of the blade quiet my thoughts.Ares was already leading his scouting team toward the Crescent Moon Pack’s outer borders. They’d lay low tonight, waiting for the signal.Basec? He was probably swinging his axe at the training post as we spoke, getting ready to lead the first wave—the distraction force.And me?I’d be the shadow slipping through their chaos.While they fought, I’d find her. Capture the hybrid girl. End this.The tent flap rustled softly.I didn’t need to look up to know it was her."Do you need anything, Mom?" My voice came out lower than I intended. Tired. Worn.She sat beside me, her gray eyes so much like mine. “No. Just… wanted to see you.”I paused my work, setting the arrow aside. “Stop worrying. I’ll be fine. I’ll come back
By the time we all sat around the dining table, the sun had fully set.The house smelled like roasted chicken, garlic potatoes, and Mom’s homemade bread—the kind she only makes when we have guests she actually likes.Casma sat on one end of the table beside Mom, her dark brown skin glowing under the kitchen lights, her silver-blonde hair braided back neatly. She laughed as Aria gave her a play-by-play recap of every single thing she and Asher had done that week—including the prank they pulled on Louis that nearly broke the ceiling fan.Ruine sat across from Dad, a little slouched, looking like he belonged in a leather war council rather than at our dining table with floral placemats. His gold eyes skimmed the room lazily, but I knew better. He was taking in everything. Every word. Every shift in body language.Louis sat beside me, shoveling food into his mouth like the world might end tomorrow. Casey—his mate—perched quietly at his side, picking at her plate and keeping her head down
The Oracle’s words still sat heavy on my chest like a stone I couldn’t shake off.I stood at my bedroom window again, staring out at the forest, arms wrapped around myself like that could somehow quiet the noise in my head.The trees swayed with the wind. Somewhere in the distance, a bird chirped.Normal things.But I didn’t feel normal.The air felt… thick. Like something was brewing just beyond my line of sight.I closed my eyes and took a long, shaky breath."Go and prepare, for a great battle awaits you."The Oracle’s voice replayed like a broken record, sinking its claws deeper every time I tried to ignore it.And then there were the dreams…The forest.The crack of thunder overhead.And those haunting gray eyes with the jagged lightning scar.The same wolf. Night after night.I’d told Mom about it once. She got quiet real fast and said she’d speak with the Oracle again if they continued.But it wasn’t just dreams anymore.I could feel it. Even now… standing here… like eyes burni
I crouch low behind the thick line of trees bordering the Crescent Moon Pack’s training grounds, blending into the earth and shadows like I was born here.The late afternoon sun filters through the leaves, throwing patterns across my skin, but I don’t flinch or shift. Years of being a rogue taught me how to stay invisible.I’d been out here since dawn. Watching. Waiting.Scouting.Just like I told the old men at the council tent I would.Basec and Ares are a few miles off, covering the south ridge like we planned. But me? I picked this spot. Not by accident.Something about this part of the territory…It felt electric. Like the air hummed with something I couldn’t explain.And when I saw her walk onto the field…Yeah.That explained it.There she was.The icy-haired girl.The hybrid.The one whose blue-purple eyes haunted me every time I closed mine.I watched from the cover of trees as she stood in the center of the training grounds, hands outstretched, face focused but slightly frus
Tyron It’s been over a week since I told my father my plan to attack the Crescent Moon Pack and capture the hybrid girl. And true to form… he hasn’t said a single damn word to me since.Not a question. Not a comment. Not even one of his usual grunts of approval or irritation.Typical.Him and the other elders have locked themselves away, drawing up their fancy strategies, acting like their decades of stale battle experience means something when they’ve never faced anything like this.They forget… none of it will work without me.I’m the strongest warrior they’ve got. The only one fast enough, smart enough… vicious enough… to get close to that girl. I brought them this plan. I should be involved in every single step.But I know how my father works. He’ll call for me eventually. Probably when the old men finish patting each other on the back for doing nothing.I drag a hand down my face and rub my temples. The migraine that’s been drilling behind my eyes all week hasn’t let up. No amou