Returning in Reverse After Betrayal

The nightmare came again.It was always the same one.Dark woods.Yellow eyes glowing in the shadows.The wet sound of claws tearing through skin.Hot blood splashing across my face.And those eyes—filled with hate and hunger—staring at me like I was prey.I woke up gasping.My heart pounded so hard it hurt.Sweat soaked through my silk nightgown.The bedroom was dark except for a strip of silver moonlight cutting across the floor. I reached across the bed without thinking.Cold sheets, space.Leighton wasn't home. Again.I sat up slowly, pushing my dark hair out of my face. The nightmare always left me shaky, but tonight felt different.Worse somehow.My wolf stirred inside me—restless.She'd been like this for weeks now, always on edge.Always sensing danger, I couldn't see.'Something is wrong,' she whispered in the back of my mind.Something bad is coming.I wanted to tell her she was being paranoid.But I couldn't.Because I felt it too.For the past six months, Leighton had bee

I pulled out every piece of jewelry he'd ever given me.One by one, I checked them all.Each one had the same mark.My hands were shaking as I grabbed the sapphire necklace again.The stone was set in an ornate platinum casing. I used my fingernail to pry at the edge.The casing popped open.Inside, embedded in the hollow space beneath the sapphire, was a small black stone covered in strange symbols.No.No, no, no.I knew what this was.I'd learned about it years ago during my Luna training.A Moonbane Rune Stone.An ancient, forbidden object used to drain a wolf's power.Slowly. Gradually. Until there was nothing left.It was like a parasite that fed on life force and magic.And Leighton had hidden them in every gift he'd ever given me.I dropped the necklace as it had burned me.My whole body was shaking now. Not from fear. From rage.He'd been poisoning me. For months. Maybe years.Making me weak. Making me sick.So he'd have an excuse to get rid of me.All those times I'd worn hi

My wolf was pushing at my skin, wanting out. Wanting blood.But she was also distracted.That mate scent was so close now.Somewhere in the trees.Watching.He's here, my wolf insisted.Our true mate. He'll save us.We save ourselves, I told her."Mommy?" Erica whispered. "I'm scared.""Close your eyes, baby.""Take them," Leighton ordered his guards."Alive if possible. Dead if necessary."The ten guards moved in as one.I pushed Erica behind me and let my wolf loose.The shift was instant.My body exploded with power—bones cracking and reforming, muscles expanding, and fur bursting through skin.In three seconds, I'd gone from woman to wolf.But not my usual wolf.The rune stone magic had changed me.My fur was silver-white like always, but now it glowed.Actually glowed with pale light. My eyes burned gold. And I was bigger. Stronger.The guards hesitated.I didn't.I lunged at the nearest one—a young male who'd been too slow to shift.My jaws closed around his arm, and I heard bon

"Two hundred and thirteen years."I stopped walking. "What?"Kael stopped too, turning to face me. Erica had fallen asleep in his arms."I'm old, Sophia. Old. I was born in 1812.""That's impossible. Werewolves live longer than humans, but not that long.""Most don't. But I was... cursed. Or blessed, depending on your perspective." He shifted Erica's weight carefully. "I stopped aging at thirty-five. I've been searching for my true mate ever since.""Two hundred years," I breathed. "Alone.""Yes."The weight of that word. The loneliness it contained."And you think I'm... her? Your mate?""I don't think. I know." His eyes held mine. "The moment I saw you, my wolf recognized you. After two centuries of searching, I finally found you.""But I'm broken," I whispered. "Weak. Poisoned. I have a daughter and an enemy, and—""You're perfect," Kael interrupted. "You're strong enough to survive abuse, smart enough to fight back, and brave enough to run with a child on your back." He stepped cl

Maybe she was right.Potentially, the Moon Goddess knew what she was doing after all.Three days later...Everything fell apart again.It happened while Kael was out hunting.I was teaching Erica how to meditate—how to control the rune stone power that was slowly stabilizing in both our bodies—when I heard wolves approaching.Too many wolves."Erica, hide in the back room. Now.""But,""NOW!"She ran.I stepped outside the shelter just as fifteen wolves burst through the magical barrier.They'd found us.Somehow, they'd broken through Kael's wards.And leading them was Leighton in his black wolf form.Behind him, I saw a smaller figure.An old man in grey robes covered in symbols.A shaman.They'd brought a shaman to break the protective magic.Run, my wolf urged.We can't fight this many.But I couldn't run.Not with Erica inside.If I ran, they'd follow.They'd find her.I had to stand and fight.I shifted into my silver wolf form, the rune magic making my fur glow with pale light.