The air was heavy with grief, thick with unspoken words and the soft hum of sorrowful silenceBut the hush shattered like fragile glass when Ethan strolled in.His footsteps were deliberate, echoing against the path leading into the heart of the wake. He wore black like everyone else, but the shade of it seemed darker, colder, like an armor for the storm raging inside him. Behind him, two of his closest friends, Jace and Rowan, flanked his sides. Their expressions were unreadable, but the way they held their shoulders high, eyes scanning the crowd, told everyone they hadn’t come to grieve.They had come to cause trouble. Lucas was the first to move. His tall frame stiffened, and his jaw clenched as he stepped slightly in front of Liam, instinctively shielding his twin brother.“What the hell is he doing here?” Lucas’s voice was a low growl, meant only for Liam and Graham to hear.Liam’s hands curled into fists. “He’s not here to mourn. Look at him—he’s here to provoke.”Graham, st
The twilight sun bled gold and crimson across the skies as the grounds of Moonshine College shifted into a solemn, reverent hush. It was the kind of evening meant for silence — for remembrance. Dozens of students, professors, and staff had gathered in the Grove of Ancients, the oldest part of campus, where towering willows whispered with the wind and moonflowers bloomed beneath the earth’s mourning sigh. Tonight, they mourned Eliza Moreau. Lily stood off to the side, fingers clutched tightly around a single white rose. Maya stood beside her, holding her hand. Both girls were dressed in black. “I should’ve gone after her,” Lily murmured, her voice raw. “She texted me, Maya. She was in trouble.” Maya turned toward her, brows furrowed. “Lily, stop. We didn’t know. You couldn’t have known. That wasn’t your fault.” “She sent me messages, Maya. Before the attack. They were deleted before I could read them. All of them.” Maya blinked. “Deleted?” Lily nodded slowly, her eyes s
The heavy oak doors of the Moonshine College administrative tower groaned open with a weighty sound that echoed down the marbled hallway. Inside the council chamber, a solemn, dignified atmosphere hung in the air like mist, thick with tension, reverence, and silent grief. Lucas adjusted his jacket, heart thudding beneath his ribs like a warning drum. Beside him, Liam’s jaw was set in quiet defiance, while Graham, ever the calmest of the three, wore a composed expression, though his eyes betrayed his unease. They had faced death, fought a rampaging wolf twisted beyond recognition, and now they stood before the most powerful figures in their world — the Head of Moonshine College and the assembled High Wolf Council. A long, curved table, made of ancient obsidian-black wood, dominated the center of the chamber. Around it sat six council members exuding an air of both wisdom and restrained power. At the head of the table stood the head of Moonshine College himself, tall and lean, wi
The lab lights flickered as the doors slid open with a mechanical hiss, casting a sickly white glow onto the bloodied floor. Maya and Lily staggered inside, dragging Eliza’s limp body between them, both women breathless and trembling from adrenaline and panic. Her blood left a smeared trail behind them, fresh and vivid against the cold metal floor. Outside, the night was loud—growls echoing, trees shuddering, and the wind carrying the haunting howl of a monster that was once a man. Lucas, Liam, and Graham stood just beyond the shattered gate, backs straight, their forms illuminated by the flickering garden lights that buzzed against the rising tension. The rampaging wolf, massive and grotesquely twisted, snarled in the dark, its breath misting in the air. Its eyes were no longer just angry—there was madness behind them now. Hunger, hatred and pain. “We don’t have time, we have to blow it up,” Graham barked, tossing the drone controller to Maya just before she disappeared insid
The downpour came in angry sheets, drowning the sound of footsteps beneath thunder’s growl. Rain carved long trails down Lena’s cheeks, gluing strands of her long dark hair to her face as she ran. Her breath came in ragged gasps, her soaked hoodie clinging to her like a second skin. Beside her, Ethan charged forward, boots splashing in the puddles, his jaw clenched, and his eyes burning with the kind of fury only determination could spark. “We have to get there before she does,” Lena shouted over the roar of the storm. “Yeah, maybe we wouldn't need to be here if you hadn’t let her escape!” Ethan snapped, not looking at her as they ran through the flooded grounds of Moonshine College. Lena stumbled, caught off guard by his accusation. She stopped, forcing him to brace a few steps ahead before halting. “What?” she hissed, shivering. “Are you seriously blaming me right now?” Ethan turned, his hair plastered to his forehead, his eyes livid. “She was tied up in your room, Lena. S
The storm had come fast—an ambush of wind and rain that swallowed the sky in a matter of minutes. Trees bent as the wind carried them effortlessly. Thunder cracked like the world was splitting open. And through it all, Eliza ran. Her breath tore in and out of her chest, every inhale like fire, every exhale a prayer for her to get to her destination as soon as possible. Thanks to listening to Lena, she knew exactly where she needed to go to find Lily and the Alpha twins. Her shoes were soaked, filled with mud, barely clinging to her feet. The wind howled in her ears, ripping at her wet hair and flinging it into her face like a whip. Each drop of rain struck like shards of glass, cold and cutting, blinding her as she continued moving without giving up. She was already getting tired, but she couldn’t stop. She wouldn’t stop. Not when the truth was burning in her throat, begging to be heard. “LENA ISN’T WHO YOU THINK SHE IS!” The wind roared louder, drowning her out. Trees gro