Mag-log inI stood at the edge of the celebration, watching my family dance and laugh, and felt the familiar ache of being both inside and outside at once.The spring festival had turned Silver Hollow into a riot of color and sound. Lanterns swayed from every branch, and the smell of roasting meat and honey cakes drifted through the air. Wolves of all ages filled the main clearing, dancing in circles, clapping their hands, howling at the moon that hung low and fat over the mountains. My little sister Sable was in the center of it all, her white wolf flickering in and out as she chased a group of pups in a wild game of tag. Mirren sat on a bench near the fire, her spirit-wolf a silver glow at her side, laughing at something Papa Archer said. My fathers were scattered through the crowd: Papa Bastian standing near the food tables with his arms crossed, pretending he wasn't enjoying the music; Papa Kellan deep in conversation with Maren and Sera, probably discussing something important even during a
The spirit wolf looked at me with eyes the color of the full moon, and I knew—this was Mirren. Not her body. Her soul, given form.The room felt charged, like the air before a storm. My daughter stood in the center of Elara's study with her small hands clasped in front of her, and beside her, calm and luminous, a wolf made of silver light. It didn't look like a real wolf. Not quite. It was too translucent, too still, too ancient. But it was real. I could feel it through the bond web, a new thread of connection that hadn't existed before.Bastian was the first to speak. His voice was rough, like he was swallowing something heavy. "Mirren. That's your wolf?"She nodded, and her amber-gold eyes were bright with tears. "She's been there the whole time. I just couldn't reach her. I thought she was broken. But she's not broken. She's different."Archer crossed the room without a word. He dropped to his knees in front of our daughter, his glowing hands reaching for her face, her shoulders, t
"I've read about this," Elara said, her voice trembling. "A healer who doesn't mend flesh. A healer who mends souls. The Luminara's rarest gift."Elara's study was small and warm, crammed with books and jars and bundles of dried herbs hanging from the ceiling. I sat on a wooden stool in the center of the room, my hands still tingling from the silver light that had poured out of them last night. The old healer stood at her desk with a massive, leather-bound book open in front of her, her knotted fingers tracing the faded text."That's what I am?" I asked, and my voice came out smaller than I meant it to. "A soul healer?""That's what the records say. A Moon-Wolf whose abilities extend beyond the body, into the mind and spirit. The Luminara herself was said to possess this gift, but it hasn't appeared in the bloodline for three hundred years." Elara turned to face me, and her dark eyes were bright with something that looked like wonder. "Your wolf isn't silent because she's broken, Mirr
The wolf in her dream was made of light.Mirren stood at the edge of a forest she had never seen before. The trees were enormous, their branches woven together like a ceiling, and their leaves were the color of moonlight. The air was warm and still, and the ground beneath her bare feet was soft with moss. In the distance, between the silver trunks, a wolf was waiting for her.It wasn't like the wolves she knew. It wasn't flesh and fur. It was made of light, pure and silver-white, and its eyes were the color of the full moon. It stood perfectly still, watching her with an expression that was neither patient nor impatient. Just present. Just waiting."Who are you?" Mirren called, and her voice echoed strangely in the silent forest.The wolf didn't answer in words. It turned and began walking deeper into the trees, and Mirren followed. She didn't know why. She only knew that she had to.The forest went on forever. The wolf walked ahead of her, always just out of reach, its light casting
Mirren could heal a broken bone before breakfast, but she couldn't shift into her wolf. Eleven years old, and her wolf was still silent inside her.I found her in the healer's wing after my morning training session with Papa Bastian. She was sitting on a low stool beside an elderly enforcer's cot, her small hands glowing faintly silver as she pressed them to the old wolf's swollen knee. The enforcer, a grizzled beta named Torvin, let out a sigh of relief as the swelling faded."That's incredible, little one," Torvin said, and his voice was rough with gratitude. "Feels like I never twisted it at all."Mirren didn't smile. She just nodded and reached for a roll of bandages on the table beside her. "Keep it wrapped for two days. No running until the stiffness goes away. If it swells again, come back."Torvin grinned and patted her shoulder. "You sound just like your Papa Archer. Bossy and right about everything.""Papa Archer is right about most things." Mirren stood up and brushed off h
"I never told anyone about the dreams," Bastian said, staring into the cold fireplace. "I thought they meant I was going mad. Like my father."The old cabin was silent except for the wind outside. It had been years since anyone lived here, but the pack maintained it like a shrine. The roof was solid, the door hung straight, and the fireplace was clean and ready for a fire that Papa Bastian hadn't bothered to light. He sat on the edge of the stone hearth with his elbows on his knees and his gold eyes fixed on the cold ashes.I stood near the door, still bundled in my winter coat, not sure what to do with myself. I had never seen my father like this. He was always so certain. So solid. But right now, in this tiny cabin in the middle of nowhere, he looked almost young. Almost afraid."What do you mean, like your father?" I asked, and my voice came out quieter than I intended.Papa Bastian didn't look at me. "My sire was a monster. You know that. I've told you the broad strokes. He beat m
Two medics held me down before I could ask what was happening. The needle went in, and fire spread through my veins. I bucked on the table hard enough that the leather restraints creaked, and a strangled sound tore out of my throat that wasn't a word. One medic, a beta woman with flat grey eyes an
Silas’s boot drove into my stomach, and I folded around the pain without a sound. Ten years in this pack had taught me one thing: noise makes it worse.I hit the training yard dirt on my side, and a puff of dust coated my tongue. Silas stood over me with his sandy hair cropped close to his skull, h
They shoved Bastian into the pit before I could even stand. The crowd roared. And I felt the first blow land in my own ribs. An enforcer with a scar splitting his chin dragged me up a set of stone steps to a wooden ledge that overlooked the fighting pit. The chamber was underground, carved into th
Bastian's hands were still raised when the first arrow punched into his shoulder. He didn't flinch. He just looked at me—claimed, bleeding, mine—and said, "Keep your head down. No matter what." The enforcers swarmed the clearing before I could answer. Maren Holt barked orders, and her wolves fanne







