MasukELISE’S POVYEARS LATER.The sun was warm that morning. The golden light filled the gardens. For the first time in a long time, I felt like I could just sit and breathe without fear sitting heavy in my chest. The air smelled sweet, full of roses, and the world felt gentle again.I sat under the will
Elise’s POVThe world stopped spinning the moment I saw it.The devourer.The thing Gina had called forth twisted behind her in a storm of shadows. Its form shifted into many forms. It was almost too terrible for the eyes to follow. It looked like smoke given flesh, like nightmares sculpted into bei
I swallowed hard. My tears blurred my vision.“Gina,” I whispered “This ends tonight. You and me.”The fight exploded in an instant.The courtyard shook beneath my feet as Gina and I circled each other.Gina tilted her head. Lyra whimpered in her arms. Every time my daughter screamed, the earth spli
ELISE’S POVJackson’s body was warm in my arms, but the life had already drained from his eyes. His lips were parted slightly, as if he still wanted to say something—something he hadn’t gotten the chance to tell me. My throat burned as I swallowed hard. Tears rolled down my eyes.Gina laughed loudly
ELISE’S POVI ran out of the battle field. I let my wolf guide me to Gina’s location. I could already perceive her scent in the air. But then I heard it.The scream.“Help! Someone—please!”My blood ran cold. That voice… it was my mother’s.I didn’t even think. My feet carried me , tracing her voice
ELISE’S POVThe sky darkened, swallowing every trace of sunlight. The eclipse had come.I stood at the window, staring at the darkness in the heavens. My heart was pounding so loud it drowned out the silence. The shadows crawled across the walls of the castle. The air was heavy with dread, and deep
ELISE’S POVWhen Ferris told me we needed to talk, I froze. His voice was firm and his expression was hard. For a moment, I wasn’t sure whether to be nervous or relieved. I knew better than to argue, though.“What are we going to talk about?” I asked.“Get dressed,” he said. I flinched at his tone.
I stopped pacing. The garden. Flashes of the night came back—a conversation with Joan, her laughter too close. I remembered pulling away, annoyed, but everything after that was a blur.“Someone had to have seen something,” I muttered. “This doesn’t feel right, Eden. I can’t shake the feeling that Jo
ELISE’S POVJoan’s words replayed in my mind. Her words felt like a thorn digging deeper into my chest. Ferris had assured me he loved me and didn’t want Joan, but her claim about being his first love pulled at me. People never forget their first love.That thought haunted me as I paced the length o
His voice cracked slightly, and I realized how deeply this haunted him. My throat tightened, but I said nothing, letting him continue.“She cursed me,” Ferris said “She came to me in a vision. Her presence was colder than anything I’ve ever felt. She told me that for what I did, I would never know h







