LOGINELISE’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 POV The note from Helen burned a hole in my pocket all day. I couldn’t concentrate on anything, not with the questions I had in my mind. Was this a joke? A trap? Or something else entirely? I kept replaying the earlier confrontation in my head, searching for clues, but I found none. Why
ELISE'S POV I could hear the distant sounds of the ball from my room. The music and laughter from the grand hall echoed through the walls, refusing to be ignored. Everything was so loud that I could hear the ball clearly. I laid on my bed and closed my eyes. My head sank deeper into the pillow, b
JACKSON'S POV I stared outside the window as I was driven back to the palace. My inspection of the northern borders had taken longer than expected, and I was more than a little tired. But the pack's safety came first, always. As I approached the entrance of the palace, the guards bowed in respec
ELISE'S POV I spent my day doing the chores I had been assigned. It seemed as if I was given a larger share of the chores and I didn't know why. I guess it was Gina's way of punishing me and Ms Kelly's way of making sure I stayed in my space. As I worked, my muscles ached with exhaustion. I had bee







