MasukKayla's POV
Maddox led me back down to the office. His pack emerged from their rooms all smiling and nodding as they passed me.
"She's gorgeous," I heard one of them whisper.
"Nice to meet you, Luna," another chirped as she rushed by.
"Supper smells lush, Alpha, cheers," a younger male grinned running down the stairs. "I'm starving."
"Amber," Maddox grabbed her arm as she skittered past, pulling her to one side. "I'd appreciate
The Patient's POVI woke to a soft, pained whining. For a moment, I thought it was coming from me.My throat was raw, my cheeks damp, and my chest ached with the effort of breathing. But the sobbing continued, soft and broken, coming from somewhere deep inside my mind.Stop.It was barely a whisper, but it made me freeze.I lifted my head, wincing as pain surged down my neck before settling into a tight knot between my shoulders. The fire had burned low, leaving only a handful of glowing embers in the hearth. My breath hung before me, a ghost-white cloud of steam suspended in the icy air. The fire's fading glow cast long, dark shadows across the room.I wasn't alone.Panic spiked. I scrambled backwards like a wounded animal, pressing my spine against the cool, damp stone of the wall."Who's there?"My voice sounded unfamiliar. Hoarse, weak and broken. I swallowed, trying again."Show yourself."I frantically scanned the dim, dank room, my eyes straining against the gloom.Nothing.I c
Alaya's POVMy stomach lurched, sending a wave of hot, bitter bile surging into my throat as I stumbled through the battered wooden gates of White Castle.My footing slipped on the slick moss covering the cobbled road. I reached desperately for the nearest cottage wall, my fingers scraping against the cold, uneven stone as I fought to steady myself.The bodies were gone.All of them.Yet death lingered in the air, its stench seemingly woven into the very fabric of White Castle. It clung to the stone walls, seeped between the cobbles beneath my feet and settled heavily in my lungs with every breath.It was a typical summer's day in the forest. The air was warm and humid, the trees alive with the gentle rustle of leaves as the afternoon breeze swept through their branches.But White Castle was different.The streets were deserted. The air was unnaturally cold, and an oppressive silence hung over the village. Not even the distant chirping of birds disturbed it.I turned, glancing back th
The Patient's POVA burning sensation pulsed through my head like something was screaming inside my brain. My body ached and tensed with lightening hot pain, as if my limbs were twisting and breaking. I tried to open my eyes but the light pierced through me.I didn't know where I was but I knew I needed to be somewhere. Desperately needed to be somewhere. Something was missing. Something more important than anything else in the world. Something more important than air or food. It was like a part of me was missing, ripped away by a terrifying darkness. I took a deep breath, ignoring the stabbing, scratching pain in my ribs, and forced one eye open. The room I was in was dim and dusty but the warm glow from the fire was enough to make my eyeball scream in agony. Despite the pain, I forced my other eye open, squinting against the soft, orange glow of the flames dancing in the open fire. A deep knot tightened in my gut. I didn't know where I was. I frantically scrabbled through my brain,
Alaya's POVI tossed the empty rabbit trap back to the ground, scowling at it as if my rage would somehow shame it into trapping something edible. Without Fyre hunting was next to impossible but my patient would need sustenance if he ever woke up. A few dozen rabbits waited in the freezer for him, hardly enough to last a large werewolf three days. There was no telling how long it would take him to gain the strength to hunt for himself if he ever awoke.I'd snuck into a local human settlement a few days after finding him and stole some supplies. Patrick left a full pantry when he left but he couldn't live on sugar water forever. His body was already smaller and weaker than when I found him three weeks ago.Since Obsidian finally left me I had trawled Cedar Woods day and night, desperately searching for food. Yet more desperate was my search for survivors or any evidence that my people still lived, that Obsidian had not obliterated my entire pack along with every other pack in our regio
Alaya's POV I woke on the soft, mossy mound Henry left me on. The iron tang of blood still rested on my tongue. The horrors of the night came flooding back. The desperate pleas of women and children begging for their lives flooded my mind. It wasn't supposed to be like that. They were supposed to worship me for rescuing them from the moronic leadership of Ralph and his insipid son. The only ones supposed to die were Ralph and Casper and their soldiers. Oh Goddess, the Princess. She was a newborn, only a few days old and innocent. Fat, heavy tears rolled down my cheeks. I wanted power, I wanted revenge for losing Fyre. I wanted people to cower in my shadow. I didn't want terror and massacre. "Hmm," Obsidian murmured as she woke from her slumber. "Last night was the best night of my life," she grinned. "The screams, the terror and the carnage wasn't it just amazing?" "You're insane," I snapped. "You're sick.
Skye's POVWords spewed from the mouths of my friends and my family. My pack, our pack, Maddox's and mine but they made no sense. Maddox was lost. Not gone and yet they insisted on spewing lies at me instead of looking for him. On holding me tight, suffocating me with their grief instead of scouring the lands for him. He wasn't gone. I refused to believe it.We won. Maddox told me we won. Those were the last words he spoke to me before he was lost. Maddox would not lie to me.He promised me if he didn't make it our bond would slowly fade along with the mark he left on my skin but I felt it more than ever. He needed me. He was out there, lost and broken and he needed me."Skye," Blake said holding his hand to me."He's here," I said, "he's right here."I clasped my hand to my heart."Gage has called for transport back to Greystone. We can't stay here."Everything inside me boiled with rage an
Maddox's POVBlake grinned up from the blaring screen in front of him."Done," he said as he finished tapping keys. "It's posted.""Great," I sighed. Casper pursed his lips, his head shaking. He was the only one who raised concerns out loud about us postin
Alaya's POVA week passed before news of attacks on human camps and settlements reached White Castle. The celebration ended the day before leaving the army tired and hungover. Henry, Casper, Nicholas and Nate all crowded into the office a
Alaya's POVThe Alphas and Lunas of neighbouring packs piled into the grand dining hall of White Castle. Their ballgowns and cheap satin suits glittered under the candlelight. Laughter filled the room. Pups raced between the tables, all as wild and undisciplined as the thre
Maddox's POV We piled into the armoured truck the only sound came from the singing birds and the gentle breeze brushing through the trees. Lena, Blake, Will and Kayla crawled into the back. Kayla's wide eyes locked on me as the doors closed. Sparks of gold sw







