LOGINTen years had passed. This was the tenth Dark Moon Festival.Loud cheers echoed from the direction of the main house. The pack had long since rebuilt from the ashes of war. The young werewolves were lighting bonfires, celebrating peace and a new life.But the celebration didn't reach the Sacred Lake, nor the three walking corpses who lived there.The cold wind cut like a knife across the frozen lake.Declan coughed violently, coughing up bloody spit. Kneeling on the crushed ice by the lake, he struggled to strike a match.The flame flared, illuminating his incredibly aged face. The price of forcibly activating the blood pact sacrifice had caused him to decay rapidly over these ten years.Heavy, limping footsteps came from behind.Ryker walked out of the darkness, leaning on a wooden crutch. His empty right pant leg flapped in the wind.Julian followed. Years in the freezing northern border had left his once-handsome face scarred by frostbite. His eyes, which had belonged to a genius pa
By the banks of the Nether River, black fog lingered all year round.I stood quietly by the river. The water was as calm as a mirror. As the silver lantern drew near, pale ripples spread across the surface, reflecting images of the mortal realm.The raid was over. The main Rogue force was annihilated, and the crisis at the main house was resolved. But the pack had suffered severe damage.The transition of power was swift and ruthless.The doors to the council hall were shoved open.Declan staggered inside. The backlash from forcibly activating the blood pact sacrifice had utterly drained his vitality.Several elders stood in shock. A young warrior stepped forward, blocking Declan from the Alpha's seat."Declan, with your current physical condition, you are no longer fit to sit in that seat," the Grand Elder said coldly.Declan didn't argue. With a trembling hand, he unpinned the wolf head badge on his chest, the symbol of absolute power, and placed it on the marble table.The hall was
The Rogue leader's roar was deafening: "Tear them apart! Don't leave a single pup alive!"I stepped out of the black fog.The moment the soles of my boots touched the ground, the blood in the Sacred Lake froze into ice. The shouts of battle on the battlefield abruptly stopped."I thought they sacrificed most of their lifespans to summon a god!" The Rogue leader stared at me, bared his fangs, and let out a sinister laugh. "It's just you, the stray dog they chased away! Kill her!"Dozens of Rogues charged forward wildly. The stench of blood rushed at my face.I stood still. My heartbeat was steady. Death felt no emotion.I lifted the silver lantern and struck the bottom heavily against the frozen earth."Time's up," I said, my voice flat.The earth tore open violently. A pitch-black abyss stretched out in front of the wolf pack. The waters of the Nether River surged out.The Rogues charging at the front couldn't stop in time and fell into the black water. Without a struggle or a sound, t
The final defense line protecting the main house collapsed with a deafening crash. The deafening wolf howls and the stench of blood shattered the pack's former glory.In the dungeons, the sharp, mocking laughter of Chloe, having torn off her disguise, still echoed in Declan, Ryker, and Julian's minds.That spy was right. It was their own arrogance and stupidity that had personally driven the god who silently protected the pack into the Underworld.To save the pups and Omegas in the cellar, the three broken men fought a bloody path to the pack's forbidden grounds. This was their last resort, and their only chance at atonement.The water of the Sacred Lake had long been dyed red with blood.In the extreme cold, Declan, Ryker, and Julian knelt in blood-red water up to their waists. The toll of the ancient blood pact was worse than being flayed alive; their souls and bodies were being ripped apart.Declan's blonde hair turned white, his back hunched in agony; Ryker's solid muscles had wit
The infirmary reeked of blood.In the past, a werewolf's accelerated healing factor could make the deepest wounds scab over in hours. But now, everything had changed."Hold him down!"The pack medic knelt on the rug, pressing both hands against a young warrior's abdomen. Blood gushed out from between his fingers, spurting continuously as if someone had turned on a faucet.Without the guardian's protection, the pack's healing abilities vanished. Once that divine aura that had shrouded the pack lands for ten years dissipated, even ordinary wounds became a deadly curse.Ryker leaned against the blood-stained wall. He watched all of this with hollow eyes, countless crushed herbs scattered at his feet.Without Amara's aura, his herbs were just useless, rotten leaves.In the corner of the hallway not far away, Declan slumped on the floor. His hair was a mess, his chest covered in dried black blood. The backlash of the severed mate bond, combined with the regret of learning the truth, had de
By dawn, the pack lands fell quiet.The long and tragic raid was finally over.The pack had suffered heavy casualties.The twenty-mile eastern patrol line had completely collapsed. The pastures were burned to black husks, fences lay in the mud, and streaks of dark red stained the snow, trailing all the way into the woods.Julian stood in a thick puddle of blood. His blade hadn't been sheathed all night. The edge was chipped, his hand was split open, and blood had dried on the hilt.He crouched next to the third corpse."Something's wrong," he said.The warrior behind him frowned. "What's wrong?""The path they took." Julian traced the ground with the tip of his blade. "There were three hidden sentries on the north slope, and twelve trap pits on the south. They didn't hit a single one."The warrior's face went pale. "Could it be luck?""Three hundred Rogues snuck in blind and bypassed all twelve pits?" Julian looked up, his eyes bloodshot. "You call that luck? Someone gave them a map."







