LOGINLOWELL'S POVThe trek toward Black Peak was supposed to be a tactical insertion, a silent and deadly march toward my mate. Instead, it was turning into a three-ring circus, and the lead clown was my own flesh and blood. Cyrus wiped a smear of black monster guts from his forehead, looking entirely too comfortable for a man who had been seconds away from being a spider's dinner.Charles, who usually looked down on shifters like they were mud on his expensive soles, was watching Cyrus with a disturbing amount of amusement. "Your Majesty," the vampire purred, tilting his head toward me, "I must say, I like your brother. He has a certain... flair for the dramatic that you lack."Cyrus didn't miss a beat. He squinted at Charles, his eyes dancing with mischief as he pointed a dirty finger at the vampire's pale, perfect face. "Lo, I didn't know you were into exotic pets," he said, his voice dripping with faux surprise. "When did you start collecting leeches?""Don't call me that!" I barked, t
LOWELL'S POVThe air in the Iron Mountains didn't just bite; it felt like it was trying to flay the skin right off my face. We were moving at a pace that would have killed a lesser wolf. My muscles were screaming, a constant, rhythmic burning that pulsed with every stride I took across the frozen shale and through the skeletal trees. To my left, Sofia was a blur of lethal determination, her breathing controlled despite the brutal incline. To my right, Charles moved with that sickening, effortless vampire grace, his feet barely seeming to touch the snow as he glided through the shadows like he was part of them.We were a triad of desperate intent, fueled by the hum of the Wolf's Mother's bone in my pocket, which had begun to vibrate with a frequency so high it felt like a live wire against my thigh.Suddenly, the world went cold—colder than the mountain ice. The light of the moon was snuffed out as a dozen shadow-wraiths bled out of the very trunks of the pines. They were tall, faceles
KYLA'S POVThe world was screaming.The Void-Beast let out a sound that wasn't a roar, but a vacuum of noise—a hollow shriek that sucked the air right out of my lungs. Everywhere the creature's white, skeletal fingers touched, the vibrant life of the glade withered into icy gray ash. The honey lake, my sanctuary of warmth, was beginning to turn sluggish and cold, its golden surface filming over with a thin sheet of black ice that felt like needles against my skin."The dragon!" Clovis cried out, her voice barely audible over the grinding of stone.High above, the blood-red dragon folded its massive wings and dropped like a falling star. It slammed into the Void-Beast just as the monstrosity tried to haul its bloated torso fully into our world. The impact was like a mountain collapsing. The dragon's talons sank into the beast's translucent flesh, and a blast of dragonfire—pure, white-hot heat erupted from its maw, illuminating the glade in a blinding flash.The heat was enough to melt
KYLA'S POVThe sky didn't just darken; it bruised. A sickly violet-black haze began to swallow the golden sunlight, drifting down through the canopy like poisonous smoke. The air, which had been sweet with the scent of honey and jasmine, suddenly turned cold and smelled of wet earth and ancient, rotting things.The fairies scrambled from the honey lake, their shimmering bodies dripping with nectar as they grabbed bows made of living wood and daggers carved from dragon-glass. The sensual play was gone, replaced by a frantic, high-pitched buzzing of wings that sounded like a thousand disturbed hives."Stay in the water, Wolf Mother!" Clovis commanded, her voice no longer a bell-like chime but a sharp crack of authority. She stood at the edge of the pool, her green-and-gold silks fluttering as she drew a slender blade that hummed with a pale light. "The honey is your anchor! If you leave the pool, the mountain's power will slip through your fingers like sand!"I stood chest-deep in the g
KYLA'S POVThe honey felt like more than just a liquid; it felt like the very blood of the world, thick and ancient, pressing against my skin with a heat that was almost erotic in its intensity. As I stood there, waist-deep in the golden pool, the silver glow from my scars intensified until I was a beacon of light in the middle of the shimmering lake. I looked at Clovis, my breath coming in short, jagged gasps as the power thrummed through my veins like a thousand racing hearts."I can feel them," I whispered, my voice sounding deeper, layered with an echo that didn't belong to me. "I can feel every leaf... every insect. The mountain is screaming, Clovis. It's so loud.""The mountain is speaking to its Queen," Clovis replied, her eyes wide with a mixture of terror and worship. She waded into the honey toward me, her translucent wings vibrating so fast they became a blur of iridescent light. "You are the bridge, Kyla. The shadow creatures have been severing the ties between the earth a
KYLA'S POVThe warmth of the milk bath was slowly seeping into my bones, easing the knots of fear and exhaustion that had taken root deep within me. Clovis's hands were surprisingly gentle as she worked, the sea-foam sponge gliding over my shoulders and down my back. Her touch was ethereal, almost like a whisper, yet it held a strange, undeniable authority."You are tense, Wolf Mother," she murmured, her voice a soft chime in the quiet, glowing bathroom. "Just relax and let me wash you."My mind was still reeling from the sudden turn of events. Cyrus was gone, sent on a desperate mission to retrieve the Lycan King, and I was left in the care of beings from a world most would think only existed in children's books. "Why... why do you call me Wolf Mother?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper. "Cyrus said it, but... I'm just Kyla."Clovis paused, her delicate fingers stilling on my skin. She met my gaze, her eyes the color of moss after a spring rain, holding a depth of ancient wisdom. "Y







