LOGINKYLA'S POVThe peace of the mountain was shattered by a sound that made my hair stand on end. Before I could even reach for the silver light in my palms, a pack of rogue wolves burst from the underbrush. These weren't the noble shifters of the Peak; they were mangy, wild-eyed, and foaming at the mouth, driven mad by the lingering scent of being wild and untamed. "Get back!" Lowell roared, his voice already vibrating with the gravelly timbre of the beast.He moved like a blur of lethal muscle, meeting the lead wolf mid-air and snapping its neck with a sickening crunch. Beside him, Cyrus was a whirlwind of steel and red hair, his daggers flashing in the moonlight as he carved through the rogues with a terrifying, graceful efficiency. Even Derick joined in, his massive broadsword swinging in arcs that sent fur and dark blood flying into the dirt.The fight was fast, brutal, and over as quickly as it had started. I stood in the center, ready to do my thing, but the brothers hadn't left a
KYLA'S POV"I hate this, Kyla," he whispered, sitting down on the dirt a safe distance away. "I hate that I'm a weapon against you.”"It's not your fault, Cyrus," I said, clutching the blanket tighter. "It's the bond. It's the mountain. It's... everything.""Is it?" He tilted his head, the firelight dancing in his red hair. "Or is it just that Lowell and I are two halves of a whole that were never meant to be split? Derick was right. We nearly broke the world once because we couldn't share. And here we are, doing it again."Again? I wondered, but I was in too much pain to press the matter. "You're not sharing a toy, Cyrus. You're talking about a woman," I reminded him, my voice gaining a bit of its old bite.He smiled, that lopsided, heart-melting grin that usually preceded some kind of trouble. "I know that. Believe me, I know. You're the Wolf Mother. You're the one who survived the fire and the frost. You're... you're everything I didn't know I was looking for in those ten years of
KYLA'S POVThe moment came where we had to travel to Cyrus's stronghold. I kept feeling this pain inside me that I couldn't cipher. It started as a dull throb in my chest, right where the silver scars met my collarbone, but as the hours ticked by, the sensation began to split. It was like a tug-of-war was happening in my very soul. To my right, Lowell walked with a steady, heavy grace, his presence a constant hum of earth and deep forest. To my left, Cyrus moved like a shadow, his energy sharp and electric.And I was the rope they were pulling on."You're limping," Cyrus said, suddenly appearing at my side. He didn't touch me, but I could feel the heat radiating off him. "Or at least, you're walking like your boots are made of lead. Do you need a break?""I'm fine, Cyrus," I snapped, though the words felt like they were coated in sandpaper. "It's just the incline.""The incline is barely a five-degree slope, Kyla," Lowell rumbled from my other side. He stopped walking, forcing the re
LOWELL'S POVThe morning sun was doing its best to be cheerful, but my head felt like a pack of rogue silver-claws was using my brain for target practice. Shifting back into my human skin always left me feeling raw, but doing it after a night of war and whatever psychological warfare the lagoon games had provided was a new level of exhaustion.I leaned against a sturdy oak, watching the camp come to life. Beside me, Cyrus was picking dirt out from under his fingernails with a stray dagger, looking far too relaxed for a man who had been exiled for a decade. Derick was pacing nearby, his eyes drifting—not for the first time toward the medical tents where Sofia was currently fussing over a very hungover Charles."You blew it, Dee," Cyrus said, not even looking up from his task. His voice had that annoying, singsong quality he used whenever he was about to poke a bruise. "Seriously. You're staring so hard I'm surprised her clothes hasn't caught fire. So stop looking at her like that."Der
KYLA'S POV"You are not a freak, Kyla. You are a catalyst," Wynona said, her voice dropping to a low. "But this situation with Lowell and Cyrus is more dangerous than you realize. They are twins, two halves of the same royal coin, and the mountain is reacting to the instability of your choice. You are the anchor, but if you don't choose, the anchor will drag everyone down into the depths.""How can I choose when I feel pulled in both directions?" I asked, my voice cracking with the weight of the confession. "Lowell is the man I met when I was lost, the one who made me feel seen for the first time. And Cyrus... Cyrus is the one who stayed when everything went to hell. He's the one who fought for me when I couldn't fight for myself."Wynona looked away, staring out at the golden ripples of the honey lake as if she could see through time itself. "It is a cruel position to be in, and I do not envy you the burden. But you must understand that the stakes are higher than your own happiness.
KYLA'S POVSofia's words kept replaying in my head. I needed to talk to Wynona. I found her sitting on a weathered stone bench near the edge of the ancient willow, her hair catching the early light like spun silk. She looked regal and timeless, yet there was a weariness in her eyes that hadn't been there when she first arrived to save us from the dark witches.I approached her slowly, my boots crunching softly on the grass, and she didn't even look up before she spoke. "I knew you would find me eventually, Kyla. You always did have a way of seeking out the truth when the world started to get too loud for you.""I have a lot of questions, Wynona," I said, my voice steadier than I felt as I sat down beside her. "And I think I deserve some straight answers for once."She finally turned to look at me, and her expression softened into something deeply maternal and pained. She reached out, covering my hand with her own, and her skin was surprisingly warm. "Before we dive into the mysteries
KYLA'S POV "What are you doing here, Lowell?" I demanded. The Lycan stood near the window like he owned the room. His broad shoulders were relaxed and his presence heavy enough to bend the air. His icy eyes lingered on me for a moment too long, and the thin robe suddenly felt indecent, like it w
TORMUND'S POV Anger burned through my veins as I marched to the Luna quarters. The very thought that Master Derick had come here, after everything Cyrus had done to Vivica, to interrogate her felt like an insult layered on top of old wounds. I understood why the Lycan King sent him, and I understo
TORMUND'S POV Albert was already pacing when I finished explaining how Kyla had sold Vivica to Cyrus like cattle...trading her own sister's life so she could claim the Luna position that never belonged to her. Yet when I forced myself to tell them the truth about what Cyrus had done to Vivica... w
TORMUND'S POVVivica's wish hung in the air between us. I didn't know what the hell to say to it, because for some damn reason, hearing her say it twisted something in me... something I didn't want twisted. But I forced a smile, then forced warmth into my voice because she needed it."Let's talk ab







