THE PROMISED SAVIOUR

RAVENHURST CLANLylah gazed intently at the two figures standing in the centre of the pack as they exchanged their marriage vows. Akira and Zarek looked so happy and so much in love. Soon she would be required to say the vows as well and bond forever with Cormac, but the thought of that made her sad rather than happy.“Why so glum, Lylah?” Kaida asked, rousing her from her thoughts.Lylah turned to her friend, seated beside her on the low bench. Kaida’s eyes were twinkling under the full moon, and the colour of her flushed cheeks almost matched the redness of her hair.“She’s imagining how her own wedding day will be.” Odessa chimed in from Lylah’s other side.Lylah's voice turned pensive. "You tend to assume too much, Odessa. It would interest you to know that unlike you, I don't engage myself in petty imaginations all day." Odessa didn't appear ruffled by Lylah's remarks, instead, she pressed on. “Well, whether you're actually imagining it or not, one thing is certain: your own wed

The sun was almost high in the sky when Lylah got home. She went straight to her room and locked the door behind her, not bothering to wash off the mud stains on her arms and feet or speak to anyone.She took off her clothes and regarded herself in the mirror. The beauty that she was stared back at her. Her rich, black hair fell in curls around her shoulder, framing her face warmly.She picked out a few leaf particles from her hair and stared at them, memories of her run with Cormac flooding through her mind. The experience had defied her expectations; Cormac’s demeanour had been surprisingly gentle, stopping to let her catch her breath and inquiring about her well-being. His actions contradicted the cold, harsh attitude he’d displayed during the wedding.Lylah’s conviction grew – Cormac must have been deceiving her earlier. Before their parents arranged the match, four other suitors had openly declared their intentions. She knew many men desired her, so Cormac’s behaviour seemed susp

LUNARVILLE CLANThe wail of women filled the air as Thane walked alongside his brother, Alpha Ryker, through the stretch of ravaged farms destroyed and burnt during the night by Villapaw, their long-standing rival clan. The once thriving fields now lay in charred ruins, a blackened expanse of devastation.The wheat, barley, potatoes and carrots had been reduced to ashes and stubble, stretched out like a vast, dark grave. The few trees that hadn’t completely burned down stood like skeletal sentinels, their trunks scorched, and their barks cracked and peeled. The early morning air lay heavy with smoke and singed earth.Thane and Ryker walked on, placing their feet delicately on the dusty soil, cracked and fissured from the intense heat, as if they feared that their weight would shatter the already fragile, heat-ravaged soil.Their faces were sullen and grim, yet composed, a facade they maintained in the presence of the distraught women following them, crying out and loudly exclaiming th

The journey to the Lunar Sanctum – Priestess Aria’s abode – was marked by an uncomfortable silence. As they ventured into the Heartwood forest, Thane couldn’t help but notice the weight of concern etched on his brother’s face. The unexpected visit from the Priestess’s messenger had left them with more questions than answers.This was the first time in eight years that Priestess Aria had directly summoned the Alpha. In fact since his brother became Alpha, the High Priestess has never summoned him directly before. Her messages were always relayed through Zular, and if a summon was necessary, a member of the Lunar Council or Thane would represent the Alpha.But now there is a prophecy, which, to Thane, seemed to do more with a child being born than with providing a solution to their current crisis. Yet the Priestess’s messenger had insisted that it was related. Could that be why the Alpha himself was summoned? What secrets lay hidden within the prophecy that demanded the Alpha’s personal

Thane’s gaze lingered on the spot where Zular had vanished, leaving them in an awkward limbo. Given the tone of urgency in which Zular had conveyed the summons to them, he found it odd that the High Priestess would make them wait. However within this ethereal presence, obviously the High Priestess can do no wrong, and it would be well within her rights to take her time.Alpha Ryker sat beside him, rigid as a statue, his unease concrete. Thane sensed the same tension emanating from their companions. The young Lunar Council representative, fidgety and restless, paced the length of the antechamber, his footsteps echoing off the walls. “This is ridiculous,” he muttered under his breath. “We’re not here to sightsee.”Even the wardens, normally stoic and focused, looked bewildered, their eyes wide with wonder. Thane smiled wryly, remembering his own first visit to the Sanctum. The place had a way of mesmerizing even the most hardened individuals.As they waited, a soft snore broke the silen