LOGIN~Damon’s Pov~ She stopped moving in my arms. Her silver eyes stared blankly. Her chest wasn’t rising anymore. Her heart wasn’t beating. And the bond… it was gone. Completely gone, as if it had never been there at all. “No,” I said, my voice breaking. “No, no, no!” I shook her gently, then pressed my hands against the wound in her chest, trying to stop the bleeding even though I already knew it was too late. “LYRA!” I screamed. “LYRA, HELP HER!” Lyra stumbled over, Zara supporting her, and she pressed her hands to Selene's chest. Green light flickered for a moment, then weakened and went out. “I’m sorry,” Lyra whispered, tears on her face. “There’s nothing left. She’s… she’s gone.” “TRY AGAIN!” “Damon, she’s gone,” Lyra said softly, clearly heartbroken. “The Beast drained everything—her wolf, her magic, her life. I’m so sorry.” I looked down at Selene’s body—because that was all she was now—and something inside me broke completely. Rex howled in my mind, full of grief so
Then the doors burst open Council soldiers rushed in, and the fight started right away. It was brutal and violent. Our warriors were tired and outnumbered, but they fought as if they had nothing left to lose. Because they didn’t. Damon transformed into Rex and attacked the enemy soldiers with anger. Through our bond, I could feel his rage, sadness, and his strong will to protect me for as long as he could. “I love you,” I sent through the bond. “Don’t,” he replied in his mind, sounding broken. “Don’t say goodbye. Not yet.” But I could feel it happening. The end was near. Maya got injured when a Council sword hit her side. Zara screamed and pulled her back, but there were too many enemies. More of our warriors fell. The Council kept pushing forward. Then the Shadow Beast came into the throne room. Everything suddenly went silent and stopped. Even the Council soldiers stepped back from the huge creature made of shadow and rage. Its red eyes looked around the room, then loc
The world was ending, and I couldn't stop it. The Shadow Beast rushed through the courtyard like a powerful force. Its claws broke through stone, and dark shadows swallowed everything around it. It didn’t care who it hurt or killed—soldiers, our fighters, anyone. Anyone who stood in its way ended up lying on the ground. Morgana stood on the palace steps, laughing like this was all some grand joke, blood still dripping from her mouth where the ritual backlash had clearly damaged something inside her. “Beautiful, isn’t it?” she shouted over the noise. "True chaos. No sides. No loyalty. Just pure, beautiful destruction." "She's lost her mind," Lyra whispered beside me. Maybe. Or maybe this had been her plan all along—if she couldn't control the power, she'd make sure no one else could either. Damon's hand gripped mine so tight. "The tunnels," he said again. "Selene, we have to—" “Your Majesty!” General Mark rushed toward us. His armor was damaged, and blood was running down from
3 AM – Lyra’s WarningI couldn't sleep.Damon was on the walls, getting ready for dawn. Everyone was preparing for the coming fight.I was in our room, staring at the ceiling, feeling how weak my powers had become.Lyra appeared in the doorway, supported by Zara. She was still pale from the ritual, bandages visible under her clothing.“Selene,” she said urgently. “We need to talk. It’s about Morgana.”"Where is she? After the ritual failed—"“That’s the problem,” Lyra said, stepping inside slowly, clearly in pain. “The ritual didn’t completely fail. When Zara broke the circle, the portal collapsed—but Morgana had already taken some of the power.” She swallowed. “Now she’s unstable. Desperate. And I think she’s planning something worse.”“What could be worse than summoning creatures from the Shadow Realm?”“Using the Shadow Beast to finish what the ritual couldn’t,” Lyra said, fear in her eyes. “The Beast is still tied to her magic. If she can’t open a portal, she’ll push the Beast int
Inside the Inner WallsWe barely made it inside before the gates closed behind us.The inner courtyard was full of people—civilians, injured warriors, anyone who had escaped the retreat.Outside the walls, the Council army had completely surrounded us.And the Shadow Beast was still out there, moving along the walls, waiting.“Give me a report,” Damon said. He was back in human form, covered in blood—some of it his, most of it not.“Three hundred are dead. Four hundred are injured. We have about two thousand fighters left,” General Mark said quietly. “The Council still has at least four thousand fresh soldiers.”"And the Beast?"“It’s still alive. And it’s still hunting the Queen.”Damon reached for my hand and squeezed it tightly. Through our bond, I felt how scared he really was.‘We can’t win this,’ I told him in my thoughts.‘We don't have to win. We just have to survive until dawn. Then we can—’‘Until dawn? Damon, They’ll break through the walls in a few hours.’‘Then we make ev
The courtyard suddenly became chaos.“BETRAYAL!” someone shouted, and wolves began turning on each other, confused and scared, not knowing who to trust."STAND DOWN!" Damon’s Alpha command thundered through the air. “ALL OF YOU!”The fighting stopped at once, but the air was still tight with fear and anger.Kael was still on his knees. He was bleeding, tears running down his face.“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I thought they would keep her alive. I was trying to save her—”"By telling them our defenses?" Maya snapped angrily. “By handing them everything they needed to kill us?”“I didn’t know they’d attack so soon! Victor drugged me and locked me up—”"LIAR!" Victor's voice rang out from the western wall. "The rogue is trying to cover his own guilt! Don't listen to him!"But it was too late. Guards were already moving toward Victor, and his face went from confident to desperate."Wait—no—I'm loyal to the Court! He's the traitor, not me—""Seize him," Damon ordered coldly.Victor tried to
The Next MorningI woke to find Damon already gone, a note left on his pillow:‘Emergency council meeting. Didn't want to wake you. Stay in our chambers until I return. This is not a request. - D’I crushed the note in my hand, annoyed.I was the Queen, not a prisoner.But before I could leave, Zar
That Evening - A DiscoveryLyra was in the library, researching Shadow Beasts and coven magic, when she found something that made her blood run cold.An old journal, hidden among the restricted texts.She opened it and began to read:Day 47 of Experimentation:‘The Shadow Wolf subject continues to
That Afternoon - Private ChambersDamon paced like a caged wolf while I sat on the bed, trying to process everything."This is my fault," he said finally. "I should have seen this coming. Should have known the coven would—""Stop." I stood and grabbed his hands. "You're not omniscient. None of us s
Ten Days Until the Council ArrivesI woke to screaming.It wasn’t my scream. It was someone else’s, echoing through the palace corridors in the early morning darkness.Damon was already out of bed, quickly putting on his clothes. "Stay here.""Not a chance." I threw on a robe and followed him out.







