Se connecterElena woke to the sound of howling.
Not one wolf.Hundreds.She sat upright in bed.Moonlight poured through the windows, but something about it felt different.The silver light seemed to be moving.Almost breathing.Elena pressed a hand against her chest.Her wolf stirred.Wake up.Elena frowned.“What?”They are calling for you.A distant howl echoed through the kingdom.The first explosion shook the underground kingdom.Stone cracked overhead.Dust rained from the ancient ceiling as a distant roar echoed through the cavern.The wolves surrounding Elena immediately shifted into defensive positions.Their claws scraped against the stone.Their silver eyes burned.Elena stood in the center of them, perfectly still.For the first time, she understood what her mother had meant.These wolves weren't simply waiting for a ruler.They were waiting for someone who would stand with them.Someone who wouldn't ask them to kneel.Her mother stepped beside her.“They have been hiding here for generations.”Elena looked at the enormous kingdom around them.“How many?”“Nearly a thousand wolves remain.”Elena's eyes widened.“A thousand?”“Those who survived the King's purge.”Anger flashed a
The voice came again.“Elena…”Soft.Familiar.Impossible.Elena froze at the top of the newly revealed staircase.For several heartbeats, she couldn't breathe.Her fingers tightened around Marcus's hand.“My mother.”The words left her lips as barely more than a whisper.Marcus looked at her, his expression immediately softening.“Then we find her.”Elena turned toward the staircase.The ancient stone steps descended into darkness beneath the Moon Throne. Pale silver light pulsed along the walls, revealing symbols carved into the stone—wolves, crescent moons, crowns, and swords.Lyra stood behind them, staring into the darkness.“I never thought this day would come,” she whispered.Elena looked back.“You knew she was alive?”Lyra's silence was answer enough.Elena's eyes flashed silver.“You knew?”
The mountain was still shaking.Elena caught herself against the stone wall as a crack split the pale ground beneath her boots. The sound rolled through the empty northern expanse, deep and ancient, as if something buried beneath the mountain had shifted in its sleep.Across from her, the House Without a Name stood with its windows dark and its door sealed.Evren was inside.And his last words continued to echo through Elena's mind.DON'T LET HIM REMEMBER!“Everyone away from the door!” Elena ordered.Aric seized Liora's arm and pulled her back as another fracture raced across the ground. Kael reached for the silver disc at his belt, but the moment his fingers touched it, its surface flashed white.A voice came from the mountain.Not from the House.From everywhere.“Caelan.”Elena went still.The voice sounded like Caelan's own, except colder, stripped of every trace
The chamber exploded with light.Silver and black energy twisted together above Elena and Marcus, spiraling toward the ancient throne.Elena could hear nothing.Not the King's shouting.Not Lyra's voice.Not the shaking stone.Only Marcus's heartbeat.Thump.Thump.Thump.It was the only thing keeping her anchored.She held his face between her hands."Marcus."His eyes were closed.The darkness still moved beneath his skin, but the silver light around Elena was pushing it back."Come back to me."His fingers twitched.Then slowly—his hand closed around hers.Elena gasped."That's it."Marcus's breathing steadied.His eyes opened.They were his again.Dark.Warm.Human.He looked at her."You stayed."Elena's eyes filled with tears.
The palace shook again. Dust fell from the ceiling as Elena and Marcus raced through the hidden passage beneath the library. Lyra followed closely behind them. The elder stayed at the entrance, shouting orders to the warriors above. "How far?" Marcus asked. Lyra didn't slow down. "Not far." Another explosion thundered above them. Elena tightened her grip around the silver dagger. She could feel something beneath the stone. A heartbeat. Slow. Ancient. Powerful. The Moon Spirit inside her stirred. Closer. Elena swallowed. "What is that?" Lyra looked at her. "The throne." E
The courtyard remained silent long after the King disappeared.Elena could still feel his presence.Not physically.Somewhere deeper.Like a shadow that had entered the walls of the palace and refused to leave.She looked down at the pendant around her neck.It was still glowing.The new symbol beneath the crescent moon seemed impossible.A crown.A sword.Two wolves intertwined.Marcus noticed it too."What does that mean?"Elena shook her head."I don't know."The elder approached slowly.His face had gone pale.Elena looked at him."You know."He stopped."I know the symbol.""Then tell me."The elder looked at Marcus.Then at Elena."Not here."Elena frowned."Why?""Because there are ears everywhere."Marcus immediately scanned th







