LOGINJason’s hands closed around me.They were strong.Too strong.He lifted me from the ground like I weighed nothing. My feet dangled in the air. The world tilted, and the sky above the battlefield spun.His eyes were red.Not angry red.Empty red.Blood-hungry red.I could feel it.He was not fully here.My warriors screamed.“Alpha!”Rowan shifted first. His wolf burst forward, huge and fast. Brik followed. Then Taro. Then more of them. They ran at Jason to save me.Before they could reach us, the Blood Prophet slammed his staff into the ground.The earth shook.Dark power spread like smoke.My warriors were thrown back like broken dolls. Some hit the ground hard. Some cried out in pain. Others could not move at all.“Insects,” the Blood Prophet said calmly.I screamed.“Leave them alone!”Jason did not look at them.He only looked at me.His grip tightened around my throat.I struggled to breathe.My hands weakly held his wrists, but it was useless.“So easy,” the Blood Prophet said.
The silence did not last long.The Blood Prophet lifted his hands slowly, like a man about to pray. The air around him began to move. Not wind. Not sound. Something heavier.Jason was still standing in front of me.Protecting me.But the Prophet smiled.“Alpha Jason,” he said softly, “do you know who stands behind you?”Jason did not answer.“Do you know what she truly is?”I felt a cold fear crawl into my chest.“Stop,” I said.The Blood Prophet ignored me.“She is not a savior,” he continued, his voice smooth like poison. “She is a curse wearing a crown.”He raised his hands higher.Symbols appeared again, brighter this time. Red and black shapes twisting in the air, like living things.Jason stiffened.Then he dropped to his knees.The sound of it hit me harder than any blow.“Jason!” I shouted.He screamed.Not a roar.Not a growl.A scream filled with pain.He grabbed his head, his fingers d
The wind moved slowly between us.I stood alone in the open field, the space between two armies feeling too wide and too small at the same time. Behind me was Silver Claw. My home. My people. In front of me stood the Blood Moon Pack, their numbers dark and endless.The Blood Prophet stepped forward.Every step he took made the ground feel colder.He lifted his hood just enough for me to see part of his face. His skin looked old. Not wrinkled—old in a deeper way. Like time itself had passed through him and left marks behind. His eyes were dark red, not glowing, but deep, like blood left too long in the dark.“So,” he said calmly, his voice smooth and heavy, “the Red Moon Alpha offers herself.”I did not bow.I did not step back.“Yes,” I said. “That is why you are here.”He smiled slightly. “You misunderstand.”My fingers curled at my side.“We did not come only for you,” he continued. “We came for your pack as well.”A sharp sound of anger rose behind me. I felt it—my warriors shiftin
The night did not feel like night.The sky was dark, but the air was heavy, like the world was holding its breath.I stood on the wall of Silver Claw and looked out.They were everywhere.Torches burned like angry eyes in the distance. Rows and rows of wolves filled the land beyond our borders, their armor catching the firelight. Banners snapped in the wind, red symbols painted on black cloth.The Blood Moon Pack.They had come.My heart tightened, but my spine stayed straight.Behind me, my pack stood ready.Warriors lined the walls, weapons in hand. Some were shaking. Some were calm. Some were angry. I could smell fear and courage mixed together, thick in the air.They were ready to fight.Ready to die.And that was what broke something inside me.I closed my eyes for a moment.Then I saw him.Jason.He stood at the front of the army, tall and strong, dressed in black armor trimmed with red. His face was cold. His pos
The silver flames did not burn.They stood around me like living light, tall and quiet, bending with the wind that did not touch the trees. The pack was silent behind me. No one spoke. No one moved.The Moon Goddess stood before me.She was not loud.She did not shine painfully.She did not shout or threaten.Yet the ground bowed under her feet.My heart beat slow and deep, like a drum calling something ancient inside me awake.I swallowed and lifted my chin.“Why have you come?” I asked.My voice did not shake.The Moon Goddess looked at me for a long moment. Her eyes were silver like the flames, but deeper. Older. Like she had seen the rise and fall of worlds and did not need to remember them anymore.“You summoned me,” she said.I frowned slightly. “I did not call your name.”She smiled faintly.“When a child cries, does she know the words she uses?” the Goddess asked. “Or does the mother still hear?”Her voice was s
The hall was still loud with fear when the guard finished speaking.“The Blood Prophet,” he said again, his voice shaking. “He is rising in the west. And he is asking for you, Alpha.”The words sank into my chest like cold stones.Blood Prophet.I had never heard the name before, but my body reacted before my mind could. My heart raced. My hands tingled. Something old inside me shifted, like a beast waking up slowly.The room felt smaller.Everyone was watching me now.Some with fear.Some with doubt.Some with anger they didn’t bother to hide.I straightened my back.“Leave us,” I said to the guard. My voice was calm, even though my chest hurt. “And seal the gates.”He bowed quickly and ran.I turned to the council.They were still standing where they had been—Beta Rowan stiff and unreadable, Brik like a wall of muscle, Elder Miriam tight-lipped, Toben writing as always, Sanya watching me like she wanted to help but didn’t know how.Gamma Taro scoffed.“So now imaginary prophets are







