đ Chapter One: The Queen of Wolves
The scent of blood clung to the pine trees like a promise. Raven wiped it from her blade, letting the dying rogueâs gurgling breath fade into the hush of the forest. Another fool thinking they could challenge her for the throne. They never learn growled shadow. âAlpha, the perimeter is clear.â Luca, her beta, approached, boots silent on the damp earth. His eyes flickered to the corpse. âThird one this month.â She sheathed her blade, ignoring the burn in her arms, the blood splattered across her boots. âTheyâll keep coming. Let them.â She was Raven. Her wolf was shadow and she was the queen they all feared. And that's the way she liked it. She turned, her boots crunching against the frost-covered ground as she stalked through the pine forest, cold wind tugging strands of black hair from her braid. The moon hung low and swollen above, bathing the clearing in silver light, and her golden eyes glowed faintly as her wolf paced beneath her skin. She closed her eyes, breathing in the scent of pine and cold earth, letting her wolf settle, feeling the deep, endless bond with her land and pack. They feared her, and they respected her. And that's how it needed to be. As she turned to head back to the compound, the wind shifted, carrying a scent that made her body jolt, her wolf clawing inside her skin. Sandalwood and rain purred shadow. Raven snift the air ................... human she growled Her wolf roared inside her, mate shadow howled No raven shouted Not now. Not ever. She couldnât afford this, not with rogues clawing at the borders and the council watching for any weakness. But as the scent grew stronger, the world tilted, and for the first time in years, she felt something like fear. Her golden eyes scanned the tree line, sharp and cold, seeking the source of the scent that was tearing her apart inside. Then she saw him. A figure stumbled into view, completely unaware of the predator watching him. Dark hair, storm gray eyes, confusion written across every inch of his human face. A worn leather satchel hung at his side, and he held a small lantern that flickered in the dark. The scent hit her again, stronger, like lightning slicing down her spine. MATE!!!!!!!!!! Shadow howled, clawing at her ribs, demanding she shift, demanding she claim what was hers. He looked up, meeting her gaze, and everything inside her went still. âOh,â he breathed, taking a step back, the lantern swinging in his grip. She could feel the bond snap into place, the universe shifting, aligning them whether she wanted it or not, the air between them changed, pulling at her like a magnetic storm. Shadows claws pricked at ravens hands as she stepped forward, her expression cold, controlled, even as the bond screamed at her to close the distance and take him. âYouâre human,â she said, her voice low, dangerous. His storm gray eyes widened, and he swallowed hard. âAnd youâre⌠not.â For a moment, the forest was silent, the moonlight filtering through the trees, the weight of fate pressing down on them so heavy it hurt to breathe. She could kill him now. Reject him. Walk away. Or she could let the mate bond take her, claim him, and let the world burn for daring to challenge them. Her wolf wanted to lunge, to take, to taste. But Raven was Alpha. She would not bend to fate. âRun,â she told him, voice steady, cold. Because if he didnât.................. She might just claim him. And as he stumbled backward, she asked herself silently: What happens if he doesnât run fast enough? What happens if she canât let him go?Chapter 50 Inferno and Shadow The night burned. Silver fire blazed from Ravenâs body, scorching a circle around her as Seleneâs shadow-wings unfurled to their full span, swallowing the battlefield in suffocating darkness. The ground split beneath their feet, fire and shadow tearing through the earth in violent pulses, as if the land itself could not withstand the clash of their powers. Selene descended, serpents striking like a storm of spears. Raven met them with her fire, each strike igniting the air in bursts of molten silver. The heat scorched her lungs, her skin cracked and bleeding, but she refused to fall. âYou are not enough,â Selene hissed, her voice layered with ancient venom. Her shadow lashed forward, striking Raven across the chest and sending her skidding through the dirt. Blood sprayed from the wound, sizzling against her flames. Raven staggered to her knees, flames flickering weakly. Shadow snarled inside her mind, her wolf pushing against the pain, refusing to
.Chapter 49 â The Unveiling The battlefield stilled for the briefest moment, as though the earth itself held its breath. Ravenâs chest heaved, silver fire still smoldering across her skin. Around her, the wolves tightened their battered circle, bloodied but unbroken. Ragnar stood tall despite the crimson streaks across his armor, while Luca crouched low in his wolf form, growl rumbling from deep within his chest. They had survived Seleneâs onslaught. But only barely. And then the air shifted. The shadows that had been writhing at Seleneâs feet began to crawl up her body, clinging to her like living armor. Her charred flesh knit itself back together with a sickening hiss, her wounds closing as black scales spread over her skin. The serpents atop her head shrieked in chorus, their forms lengthening, splitting, until they writhed like a crown of hydra. âWhat is she doing?â one wolf whispered, his voice trembling. Seleneâs smile widened, too sharp, too inhuman. Her eyes glowed b
Chapter 48 â Shattered Lines The clearing had become a graveyard of flame and shadow. Every breath Raven took filled her lungs with smoke and blood, the heat of her own fire scorching her skin as much as her enemies. She and Selene clashed again and again, each strike rattling the earth beneath them, silver flame and venom colliding in bursts of light and darkness. But the war wasnât theirs alone. At the edges of the circle, Ragnarâs blade tore through serpents with relentless precision. His armor was streaked in black blood, his shoulders heaving, but his eyes never left Raven for long. He fought with the desperate fury of a man who knew his queen was inches from being torn apart. âHold the line!â Ragnar roared, his voice carrying over the din. Luca answered with a feral howl, his wolf form a blur of claws and teeth. He ripped through one shadow-serpent, only for two more to coil around his legs, dragging him down. Snarling, he tore free, but not before venom seared across his
Chapter 47 â Fire and SerpentsThe world exploded into chaos.Ravenâs flames blazed across the clearing, cutting through the mist and forcing Seleneâs horde back. The silver fire licked along the ground, weaving through roots and stone, swallowing shadow-beasts whole. The smell of scorched flesh filled the air, but still the creatures pressed forward, driven by Seleneâs command.Ragnarâs blade rose and fell beside her, each strike cutting a path through the writhing serpents. Lucaâs howl rang out above the din, rallying the wolves as they surged tighter, pressing Seleneâs army into the noose Raven had drawn around them.And still at the heart of it all Selene stood untouched.Her eyes glowed like twin suns of molten amber. Her serpentine crown hissed, each snake striking at the air, their venom sizzling where it hit Ravenâs fire. With a slow, deliberate step, she entered the circle of flame Raven had drawn, her aura a tide that bent the shadows toward her.âYou think your tricks w
Chapter 46 â The Forest AwakensThe forest was silent before dawn.Too silent.Mist curled low across the ground, shrouding the world in a pale veil. Raven stood at the ridge, eyes sharp, every nerve taut as a bowstring. Behind her, the wolves waited in silence, their breaths steaming in the cold air, their hearts beating a steady rhythm she could feel in her bones.Her traps were set. The snares hidden beneath pine needles. Pits disguised beneath loose earth. Jagged stakes driven into the ground where the mist was thickest. Every inch of the forest now thrummed with her mark, a hunting ground turned into a killing field.âDo you hear it?â she whispered.Ragnar stepped up beside her, his gaze fixed on the mist. âFootsteps.âAnd then the sound came clearer, the steady, heavy rhythm of an army moving as one. The scrape of claws on stone. The hiss of serpentine breaths.Seleneâs army.The shadows emerged first, slithering forms with glowing eyes, their bodies spilling like oil int
Chapter 45 â The Bait is SetThe moon was high when Raven called the remnants of her forces together.The clearing they chose was ringed with ancient oaks, their branches arching like watchful sentinels. Wolves shifted back into human form, bloodied and bruised, some swaying on their feet from exhaustion, but none dared sit. Their Queen had summoned them, and not a single one would risk appearing weak before her.Raven stood at the heart of them, the silver flame of her power faintly visible beneath her skin. She didnât try to hide it anymore. She wanted them to see. Wanted them to know what walked among them.Her gaze swept over each face, young, scarred, hardened. Once, these wolves had looked at her with doubt, even resentment. Now, their eyes burned with something different. Expectation. Fear, yes. But faith, too.âWe bled tonight,â Raven began, her voice carrying through the hush. âWe fought against shadows that never tire, never reason. And still⌠we stand.âA ripple of l