Madeline’s POVI sit at the edge of the stream with my knees drawn to my chest. I'm covered in blood that's not mine.My hands are red and my fingers are shaking uncontrollably like they still want to hurt something. There’s blood on my shoes, too. I bury my face in my arms.And I cry.I cry si hard my body shakes and the sky cries with me. The rain pours and falls on me as if washing whatever stain I have.How do I say it that for a moment I enjoyed it? That I wanted to kill them over and over again?That’s the part that breaks me most.I liked it.I liked the way they screamed. I liked the way my hands moved faster than thought. I liked the power. The fire. The fear in their eyes when they realized I wasn’t prey. That I was the hunter.I was death.And I liked it.I should be ashamed. I should hate myself.But that voice in me—the one that stirred awake when Lucian screamed?It’s still there.Coiled. Purring. Waiting.“Maddie?”The voice is soft. Careful.I stiffen.I don’t look u
Madeline’s POVThe forest is quieter than usual.Which is saying something—because it’s usually full of life. Birds chirping. Squirrels rustling. But as I walk behind Lucian, something in me is ringing. Like something's about to happen.I feel my wolf move to the surface and I feel the now familiar burn of my eyes signifying that they've changed colour to my wolf's golden.'Something funny is going on here.' My wolf, Nyra which I've come to know, growls in my head.Lucian walks ahead of me in wolf form, his massive wolf bouncing on its paws. Can't he feel it too? Or maybe it's nothing. Maybe I'm the one imagining it.Besides, Lucian is here with me. Nothing should be able to get me with him here.I should feel at peace.Something’s wrong.We pass the edge of the stream where we raced earlier. The whole place seems calm but the stream ripples. The moment we cross the stream, I feel it.Something shifts. And this time I know it's not just me.Lucian stops in his steps.His ears twitch.
Claw’s POVThey say darkness hides monsters.Whoever said that hasn’t met Balthazar.Because this man walks in broad daylight like he owns the god-damned world. And tonight? Tonight, he showed up with all the silence and certainty of a god who doesn’t need followers… but gets them anyway.The gathering point Vero gave me turns out to be an old underground train station. Long abandoned. The kind of place that smells like rust and mold, with flickering overhead bulbs that stutter like they’re afraid of the dark too.Rogues crowd the space—at least fifty of them. All ages. All temperaments. They stand around like students waiting for a sermon. Some of them hum. Some growl softly under their breath like the anticipation is making them itch.They’re not normal wolves.No.These are believers.And what they believe in?Steps into the circle like it’s already his.Balthazar.He’s not what I expected.No bulky frame. No scars or eye patches or fanged grins. No dramatics.He’s bald. That’s the
Rock’s POVRule number one of going undercover?Commit to the bit.Even if that bit involves walking around with a fake baby picture tucked in your wallet, telling everyone you meet that your “little girl” was taken from you by a corrupt Alpha during a territorial dispute.Do I have a kid?Hell no.But do I know how to manipulate grown-ass wolves with daddy issues?Absolutely.That’s why I’m here—deep in the South Sector of the Velvet Zone, with my plaid shirt, a trucker hat, and the kind of sad-dad energy that makes people pour their hearts out over whiskey and burnt meat.Fake name? Cal.Fake story? Heartbroken single dad.Fake vibe? Washed-up Beta who just wants justice.I even bought a damn grill just to sell the illusion.The worst part?I’m starting to get good at it.“Cal, my man!” a voice slurs beside me.I look up from my spot on the porch of the rundown boarding house I’ve been squatting in for three days. Jasper—another stray rogue with a drinking problem and more stories t
Claw’s POVIf anyone ever tells you espionage is fun, they’re either high on wolfsbane or missing half their brain.Because nothing—and I mean nothing—about pretending to be a stray in the middle of a rogue-friendly but loyalty-hostile pit of half-mad wolves is fun.My name’s not Claw right now. It’s Caden. Caden with a stutter, a limp, and a fake story about losing my mate to a pack execution. Tragic, right?I even cried a little when I told it to the first wolf who asked. Wiped my nose on my shirt and everything. Method acting. Eat your heart out.Rock and I arrived in the so-called "velvet zone" three days ago. That’s what the locals call this patch of no-man’s-land between rogue turf and Balthazar’s influence. No war here—yet. Just whispers and wolves who’ve had their fangs filed too long.Rock split off into the south sector. Said he’d blend better with the "sad dads and broken step-uncle energy" he packed into that duffel bag. Honestly, he wasn’t wrong. That fake photo of him gr
Madeline’s POVThere’s a ringing in my ears when I jump up from the bed, waking up.I sit upright as I try to block out the sound but it's of no use.The ringing is not the annoying kind. Not the hangover kind. No.This one sounds like a whisper attached with the buzz sounds from electricity.I take my pillow and place it over my head, in hopes of blocking the sound but it seems to be of no use. My body, my hands, they feel heavy and my head is banging. I feel sweat fall trail down my back but I know it's cold outside.But something inside me is restless.Like it's just waking up from a slumber.I move to the end of the bed, placing my legs down hoping the cold will jolt me awake. Maybe it's because I'm a little tired after yesterday. After… everything.Lucian kissing me.Me kissing him back.The lightning.The tree.The training But instead of normal, I feel like something is banging on the doors of my head. Trying to tell me something I don’t understand. My eyes flicker to the wi