MasukAURORAWhen we left the cave, the forest felt different. It was almost like it knew what I was about to do. I know it felt stupid to try and risk my life to rescue my father even after he sold me but he risked his life to come back for me. The wind whispered through the trees, carrying the scent of damp earth and pine needles.Every rustle of leaves sounded louder than it should have, every snapping twig making my heart jump into my throat.Draven moved ahead of me through the trees, silent as a shadow.Darius walked behind me, guarding the rear. It was a deliberate formation and Draven had insisted on it. “If something happens,” he had said earlier, his voice low and serious, “you stay between us.”I had rolled my eyes at the time.But now, moving through the dark forest with patrol wolves hunting somewhere in the distance I understood why.The ground was damp beneath my boots as we moved deeper into the woods.The moon hung low above the trees, its pale light filtering through th
AURORAThe cave had never felt so loud before. The moment I opened my eyes, I knew something was wrong.The blue markings carved into the cave walls pulsed faintly then they dimmed again. I pressed my hand against the cold stone floor, trying to steady myself, but the moment my palm touched the rock a strange sensation rushed through me.It was like touching a living thing.For a brief moment, something brushed against my mind — Wolves.Hundreds of them. Moving through the forest.My heart slammed against my ribs.“They’re looking for me,” I whispered.A distant howl rose from somewhere beyond the mountain.Then another answered it.Then another.The sound echoed through the forest like a chain reaction spreading across the land.Patrol wolves.The entire territory was searching.I pushed myself to my feet and walked toward the cave entrance. Cold night air rushed in the moment I stepped outside.The forest below stretched into darkness, the treetops swaying slowly in the wind.Somew
DRAVENI exhaled slowly.The silence in the strategy room lingered long after Malrik left. No one moved for several seconds.Darius was the first to break the silence.“Well,” he muttered dryly, pushing himself off the wall, “that went about as well as expected.”Lyra let out a shaky breath beside the table.“That man is insane,” she whispered, “Who even told him about this meeting?”Selene rubbed her temples as if trying to push away a headache.“He suspects something, maybe he's having us followed,” she said quietly.“He always suspects something but I don't think we’re being followed,” Darius replied.I didn’t answer. Malrik may not be having us followed but he was testing us this time and he had just placed me directly in the middle of that test.Selene’s eyes flicked toward me.“You don’t have to do it,” she said.I looked at her. “Yes, I do.”Darius scoffed softly. “Technically, you don’t,” he said. “You could refuse.”“And confirm every suspicion he already has?” I asked.Dariu
SELENEThe door slammed open so hard it rattled the hinges. Every muscle in my body went rigid.The air inside the strategy room changed instantly. It was like a storm had walked in.Malrik filled the doorway, broad shoulders blocking the light from the corridor behind him.His presence rolled into the room like a physical force, thick and suffocating, pressing against my chest until my wolf stirred uneasily beneath my ribs.His Alpha pressure was intense and intentional. He was trying to scare us… or at least scare Lyra and me ‘cause he can't scare his sons, they're equally Alphas. The sage Lyra had been burning twisted in the air as if trying to escape the room.“A little birdie told me you were having a meeting without me,” he said in a calm voice. No one spoke. We were too stunned at his presence to say a word. Lyra froze beside the table where she had been tending the sage bowl. I kept my face neutral even though my heartbeat had begun to thud painfully in my ears and I was su
SELENESomething was wrong with the packhouse. I felt it the moment I stepped out of the war room.Normally the halls were alive with movement. Warriors sparring in the courtyard, patrol wolves coming and going through the gates, servants rushing through the corridors carrying trays or weapons or messages.The packhouse was never quiet but tonight the silence felt eerie. It wasn't the peaceful kind of silence. Everywhere felt tense, almost like someone… or something was waiting to strike. The torches lining the stone walls flickered unevenly as I walked down the corridor, their flames bending and stretching like they were struggling to stay alive.I could sense the fear emanating from the pack as they clustered in secluded corners. It clung to the walls and soaked into the floorboards beneath my boots.They may not have spoken much, but it was obvious they knew what was going on. They've never been this scared when Draven and Darius were in charge. It was almost like when Malrik ret
AURORAThe cave had never felt this cold before. It wasn't the type of cold that crept into my bones and across my skin, it wasn't the kind that made my teeth chatter or my fingers go numb. I felt the cold deep inside my chest and I woke up with a startled gasp. It wasn't a dream, the cold was wrapped around my chest like a vice. I felt pain, sharp and sudden. It was like something invisible had hooked inside my chest and yanked at me. My fingers clawed into the thin bedding beneath me as I sat upright. The cave walls loomed around me in shadow, the faint blue glow of the enchanted markings pulsing softly along the stone like a sleeping heartbeat.They weren't steady tonight, they flickered. It was as if their magic was dying out. My breath came out too fast and the marks on my neck burned. It wasn't the warm, tingling burn I’d grown used to when Draven or Darius were near.This was different. It felt like fire pressed into my veins. I pressed my palm against my chest but it didn’







