LOGINAURORAI should have gone to sleep.Everyone kept telling me that.Draven told me.Selene told me.Even Lyra, who usually treated every situation like a joke, had looked me straight in the eye and said, “If you collapse halfway to the Hollow Lands, I’m leaving you there.”But the moment I stepped into my room, I knew sleep wasn’t happening.Too much had changed.The room was quiet.The same room that had once felt like a prison.The same room where I had cried myself to sleep wondering if I would ever see my father again.The same room where Draven had first started sneaking in to check on me when he thought I wasn’t paying attention.Back then, I hated him.Or at least I tried to.Now everything felt different.I walked over to the window and pushed it open.Cold air rushed inside immediately.Outside, the packhouse was alive.Guards moved across the grounds carrying weapons and supplies. Wolves ran messages between buildings. Horses were being saddled near the stables.Nobody was sl
AURORAThe meeting should have ended after that.It didn’t because apparently wolves could argue about anything including something that had already been decided.“I’m still against it.”The elder who had spent the last hour trying to lock me up folded his arms stubbornly.“This is reckless.”Darius looked exhausted, “Then stay here.”The elder glared at him, “I wasn’t speaking to you.”“That’s never stopped you before.”Several wolves coughed suspiciously into their fists. I was fairly certain they were hiding laughter.The elder looked ready to throw something. Honestly, I was rooting for him.It would at least make the meeting interesting.Malrik sighed.The sound immediately silenced the room.“I wasn’t asking permission.”The elder’s face darkened.“You are not the Alpha King.”“No,” Malrik nodded, “But I’m the only one in this room thinking ahead.”That started another argument.I tuned most of it out. At some point, all the shouting started sounding the same.Protect the pack.
AURORANobody spoke after the guard delivered the message.Return the Bloodline.The words lingered in the council chamber like smoke after a fire.I could feel everyone’s eyes on me again.Honestly, I was getting tired of being the center of every disaster.The injured guard remained on one knee, breathing hard as a healer rushed forward to examine him. Around him, the council sat frozen.For the first time since I arrived at this packhouse, the elders looked genuinely frightened.Not cautious, not suspicious. Genuinely afraid. The distinction mattered because fear made people dangerous.One of the elders rose slowly from his chair.“We cannot allow her to leave.”The silence shattered instantly.Darius laughed.A harsh, disbelieving sound.“You heard an army is marching toward us and that’s your conclusion?”The elder ignored him.“If they want the girl, then sending her away would be reckless.”“No,” Darius replied, folding his arms. “Keeping her here would be reckless.”The argum
AURORAA retrieval.The words echoed through my head long after Malrik stopped speaking.The council chamber had gone completely silent. Even the elders looked disturbed.I stared at Malrik, waiting for him to explain.He didn't. Of course he didn't. The man treated information like it was gold."What do you mean by retrieval?" I snapped.Malrik looked at me for a long moment before answering."Exactly what it sounds like."I rolled my eyes."That's not an explanation.""No," Darius muttered. "That's Malrik."A few wolves actually laughed. The sound disappeared quickly. Nobody was in the mood for humor tonight.I folded my arms and glared at Malrik."Start talking."One of the elders stood."Alpha Malrik is speculating."The look Malrik gave him was almost insulting."Am I?"The elder's jaw tightened."You have no proof.""I have twenty years of experience."The elder sat back down. Apparently that ended the argument.I hated wolf politics. It was like watching children argue over who
AURORAThe council chamber exploded into chaos.Everyone was talking at once.The elders were shouting questions.The wolves were already arguing.Several guards rushed toward the injured man while others hurried to the doors.For a moment, nobody seemed to remember I existed.Honestly? It was refreshing."The northern border?" one of the elders barked. "How?"The guard looked exhausted.His clothes were stained with blood and dirt. A deep cut ran along his shoulder, and judging from the way he was swaying, he had pushed himself far beyond his limits to get here."They came out of nowhere.""Who came out of nowhere?"The guard swallowed hard.Then he said two words that turned the entire room silent."The Hollow Ones."Every sound died instantly.Even the wolves who had been shouting moments ago stopped.I frowned.The Hollow Ones?The name meant nothing to me.Unfortunately, the reactions around me said it should.Darius went completely still.Draven's jaw tightened.Even Malrik look
AURORAThe council chamber was already full when we arrived.Apparently, the elders had decided they couldn’t wait until morning to ruin my life.Wolves filled the room. Some stood along the walls. Others sat in the elevated seats overlooking the circular chamber. The moment I stepped inside, every conversation died.Every single one.I hated that.I hated being looked at like I was a problem waiting to happen.Beside me, Darius muttered, “If one more person stares at her like that, I’m punching someone.”“Please don’t,” Lyra sighed.“No promises.”I almost smiled.The elders sat at the center of the room.The same elders I had accidentally launched across the chamber earlier.Judging by the way they stiffened when they saw me, they hadn’t forgiven me.Wonderful.Malrik walked in behind us and immediately the atmosphere shifted.The wolves parted for him. Some lowered their heads. Others looked away entirely.Power. That was what he carried. Raw authority. The kind that didn’t need to
AURORAPain woke me up again. It was the type of pain that settled deep in my bones and refused to leave. I opened my eyes slowly and immediately regretted it. My head throbbed, my back felt like it was on fire, and every breath scraped my chest like broken glass.I tried to move but my body said
AURORAThey dragged me into the courtyard like an animal as the cold morning air hit my skin immediately.My bare feet scraped against the stone as they pulled me forward.The entire pack was already gathered ranging from werewolves, the elders, the guards, and the servants. There were even a few h
AURORAAfter Draven left a knock sounded on my door again. I scowled and refused to open it. That was when a piece of paper fluttered into my room. I recognized it and raced to the door, yanking it open with force. I looked around the hallway and the entire corridor but not one soul was in sight.
DARIUSThe elders arrived immediately. One after the other, they filed into the throne room with long robes and heavy faces, their eyes scanning the hall.The elders bowed when they saw me but their eyes widened the moment they landed on Malrik still sitting on my throne. They greeted him, acknowl







