MasukThe corridor was quiet except for the scrape of leather against stone. My breath caught, heart thudding so hard I thought Kael might hear it. I was frozen for just a moment, then the subtle shift in the shadows made me move. Someone had crossed the line into Nightfang territory, and instinct screamed that this wasn’t a wanderer.Kael’s hand brushed my shoulder, light but firm, not a command but a tether. I followed, my feet moving on reflex, every sense alert. The faint metallic smell of steel drifted from the hall, mingling with the scent of sweat and dust that clung to the walls. I had never been more aware of Kael beside me, the heat radiating off him, the taut strength in every muscle. But this was different. His presence wasn’t comforting; it was an anchor in the storm that was about to break.A shadow darted near the far doorway. The intruder moved with careful calculation, small, precise steps, but the glint of metal betrayed his intent. Kael’s eyes caught it immediately. His h
The first scream split the night, sharp and raw, cutting through the wind as if it had been waiting for this moment. My heart slammed against my ribs before my legs even moved. Kael was already ahead, moving with the precision of a predator born to command, every step silent but deliberate.“Stay close!” he barked without raising his voice, his hand brushing my back—not gently, not possessively, just enough to tether me to him in the chaos.I ran, adrenaline pulsing so hard I could feel it in my fingertips, the air thick with smoke and the metallic tang of blood. Shadows moved between the trees and towers, some larger than any human, some quick, wolfish. My mind wanted to analyze, to think, to plan, but my body knew better. My instincts screamed: survive. Follow. Trust him.A figure burst from the treeline, steel catching the faint lantern glow. The spy Kael had warned about, the one slipping through our ranks these past nights, trying to gather every bit of intelligence. I barely had
I sank against the rough wood of the training hall wall, my arms wrapped around my knees, trying to steady the tremor I couldn’t shake. My chest still thumped against my ribs from the last encounter. The air smelled of dust and iron, lingering with the sharp tang of sweat. Every muscle in my body screamed for release, yet I felt frozen in place, like the danger hadn’t quite left me. Kael leaned against the doorway, arms crossed, watching the pack move around with controlled energy, his gaze returning to me every few seconds. There was no command in his eyes now, no pressure, only presence. My stomach twisted at the way it felt like he could read every thought I hadn’t spoken. “You’re still tense,” he murmured, almost too soft to carry, but it landed deep anyway. “I’m fine,” I said, my voice rough. Not fine. Not close to fine. My mind was a tangle of fear, adrenaline, and something else I didn’t want to name yet. He pushed off the wall and moved toward me, but not quickly. Every st
I barely had time to catch my breath before the warning flared in the air. A subtle movement in the shadows of the main hall had me stiffen instantly. Something was wrong. My fingers itched, my pulse jumped, and every nerve in my body screamed that danger was already inside Nightfang’s walls. Kael’s presence hit me before I even saw him. One second, he was across the training yard, and the next, he was beside me, every muscle taut, his eyes scanning the corridors like a predator. There was no hesitation, no wasted motion. He moved as if the threat had been waiting for him, as if he’d been expecting it all along. And I followed, instinctively, my own body reacting before my mind could catch up. The intruder came into view, barely more than a shadow, moving with a careful, calculated stride. My stomach sank as I recognized the intent behind the movement. He wasn’t here to challenge us. He was here to take. Documents, information, intelligence. Everything Kael and I had worked to prot
The pack had quieted after the morning patrols. Even the usual clamor of training and sparring had been subdued. Lyra’s eyes scanned the yard, noting small details—the way a wolf lingered near the armory longer than necessary, how another kept glancing toward Kael instead of focusing on the drills. Nothing overt, but her instincts screamed that something wasn’t right.Kael moved through the pack like a shadow, silent, precise. He caught the smallest deviations, the slightest hesitation, and the pack corrected themselves without him needing to raise his voice. Lyra followed his motions, noting patterns, memorizing reactions, as though she could read the same things he did. Her pulse thumped in rhythm with the taut energy in the yard.A faint clink from the armory made her flinch. Kael’s head snapped in that direction, sharp, measured, warning. No one else seemed to notice, but Lyra’s heart had already leaped.“Stay close,” he murmured beside her. His hand brushed against hers—not a tou
The moment I stepped into the training yard, the weight of Kael’s presence pressed down on me. He was already there, moving with a precision that made the air feel charged. Every step, every glance, every slight tilt of his head seemed deliberate, as if he was calculating everything around him at once.“Report,” he said without looking at me. His voice cut through the morning chill, low and even, yet sharp enough to make everyone stop mid-motion.Donovan stepped forward first. “The intruder left through the east hall. We lost him before we could corner him.”Kael’s eyes narrowed. “Lost him?” His tone didn’t rise, didn’t snap, but it didn’t have to. The command alone made every wolf around tense. “Explain.”“He jumped the corridor exit. I—” Donovan hesitated.Kael’s gaze snapped to him. “You hesitated.”“I—he moved fast,” Donovan said, frustration biting his words. “I didn’t have time—”Kael cut him off with a single hand raised, sharp and deliberate. “You failed to observe. You failed
“Don’t pretend that meant nothing to you.”His voice followed me, low, steadily. And it was the worst thing he could have said because it didn’t just chase me or try to stop me. It just stayed there, settling under my skin.I didn’t turn to face him because if I did, I knew exactly what would happe
“You keep getting too close.”I meant for it to sound firm, controlled, something that would create distance between us rather than expose how weak that distance already was. But the moment the words left my mouth, I heard how foolish I sounded. The lack of weight, the way it didn’t land the way I
“You’re not even listening.” Lilith’s voice cut through the conversation just as Donovan finished speaking, and I realized I had not caught a single word he said. I looked up at them, all three watching me now. “I am,” I said. Faolan let out a quiet laugh and leaned back slightly. “You’re not.
“You’re quieter than usual,” Donovan said, glancing at me as he leaned back against the low wooden rail. I didn’t answer immediately. The training yard had started to empty, the last of the younger wolves drifting off in twos and threes, their laughter fading into the distance. Dust still clung to







