로그인Aria’s POV Kael had gone ahead to scout with Darius, leaving me and Mirabel to tend to the small campfire we’d managed to build. The flames were weak, fighting the damp air.For a while, neither of us spoke. The sound of burning wood filled the silence until Mirabel finally turned to me.“I never got to thank you properly,” she said, her voice low but steady. “For that day in the garden. When you stood up for me.”I glanced at her, surprised. “That? It was nothing.”“It wasn’t nothing,” she said quickly. “Everyone else just stood there. Even Kael didn’t do anything.”That last part earned a faint smile from me. “Yeah, that sounds like him.”She smiled back but it faded quickly. Her gaze dropped to the fire. “You didn’t have to step in. You could’ve ignored it.”“Maybe,” I said, poking the fire with a stick. “But I couldn’t. You didn’t deserve that.”For a moment, she didn’t respond. Then, softly, “You’re different, Aiden. Not like the others.”I froze, unsure what to say to that. She
Luca’s POV The scout hit the ground hard, wheezing. I didn’t even need to ask; the blood on his sleeve said enough.“They’re gone,” he stammered. “Kael… he—he wiped them out.”I stared down at him, the firelight from our camp flickering against his face. His fear was almost pathetic.“Which ones?” I asked quietly.“Roth, Jalen, and Venn.”Three of my best.I crouched, resting a hand on his shoulder. He flinched like I’d struck him. “And who was with him?”“The Ironclaw heir… and the Alpha-King’s son.”So. He had allies now.I smiled faintly, though it didn’t reach my eyes. “Kael finally found friends. How sweet.”The scout swallowed hard, unsure whether to stay silent or run. I spared him the choice — one clean twist, and his neck snapped. He dropped to the dirt, motionless.“Bury him,” I told the others. “He talked too much anyway.”As they dragged the body away, I turned toward the fire. The forest around us was dark, the air heavy with smoke and the stench of blood. A few of the
Aria’s POVIt must’ve been close to midnight when I woke up. The fire had burned down to faint orange embers, and the forest was quiet.I stretched a little, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. That’s when I heard voices. Low, close by.Kael and Darius.I stayed still, pretending to be asleep.“…you’ve been acting strange lately,” Darius said quietly. “Especially around him.”Kael gave a small, tired laugh. “You’re imagining things.”“I don’t think I am,” Darius replied. “You’re on edge. You watch him constantly. You think no one notices?”He paused. “Are you gay?”There was a short pause, the sound of Kael shifting against the tree trunk.“You’re overthinking things,” Kael said finally. “Ironclaw’s just… unpredictable. Someone has to keep an eye on him.”Darius hummed softly, clearly unconvinced. “If you say so.”The silence that followed made my chest tighten. I almost sat up just to stop it, but then Darius spoke again, this time, his voice had changed, it became low and serious.“Have
Aria’s POVThe forest had gone quiet again. Too quiet.Kael and I slowed to a stop near a cluster of mossy rocks. The air was thick with damp and the faint metallic scent of blood. We’d been walking for hours, following no clear path, and I was starting to think the forest itself was watching us.Kael’s shoulders were stiff. “Something’s wrong,” he muttered.I was about to ask what he meant when a growl cut through the silence.Another followed, then another.The first rogue burst from the shadows, slamming into the ground between us. Kael didn’t hesitate… his Core flared red as he met the beast head-on. The air cracked with energy as he landed a heavy strike to its neck.Two more came next. I jumped back, forcing my Core to flicker just enough to knock one off balance without revealing its true color. My pulse hammered as Kael tore through the second rogue, gritting his teeth.“What the hell?” he yelled over the noise. “These things shouldn’t even be here!”I didn’t answerThen, out
Seraphina’s POVI watched as Aiden and Kael made their way through the forest. They were definitely a fascinating pair.The kiss I had given the Draven Heir was just to fluster him a bit… I didn’t think he was that capable. There was potential there, more than I expected.One of the council members walked in, slightly trembling. How ironic — the council for a male heir academy, afraid of a single woman.Not that I was complaining. I absolutely loved it.“Lady Seraphina,” the man stammered, bowing low. “The first phase has begun. The rogues have been released into the southern and eastern regions. But…” he hesitated, “we’ve already lost two heirs.”I turned my gaze toward the large crystal that projected the image of the forest. My lips curved faintly as I saw the chaos beginning to unfold, heirs scattering, wolves fighting for dominance, fear filling the air.“Good,” I said simply.The man swallowed. “Good? With all due respect, Lady Seraphina, the Cull Trials were forbidden for a reas
Aria’s POVThe morning was quiet. Too quiet.No birds, no wind, not even the sound of insects. Just the faint crackle of what was left of last night’s fire.Kael was already awake. He sat a few feet away, sharpening his blade. His expression was serious, focused, nothing like the usual smugness I was used to.I got up, stretching a little. The air was colder than before, and when I looked up, the sky was pale orange instead of blue. Something felt different.I pulled my blanket tighter and turned in a slow circle. That’s when I noticed the claw marks on a nearby tree. They were deep, too deep for any normal wolf. The grooves looked like something had tried to tear the bark off completely.Kael followed my gaze. He didn’t say anything, but the way his jaw tightened said he noticed too.We packed up and started moving. The deeper we went into the forest, the stranger things looked. One area looked like autumn, with orange leaves and dry grass. Then, a few steps later, everything turne







