تسجيل الدخولMorganna stood before the black mirror. Its surface was perfectly still. No reflection stared back at her. Only darkness. She lifted one hand. A thin stream of silver smoke escaped her fingertips and curled across the mirror. “Show me the wolves.” The smoke spread. Then the darkness moved. Images appeared. A forest. A stone fortress. A gathering of Alphas. Morganna watched in silence. They were already beginning to stir. Good. Fear had always been easier to cultivate before people understood what they were afraid of. She reached for a scroll lying beside the mirror. The original prophecy. She had read it hundreds of times. She knew every word. Every symbol.
Seraphine did not sleep. She remained beside Aria’s bed until early in the morning. Her daughter was still asleep. Peaceful. Unaware. The silver crescent that had appeared beneath her skin during the night was gone now, but Seraphine knew it had not disappeared. It had simply retreated. Waiting. Seraphine reached out and gently brushed a strand of hair from Aria’s forehead. “Six days.” Her voice was barely a whisper. “Only six days.” For twenty-one years, she had measured Aria’s life in secrets. Every locked door. Every concealed spell. Every lie told with a smile. Every time Aria had asked why they could not travel farther, why strange places made her mother nervous, why she sometimes felt different from everyone else.
The candles burned blue. Morganna stood alone in the center of the ancient chamber, her hands raised toward the ceiling. Ancient symbols covered the black stone walls. Around her, twelve silver bowls formed a perfect circle. Each magical components And at the center of the circle rested a single piece of blackened parchment. The same parchment that had been passed from one Head Witch to another for generations. Morganna whispered the final words of the spell. Nothing happened. Her fingers tightened. “Again.” She repeated the incantation. The candles flickered. A sma
Kaelen stood at the edge of the Veil, staring back at the house. For several moments, neither he nor Seraphine spoke. Her final words remained between them. Answer and fulfill your side of the bargain and I shall take the rest from there. Kaelen turned slowly. “What exactly do you intend to do?” Seraphine looked toward the darkened room where the ancient parchment still rested. “What a mother must.” “That isn’t an answer.” “It is the only answer I have.” Kaelen studied her. “And you know what happens when her scent becomes impossible to hide.” Seraphine’s jaw tightened. “The witches will come.” “Not only the witches.” Kaelen’s voice hardened. “Wolves have already begun searching.” Seraphine looked at him.
The lecture ended nearly an hour ago. Yet Kaelen remained inside the empty classroom. The last student had disappeared through the doors, but he had not moved. His eyes remained fixed on the place where Aria Ashbourne had been sitting. The crimson pendant beneath his shirt was still warm. Too warm. He pressed his fingers against it. For twenty-five years, the ancient artifact had obeyed him without question. It had concealed his scent, restrained his wolf, and allowed him to walk among humans without exposing what he truly was. Today, it had failed. Not completely. But enough. His wolf had recognized her. Her. One word. One certainty. And Kaelen had spent t
Morning sunlight poured through the tall windows of Madine University, painting golden rectangles across the polished floor of the Applied Mathematics building. Aria Ashbourne walked beside Lina, clutching her notebook against her chest. “Do you remember where the classroom is?” Lina asked. Aria glanced at the timetable in her hand. “Third floor. Room 307.” Lina sighed dramatically. “You really memorized the entire campus map.” “I told you. I don’t like getting lost.” “You’re going to be fine.” They climbed the final staircase and entered the corridor. Students were already gathering outside the classroom. Some were laughing. Others were discussing the rumors about their new lecturer. “I heard he never gives extensions.” “I heard he once made an entire class repeat a course.” “My brother said he’s terrifying.” Lina looked at Aria. “Still excited?” Aria smiled. “A little.” “For the mathematics?” “Of course.” Lina gave her a suspicious look.







