LOGINFernThe battlefield still smells like death when I leave it. Even after hours of healing. Even after washing my hands in snow until they went numb. Even after forcing myself not to cry when some wounds simply refused to close.War changes the air, but it changes people, too.I feel it in the way warriors look at me now. Not with pity. Not with curiosity, but with hope, and that is far more terrifying.I walk beyond the campfires, beyond the low murmur of exhausted wolves, beyond the last watch posts where guards nod respectfully as I pass. They don't stop me anymore. They don't question me. They step aside.They move out of the way because they know whose mate I am, because they know what I did today, and because they saw what I am becoming.The forest greets me with silence. Cold night air fills my lungs, sharp and grounding. Snow crunches under my boots until I finally stop deep among the trees, where the moon filters through the branches like silver glass.I close my eyes.
GavenWar always sounds glorious until you hear the first wolf scream.Snow falls in slow, silent flakes around us, blanketing the valley in white that will never be clean again. Blood turns it pink. Then red. Then black as it freezes.I stand at the ridge overlooking the battlefield, the cold wind cutting through my coat, carrying the scent of iron, fear, and death straight into my lungs.Below me, wolves clash. There is no ceremony in it. No displays of dominance. This is kill or be killed. This is war. Blackmoor warriors move in disciplined formations, their shifts smooth, their attacks coordinated. To the west, Vale forces push forward with brute strength. South of them, Eastmarch survivors fight with something close to desperation; they aren’t fighting for something they believe in anymore. They are fighting because they are afraid of what will happen to them if they don’t.And Frostveil… Frostveil fights like predators that learned cruelty instead of honor.They don't roa
FernWar changes the way people look at you. Not just my enemies, but my own people. I came to Blackmoor, a useless spare, and now I stand before them as a Queen. I may not look at myself differently, but I can see the difference in the way they see me. I see it now in every bowed head, in every quiet step, and in every wolf that watches me when they think I don’t notice.They don’t fear me. Instead, they look to me with expectation, and that is somehow heavier than being feared.The war room smells like ink, steel, and exhaustion. Maps cover the central table. Markers showing troop movements, supply routes, and refugee arrivals scatter across the surface like pieces of a game none of us wanted to play.Gaven stands beside me, not in front of me. He lets me have a full view of the table. He doesn’t keep secrets from me. Not anymore. This is my war. The council is already gathered, and I hold my breath as I look at them. Warriors with bandaged arms line the walls. Scouts sh
GraceThe office still smells like his blood. The warriors removed his body and scrubbed the stone clean. They removed every visible sight that my father ever fell here, but they cannot clean what I feel when I sit behind his desk.It is heavier than I imagined. I thought that I would feel relieved with him gone. After I learned about everything that he had done, I thought I would be better off without him. If that is the case, then why do I feel so cold? As I sit behind his desk, I shift uncomfortably in the seat. It feels too big for me. I feel like a child sitting in a seat made for a grown-up. I can almost hear him whispering from beyond the grave. I can hear his cold laughter, asking me what kind of ruler I would be.I already know the answer to that question. I will be the same kind of ruler he was. Cold and calculating, but I will be better at it. I will make sure of it.The door to the office opens, and a warrior peeks his head inside. “An envoy from Eastmarch i
FernJustin barely walks. Half his weight is on me. The other half he seems to be dragging by sheer will alone. His boots scrape the dirt. His breathing is uneven. His eyes don’t focus on anything.He isn’t fighting anymore. He isn’t defending himself. He isn’t even really present. He is just… empty.I don’t know if that makes this easier or harder.Blood has dried along his hands. Dirt streaks his face. His shoulders sag like something inside him has completely collapsed.I know that feeling. I just carry it differently now, but I remember how it felt to feel hollow.The gates of Blackmoor rise ahead of us, dark against the fading light. The guards spot us immediately. Their weapons lift out of instinct.Then they see who I am holding up, and everything changes.Tension explodes across the wall.“That’s him.”“The traitor.”“Murderer.”Someone growls. Someone else steps forward like they might take him from me. Isara rises inside me immediately. Not violently or aggressively.
TW: Suicide JustinI don’t remember leaving the battlefield. I only remember running.Branches tear at my arms. Rocks slide beneath my boots. My lungs burn, but I don’t slow. I don’t think. I don’t even really see where I’m going.I just know I can’t stay. Not after what I did.Her blood is still on my hands. I can still feel the resistance of the blade against her ribs. I killed the wrong person. I can see the moment it should have been Fern, the moment Iris stepped between us, and the moment everything broke.“I didn’t mean to…” I whisper to the empty trees.But intention doesn’t change anything. Dead is dead.I stumble over a root and crash to my knees. My hands hit the ground hard, dirt grinding into my palms.I don’t get back up right away. I just sit there, breathing like something wounded, because that’s what I am. A wounded animal that doesn’t deserve to heal.Grace’s voice echoes in my head. “Better you end her suffering than them.”I believed her. Gods, I believed
FernI wake to a knock on my door. It isn’t loud or demanding like I am used to. It is just firm enough to pull me from my sleep. “Fern?” Michelle’s voice carries through the wood door. “Are you awake?”I sit up too quickly, my heart jumping before I remind myself where I am. The Blackmoor Pack.
FernThis isn’t what I expected.I thought Blackmoor would feel like a prison. Its exterior gives off that vibe with its cold stone. Inside, I expected it to be the same with harsh voices and eyes sharp with cruelty. I thought the pack would look at me the way mine always did: with disdain, with d
FernI stand in the hallway for too long, thinking about the interaction between us. There is something about the way that he inspected me that made a strange feeling stir in my stomach. Suddenly, I hear my father’s voice from the dining room. “Fern.” I step back, letting my eyes fully take in
GavenI do not leave the room immediately.I stand in the corner, arms crossed, body rigid, while Maelis gathers her instruments and keeps her face deliberately neutral. I feel Fern’s presence like an open wound even after she’s dressed. She looks fragile, but guarded, bracing herself for whatever







