MasukThe world beyond the cliffs looked like something torn out of an old legend.The trees were taller, their bark silvered and slick with mist, their roots curling over ancient stones. Strange markings glowed faintly on the ground — runes that pulsed like breathing light. Elise stumbled through them, half-conscious, her limbs scraped and heavy with dirt. Every breath hurt. Every step dragged her closer to collapse.When she finally reached the clearing, the air changed. It was colder, sharper, alive. Something unseen watched her. She could feel eyes — dozens of them — peering through the fog.“Who trespasses?” a voice cut through the silence.Elise froze. The voice was female — calm, but layered with threat. A dozen figures emerged from the shadows, their cloaks woven with feathers, their eyes glinting like moonlit steel. They moved in silence, surrounding her with the grace of predators.Elise raised her trembling hands. “I… I’m not here to fight.”“You’re bleeding,” one of them observe
Elise didn’t remember how long she had been walking.The world had blurred into a rhythm of pain — one step, one breath, one heartbeat at a time. Her feet bled through her boots, her throat raw from thirst. The forest canopy pressed overhead like a wall, sunlight fractured into shards that stabbed her eyes whenever she lifted her head.Branches tore at her sleeves as she stumbled forward, every muscle screaming. Somewhere behind her, far away but too close, the echo of pursuit still rang — the faint, disciplined tread of trackers.She could feel it in her bones: she wasn’t safe yet.Then came the sound — a crack in the underbrush.Elise froze.Her pulse spiked, the air slicing into her lungs. She spun around, scanning the dark tangle of trees. Silence. Then another sound — soft, deliberate. She backed away, hand trembling as she reached for the crude dagger she’d taken from a fallen patrolman days ago.“Who’s there?” Her voice rasped like sandpaper.Nothing.Only the whisper of wind t
The High Council chamber was filled to the brim. The walls of Archview’s great hall gleamed with banners of gold and black, the air thick with tension and the metallic scent of authority. Elder wolves stood in formation along the perimeter, their faces carved in stone-like expressions. Becky stood at the center, draped in mourning gray — a calculated choice, humble but striking.She bowed deeply before Kion and the gathered council. “Honored Elders,” she began, her tone soft but clear, “I wish I could stand before you with peace in my heart. But the longer Elise Thorne roams free, the longer Archview bleeds shame.”The murmurs began instantly. Words like disgrace, traitor, failure rippled through the room.Becky lowered her gaze modestly. “She defied the High Council’s judgment. She spat on the will of our Alpha. What message does that send to the other packs? That the word of Archview means nothing?”Elder Lyra leaned forward, her sharp eyes glinting. “And yet she’s survived longer t
Elise’s vision blurred as she trudged through the endless stretch of trees. Every breath came out ragged, every muscle screamed. Her legs felt like they were made of stone, but still she forced them to move. She didn’t know how long she had been walking—hours, maybe days. The forest was eternal, swallowing both time and hope.Her boots snagged on a root, and she went down hard, face-first into the dirt. The impact drove the air from her lungs. For a moment she lay there, unmoving, her body trembling against the cold ground. She could taste blood and earth.“I can’t…” she whispered, voice hoarse. “I can’t do this anymore.”The locket around her neck pressed into her chest, warm against her skin as if in defiance. Her fingers curled around it instinctively. She closed her eyes, the exhaustion dragging her under.And then she wasn’t in the forest anymore.She was standing in a field of silver grass under the moon. The air was still. The scent of night-blooming flowers surrounded her, sof
The forest stretched endlessly before her, a labyrinth of mist and silence. Elise’s boots were torn at the soles, her cloak ripped, her breath uneven. Every step hurt — but stopping wasn’t an option. Not after everything. Not when Thea’s voice still echoed in her ears.Find the hidden clan… Run, Elise. Run and live.She crossed a ridge slick with dew, the night wind cutting across her skin like knives. Beneath her feet, the earth sloped sharply, leading to a dark river that sliced through the valley like a wound. Her fingers trembled as she gripped a branch, leaning over the edge. The current below was fast — black and glimmering, carrying broken twigs and leaves. She could barely see where it led.Still, she climbed down.The mud gave way beneath her boots, sending her tumbling, scraping against roots and stone. Pain flared through her shoulder as she hit the riverbank, but she bit back a cry. Somewhere behind her, a howl split the night — not a wolf’s greeting, but a hunter’s call.
Kai woke with a start, sweat clinging to his skin. His breath came heavy and uneven, his chest rising and falling as if he’d been running for miles. The room was dark except for the faint glow of moonlight cutting through the curtains. His sheets were tangled around his legs, soaked through.He sat up slowly, rubbing a hand over his face. But no matter how hard he tried, the image wouldn’t leave his mind—Elise, standing at the edge of that platform, chains on her wrists, her eyes wide and wet with disbelief.“Kai, please… just look at me.”The dream had been so vivid it might as well have been real again. He could still hear her voice, trembling but defiant. He could still feel the pull—the bond he had tried so hard to silence—reaching for him even as he turned away.“Stop,” he muttered, shaking his head as if to drive her out of it. “It’s over.”But his wolf didn’t believe that. The beast inside him growled low, pacing restlessly beneath his skin. Every time he closed his eyes, it cl







