Elise povThe hidden passage spat me out into a large stone chamber, lit faintly by torches mounted on the walls. My breath caught as I took in the scene before me. I wasn't alone.Drake stood at the far end, his presence dominating the room like a shadow that swallowed everything whole. His sharp eyes gleamed with calculation, lips curling into the kind of smile that made my skin crawl. Beside him was Harriet, her arms folded, her gaze flickering between Drake and me with a mix of pride and something darker—envy, maybe.And then, to my shock, Amelia.She wasn't bound. She wasn't being dragged. She stood there, tense but unharmed, her eyes darting toward me, silently pleading for me not to expose her. My heart twisted—was she here by choice, or had Drake already suspected her loyalty?"Amelia?" I called out, my voice echoing in the chamber.She flinched but didn't answer. That told me everything I needed to know.The air was thick with tension. I felt like prey trapped between predato
Elise povThe cell was suffocating. Days blurred into nights with no real difference between them except the creeping dread in my chest. My body ached from the cold floor, but it was my mind that burned the most, clawing for a way out."There has to be something," I whispered to myself, running my hands along the stone walls for the hundredth time.That was when I noticed it—tiny grooves carved into the stone behind the old cot. At first, I thought it was just cracks, but the more I traced my fingers along the wall, the clearer it became. It wasn't natural. Someone had carved lines there deliberately, like a mark... or a map.My heart thudded. Could this be what Amelia had tried to warn me about before everything went wrong?"Please let this be real," I breathed.I pressed against the stone with both hands. My palms trembled. To my shock, the wall gave way slightly. A thin draft of cold air brushed against my cheek, carrying with it the faint scent of pine and damp earth. Hope flared
Elise's POV**The walls of Drake's dungeon were cold and damp, leeching away the last of my strength. I sat curled in the corner, my wrists raw from the shackles, my thoughts gnawing at me harder than hunger ever could. Every moment I wasted here was another step Drake took closer to destroying everything I loved.The sound of boots echoed down the stone corridor. My body tensed, expecting one of Drake's brutish guards, but instead a folded scrap of cloth slipped silently under the iron bars of my cell door. My heart leapt—a flutter of desperate hope in the crushing darkness. It wasn't like his guards to leave notes.I crawled forward on scraped knees, fingers trembling as I picked up the mysterious cloth. It was thin and worn, marked with faint stitching that seemed random at first glance. I almost dismissed it as nothing more than frayed fabric—until I noticed the deliberate pattern hidden within the threads. My breath caught sharp in my throat. It was Amelia's handiwork.A secret c
Elise povThe chains bit into my wrists, cold and heavy, laced with wolfsbane. Every movement sent fire through my veins, burning my skin raw. The damp walls of the chamber pressed in on me, smelling of stone, ash, and blood. I had lost track of time since Drake had thrown me here—hours, maybe days.My wolf whimpered inside me, weakened by the wolfsbane but still fighting.*Hold on,* I told her. *We'll find a way out.**The poison burns,* she replied weakly. *Can't... can't think clearly.**I know. Just stay with me.*Footsteps echoed in the hallway outside. Heavy boots that I'd learned to recognize. My stomach clenched.He came again. His shadow spilled across the floor before he stepped into the torchlight. His presence filled the chamber like poison, sharp and suffocating."Still holding on?" Drake's voice was calm, too calm, the way a predator speaks when it knows its prey can't escape.I forced my chin up, meeting his eyes. My throat was dry, lips cracked, but my voice came out s
Elise povThe forest was darker than I remembered. Each branch clawed at my skin like it wanted to keep me from moving forward. My lungs burned, my legs ached, but I couldn't stop. Not now. The orb was close—I could feel it. A pull in my chest, a thread tying me to something ancient and dangerous, something that might finally give me the control I had been searching for.Amelia's warning echoed in my head: "The orb doesn't just give, Elise—it takes. Be careful what you're willing to lose."I clenched my fists. I had already lost too much. If the orb wanted a price, it would get it."Just a little further," I whispered to myself, pushing through another tangle of thorns.My wolf stirred restlessly inside me. She could sense it too—the power waiting ahead. But there was something else. Danger. We weren't alone out here.*Something's wrong,* she growled in my mind.*I know. But we can't turn back now.*The path twisted into a gorge. Shadows spilled from both sides like black water. My ea
Elise Pov *We can do this,* she whispered. *We have the power now.**Do we have enough?**Only one way to find out.*"Come then," I said, raising my chin. "Let's finish this."Drake's smile turned predatory. His wolves flanked him, their eyes glowing in the darkness. "With pleasure."The cavern filled with tension so thick it could be cut with a blade. Two powers, two wills, about to clash in a battle that would determine not just who claimed the orb, but who would control my destiny.I tightened my grip on the orb and felt my wolf surge forward, no longer hiding, no longer afraid.The real war had begun.**Drake's laughter echoed in the cave, cold and mocking. "Did you really think you could outsmart me, little wolf? You're powerful, yes, but reckless. And now, thanks to your friend, you're exactly where I need you to be.""You bastard," I snarled. "Using her sister against her.""I use whatever works," he said with a shrug. "Loyalty is such a weakness, don't you think?"Power lash