LOGIN"My Alpha, what dark news stirs your beast? Who dared to anger your shadow?"My voice carried a sharp, protective edge, my inner wolf instantly bristling as if prepared to march out and execute whoever had dared to provoke him.When Vickon registered my shadow stepping past the threshold, some of the arctic, lethal tension left his severe features. He looked up at me, his golden eyes burning with dark intensity, his deep voice rumblings low: "Come to my frame."Even if his Alpha voice had not summoned my body, my paws would have carried me to his side regardless. I strode across the stone foyer, and the second I came within reach, his heavy arm swept around my waist, pulling my body straight into his lap on the velvet bench.Settled securely against his burning chest, I glanced at the mahogany table beside us and immediately caught sight of his glowing communication crystal. The spell-bound surface was displaying a flood of venomous, mocking messages regarding my submission to the Sup
Ten minutes later, Master Jerome, though delayed by the heated debate, finally stepped into the grand council hall of the academy.As it happened, several senior masters were just exiting the meeting room. When they spotted Master Jerome approaching, they let out low, mocking chuckles. "So, Dean, your paws finally decided to join us. We advised your wolf earlier that testing that unranked female was a complete waste of spirit-energy.""How did you manage to drive that stray out of your sanctuary? She appeared intensely stubborn."Master Jerome was still trembling with raw, unadulterated excitement. At their dismissive words, his Alpha tone flared. "A waste of spirit-energy? Have your brains been corrupted by shadow-magic?! Zafira is a spirit-healing genius!""I presented her with last cycle's official entrance trial for the Wolfsbane Lunar Herbarium Supreme Council," he declared, his voice echoing across the stone corridor. "Do your ears comprehend her score? A full, unblemished mark!
Yet applying to the Wolfsbane Lunar Herbarium Supreme Council was not something a healer could execute on a simple whim. A candidate required a sacred recommendation seal merely to become eligible for the entrance trial.And not just any endorsement—it had to be signed by a master spirit-healer holding absolute renown across the five territories.At first, I had contemplated asking my grandfather. But now... a far better candidate had surfaced in my mind.The next sun cycle, after my morning herbal lectures concluded, I headed straight to the grand academy of spirit-healing. After inquiring among the junior acolytes, I found myself standing outside the private chambers of Master Jerome, the head dean of spirit-medicine.When Master Jerome spotted my shadow at his threshold, he looked genuinely astonished. "Zafira? What brings your paws to my sanctuary?""There is a matter of great import I wish to address, Master Jerome. I require your aid."He gestured for me to step across the stone
Nythra had barely stepped into the transport when I spoke up first, my voice carrying over the whistling mountain wind. "Uncle Riven, you came to see my shadow today, did you not? Your wolf still harbors concern for my safety, does it not?"My golden eyes stung with unshed tears as I looked up at Riven's rigid profile, my chest tight with a sudden, overwhelming ache of longing and hope.Riven turned his head slowly, offering a faint, unreadable smile. "Your wolf is no longer the rebellious pup of the past. You have shifted greatly, Zafira."I offered a small, melancholic smile back, raw guilt mixing with sincerity in my tone. "I acknowledge my past foolishness, Uncle Riven. I made catastrophic errors, I truly did. But now—"I hesitated, my breath halting in my throat. My soul desperately wished to ask if his bloodline could finally acknowledge me as kin again, but I swallowed the plea, forcing a softer, desperate inquiry instead. "Now, may I ride to the keep to see Grandfather? I rece
"Are you going to let her keep claiming your bloodline's honor, Zafira?" Nythra's voice cut through the private study, her golden eyes flashing with a fierce, protective glow.She sat on the leather sofa across from us, her brow furrowed in a tight frown as she recounted the aftermath at the Grimshaw keep."What is agitating your wolf, Nythra?" I asked softly, setting down my herbal tea.Nythra hesitated for a heartbeat before leaning forward, her voice dropping into an urgent whisper. "I cannot shake the conviction that the entire farce with the five-hundred-year-old blood-ginseng root was a calculated strike by Mirelle. My mother and grandmother swallowed her tearful excuses without a second thought, but my wolf refuses to be blinded."She was speaking of Mirelle Grimshaw, the adopted ward elevated in my mother's place.I arched a dark eyebrow, neither confirming nor denying her suspicion. "What leads your mind to that conclusion?"Nythra
Mirelle kept her gaze fixed on the floor, avoiding the sharp, heavy scrutiny of Lord Vaelor Grimshaw. Her palms were slick with sweat.Zyric, meanwhile, seemed entirely oblivious to the thick tension gripping the Grimshaw family. He smiled politely. "Could it have been misplaced somewhere in your vaults? Would you mind having someone look for it again, my Lord?"The realization dawned on Lord Vaelor in an instant—Zyric's visit today was clearly about that blood-ginseng—or, more accurately, about Mirelle herself."Mirelle," he said, his deep voice commanding and heavy with Alpha authority, "is there something your tongue wishes to reveal to us?"The rest of the Grimshaw family stared at Mirelle in disbelief.Just last night, they had been praising Mirelle for her thoughtfulness and devotion to the bloodline, only to discover now that the five-hundred-year-old spirit-root had not been her doing at all?Mirelle, always so proud, gra
"No need."I grew anxious at his refusal. "But the silver poison...""Let Zyric Fenwolf inside."Relief flooded my chest. "Alright!"I was just glad his inner wolf was willing to let someone tend his wounds. What I feared most was him getting angry and refusing help, letting the toxic infection rot
"Am I truly forbidden from entering your den, Alpha?"The air in the grand hall locked up like ice.Zyric Fenwolf nearly choked on his own saliva at my words. I could see the sheer disbelief rolling off his scent profile as he darted a glance between me and the senior matron. He clearly expected me
"Zafira, whose ceremonial pelt are you tracking into this council hall?"Vaelira’s eyes flashed with a calculated, lethal gleam. Unlike her weak pack-sister, she was no stranger to the inner workings of the Blackwynd Moon Dominion; she had spent moons trading pack secrets with Thorne. One look at t
"Hold her down!"My face slammed into the freezing mud of Darkmere Crossing. Heavy paws crushed my shoulder blade, forcing me to look directly into the icy glow of the twin moons."Rip her throat out and let's go.""Wait, look at her face! Half of it is completely mangled by silver burns. I'm going







