LOGINThe night didn’t just fall; it shattered.The horns of the Shadow-Fang Pack sounded like the scream of a dying bird. It wasn't the deep, steady call of our people. It was high, sharp, and cold. It echoed off the mountain peaks, telling us the peace was officially over.I stood on the high stone wall, my fingers digging into the rock until they turned white. Below me, the Blackthorn courtyard was a sea of fur and steel. I watched as hundreds of our warriors shifted at once, the sound of bones snapping and fur growing filling the air.In the center of the chaos stood Alaeric.He was still in his human form, wearing his heavy black armor. In his hand, he gripped the sword we had enchanted in the secret cave. The silver blade caught the moonlight, humming with a soft, pearlescent glow that he couldn't seem to stop staring at. He knew someone had touched his steel. He knew it felt alive."They're here," Lyra whispered beside me.A wave of gray-and-black wolves erupted from the tree line li
The plan was dangerous. Stealing the Alpha’s primary war-sword was an act of treason in the Blackthorn Pack, even for a Beta. But as Kael looked at me and Lyra in the dim light of the stone tower, his face was set like granite. He knew the cost of failure was a grave, and he wasn't going to let Alaeric fill it.“Stay here,” Kael whispered, checking the hallway. “If I’m not back in twenty minutes, get Lyra to the Silver Mines. Don't wait for me.”“Be careful, Kael,” I said, clutching the ancient book to my chest.He gave Lyra a final, lingering look a silent promise between mates and vanished into the shadows of the corridor.I was waiting near the entrance of the mines, my heart in my throat. Lyra stood beside me, her violet crystal glowing with an expectant light. When Kael emerged from the shadows, gasping for air and clutching the silver sword, I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.“I have it,” Kael panted, laying the blade on a flat stone altar deep within the cool, damp
The air around the healers' cottage seemed to vibrate with a gold and violet light. I stood back, my heart full as I watched them. Kael, the steady, unbreakable Beta who had been my only shield in this cold palace, looked like a different man. His usual mask of calm was gone, replaced by a raw, breathless wonder.He held the girl Lyra as if she were made of glass and starlight. She leaned into him, her hands resting on his chest, her eyes closed as they simply breathed in each other’s scent for the first time. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.I felt a pang in my chest, a sharp, bittersweet ache. I was so happy for Kael; he deserved this peace more than anyone. But seeing them, so perfectly matched, made the cold weight of Alaeric’s rejection feel even heavier.This is how it should be, I thought, a small, sad smile touching my lips. No politics or pride. Just two souls finding home.Kael finally pulled back just an inch, his thumb tracing Lyra’s cheekbone.Then, her ga
The sprint back to the castle felt like a blur of racing hearts and gasping breath. My lungs burned, but the image of Alaeric lying in that crimson pool was scorched into my mind. Every second we spent running felt like a second closer to his death.We didn't go to the War Room. Kael took one look at my pale face and the way my hands were shaking and diverted me toward a secluded stone tower near the old library. It was a place where the guards rarely patrolled, a sanctuary of cold stone and silence.“Tell me,” Kael commanded, his voice low and urgent as he barred the heavy door. “Tell me exactly what you saw in the water, Alyse. Don’t leave anything out.”I sank onto a wooden bench, my legs finally giving out. “It was the Shadow-Fang. They weren't just attacking the borders, Kael. They were in the heart of the battle. Alaeric was... he was surrounded. Their blades weren't normal steel. They glowed with a dark, sickly light. One of them got behind him. I saw the strike. I saw the end
“This water comes from the heart of the mountain,” Kael explained, leaning against a tree. “They say it’s been blessed by the Moon Goddess herself. It’s the purest place in our territory.”I walked toward the water’s edge. The golden hum in my blood was vibrating in time with the rushing stream. I felt drawn to it, as if the river were calling my name. I knelt on a flat, mossy stone and reached out, my fingers trembling.The moment my skin touched the surface, the world vanished.The sound of the forest was replaced by the roar of a thousand wolves. The clear turquoise water turned a sickening, dark crimson. I wasn't at the creek anymore. I was standing in the middle of a battlefield.The sky was a bruised purple, and the air tasted like smoke and iron.I saw him.Alaeric was in the center of the chaos. His black armor was shattered, and his fur cloak was soaked in blood. He was surrounded by warriors in gray and black, the Shadow-Fang. They moved like ghosts, their blades glowing wit
The air in the War Room was suffocating.After my suggestions about the Silver Mines and the healers, the maps seemed to blur under the heat of Alaeric’s stare. He hadn't stopped looking at me since Kael had touched my shoulder, his grey eyes darkened by a stormy, possessive fury that he was trying and failing to hide.Selene stood by the window, her arms crossed tightly over her silk bodice. She had been silent during the strategy session, her face a mask of cold porcelain, but I could feel her hatred radiating across the room like a physical heat.“Kael,” Alaeric said, his voice dropping into a low, dangerous register. “Go to the healers. Organize the supplies Alyse suggested. We need the secondary station ready by nightfall.”Kael nodded, grabbing his cloak. “I’ll get right on it. Alyse, come with me. You know the inventory list better than anyone.”I felt Alaeric’s posture stiffen instantly. His fingers gripped the edge of the oak table so hard the wood groaned. The jealousy was







