LOGINYoren clenched his fist and punched the paw, but to no avail. His punch had no effect on the wolf whatsoever.“See?” The wolf pressed its paw down even harder, and Yoren could feel his ribs shattering. “You are unworthy of possessing this power.”Blood trickled from the corner of Yoren’s lips. Yet he was not afraid to face the wolf. He continued to glare at it sharply. “No,” he hissed hoarsely. “You belong to me.”The wolf laughed softly. Its voice echoed hauntingly throughout the darkness. “Still stubborn.”Suddenly, Yoren twisted his body and kicked hard enough to throw the wolf off balance for a moment. He seized the opportunity to rise and attack again immediately. He slammed into the wolf once more, causing them both to tumble.Yoren’s growl echoed harshly. He struck relentlessly until, a few seconds later, his body was violently smashed away again—this time with even greater force and pain.Yoren collapsed. His entire body felt crushed.Meanwhile, the wolf stood tall, unscathed.
The darkness seemed endless. There was no sky or ground. It was silent, devoid of sound except for the echo of his footsteps, which sounded strange to him.Yoren kept walking, not knowing how long he had been doing so, nor where he was going. His breathing felt heavy and his chest tightened as if something were pressing against him from within. He tried to call out to someone—anyone—but his voice vanished before it could escape his lips.“Ha—”No sound came out. There was only emptiness.Yoren stopped. A strange feeling spread through his entire body for the first time in his life—a fear so cold that the tips of his fingers went numb. He wondered silently. Where am I?But Yoren's question disappeared without an answer. Instead, it turned into a crushing pressure born from uncertainty.Yoren looked around in every direction, but could see nothing. Everything was the same: dark, empty and endless.The fear became increasingly real. The cold seemed to be reaching deeper and deeper into h
Eirene felt as if her world had stopped turning. She stared at Gwyneth, her eyes wide.All surrounding sounds felt distant. The only sound left was the painful pounding of her own heartbeat echoing in her ears.Alpha is sick—the words kept reverberating in her mind, turning her face deathly pale. Her lips trembled faintly. “Alpha is sick?”Eirene's voice was so soft that it was almost inaudible. Yet Gwyneth could see every detail of her reaction.Eirene’s eyes wavered and her gaze went blank for a moment. Her breathing immediately became erratic. Just from hearing the news about Yoren, her body felt as if it had lost all strength.Gwyneth froze. She stared at Eirene with an expression that could not be put into words—almost as if she had realised that Eirene's worry was profoundly different from that of everyone else.Eirene blinked quickly, then suddenly realised something. She had to leave immediately. “Elder,” she said hurriedly, her voice trembling. “Where is Gamma right now? I ne
Eirene felt a strange sensation in her chest when she woke up that morning. It was not pain or tightness, but an odd emptiness that was so unsettling her breath caught the moment she opened her eyes.Eirene blinked slowly. The bedroom ceiling greeted her in a pale grey hue.The curtains were still fully closed, only allowing thin traces of morning light to seep through the gaps. Dimness and silence covered the entire room—too much silence.Eirene lay there for several seconds. Her gaze remained fixed blankly upwards while her fingers moved slowly to her chest, sensing something strange there—something deeply strange.It was as though she was being pulled in an invisible way, disturbing her instincts. Her wolf soul felt restless and stirred uneasily beneath her skin, as though trying to warn her of something inexplicable. Sometimes it felt as though it wanted her to search for something—or someone.Eirene frowned faintly. “What is this?”After a moment, during which she tried to find a
Naomi had been on the move non-stop since her call with Fabrizio ended. The palace corridors, which were usually calm, were now busy with hurried footsteps and short orders leaving her mouth. She walked almost without pause, holding a tablet in one hand and a phone in the other.“Make sure the northern route is secure.”“The elite night-shift team will handle the escort.”“Use level-four clearance. There must be no leak of the manifest.”Several staff members moved immediately after receiving these instructions. Everyone acted without wasting time.However, Naomi did not stop there. She immediately contacted Kyla. “Kyla.”Kyla responded. “Gamma?”“Listen carefully,” said Naomi. “Prepare Miss Eirene to depart for Gardeno immediately.”“Understood, Gamma,” Kyla answered.“If Miss Eirene asks,” Naomi continued heavily, “...” Fabrizio hadn't explained in detail, but she knew the situation well enough to understand the meaning behind that call—Yoren must be in an extremely bad way. “Just t
The suite door had barely closed when Yoren collapsed. His body suddenly lost its balance.“Alpha!”Fabrizio moved quickly and caught him before he could hit the floor. Yoren’s full weight rested against him. His breathing was rough and uneven, and his head hung weakly in Fabrizio’s grasp.Louise instantly tensed. “Take him to the room now!”Fabrizio wasted no time. He immediately lifted Yoren and carried him towards the master bedroom of the suite.Louise quickly turned to the two members of the elite medical team. “Follow me,” she said, hurrying after Fabrizio.The two nodded immediately. “Yes, Doctor.”Yoren’s body was laid on the large bed. His shirt and suit were already drenched in cold sweat. His breathing grew heavier. His jaw remained clenched, as though he were holding something in.Louise approached immediately. She began setting up the examination equipment.She activated the heart monitor, the blood pressure sensors and the energy stability scanner. They all began operati
Eirene did not actually leave immediately after her conversation with Bradley that night. She tried to hold on, convincing herself that she was strong enough to not return. She was old enough to not be tied to a house that had never truly accepted her. However, that resolve always crumbled whenev
After Fabrizio left, silence fell over Yoren’s office once more. Every sound—the exhale of breath, or even the ticking of the wall clock—was muffled by an underlying sense of discomfort.Yoren remained seated behind his desk with his back against the chair. In front of hi
A thin mist still hung low when Fabrizio stepped out of the west wing of the palace. The cold air brushed against his skin, yet he walked on steadily, without hesitating for a moment. The night before had been far too long, and that morning allowed no room for complacency. There were many importa
The Velmora Palace was already shrouded in silence by the time Fabrizio returned. He got out of the car, passed the guards on duty and went inside. His footsteps echoed along the long, black-marble-lined corridor lit by dim wall lamps. The faint metallic scent of blood from the earlier fight stil







