LOGINAlaric lifts my hand and presses a gentle kiss against my fingers. “Don’t worry. We both know as long as our hearts are still beating…”I stare at Alaric while anxiety crawls through my chest. I cannot look weak right now. I have to survive this.Too many people have already sacrificed everything. T
MAEVE POVMy body feels completely shattered. It feels impossible to keep walking. But Dorian keeps forcing me forward, and somehow, that makes me refuse to give up.I point toward the end of the corridor ahead of us. “The west wing, Dorian.”“Move your feet, Maeve.”“I’m trying.”“Then do harder.”
I freeze for a second.“You…” I whisper in disbelief.One of the Academy instructors. Or at least, what used to be him. The creature standing before me now is nothing but a monster without a mind or heart.He lets out a savage roar and swings his sword toward my neck.CLANG!I block the attack with
ALARIC POV“No.” Maeve’s voice comes out choked.She turns toward me and shakes her head. Fear is written all over her face. Even her hands are trembling from the shock.I grab Maeve’s hand and nod firmly. “Go. Now.”“I can’t. You and the others could get infected by the parasites. You know what tho
“What if all of this ends tomorrow, Alaric?” I suddenly ask. “What if Uncle Garson really dies tomorrow morning?”Alaric’s hand stops moving across the blade of his sword. He stares at me beneath the dim firelight.“Then tomorrow afternoon, we leave the capital behind,” Alaric answers without hesita
MAEVE POVI swallow hard and return Alaric’s stare without blinking. I force every last ounce of courage inside me to lie to my own mate.“Because I thought the process was going to kill me,” I answer quickly. I make sure my voice trembles slightly. “The pain was unbearable, Alaric. I thought I wasn
MAEVE POVI froze, staring at Dorian as he fixed me with a sharp gaze, as if he was ready to skin me alive right then and there. I quickly prepared to step away to avoid him, but Dorian immediately caught my wrist.“Answer me, Reeve. You’re hiding something, aren’t you?” he pressed, his voice flat.
I ran toward Alaric, who lay on the ground. He was still half-conscious, but his gray eyes began to dim. The veins in his neck began to darken as the parasite’s poison spread through his bloodstream.“Alaric! Stay with me!” I shook his shoulder.“Run...”Alaric lost consciousness, and I couldn’t pos
MAEVE POVCRASHH…!!With a single slash of his claymore, those who lunged at them were instantly torn into shredded flesh. However, it did not stop the students who moved like zombies. From above, dozens more came, descending in chaotic, brutal movements.“Get down, Reeve!” Alaric roared.Alaric did
MAEVE POVWe are herded toward the Obsidian Arena the next morning, before the sun has even risen.The arena looks like a massive crater, its walls made of polished black stone. It is designed so that no wolf can climb out once the gates are locked.In the stands circling the arena, academy official







