The group had just returned to the guest house when dusk began to fall. The sun was slipping behind the distant mountains, dyeing the sky a diluted shade of blood red.
The moment they set foot in the small courtyard out front, they froze at the sight of an unusually tense atmosphere.At the gate, two groups of warriors - five or six on each side - were locked in a fierce standoff. On one side stood the Blood Moon warriors, clad in deep crimson cloaks, their faces cold as steel. Opposite them were the Ivyshade warriors, dressed in ash-gray leather armor, their eyes sharp and unyielding, refusing to back down.Bows were drawn, blades unsheathed. The air was thick with killing intent, as if it might tear apart at any moment.Without warning, the two sides lunged at each other. The clash of swords and spears rang out sharply, ripping through the quiet of the late afternoon.Though the Ivyshade warriors held their ground with equal ferocity, they quickly fell into disRaven led the group back into the meeting hall within the pack house. The wooden doors slammed shut behind him, the deep thud swallowing all surrounding sound.Inside, the elders had just arrived. A few of them immediately stood and approached him with concern.“Alpha, are you alright? You look…”“I’m fine,” Raven cut them off, his voice low but firm. He raised a hand, signaling them to step back. “Don’t worry about my condition. There’s something more urgent we need to address.”Without waiting for any objections, he turned to his guards. “Bring in those involved in the altercation. Now.”One elder frowned. “But they’re elite warriors, perhaps…”“I said now,” Raven snapped. His eyes flashed with cold intensity.Before long, the doors opened again. Five warriors stepped inside, their expressions still tinged with defiance, but none dared to raise their heads under Raven’s gaze.“Look up,” Raven commanded, standing tall like a pillar in the center of t
The group had just returned to the guest house when dusk began to fall. The sun was slipping behind the distant mountains, dyeing the sky a diluted shade of blood red.The moment they set foot in the small courtyard out front, they froze at the sight of an unusually tense atmosphere.At the gate, two groups of warriors - five or six on each side - were locked in a fierce standoff. On one side stood the Blood Moon warriors, clad in deep crimson cloaks, their faces cold as steel. Opposite them were the Ivyshade warriors, dressed in ash-gray leather armor, their eyes sharp and unyielding, refusing to back down.Bows were drawn, blades unsheathed. The air was thick with killing intent, as if it might tear apart at any moment.Without warning, the two sides lunged at each other. The clash of swords and spears rang out sharply, ripping through the quiet of the late afternoon.Though the Ivyshade warriors held their ground with equal ferocity, they quickly fell into dis
After a simple breakfast, Lyra and her attendants began preparing for the field inspection of the epidemic zone.As she was fastening the ties of her cloak, a group of people arrived at the guesthouse steps. Leading them was Raven, followed by Callen and Elder Marrek - the pack’s chief medical advisor.Technically, as the Alpha, Raven had no obligation to join this trip in person.But he came anyway.Partly because he was concerned about the outbreak of the epidemic. But mostly because he couldn’t bear to miss another moment beside Lyra.Even if she no longer held him in her heart, the feelings Raven had for her had never waned, like blood flowing quietly through his veins, silent yet intense.The road to the quarantine zone wasn’t long, but silence hung heavy in the air.Since leaving the guesthouse, their group passed through small villages that were once bustling with life, now reduced to hushed homes and the wary eyes of a few villagers peeking out fr
The night at Blood Moon was eerily quiet. Outside the window, a crescent moon hung silently in the deep sky, casting a faint silver glow over the treetops.Raven lay on his bed, eyes half-closed, but he wasn’t asleep. His steady breathing was merely a facade for the storm of thoughts swirling in his mind.Lyra had returned to Blood Moon, the place where all the pain and humiliation she once endured had begun.Perhaps by now, she had remembered everything: how cruel he had been to her, and how vicious the people here had treated her.Did she hate him?He didn’t know how to face her, didn’t know what kind of gaze, what right he had to call her by name.Was she Lyra - the leader of Ivyshade, or Cara - the fated mate who once meant everything to him?The image of Lyra resolutely leaping into the abyss still haunted his dreams every night. He often wondered what she had felt in that moment, was it hatred, resentment, or sheer loathing?Draken had told her
After the grand welcoming ceremony ended, Amanda excused herself early under the pretense of poor health. She walked briskly back to the stone house nestled deep within the southern quarter of the city, her home, shared with her daughter, Evelyn.The moment the door closed behind her, Evelyn flew down the stairs like a storm. As soon as she saw her mother, she grabbed her arm tightly, her voice sharp and frantic like a small animal driven into a corner."Mother, the servants said the Luna of Ivyshade is Cara. That wretched bitch, it's her, isn't it?"Her eyes blazed with unrestrained hatred and fury, burning like a firestorm ready to consume everything in its path.Just earlier, a servant had returned from the ceremony welcoming Alpha and the Ivyshade pack to Blood Moon. She reported that the Luna of Ivyshade looked exactly like Cara, and she was absolutely certain it could only be her, because no one but Cara had ever been allowed to ride on Alpha’s back.Amanda
Dawn had just broken when the sound of footsteps began echoing softly through the mist-covered forest. Against the pale sky, the rising sun glowed a deep crimson, like an unhealed wound, casting the entire group in a muted golden hue.After that long night, even though Lyra had confessed everything openly, Raven still insisted on carrying her on his back that morning. Simply because he couldn’t bear it. Just the sight of her riding on the back of another male wolf stirred a surge of irrational, primal rage in his chest.They continued their journey, treading over rolling hills, passing through silent ancient forests, and walking past shattered villages and the ruins of past wars.Then, one late afternoon, as the last rays of sunlight slipped from the treetops, the group came to a halt on a high slope. Before them, nestled in a vast valley, lay the territory of the Blood Moon pack, a land sprawling at the foot of the mountains, where gray stone houses stood interwoven wit