Elara's POVMy heart hammered in my chest, not from fear, but from something rawer, sharper—jealousy and anger. It pushed at me, threatening to spill out like a dam about to burst. She was beautiful in the effortless way that made you hate her just a little—dark hair cascading in perfect waves, eyes that sparkled with mischief, and a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.She pouted, but there was a look of satisfaction in her eyes, like she’d achieved exactly what she wanted.“I was just joking,” she said innocently.Andrew’s jaw tightened, and he turned to me, a look of frustration crossing his face. “Elara, go inside.”Inside. Away from the prying eyes of the pack and the smug smirk plastered across Rhea’s face. But I wasn’t ready to leave just yet.“Why?” I demanded, my voice steady but low, carrying the weight of the storm that was inside me. “So your friend here can keep throwing jabs at me while I’m not around?”Rhea gasped, feigning shock. “I didn’t mean to offend you. I thought y
Andrew's POVAnger snapped through the air like a live wire-hot, dangerous. I was pacing my study, my fists firmly at my sides. It was claustrophobic in here; the walls were closing in while my thoughts spiraled inside my brain. Michael stood leaning against the door frame in the corner, his expression unreadable. It was the casual way he stood that finally set my anger ablaze.“How the hell did this happen?" I exploded, sharply turning myself back around to face him.Michael's brow rose, and his lips quivered with what I suspected, to be amusement. "You'll have to be more specific, Andrew. What do you think?”"Elara!" I said, my voice a little higher than I had intended. "How could the pack rally in an attack against her when you're supposed to be there keeping an eye on them?"He shrugged-a maddeningly indifferent motion. "Perhaps because she does not belong here, and they know it.".It led to an uncomfortable silence in the room, my chest heaving as I fought to control my breath.I
Andrew's POVCrossing back to the window, I watched through the curtain, my hands clutched on the edge such that some fabric tore off. Below, Elara stood at the center of a circle of my pack members. Her shoulders hunched, her hair stuck to her face as she mopped the muddy training grounds. Voices rose around her, mocking, and laughing."You missed a spot, witch," said one jeeringly.Another kicked water over her clean patch, laughing as the mud splashed her legs.But she didn't say a word.My jaw clenched. This was not the Elara I knew. The Elara I knew would have fought back, her words flying through the air like knives-sharp, cold, deadly-deadmise dancing in her eyes. She didn't take a problem with fighting against me, challenging my authority whenever she got the chance. But now? She said nothing. She just stood there, taking their jeers.Why?The question filled my mind, annoying and unrelenting. My frustration swelled in my chest, mixed with the growing anger toward my pack. Cru
Elara's POVThe silence in my room was deafening; the weight of my thoughts was my only companion. I sat cross-legged on the small cot, my fingers tracing the rough fibers in the blanket, staring at the wall.No different was Andrew's pack from Grimshade, I thought sourly. Cruelty, it would appear, goes wherever I go. The laughter from earlier still rang in my ears, each jeer slicing deeper than I should let it.Part of me wondered where I got the right from, caring in the first place. This wasn't my home, it wasn't my people. Yet their words still got under my skin. The way they looked at me though-like I was something dirty, something less … it was too familiar. It brought me back to Grimshade, to nights spent nursing bruises and swallowing my pride.Was I better off here?My door suddenly flew open, banging backward against the wall, sending me upright; my heart shot up in my throat, as I clenched my fists ready for another attack.Andrew leaned on the doorway, casual in his pose,
Elara's POVI shifted uncomfortably in the passenger seat of the Jeep, as it continued to bump its way along the dirt trail. The silence was a thick, heavy hanging between Andrew and I, broken only by the sound of crunching tires over gravel and the occasional howl of wind through the trees. Greg sat in the back quiet, his eyes scanning across the woods as if anticipating danger to leap from the appear at any moment.I still didn't know why I was here.Andrew said it was training, but what kind of training required dragging me to the edge of the pack's territory with no warning and no explanation? He hadn't spoken much since I'd met him downstairs-just barked orders at Greg and tossed me into the Jeep like some kind of inconvenient luggage."Why am I even here?" I finally asked, breaking the silence.Andrew didn't look at me. His hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, knuckles white. "You'll see soon enough.""That's not an answer."He glanced at me then, his sharp eyes glinting wi
Elara's POVMy ears rang as I tried to focus on Andrew's voice yelling my name. My chest heaved with my gasping for breath as my heart pounded against my ribs as if it would burst from them at any moment. Before I could wrap my mind around what had just happened, they came.Someone darted toward us with inhuman speed, followed by two more figures. The attackers didn't hesitate—they lunged with snarls that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up."Stay behind me!" Andrew barked, his voice sharp and commanding as he moved in front of me.Greg was already shifting, his body changing as fur erupted along his arms. Claws extended from his fingertips, glinting in the moonlight. Andrew followed suit, but he didn't transform fully yet, it was just as swift and deadly. The air was thick with the scent of power and aggression, a mix of Andrew's dominance and Greg's vicious anger.I had little time to watch the power they exhibited. One attacker dove directly for me, and I barely dodged, my
Andrew's POVCarrying Elara in my arms felt like carrying the world's most fragile treasure. She was too still, her body limp against mine. Blood seeped through my shirt where her head rested, warm and sticky, and I could not tell if it was hers or mine. Every step to the medical center seemed like eternity, yet I moved faster than I ever thought possible.“Move!" I barked as we approached the main hall. Pack members scrambled out of my way, their faces pale as they caught sight of the blood.Greg was right behind me, his claws still out and his breathing heavy. "We've got to get her stabilized," he said, his voice tense."I know," I snapped, though I didn't mean to. My chest felt too tight, my head too full of the memory of her losing consciousness in my arms.As we burst through the doors of the medical center, Mirabel, the head healer, was already waiting, her sharp eyes assessing the situation."Get her on the table, now!" she commanded, her voice rising above the chaotic situatio
Elara's POVMy head felt like it was stuffed with cotton, heavy and slow. Voices murmured somewhere nearby, but I couldn't make out the words. My eyelids felt like they were weighed down with something heavy, but I forced them open, blinking against the harsh light.The first thing I was aware of was the scent-antiseptic and herbs mingling in the air. It hit me like a punch to the face, and it didn't take long to figure out where I was. A hospital. No, not just any hospital-a pack infirmary. The faint markings of the crescent moon symbol etched into the beams above confirmed it.What the hell happened?I tried to sit up, but pain ripped through my side, sharp and wicked. A gasp escaped my lips before I could stop it, and my hands instinctively pressed against my ribs. That's when I noticed something else: I wasn't alone.In the corner of the room, hardly seen under the dim light of the lamps hanging from the ceiling, was a figure. First, I had thought him to be one of the healers, but
Elara’s POVThe first breath I took was like drowning in light.Not air—light. Thick and sharp and everywhere. It filled my lungs, my veins, my mind.Then I came back.And everything hurt.My eyes snapped open. The world rushed in too fast. The ruins. The silence. The blood on my hands. The echo of Andrew’s voice still whispering my name.He was holding me.His arms were wrapped around me like he was afraid I’d disappear again.“Andrew,” I croaked. My voice didn’t sound like mine. It was softer—richer. Like something else had laced itself through me.He jerked back just enough to look at me, his face streaked with blood and ash and tears. His lips parted in a shaky breath.“You’re awake,” he whispered. “Elara, you’re awake—”“I’m okay.” I wasn’t. But I had to say it for him.He exhaled and pressed his forehead to mine. “You scared the hell out of me.”I touched his jaw. “You offered your life.”“I’d do it again.”He kissed me, quick and desperate. It wasn’t gentle. It was real.I clun
Lora’s POVThe world cracked.Not metaphorically. Not in the dreamy, nice and poetic way people say when things fall apart.I mean the altar—centuries old, cursed by blood and time—split down the middle with a sound like the earth itself had screamed.I flinched as shards of stone flew past my face. One grazed my cheek, warm blood sliding down before I could even register the sting. But I didn’t stop moving.“Elara!” I shouted, weaving between the broken stones and bodies. I saw her in Andrew’s arms, limp and deathly still, and something in me nearly shattered too.Not her. Please, not her. She was my best friend and the last thing I wanted was for her losing her life in this wretched place.Then Greg—no, the thing that had been Greg—turned toward me. His eyes weren’t his anymore. Red and empty. His smile too wide, very wrong and completely twisted.My heart pounded, fists clenched. The god had taken him. It had used him.But now?Now even that thing was looking like it wanted to devo
Andrew’s POVThe moment Elara expended her power trying to keep the god locked, it seemed like everything had stopped to focus on this particular moment. I stood screaming her name as she tried to do the impossible. But when I watched her falling, I couldn't take it anymore."Elara!" I tore through the red-glowing haze that had blanketed everything. My feet slammed hard into the ancient steps, sliding as I reached her. She was limp. Her skin had gone pale, almost gray, and her eyes fluttered like she was on the edge of leaving me. “Stay with me, dammit. Elara, breathe.”She didn’t respond. Her lips trembled, breath catching in shallow bursts.The air cracked above us—the sky splitting as the Blood Moon hit its peak. I looked up.And saw it.The gate was open. Not just some door or portal. This was ancient, raw, and alive. It was jagged light framed by black mist, spinning slowly in the heavens above the altar. And from it, something moved, a hand reached out.The forgotten god.Did
Elara's POVThe scream that tore from my throat didn’t feel like mine.It came from somewhere deeper—bone-deep, soul-deep. My back arched against the pulsing altar, and the red light crashing down from the Blood Moon carved through me like I was paper. Everything inside me felt like it was breaking apart. Shattered pieces of a girl who used to be Elara.Then I heard him."Elara!" Andrew’s voice cut through the chaos.I clung to it.The pain was still there, like I was being ripped from the inside out, but I clung to the sound of him. It grounded me. Reminded me of who I was. Of the nights we used to spend togetger as a couple. As mates. Of the way he whispered my name when no one else was listening.I blinked through the red haze and found him kneeling beside me, hands cupping my face. His eyes wide. Terrified. His thumb brushed the tears off my cheeks, and I leaned into the touch like it was the only thing keeping me alive."You’re still here," I choked out."I’m not going anywher
Andrew’s POVThe world went quiet.It shouldn’t have. There was chanting all around me, the sky roaring with thunder, cultists pacing like wolves ready to tear the altar apart. But all I could hear was the sound of her heart breaking.Elara’s eyes were locked on me—pleading, desperate, furious.And I’d faltered.Fates, I’d faltered.The girl beside her—the replacement—was glowing now. Not metaphorically. Literally. The altar pulsed under her knees, and I could feel the magic reaching for her like it had once reached for Elara.This was the moment.One path ended in her survival. The other? Salvation for the rest of the world.I didn’t move.My chest felt like it was splitting in half. The prophecy I didn't know much about seemed not to care who she was. It just needed a vessel. And now it had one.But she wasn’t Elara.“You said you loved her,” Michael’s voice tore through the tension, sharp and shaking. “So act like it.”I blinked.“She’s dying,” Dorian said again from behind me. Cal
Elara’s POVI couldn’t feel my hands.Not because of the chains—they’d long since numbed my wrists. It wasn’t even the dark magic humming through the stone under me, or the pulsing weight of that fake moon bleeding into the sky.It was the woman.Her.The one Dorian dragged in like an offering. The one who looked like me. I didn't know how he managed to do something this sick all on his own but it had my hackles rising.She stumbled, dirt in her hair, blood down one arm. Her eyes met mine—and I saw myself.I froze.My mouth went dry.No.No, no, no. I have to get to the bottom of this.“What is this?” I croaked. My voice was rough, scraped raw from screaming earlier. “Who is she?”Dorian smiled, cold and smooth. “Insurance,” he said. “A vessel the altar will accept willingly.”“She’s not me.” I pointed out trying to figure out exactly was going on.“She’s enough,” he said. “The Blood Moon doesn’t care for names. Only bloodlines. Only sacrifice.”Behind him, Harrow stood silent, arms f
Michael’s POVI’d seen hell before.I’d seen blood-soaked battlefields, the ruins of old packs cursed by forgotten gods, and the aftermath of hunts gone sideways. But nothing—nothing—prepared me for the madness that unfolded once Elara vanished into the altar.One second she was there, blood burning on the stones. The next, the ground split and swallowed her like she’d never existed. Andrew dove after her, but the crack sealed fast—too fast.We stood frozen. Just for a beat.Then the sky changed.A deep rumble rolled across the clouds—slow and hungry. The black above us began to shift, bruising over with a sickly red hue. The true Blood Moon was still weeks off, but what rose above the mountain now? That was no moon. That was an imitation. Something summoned.Kieran raised his hands, shouting incantations in a language I’d only ever know can be found in hidden scrolls and dark books.The cultists around him echoed the words. Voices rising, and twisting like one. If it wasn't for sac
Andrew’s POVI didn’t look at Elara. Not when I heard Kieran say it. Not when that thing that looked like her stepped into the firelight with dead eyes and a mocking smile.Because if I looked at her right then, I might’ve lost the control I’d been holding onto since we stepped into this cursed clearing. And right now, she needed me steady. Not broken.The Gatekeeper. That’s what he called it.But that wasn't Elara—not really. It was a lie dressed in her skin. Some unholy mimic summoned to rattle us before the real bloodbath began.Greg cursed softly behind me, low and venomous.“We need to move,” he muttered. “Now. They’re baiting us.”Kieran was already turning, robes sweeping the earth as he walked back toward the rise of the altar behind him. “Follow,” he called. “Or run. The outcome doesn’t change.”He was right. If we decided to back down, it won't change anything. His men will give chase and he could use some other means to capture Elara.I didn't want to be away from her.I st
Elara’s POVAfter what happened in tombs, Andrew and I managed to escape that place and made it back to our friends.“Are you ok?” The words hadn’t even fully left Andrew’s mouth when a message hit me. Not through the air, not by any messenger, but inside my head, cold and direct.“Join us willingly, and we’ll spare the rest of your pack.”Kieran.I stood frozen in the middle of the shattered cemetery, my boots soaked from the broken ground that still bled magic. Smoke curled in lazy spirals from the scorched edges of the broken seal behind us. The earth trembled, subtle but steady, like it was breathing beneath our feet.I didn’t move. I didn’t speak.Andrew’s hand brushed mine. “What is it?”I met his eyes, hating what I was about to say. “It was Kieran. He’s offering a deal.”Michael spun around from where he was guarding the broken archway behind us. “What kind of deal?”Greg, who hadn’t spoken since we’d forced the cultists back into the tunnels, just narrowed his eyes. I didn’