Elara’s POVThe battlefield stretched endlessly before me, filled with blood and torn bodies.Wolves lay scattered like rats, their fur matted with dark crimson, their eyes empty. Some faces I recognized instantly—Max, his throat ripped open. Lora, her chest caved in, like someone had stomped on it. Michael, his hand still reaching for her as he lay motionless.A sob built in my throat, but I couldn’t make a sound.Because at the center of it all, standing in the midst of the destruction, was Andrew.His chest rose and fell steadily, as if this massacre meant nothing. His clothes were soaked in blood, his hands still curled into claws. But it wasn’t just the destruction around him that sent ice through my veins.It was his eyes.Black. Bottomless. Wrong. Gone were the golden pupils.He turned his head, sensing me.And then he smiled.The world turned. A scream shattered the silence. Mine to be precise.And I fell.I hit the ground hard, my body shaking. The vision brought me back to r
Elara’s POVThe moment I agreed, the shift in Andrew was immediate. He didn't ask me to prepare. He was ready from the on set.His stance hardened. His expression turned unreadable.This wasn’t a training exercise. This wasn’t about teaching me a lesson.This was war.A war between us. It was not going to be as easy as fighting with Max. I will have to t use everything in me to fight him.I barely had time to process before he lunged at me, his hand stretched out in an attempt to grab my arm.I dodged on instinct, but he was fast—too fast. His hand shot out, grabbing my wrist, and in the next second, he threw a kick at my mid riff.The breath whooshed from my lungs as I hit the ground hard. Pain shot through my ribs.Andrew didn’t wait for me to recover. He was on me in an instant, foot pressing lightly against my throat—not enough to hurt, but enough to prove a point.I glared up at him, panting.“Dead,” he said flatly. “You hesitated.”Rage burned through me. I twisted, kicking out
Andrew’s POVThe second her fist connected with my jaw, it seemed as if the world had stopped. A sharp jolt shot through my skull, shaking my senses.Silence.Pure, stunned silence.Elara stood frozen, her eyes wide, her breathing uneven. She couldn't believe it.She had hit me.I brought a hand to my jaw, rolling it slightly. A dull ache bloomed, but I barely felt it.Then, slowly—deliberately—I smirked.“Now that’s more like it.”Her expression twisted—anger, confusion, something else she wasn’t ready to admit.She had felt it. That flow of power. The instinct that had guided her.And it had thrilled her.I could see it in the way her fingers trembled at her sides, the way her chest rose and fell too quickly.But instead of excitement, fear darkened her eyes. She looked like she had seen a ghost.She took a step back, shaking her head. “No.”My smirk faded. Why was she being so dramatic?“Elara—”“No,” she snapped, voice sharp and shaking. “That wasn’t me. That was—” She swallowed,
Elara’s POVI lay on the ground, my breath ragged, and my body weak from exertion.Andrew’s weight lifted off me, and for a moment, I didn’t move. The loss of his warmth sent a shiver down my spine, and something inside me clenched—something that had nothing to do with the fight.A hand appeared in my vision, fingers open, waiting.I looked up.Andrew stood over me, his expression almost distant, but there was something in his eyes—a look of pride.His head cocked to the side as if challenging me to take his hand.I didn't know how he managed to give off two different emotions at the same time, but it had me wanting to add another emotion to them. One that promises to come from mutual pleasure.I hesitated, but only for a second. Swallowing hard, I reached up and placed my hand in his.The moment our skin connected, pain exploded up my arm. I screamed, jerking back, but it was too late. The fire had already latched on.Searing heat raced through my wrist, branding me from the inside
Andrew’s POVThe room felt colder after the seer’s words."You are the key to destruction or salvation."Elara stiffened beside me, her breath shallow. I felt the way she tensed, the way her fingers twitched slightly, as if resisting the urge to reach for the burning marks on her wrist.I couldn't help but blame myself for the turn of events. I should've listened and let her be as she wanted.But no. I wanted a strong and powerful mate who could fight and protect herself when I can't do it.Now it seems everything just escalated.The seer, an old woman cloaked in shadows, let the silence stretch. The weight of her words pressed down on all of us.Michael shifted, his jaw tightening. Lora looked between us, her brows furrowed, ready to argue.But I beat her to it.“Explain.” My voice came out sharper than intended, but I didn’t care. I needed answers. And I needed them like yesterday.This was supposed to make our fight with Dorian easier between now and when the Blood Moon comes.The
Andrew’s POVElara hadn’t spoken since we left the seer’s cabin.She walked beside me, eyes fixed on the ground, her arms wrapped around herself. The tension rolling off her was almost tangible. I wanted to say something, anything to make her feel better, but I had no words. What could I even say after what we’d just heard?"You may have to kill her to stop her."The sentence had lodged itself deep in my mind like a blade I couldn’t pull out. We had thought of this scenario before we started the training. But hearing from someone else only made it more likely.And I didn't want that.Elara wanted to keep training. I wanted to believe she could control whatever this was. But doubt had burrowed into my chest like a parasite, feeding on every fear I had.If she lost control, would I really be able to stop her? Would I really be able to kill her?I doubt I could even lay a finger on her as it is. My wolf won't allow it.I clenched my jaw. No. I wouldn’t let it come to that.She would lear
Elara’s POV"Embrace the power. Let me in."The whisper curled around my mind like smoke, slipping through the cracks of my exhaustion.It tried to overwhelm my mind and bring it under its subjection. It felt so strange that I jerked upright, heart hammering. My eyes darted around the campfire, searching for… something. But there was nothing. Only Andrew watching me with wary eyes, Michael staring into the flames, and Lora pretending she wasn’t stealing glances at him.The voice had sounded so real.“Elara?” Andrew’s voice was low, careful.I forced my expression into something neutral. “It’s nothing.”It wasn’t nothing. I had been hearing this voice ever since we returned from the seer's cabin. I had let it slip earlier and since then, Andrew has been watching me like a hawk.It made me uncomfortable but there was nothing I could really do about it. So I decided instead of heightening the tension I will just keep it inside.—That night, I barely slept.Every time I closed my eyes,
Andrew’s POVElara’s dagger had nearly sliced my throat.I could still feel the rush of air against my skin, the fraction of a second between life and death. And the way her eyes—dark, wild—had looked right through me before she stumbled back in horror.She hadn’t meant to.That should have made me feel better. It didn’t. It only meant we've a big problem on our hands. It's good thing we didn't go back to the pack. She might get tripped off and mistakenly kill someone.“Elara,” I said, my voice sharp. “Tell me what the hell is going on.”She shook her head, backing away, hands trembling. “I—I don’t know.”This was what she kept doing since yesterday. Whenever I got too close, asking her if she is okay, she will retort fine.Now, it was more than obvious that she lied.I strode toward her, heart still hammering, fear burning behind my ribs. Not for myself. For her.“You almost killed me.”Her breath hitched. “I didn’t mean to.”I knew she didn't mean to but it does not dispute the fac
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’