Andrew's POVIt was a chillier night than I had anticipated as I walked back towards the central building, the cold wind cutting into me. The far-off howl of a wolf echoed through the trees, clearly a rogue but it was a reminder of what terrors lay beyond our borders.But tonight, the threats weren't out there alone, they were in here as well, within the pack mixed with the very life I was attempting to create with Elara.I shoved my hands into my pockets, my jaw clenched as my mind returned to her. Her kiss still lingered on my lips, a mix of many things but frustration among them.She didn't understand, not at all. How could she?How can I possibly say this to her?The truth now felt like a burden, a heavier one than any that I'd ever carried. Elara wasn't safe. Not just because there were already individuals who wished to harm her, but because of what she was—my mate.To make our union known to the pack would be to put a bull's-eye on her back. My enemies would recognize her as a w
Elara’s POVThe sun was dipping in the heavens, and the packhouse grounds were bathed in a warm, golden light. All was so serene, but I could not rid myself of the disquiet in my chest. Stepping outside, the chilly morning air struck me, bringing with it the smell of pine and wet earth.A hum of talk filled the air, and pack members one by one turned to greet me as I walked past them."Good morning, Elara," a young wolf said, smiling broadly."Thank you again for what you did," another said, lowering his head slightly.A small pack of wolves training nearby halted, offering me respectful nods.It was overwhelming.I had never been treated so respectfully since the day I was born. It all felt awkward and strange.I forced a polite smile and nodded in return, but each hello was a burden on my shoulders. They all thought I was a hero. They thought I had rescued them.But I wasn't a hero. I didn't attempt to rescue them. In fact, I attempted to kill them.My feet paused for a moment as gu
Andrew’s POVThe soft rustling of papers and the rhythmic ticking of the clock were the only sounds in my office as I sat behind my desk, buried in a mountain of paperwork. A dull ache pulsed behind my eyes from staring at contracts, land deeds, and reports for hours on end. Every now and then, I'd catch myself zoning out, my thoughts inevitably drifting to her.Elara.The stubborn woman, her name flitted like some vexing mosquito which refused to flee across my brain cells, though trying hardest to get consumed by it as I should: going through in my head over the plans that were for land expansion to further broaden my pack. How her lips, soft, caressed mine was all my troubled mind kept up with-how beautiful and striking she appeared last night-brown eyes that fired with both frustrations and desires.That memory alone was enough to give me a hard-on, wanting to rush over to wherever she was, bend her over, and plunge deep inside of her.I shifted uncomfortably in my chair, cursing
Elara’s POVMy heart was racing as I stormed down the hall, my feet moving quicker than my mind. I did not know where I was going; all I just needed was to get as far away from Andrew as possible. The sight of Rhea all over him, her hands on his chest, her intentions so blatant and obvious…It was too much.The air felt different now-oppressive, suffocating. My vision blurred, not from tears that I refused to cry, but from the great anger and humiliation that burned inside of me. I should have known better. Andrew had secrets, walls I probably could never see over, let alone climb. What was I thinking, letting myself believe this could be different?That would explain why he doesn't want the pack to know we're mates."Elara!" His voice echoed down the hall, but I didn't stop.He was right behind me, his heavy steps fast as he gained on me, but I didn't stop, quickening my pace as if the distance between us could ease the sting of the betrayal.It probably could."Elara, stop!" he call
Andrew's POVHer lips quivered against mine, the air catching in her lungs as I tugged her deeper, refusing to let the moment slip away. Fire and rebellion molded into one-and for a moment, I felt her defenses drop. But the softness there in the kiss was short-lived, replaced by a stubborn energy that I despised and loved.Don't ever do what?" she whispered.As I leaned back to respond, her stormy eyes bored right into mine; the pain I saw there was still fresh, raw."Don't ever run away from me like that again," I said, my voice low but razor-sharp. My hands were still firm on her waist, holding her close to me, as though letting go meant risking her disappearing from me forever.She raised an eyebrow, her lips curving into a teasing smirk even as her chest rose and fell in uneven breaths. "And if I do?My jaw clenched, and my wolf bristled at the challenge in her tone. She always knew how to press my buttons, how to get me heated and raise every primal instinct in me. I leaned in cl
Elara’s POVI didn't reply as I tried to break away from his grasp. But he proved to be stronger. “Let me go. You can continue having a good laugh at me.” “Don't be like that, it was just the spur of the moment.” He said his eyes dancing. “I'm sorry.” But the look on his face was anything apologetic.My temper flared and I tugged at my hand to get away from him but with one force, he pulled me back against his chest. Before I could protest, his lips crashed down on mine silencing whatever I had on my lips. Raising my hands to push him off, I ended up snaking them around his neck. Just as he deepened the kiss, I felt one his hands leave my hips to trace a path to my breast. Over the material of my clothes, he massaged it earning a gasp from my lips which were very much busy. As if that was the consent he needed, his hand slipped under my shirt and found its way to my globes. This time, he pulled it out of the bra and kneaded it, flicking at the nipples which sent a jolt through me a
Andrew's POVThe air between us was thick with tension, almost suffocating. It was the kind that claws its way under your skin and refuses to let go. Mara really knows how to get the atmosphere this way.My breathing was still a little uneven, though I hadn't come, the heat of my body was still high from the intimate moment I'd just shared with Elara. She was leaning against me, her red cheeks pressed to my chest as she tried to steady herself. For one fleeting second, I allowed myself to stay in that moment-to relax and let her presence ground me.But then Mara appeared out of nowhere.She walked out of a dark nook, an apparition with calculated movements, as if she had watched us for far longer than I could imagine and knew exactly where she was going. Her hooded eyes moved between me and Elara, a smug smile curling into that annoying I'd grown to despise.“Me?" she asked, my voice shaking despite her efforts to sound strong."Yes, you," Mara said, her smile steady, though colder th
Elara's POVHe took another step closer, towering over her, his voice menacing and cold. "If I find out you've done anything, I mean anything to harm my pack, you won't walk away this time."Her jaw tightened, but she didn't back down. "I told you, I had no hand in it," she said, all steady-voiced now. "Believe me or don't. I don't care.”Andrew didn't utter a word, his eyes boring right into hers, the look of one searching for any trace of a lie. But Mara's face was a mask unreadable even to me. Finally, he let out a sharp exhalation, his chest heaving with barely contained fury. "Leave," he said, his voice final and not allowing room for argument.She hesitated a moment, her eyes darting between us. Then, with a sharp nod, she turned on her heel and disappeared into the shadows of the forest whence she had come.We stood there for a long moment, the silence around us deafening. My hands were shaking, my mind racing with a thousand thoughts."She's lying," he muttered to himself rat
Elara's POVBy the time we all made it back to the cabin, it was well into the day. Bone tired, we all fell into position on a piece of furniture or the floor as we thought back to how the night had gone.I sat in the the couch with Andrew beside me. He drew me close to his side as he was scared that I would evaporate from his side.Michael and Lora took the other sofa in the room, practically sandwiched together. Greg chose the floor close to the wooden walls.“I can't believe we actually survived that.” Michael muttered as he looked between me and Greg.“Why will you say that?” I asked “I didn't know you had little faith in us.”“Oh c’mon, that's not I meant and you know it.” He replied giving me his full attention.I knew that wasn't what he meant. It was just that the look on his that still held disbelief just unsettled me and I wanted to tease him a bit.I sighed. “I know exactly what you mean.”“And?” He urged.“It was a miracle. What with the god rising and the way he was deter
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