chapter 12

Dayne’s POV

Talis’s determination radiates through the mate bond, her silver-blue eyes locked on the horizon where the second wraith’s howl echoes, a guttural promise of death that sets my wolf snarling.

On the farmhouse roof, the wind whips her dark hair, her wounds still seeping blood, but she stands tall, alpha-strong, refusing to yield. Hunters’ scents fade into the trees, their retreat meaningless with two wraiths closing in, drawn to her ancient bloodline like moths to flame.

Glynn’s trap at the mill waits, and Savannah’s frantic revelation another cursed beast twists my gut, but Talis’s fire, her refusal to be bait, fuels my own resolve. She’s my mate, my step-sister, my everything, and I’ll tear through hell to keep her safe.

“Down, now,” I growl, pulling her toward the hatch, my hand firm on her arm, the bond pulsing with her pain and defiance. “We lead them to the mill, burn them out.”

She nods, her claws twitching, her voice steady. “Fire it is. But if they get too close, we fight.”

Luka’s eyes flick to Savannah, tied loosely now, her face pale. “She comes with us. Can’t trust her here alone.”

Regan’s voice is sharp, her poker gripped tight. “And Eli? We can’t take a kid into that.”

I glance at the boy below, safe for now, but the wraiths’ howls grow closer, harmonizing in a chilling duet. “Jenna stays with him. The rest move.”

We descend the hatch, the pack moving fast, hearts pounding. Talis winces with each step, her shoulder and side bleeding fresh, but she pushes on, her wolf’s strength a beacon through the bond. I want to carry her, shield her, but she’d fight me, and we need her fire now more than ever.

In the living room, Jenna nods, Eli clutched to her side, his wide eyes on us. “Go. We’ll hold the basement.”

I grab a rifle from the hunter we took down, slinging it over my shoulder, my wolf itching for claws over bullets. “To the trucks. We draw them north.”

Savannah stumbles as Luka pushes her forward, her voice breaking. “Dayne, please. The second wraith it’s stronger. Glynn said it’s bound to him now.”

I spin on her, my growl low. “You knew and didn’t say?”

Her eyes drop, tears falling. “He threatened Eli. I had no choice.”

Talis steps between us, her voice cold. “We’ll deal with choices later. Move.”

We burst out the back door, the night thick with threat, the first wraith’s red eyes glowing from the tree line. It charges, its massive form barreling toward us, but I shift mid-stride, my black wolf meeting it head-on, jaws snapping at its throat. Pain flares as its claws rake my flank, but Talis is there, her claws slashing its side, her silver-blue fur a blur.

“Dayne!” she shouts, human again, pulling me back as the wraith retreats, howling for its twin.

I shift back, blood streaming, grabbing her hand. “Trucks, now!”

We pile into the vehicles, engines roaring to life, tires kicking gravel as we speed north toward the mill. Talis beside me in the lead truck, her breath ragged, her hand on my thigh, the bond a lifeline. Luka follows Savannah and Regan, their headlights cutting the dark.

The wraiths’ howls chase us, closer, relentless, and I know this road to the mill is a gauntlet, Glynn’s trap snapping shut.

”

The forest road twists like a serpent, trees blurring as I push the truck harder, Talis’s grip on my thigh tightening with every bump.

The wraiths’ howls split the night, one ahead, one behind, their cursed presence heavy in the air. Hunters’ scents fade, but the second wraith’s deeper growl vibrates through the bond, pulling at Talis, her bloodline calling to it like a siren.

“It’s close,” she whispers, her silver-blue eyes flashing, pain etching her face. “I feel hungry for me.”

I glance at her, my wolf snarling. “It won’t touch you. We burn them at the mill.”

Savannah’s voice crackles over the radio from Luka’s truck. “Dayne, the second wraith it’s not like the first. Glynn bound it with blood magic, your family’s blood. It’s why he killed them to control it.”

My blood runs cold, the wheel slipping in my grip. My family’s slaughter, the madness I blamed on the old alpha Glynn’s doing? Rage surges, my wolf clawing for release, but Talis’s hand steadies me, the bond anchoring.

“He used them,” I growl, my voice breaking. “To make that thing.”

Talis’s eyes meet mine, fierce. “Then we end it. For them, for my parents, for us.”

Before I can respond, the first wraith bursts from the trees, slamming into the truck’s side, metal screeching as we swerve. I fight the wheel, tires skidding, but the second wraith emerges ahead, its eyes crimson flames, blocking the road.

“Hold on!” I shout, slamming the brakes, the truck fishtailing. Luka’s vehicle swerves behind, headlights flashing.

We skid to a stop, the wraiths circling, their howls deafening. I kick the door open, shifting as I leap out, my black wolf charging the first wraith. Talis follows, her silver-blue form a streak, her claws slashing the second’s flank. Pain explodes as the wraith’s jaws snap at my leg, but I twist, biting deep, its unnatural blood bitter on my tongue.

Luka shifts, joining the fray, his wiry wolf tackling the first wraith with me, while Regan fires a shotgun from the truck, pellets grazing the beasts. Savannah stays inside, her face pressed to the window, terror in her eyes.

Talis fights like a storm, her alpha power blazing, but the second wraith’s strength overwhelms, its claws raking her back. She yelps, shifting back, blood pouring, but she stands, claws out, defiant.

“Talis!” I roar, shifting to humans, grabbing the rifle, firing into the wraith’s eyes. It howls, retreating, but the first lunges at me, its weight crushing.

Savannah bursts from the truck, a flare gun in hand, firing at the wraiths. Flames erupt on the first’s fur, its scream piercing as it flees into the woods. The second hesitates, then bolts after, their howls fading.

Talis collapses against me, her breath shallow, blood soaking us both. “We… we did it,” she whispers, her hand on my chest.

“For now,” I say, holding her close, the bond pulsing with her fading strength. “But the mill’s ahead. Glynn waits.”

Luka shifts back, his face grim. “And the wraiths will return. Stronger.”

Savannah approaches, flare gun trembling. “I took this from the basement. For Eli.”

Talis’s eyes meet hers, pain and forgiveness mixing. “Help us end this.”

I lift Talis, carrying her to the truck, my wolf howling with fear. The mill looms, Glynn’s trap set, but as we drive on, a new howl joins the night not wraith, but wolf. Pack? Or something worse?