LOGINThe rogue glared at the three men crawling on the ground as they fled in the distance, hatred blazing in his fading eyes. As his final breath escaped him, his body slid down the trunk, eyes still wide open, burning with fury even in death. Because of the trap, Marcus’s men couldn’t advance any farther. One of them tried to crawl through the obstacle, but the captain had already circled around and pulled another hidden string. In an instant, a barrage of poisoned arrows shot out from the darkness. The rogue froze mid-crawl, confusion flashing across his eyes before pain flooded his body. Dozens of arrows pierced through him, turning him into something resembling a hedgehog. He didn’t even have time to scream. The venom worked fast, spreading through his blood and reaching his heart within seconds, then, everything went still. His body collapsed lifelessly, eyes blank and unmoving. Only Marcus and one rogue were left standing. The captain glanced back, then turned and sprinted with
He wanted to say something, to offer comfort or reassurance, but he knew that a single word could endanger them all and expose his plan before it even began. So he bit down hard, gritting his teeth to keep himself silent. Slowly, he lowered his head to hide his face, knowing full well that acting was never his strength. Instead, he used their mindlink to speak with the other two. "Stop crying. I have a plan. Just follow my lead..." the captain said through the link, his mental voice calm but firm. "I know, Captain. I was just acting," the warrior replied, still sniffling a little. The captain could almost feel him doing it, and could also sense his own body stiffen in surprise at the response. "You knew? How? Did I give myself away? Did the enemy notice?" the captain asked quickly, a flicker of panic slipping in his voice through the mindlink. "No, Captain. I don’t think they noticed. That’s why I started crying," the warrior replied. "I wanted to divert their attention to me, to
He could only trust that there was a reason Sylas had led them here before passing out. Though he didn’t know what Sylas’s plan was or why this place mattered, he refused to let any more of his comrades die before his eyes. He wasn’t about to let one of his brothers throw himself into the fire just yet."What’s your purpose in attacking our pack?" the captain demanded suddenly. He knew there was little chance Marcus or his men would bother to answer, but he asked anyway, if only to buy a few more precious seconds, hoping their reinforcements would arrive in time.Marcus tilted his head to the side, a slow grin spreading across his face as understanding dawned. "So, you think that just because you’re dying, I’d feel sorry for you and answer your question? That I’d hand you the truth since the dead tell no tales?"He let out a harsh cackle, amused by his own words. Sure, some might indulge the dying with answers out of pity, but Marcus wasn’t one of them. He had neither the patience nor
Their blood was boiling. So many of their people were dead, and those men had the gall to mock the fallen. They couldn’t stand it. Veins throbbed at their temples as each man fought to leash the wolves inside him.The captain wanted to tell his men to ignore the taunts, but even he felt his stomach twist in fury at those vile words that desecrated the memory of their fallen comrades. His fists clenched, and he shut his eyes tight, trying to contain the rage burning within him.When he opened them again, his irises glowed a deep, furious red, the unmistakable mark of hatred threatening to consume him.But he couldn’t give in. Not now. He couldn’t just abandon Sylas to chase vengeance against those rogues.Marcus, following closely behind, heard the taunts too, yet instead of rebuking his men, he merely chuckled, as if he shared their perverse amusement. It was clear then that whatever shred of morality Marcus once had was long gone.Perhaps it was because he himself had suffered humili
In this way, every time Sylas’s group saw Marcus’s men fall one by one, a fragile spark of hope would flicker in their hearts, only for Marcus and his remaining forces to close in on them again. It was a cruel cycle of relief and despair, repeated over and over, until their nerves were frayed to the edge.That was how Marcus managed to corner them countless times, only to let them slip away just enough to prolong the chase.But, of course, both sides were playing their own mental games. For Marcus, it was all for his twisted amusement, a cruel test of how long they could last before breaking. For Sylas’s side, it was the opposite.Every narrow escape, every fleeting victory, was not just survival; it was fuel for hope. They fought to keep that fragile light alive, even as Marcus tried to snuff it out again and again.Of course, while Marcus treated all those traps as mere toys, his men didn’t. No matter how cautious they became after the first one fell, they could never completely gua
While Alpha Hue was busy cutting down waves of rogues on the other side, Maxwell charged toward Sylas’s position. He only brought a handful of warriors with him, but with his overwhelming speed and strength, it was the others who struggled to keep up with him. Instead of needing them to clear the path, Maxwell was the one carving it open for them, leaving a trail of mangled corpses in his path. The rogues who dared block his way were torn apart beyond recognition, the scene so gruesome it could churn anyone’s stomach. Fortunately, the warriors following him had long grown used to blood and gore; they averted their eyes and focused on keeping pace with Alpha Maxwell. But because he had been held back for too long, by the time Maxwell reached the section of the border Sylas was assigned to defend, all that greeted him was carnage. The trees were splattered with blood as if a crimson storm had swept through, and the ground was littered with bodies, some belonging to the Golden Hue Pa
Tori’s POV The next day, the sun glaringly pierced through the curtains. I couldn't remember when I had fallen asleep the night before, but as far as I recalled, I dozed off in the woods after crying the entire night. But now... I looked around and saw that I was back in the Alpha suite. I was
Tori’s POV I immersed myself in my work, hoping it would help numb the pain slowly consuming my heart. As night descended, no one reached out to me or even sent a mindlink, leaving me feeling utterly isolated, as if I had been cut off from everyone. But I pushed those thoughts aside and focused o
Tori’s POV It was as though they were making no effort to hide their actions, openly flaunting their connection in front of everyone, intentionally deepening my hurt. The mockery in their voices was unmistakable, and it stung sharply in the silence that followed. Carlisle's subordinates seemed
Tori’s POV Hearing it straight from his mouth, I felt my world crash down, but I couldn't even let out a whimper as pain consumed my body. After being away from each other for a long time, our mate bond was weaker, but even then, I could still feel the pain in my heart as a lone tear fell from my







