ANMELDENVera's POVI watched in complete shock as Dante's entire form shifted into something that was both terrifying and magnificent in equal measure, his body transforming before my eyes into a creature that shouldn't exist but clearly did.I had never seen him fully unleash his hybrid nature before, not like this, not with such complete abandon as he let both sides of himself merge into something that was neither fully wolf nor fully vampire but somehow both at once.His fangs were longer than any wolf's I'd ever seen, extending past his lips even when his mouth was closed, gleaming white and deadly sharp as they caught the light from the chandeliers overhead.His eyes glowed crimson red with an intensity that should have terrified me, the color so deep and vivid that they looked like pools of fresh blood, a clear sign of his vampire side taking complete control over his usual golden wolf eyes.The transformation was complete and absolute, turning the man I loved into a predator that every
Marina's POVI waited until the guard rotation changed at midnight, watching through half-closed eyes as the evening shift left and the night guards took their positions with the casual laziness that came from centuries of nothing exciting happening in these dungeons."Now," Elena whispered in the old Silvercrest dialect that guards wouldn't understand even if they overheard. "The window between shifts is our only chance."She coached me through the ritual in whispered words that felt older than time itself, explaining that the magic required me to offer my own life force as a beacon that would broadcast my royal blood signature across all territories and wake the dormant Silvercrest heritage in anyone who carried even a drop of our ancestral line."The magic will burn through you like fire," Elena warned, her hand gripping mine as tightly as our chains allowed. "It might stop your heart or shatter your mind, but if you survive the initial casting then the Calling will reach everyone
Marina's POVVincent leaned against the cell wall watching guards chain me beside my mother, his casual demeanor making the betrayal somehow worse because he felt no shame or guilt about what he'd done."You're wondering why," he said conversationally. "Why help you get this far only to trap you at the end.""I'm wondering how you sleep at night knowing you're a coward and a traitor," I spat."Quite well actually, especially knowing I've been promised Damon's entire territory plus Silvercrest's old lands in exchange for delivering you and your mother to the Council." Vincent examined his fingernails like we were discussing the weather. "I've been a Council operative for years, placed strategically to monitor ambitious Alphas and eliminate threats before they grow too large.""You never wanted me as a mate.""Gods no, you're far too troublesome and headstrong, but I wanted you as a prisoner because the Council fears Silvercrest's return and fears your son's prophecy." He smiled. "Elimi
Marina's POVI sent word to Alpha Vincent through channels that Maya's scouts maintained with the outside world, a simple message that said I needed his help and was willing to negotiate terms he'd offered months ago.The response came within hours which told me Vincent had been waiting for exactly this kind of opportunity, and two days later he arrived at the hidden valley looking far too smug for someone entering enemy territory."Princess Kailani," he said with a bow that was just mocking enough to be insulting. "Or should I call you Luna Marina now? I hear you've been busy since we last spoke.""I need your help," I said directly, not bothering with pleasantries because we both knew why he was here."So your message indicated, something about rescuing your mother from the Council dungeons?" Vincent settled into a chair like he owned the place. "That's quite the ambitious plan for someone with no resources and no allies in Council territory.""Which is why I'm talking to you, you h
Marina's POVI wanted to rush to the Council immediately and help my mother, but the Silvercrest survivors surrounded me with desperate eyes begging me to stay because they needed their princess and needed hope that their pack could be rebuilt after eight years of hiding and fear."You're our future," Maya said quietly, her weathered hands gripping mine. "Your mother fought to keep us alive, but you represent what we're fighting for, the continuation of Silvercrest blood and tradition.""My mother is walking into a trap and you want me to stay here doing nothing while she dies?""I want you to be smart about this, rushing to the Council with no plan and no intelligence is exactly what Thaddeus would want because then he captures both Silvercrest heirs in one move."Damon agreed with Maya much to my frustration. "We should return home and fortify defenses rather than charging into Council territory where we'll be outnumbered and outmaneuvered by wolves who've spent centuries perfecting
Marina's POVI wanted to rush to the Council immediately and help my mother, but the Silvercrest survivors surrounded me with desperate eyes begging me to stay because they needed their princess and needed hope that their pack could be rebuilt after eight years of hiding and fear."You're our future," Maya said quietly. "Your mother fought to keep us alive, but you represent what we're fighting for, the continuation of Silvercrest blood and tradition.""My mother is walking into a trap and you want me to stay here doing nothing while she dies?""I want you to be smart about this, rushing to the Council with no plan and no intelligence is exactly what Thaddeus would want because then he captures both Silvercrest heirs in one move."Damon agreed with Maya much to my frustration. "We should return home and fortify defenses rather than charging into Council territory where we'll be outnumbered and outmaneuvered by wolves who've spent centuries perfecting political warfare.""So I just aba







