As we push ourselves harder and faster, the trees in the forest mix around us as we run through it. My face stings from the wind, and my heart beats in sync with our motions.I have a nagging feeling that something isn't quite right. It goes beyond the animals that nearly attacked us or the writing on the tree. This seems deeper and more personal. I look at Callum, who has a hard-lined face and eyes that are set on the future. Even from a distance, I can feel the stress in the air as the packhouse comes into view. There is a problem. As we get closer, Callum slows down and tightens his hold on my hand, so he must feel it too. Callum's dad, Hunter, is standing at the entry with his arms crossed across his chest. Normally, he is quite cool and controlled, but right now, he is acting differently. His jaw is locked as he watches us come closer, his face blank. Unease makes my stomach turn over. Callum shouts, "Hunter," as we stop in front of him. His voice is quiet and deep, yet it has
I stand motionless, looking at Mia with my heart beating in my chest. Could it truly be the friend who had always backed me and fought beside me through so much? Was she an enemy to us? I'm trying to piece together all the times that now seem like lies, and my mind is rushing. But I'm not going to believe it. Until I get word from her."Is it true, Mia?" I mumble, my voice wavering. Her eyes suddenly meet mine, and I realize something I hadn't previously noticed. Shame. Her eyes are filled with sorrow, and it's written all over her face. The pain of deceit pierces me more deeply than any hurt. I move back with shaking hands as my breath catches in my throat. At first, she stays quiet, opening and shutting her mouth as though she's trying to find the right words. The stress in the room tightens like a noose around my neck, and the quiet between us is startling. "Mia," I repeat, my voice breaking under the force of my feelings. "Tell me that's untrue." Unable to look me in the eyes,
Mia's revelation hovers in the air, suffocating and weighty. Her words are so weighty that they shake me from the bottom of my heart. Every time my heart beats, it feels like a hammer striking my ribs in my chest. The world appears to have stopped revolving, and all I can think of is her—the person I trusted, the companion I assumed I knew, now standing in front of me as a traitor. I ask the query that has been burning in my brain, swallowing hard, my throat parched, my voice barely a whisper. "Who are they?" I can scarcely get the words out before they tremble. "Who is in charge of everything?" Mia stops, fear and guilt jumbled together in her eyes. She can't keep my eyes on her, so she looks aside. Her shoulders slump as if she is finally being crushed by the weight of her treachery. With a shaky voice, she says, "I don't know their true identity." But Aurora, they're powerful. Behind the scenes, they have been doing this for a long. And their purpose... Her voice falters as she
The severity of the onslaught rattles the packhouse like it's made of paper, forcing the walls around us to shudder. Panic growing within me, I clutch to Callum's arm as my breath freezes in my throat. I can feel the deep, awful rumbling of the earth beneath us vibrating in my bones. There's going to be something. Something powerful. A tremendous shatter reverberates down the passage, and then there's the definite sound of claws scuffing the floor. I whip my head toward the door, my heart hammering. Wolves. They're present. Callum snags my hand without thinking, his grasp solid and tight. He says, calmly but urgently, "We have to move." His eyes are filled with resolution rather than fear. His body is tense and prepared for whatever is going to break through, so he drags me toward the door. Wolves, their fur bristling with fury and their eyes blazing, leap through the door as it breaks open. For a time, the loudness overwhelms me and I freeze. The air is filled with growls and snar
Bennet is just a few feet away, his stance straight, his face as hard as stone. He is encircled by ferocious renegade wolves. When Callum stands guardedly in front of me, I feel the tension in his body and tighten my hold on his arm while my heart pounding in my chest. "You didn't anticipate it being this simple, did you?" Bennet's voice pierces the calm like a dagger. He appears to be relishing the worry and uncertainty in the air because of his chilly, even mocking look. Callum's body stiffens before me as he lets out a low-pitched growl. "Bennet, you're doing something wrong. With an outraged tone, he advises, "This isn't the way." Despite the danger all around us, I feel protected due of his shielding position. Bennet's lips curl into a smirk as he chuckles bitterly. "Error?" he says again, shaking his head. "No, Callum, it was a mistake to imagine that you could shield Aurora from all of this. You have no concept what's involved. I can still see the wrath burning in Bennet's
Like a keen, merciless knife, Bennet's sentence cuts through the tension. Callum, tell her. Let her know who you truly are.I go cold. His implication-laden words stay in the air, and my heart speeds as I fight to understand what's going on. Callum hasn't revealed something that lies beneath the surface. In an effort to find answers, my look flickers between Bennet and Callum, but all I see is calculating coldness on Bennet's face and something much more worrisome on Callum's. "What is he discussing?" I ask in a shaky but forceful voice, my need for clarity overtaking me. At first, Callum avoids eye contact with me, his jaw tensing as though he's fighting an internal struggle. I can see his hands squeezing into fists at his sides, and his broad shoulders are tense. Something is being hidden by him. Something significant. And he is being torn apart by whatever it is. His voice is thick with feeling as he starts, "There are things I haven't told you, Aurora." My chest tightens with w
Callum's secrets weigh so much that, as he stands in front of me, his towering frame seems much smaller. As he turns to face me, his shoulders slump and his typically erect stance breaks. My heart is throbbing in my ears as I wait for him to say anything, and the calm between us is stifling. He breaks the solitude at last in a soft, regretful voice. Years ago, before we met, I negotiated a deal with someone. a deal that went south for me. His remarks sway the room. I attempt to relax myself by taking a short step back as my breath freezes in my throat. A bargain? What's the issue? Though I can't quite bring myself to say it, the question is burning on my lips. Whatever this contract was, I could tell from the fear in his eyes that it would ruin the delicate world I have built with him. I make an attempt to look him in the eye, but he swiftly turns away, as though he can't bear to see how upset he is going to make me feel. "Callum, what type of bargain?" I speak in a whisper, but it
Aching beneath the weight of Callum's revelation, my heart tightens. I feel as if someone has hit me and taken the breath out of my lungs. As the truth strikes me more, my hands start to tremble and my chest feels constricted. He made a bargain—with them. He placed me in peril, well knowing of the possible implications. I glance at him, trying to find an explanation, anything that would justify this betrayal. "You struck a bargain with them?" The grief is so palpable and visceral that my voice quivers as I speak. "Callum, you put me in danger? How would you achieve that? I can feel the words ripping through the small shards of my confidence in him. I quickly shrink away from the guy I thought I knew as he makes a timid step toward me. His voice is full of anguish as he says, "I didn't know it would end like this." "Please, Aurora. You were never intended to be engaged in this. I never wanted to do you harm. His words linger, but they don't make the sorrow go away. Between my love
The area where we stand is illuminated by a silvery radiance due to the high and full moon. The quiet is deafening. In my ears, every breath and heartbeat sounds like thunder. Callum is standing a few feet away from me, his eyes fixed on mine while his fists are clenched at his sides.I say, just above a whisper, "You don't have to do this."His eyes are ablaze with love and agony as he steps closer. "Yes, I do." I must put this right. For you. For us.My heart twitches. My soul is ignited by the touch of this man, who I adore. Yet here we are, caught between love and loyalty, between the past and the future.I carefully extend my hand to touch his. Do it like the man I know, then. The Alpha, no. Not the heir. Simply callum.He gently nods, his shoulders becoming somewhat less tense. So it's just Callum. For you.The council waits in a loose circle behind us. They are a chilly reminder of the decision that looms over everything like a fog: betray his blood or lose me forever.Bennet a
The Calm Before the StormThe ashes still cling to the air, heavy and bitter.The next morning light filters through the smoke-stained windows of the pack house. Everything feels quiet now, too quiet. As if the world is holding its breath. I pace the hallway, my boots echoing softly.Every warrior is on high alert. The scent of blood and burnt wood still lingers, making it hard to forget what happened.We lost too many. And Lucas got exactly what he wanted…fear. But I won’t let that fear control me.Callum walks beside me, his arm brushing mine. His wounds are healing slower than normal. Maybe it’s because of the dark magic Lucas used during the attack.We haven’t spoken much since last night. Too many thoughts. Too many emotions. "The border patrols are doubled," he says quietly. "No one leaves without my permission."I nod. "Good. We can’t risk another ambush." He looks at me then, eyes dark. "You still think there’s a traitor?"I pause."Yes." I see it in his face. The same doubt I
Inside the small, empty house, the air was thick with damp wood and nothing but quiet. I sat next to Callum and put a cloth over the big cut on his side. His shirt was stained with blood, and even though he was breathing unevenly, it stayed steady. Even though the roof leaked a little, it was a place to stay, and that was all we had at the time.I grabbed his hand tighter and whispered, "Stop moving." Callum winced and gave me a weak smile. "When you're scared, you're rude." "I'm always scared when you're hurt like this," I mumbled. I dropped my head and let my hair fall forward to hide the tears that were about to fall. He brushed a hand against my face, his touch soft despite the pain he was in. “Don’t cry for me, Aurora.” I didn’t answer. Instead, I put the cloth in the bowl of warm water and kept cleaning his wound. We’d lost so much today…so much blood, so many answers. And Lucas… that name alone sent a chill down my spine.I still couldn’t believe it. He was living all this
The air crackles with dark magic. Callum and I charge together, side by side, our wolves growling inside us. The hooded enemy raises a hand. A wave of black smoke races toward us. I throw up a shield of light, my new power burning inside me.The smoke crashes against it but doesn't break through. Callum leaps forward with a growl, striking at the figure. They block him easily, moving with a speed that doesn’t seem normal. I follow, hitting from the other side. But every move we make, they counter. It’s like they can see the future. Like they know every move before we make it."We have to end this!" I shout. Callum nods, sweat dripping down his face. The animals around us growl but do not move. They wait. Watching. As if the real fight is only between us and their boss.My heart pounds. I summon every bit of strength inside me. I feel Callum’s power through our bond, steady and strong. Together. We strike again, harder. Faster. The enemy falls back for the first time. A crack forms in
The gang gathers that night beneath the stars. A enormous fire blazes in the middle of the clearing, spilling golden light over everyone’s faces. Callum stands tall beside me, his fingers holding mine. Everyone is hushed, waiting. Waiting for answers.I clear my throat, my heart thumping. "They deserve to know," I say to Callum. He nods. "They trust you, Aurora," he adds gently. "Tell them the truth." So I move ahead. I feel every eye on me. Every pulse beating throughout the darkness."There’s more coming," I respond, my voice firm even though my hands are trembling. "Victor was not the end. There’s a larger risk waking awake — something older, something deeper." Murmurs spread across the throng. I elevate my chin. "But we are powerful. We are not alone. We fight for each other. For our house. And we shall stand against whatever comes next."There is quiet. Then one by one, the wolves bow their heads. A vow of allegiance. A promise. I blink back tears. Callum squeezes my
Waking to a New World: I wake to the lovely light of morning. The rain has ceased. The scene beyond the window seems clean, fresh, like the ground itself is breathing again after holding its breath for too long. Callum’s arm is stretched across me, thick and warm. His calm breathing tells me he’s still sleeping. For a time, I don’t move. I simply listen to his heart. I never believed I would survive last night. I never imagined I would experience this tranquility again. Carefully, I turn to face him. Even in sleep, he appears ferocious, like he’s ready to battle against the world to defend me. I reach out and touch his jawline with my fingertips. He stirs, his eyelids flickering open. When he sees me, he grins – a true smile, one that reaches his eyes. "Good morning, my love," he says, his voice low and raspy from sleep. My heart racing. "Good morning," I mumble back. He pulls me closer, burying his face in my neck. For a long time, we simply hold one other, saying nothing,
The rain pours heavier now, drowning the countryside in darkness. Thunder rumbles in the distance, deep and frightening, like a warning growl. I sit with Callum on the balcony for a long time, feeling his steady pulse against my side. His warmth is the only thing stopping the cold from devouring me completely.“I should go check on the others,” I whisper. Callum doesn’t let go. Instead, he draws me even closer. “Stay a little longer,” he urges, his voice raspy with passion. “Just a little longer.” So I remain.For the first time in days, I let myself relax. I shut my eyes and breathe him in – the aroma of rain, of pine, of him. But peace seldom lasts long in our world. A loud howl rips through the darkness. Another follows.And another. I bolt upright, my heart smashing into my ribs. Callum is already moving, his body tight and ready. “They’re here,” he replies ominously. Victor’s troops. Attacking in the thick of the storm. The pack house bursts into turmoil. Wolves shi
The following morning, the world feels different. The sun rises in gentle hues, caressing the sky with pink and gold. Birds chirp in the treetops. The woodland smells like new rain and optimism. But deep down, I sense it.A warning. A shift. Callum is already awake when I open my eyes. He sits at the edge of the bed, bare-chested, his head down like he’s bearing the weight of the world again. I sneak out from beneath the cover and move to him. My fingertips stroke his shoulder, feeling the strain in his muscles.He turns toward me, his eyes dark and angry. “I can feel it, Aurora. Something’s coming.” I nod. I feel that too. The bliss we tasted last night – it was genuine, but it was also fragile, and somewhere out there, danger is waiting to rip it apart.“We’ll be ready,” I answer gently. He pulls me into his lap without a word, throwing his arms around me like he never wants to let go. And for a short time, we simply hold each other. Because love is all we have today. A Visi
The night air seems cooler now. It's not warm enough.I stand there, motionless, my arms wrapped tightly around myself as if that might keep me from coming apart. The trees shake about me, whispering whispers I can’t hear, while the moon looks down, mute and uncaring.Callum is still there.I feel his presence before I ever see him move. He's standing only a few steps away, hands tightening and unclenching at his sides, like he’s fighting himself. “Aurora…” His voice breaks, raw with pain.I shut my eyes, hoping I could forget everything. Wishing I could go back to before—before Bennet's comments ruined the delicate trust between us. Before the truth fought its way into my heart and left nothing but pain.“I can’t…” I mumble, taking a slight step back. “I can’t even look at you right now.” His face twists in misery. “Please, just listen to me. Let me explain—” “What’s there to explain?” My voice rises without trying to. “Your father killed mine, Callum! Your family w