INICIAR SESIÓNI force myself to keep going. “Yes, but if I’d had a choice in the matter, I wouldn’t have.” “What do you mean?” Dorian asks. There’s no judgment in his voice, only curiosity. “I’m a Hollow wolf,” I say quietly. “Maybe you’ve heard of it. Stronger and faster than normal werewolves, and when the host dies—” Caden finishes for me, his voice low. “The wolf moves on to find a stronger host.” I nod. “Yes. Only one Hollow wolf is allowed to exist in a century. It keeps the balance, you know, prevents clashes between two Hollow wolves. Spirits like my wolf, Nyra, search for a host strong enough to survive their power.” I swallow. “A host always has a purpose. To fulfill a destiny. To bring stability. Or to birth the next generation.” Mia tilts her head. “What’s yours?” I shake my head. “I don’t know yet. I’m still figuring that out.” I release a slow breath. “My parents never suspected I’d carry a Hollow wolf. The first pup is usually the one chosen. When that pup shifts for the firs
When the child fully shifts and her eyes narrow at her father, I understand. By the resigned look on her parents’ faces, they understand too. I can’t look away as she tears him apart. He doesn’t fight her as she does it. There is only sadness in his eyes, so deep it steals the air from my lungs. The mother tries to stop her, but the newly awakened she-wolf is far too strong. In the end, they both die. Just like my parents did. When the vision shatters, the first thing I see is Caden staring at me in alarm. I realize I’m standing at the very edge of the cliff. My back to the drop, my face turned toward my mate. His hands grip my shoulders, grounding me, holding me steady. My voice comes out rough. “What… happened?” A ragged breath leaves him. “Goddess, Selene, I should be asking you that. You were just standing there, staring past the cliff into nothing and—” He stops. His eyes take on a strange look as he reaches up and gently runs his thumb beneath my left eye. It comes bac
I’m falling. Falling. I land. I expect my bones to crush against the ground, but instead I fall onto soft flowers rather than hard earth. The sound of pounding paws thunders behind me. I scramble to my feet and turn just in time to see a flood of wolves charging toward me, not slowing, not stopping. At their head runs a massive brown wolf, his entire form engulfed in a bright red glow. “Another hollow wolf?” “Kin,” Nyra whispers in awe. My hesitation costs me precious seconds. I squeeze my eyes shut, bracing for the pain, but it never comes. Time passes. I open my eyes with a sharp gasp. They’re running through me. “What?” I’m falling again, straight through the soil. When I land this time, it isn’t gentle. The impact is brutal, pain exploding through my body as my shoulder dislocates. I pant, fighting through the agony, and roll onto my side. The sight before me steals my breath. Thousands of wolves clash across a blood-soaked battlefield. Necks are ripped out. Blood
My words are blunt. “The Goddess has gone mad.” This has to be the only explanation for this new nonsense. Elder Eira’s eyebrows fly to her hairline. “There’s always a reason for everything.” “She wants me to go feral,” I murmur, staring into space. “She’s aware my human part is the only thing keeping Nyra at bay, right?” “You have to stop thinking your wolf is a separate part of you,” she says. “You are one.” I give her a look. “She has her name and is as old as time itself. She’s crazy.” I shrug. “I’m not.” Not if I can help it. You’re just a coward, Nyra snarls. Just when I think my wolf and I have finally ironed out our differences, we’re back on opposite sides. I laugh harshly. “The Goddess must love using me as entertainment. She wants history to repeat itself.” Elder Eira watches quietly, letting me rant. “If I give up my humanity, what would be the difference between me and a rogue?” “You won’t go feral,” Elder Eira says slowly. I stare at her. The goddess must ha
Elder Eira steps into my path just as I walk out of the packhouse. “Follow me,” she says curtly, already turning away. I stare after her, eyebrows raised. When she doesn’t stop or glance back, I sigh and follow. She leads me to a small cottage on the far side of the packhouse. Its brick walls look seconds away from collapsing. When she opens the wooden door, it shifts crookedly in its frame. I step inside. She closes the door behind us. “Why aren’t you staying in the packhouse?” I ask, studying the interior. The space is small. There arescattered stools, and a thin cot is pressed against the far wall. Firewood is stacked neatly beside a stove, with a few pots hanging above it. She gestures for me to sit. I lower myself onto a stool. “I feel connected to those who came before me,” she says. “This cottage has housed many seers.” “Oh.” I swallow. “Oh.” She moves to a kettle, cups, and plates laid out beside it, and pours steaming liquid into a cup. “Tea?” I open my
The brown wolf shifts, and Ryken is left looking at this familiar-looking man, but he can’t place where he knows him from. The man speaks, “You’re Ryken from the Blackridge pack, right? The one the other packs have been warned of.”“Who’s asking?” Ryken gasps out through the pain.“I’m Ronan from the Black Canine pack.”Realization hits him. “Your Alpha is Silas.” The Alpha who is travelling so close to their border before.“Yes,” he answers impatiently. “And you’re Ryken?”He hesitates, then tries to tip his chin up to look confident, but the pain won’t let him. “Yes.”Ronan smiles. “Good. I have a deal for you.”He studies the man before him curiously. “What kind of deal?”“Alpha Caden has my sister with him…”“Your sister,” Ryken repeats. His eyes widen. Now he knows where he has seen those gold eyes. Selene’s eyes glow golden that day under the full moon. He feels fury rising at the thought of a part of her standing before him. “I’m not helping you with anything that has to do wit