PROFESSOR CELESTE The forest swallowed us whole.I carried the Moonborn in my arms like an offering, her limp body bouncing against my shoulder as I strode deeper into the forbidden woods. The trees here grew thicker, older, blacker than any elsewhere. Their twisted limbs knitted overhead, blotting out what little light the blood moon gave. Even the wolves would not step foot here. Their howls stopped at the border, leaving only the sound of my boots crunching dead leaves and Lessie’s ragged breathing.She stirred once, coughing weakly, and a small trickle of blood slid from the corner of her mouth. I smiled to myself. Perfect. The ritual had already begun to take hold.I reached the ruin just as the clouds parted. The moon was out already, and I was deep red as fresh blood poured over the temple’s cracked stones. Its pillars had long since crumbled, yet the altar still stood, black granite etched with runes older than the coven itself. Power thrummed here, a pulse beneath my s
PROFESSOR DANTE “No!!” Kieran’s roar tore through the chamber, shaking the stone walls as he hurled himself toward Celeste.But she barely flicked her wrist. A wave of raw magic shot from her palm, and he was blasted backwards like a rag doll, slamming against the far wall with a bone-crunching thud.The chamber erupted into chaos.I lunged. My body moved before thought, before pain, before reason. My claws unsheathed, my wolf snarling, I intercepted her strike, forcing the knife away from Lessie’s chest. The blade pierced my skin too deep.Agony seared through me as steel tore across my flesh. My blood spilled over the floor, staining the runes beneath us.“Dante!” Lessie’s voice cracked, and it gutted me worse than the blade.But I forced my jaw tight, ignoring the burn. I couldn’t afford to falter and let her know I was in pains.Behind me, Kieran dragged himself to his feet, shaking his head as if clearing the daze. His eyes burned like wildfire when they locked on Ethan.“You,”
PROFESSOR DANTERage devours. It claws through your ribs, roars in your veins, and leaves no room for reason. That was me. A storm barely contained inside flesh. My mate had been stolen from me, dragged into the dark by a traitor I once allowed near her, and every second she was gone mad I almost ran mad.Warriors crowded around the table, their voices a chaos of suggestions and protests. None of it mattered. None of it was fast enough. Lessie was out there and I was trapped listening to men argue.Then Kieran opened his damn mouth.“I’ll lead the rescue,” he said with a steady voice, jaw locked. His eyes met mine, blazing with the same feral fire I felt.It was the last thread snapping inside me.I slammed my fists on the table so hard the wood cracked, and before anyone could breathe, I kicked it. The heavy oak slammed against the stone floor, then smashed against the far wall, splintering into jagged shards. The room froze. My chest heaved, power spilling out of my veins.“Wat
LESSIE I came to with a scream already lodged in my throat, but it died before it could find an exit. The world opened in a burst of white pain that hammered behind my eyes and pulsed through my skull like a bell. Every breath was unbearable. My mouth tasted copper and old rain. For a dizzy second I couldn’t remember my own name.Then the light focused and the room sharpened into awful, precise detail.I was lying on a cold stone. My wrists and ankles were bound with bands that hummed faintly and glowed with a pale, sickly blue. Runes crawled up the bands like living ink. The chamber around me was carved so deep into the earth it felt like the inside of some giant bone. Candles burned in iron sconces, and the wax smelled like rosemary and ash. The walls were covered in glyphs that pulsed softly as if they were breathing.My arm.I tried to move and the shock of pain made me gasp. Machines — ancient-looking, brass and glass and ropes of silver tubing leaned over me, and tiny nee
LESSIE The piercing howl split through the air like a blade, sharp enough to rattle my bones. I froze, my chest tightening as the sound echoed again, low, guttural, vibrating with urgency.“What was that?” My voice cracked as I spun toward Dante. My heart already knew, but I needed him to say it.His eyes, golden with fire, locked onto mine. “The signal,” he said grimly. “We’re under attack.”Before I could even process it, his hand clasped mine, firm and unyielding. “Stay with me. Don’t let go.”The world blurred as he dragged me toward the door. My legs scrambled to keep up with his long, determined strides. Down the stairs, through the halls, his voice roared above the chaos, ordering the students—“Out of the way! Get to safety!”They scattered, some screaming, some frozen as their gazes followed us. The ground trembled beneath our feet as we reached the courtyard. Shouts, growls, and the metallic clash of blades filled the night. Smoke stung my nose.Before we could make it to
PROFESSOR DANTE The day had already dragged me to the edge of exhaustion before the sun was even halfway down the sky. Meetings like these were always an irritation, but this one had felt like carrying a boulder uphill.I arrived early, because Alphas noticed such things, and when the others came — three men and one woman, each leader of the pack was as stubborn as me. They were all strong, their wolves rippling beneath their skin, their eyes sharp with the unspoken knowledge of what was coming.War.I didn’t need to paint it for them; they already knew. The rise of a Moonborn would never go quietly. Lessie’s awakening had set something in motion that none of us could ignore. Celeste would come. Rival packs would come. Hunters already had.So I spoke plainly.“We stand at a threshold,” I told them, my voice filling the dim council chamber. “If we stay divided, she," I did not say Lessie’s name, but we all knew. “Will be taken. And when she is taken, our lands, our wolves, our chi