LOGINZAHRA-ROSEI woke up the next morning still reeling from everything that happened the previous day.From being taken hostage, to fighting that awful creature inside the hidden temple, to seeing Ashvin there beside me, fighting alongside me like there was nowhere else he would rather be.And then…The White Wolf.The wolf that shone as bright as moonlight itself, glowing like she had been hand-crafted by the Moon Goddess and gifted directly to me.Even now, I could still feel Eira awake inside me, unlike me, I was exhausted.Too exhausted to even move a single muscle.“Zahzah.”I knew that voice immediately.There was only one person in this pack that can call me.Shifting slightly against the soft bed, I dragged my eyes away from the ceiling and toward my sister.“Aly… aa… nah…” I tried saying her name, but the words barely came out, sounding more like a broken cough than actual speech.Her eyes softened instantly.“Hey, take it easy,” she said quickly, moving closer to
ASHVINSilence.That was the first thing that followed after everything.Not peace nor calm but just silence. Heavy and suffocating as the hidden temple crumbled around us.Large cracks spread through the walls, silver light bleeding through every opening as pieces of stone crashed to the floor around us. The air smelled of dust, blood and ancient magic, thick enough to choke even a wolf.But none of that held my attention.Only her, only Zahra-Rose. My Luna.Or rather what she had become.She was once someone scared of everyone, trying to adjust her footings but look at her now, commanding not just any attention but more of mine. My chest rose heavily as I stared at the massive white wolf standing in the center of the ruined ritual circle. The glow coming off her body illuminated the entire place, soft and deadly at the same time.Power rolled off her in waves, enough to make even my wolf pause.Zen stood unusually still inside me, watching her carefully.Not with fear.With recogn
The temple is collapsing around us.Stone cracks as silver light flickers wildly through the broken walls.Dust and ancient power choke the air as the entity staggers backward under our attacks.But it still isn’t falling.Every wound we create heals seconds later, darkness stitching itself back together like the creature refuses to die.Ashvin lands beside me again, chest rising heavily.“Something’s wrong,” he growls, eyes fixed on the creature. “It’s regenerating too fast.”Eira’s ears flatten.‘It’s feeding from the temple.’The entity laughs.The sound vibrates through the entire space.“You cannot destroy what this place sustains.”Darkness erupts outward from its body.Too fast.The blast slams into us before I can dodge.I’m thrown violently across the floor, crashing through shattered stone as pain tears through my side.A snarl rips from my throat.Ashvin hits the opposite wall hard enough to crack it.“Ashvin!” I bark instinctively, scrambling to my paws.He pushes himself
ZAHRA-ROSEThe moment he steps into this space I felt it.Ashvin.No, not when it was faint nor distant but here, right here with me.The bond slams into me like a storm breaking loose, tearing through everything that was holding me down.My breath catches violently.“Ashvin…” I whisper, my voice barely mine.Relief hits me first, a warm overwhelming relief that my made my heart ache. He searched for me despite all odds and he has found me.Still riling in the relief that he had found me, I did not notice when something began to change.Something darker.The circle beneath me reacts instantly.The moment his presence floods the space, the symbols flare violently brighter than before, sharper, almost desperate. It knew time was no longer on its side and needed to act fast.“No…..” the voice snaps, no longer calm. “This is not how this end.”Pain explodes through me again but this time it was different, is not just the ritual but its me, this pain is all me.Something ins
ASHVINThe ground beneath my feet pulses again.There I feel it. It was faint but real.Zahra.My head snaps up, eyes locking onto the empty space in front of me.“She’s there,” I say, my voice low, deadly certain.We have been here ever since that moment Zen felt their presence. I knew she was inside there this very moment fighting and not allowing herself to be swallowed whole. There was so much going on at the pack right now, there has been another attack and yet I couldn’t see myself leaving this place without her.Zen surges forward instantly.‘She’s fighting,’ he growls. ‘I can feel her now.’That’s all I needed.Every restraint I had been holding onto gone just with that confirmation from him.My Alpha aura explodes outward, not controlled anymore but this time around it was raw and violent, wanting to unleash its anger on anyone, anything at all.The air around me bends under the pressure. The ground cracks, spreading outward in jagged lines as power rolls off me in waves.A
The circle pulses again, harder this time.Like it’s trying to tear me apart piece by piece.My teeth grind together as I force myself not to scream again.Not this time.Sharp pain floods through me but I hold onto it. I don’t let it swallow me whole.Because now I know what this is.A test.And I refuse to fail.“You will break,” the voice echoes again, colder now.I lift my head slowly, my vision blurred but burning with defiance.“No,” I rasp. “I won’t.”The symbols beneath me flare brighter in response.Like they heard me.Like they’re challenging me.Fine.Let them.Another wave crashes into me and this time I feel it, not just the pain but something elseA pull so deep in my chest, faint at first like earlier but it is growing.Eira.‘Again,’ she growls weakly. ‘Push again.’“I’m trying,” I choke out, my fingers digging into the ground as I force myself upright.My body trembles violently, barely holding together under the pressure.But I push.I reach.
ZAHRA-ROSEAt this point, I’m getting used to the training. It doesn’t hurt as much anymore, and I think my body has finally adapted to the intensity of it. The soreness, the bruises, they no longer sting the way they used to.But even as my limbs grow stronger, my mind keeps drifting to tomorrow’s
ASHVIN HARVEYThe previous day had been far too intense for everyone, but especially for her.I wasn’t sure if I should say I was proud, but I was. The way Zahra-Rose stood her ground, the way she submitted herself to her purpose without letting anyone intimidate her, it was the kind of strength th
ZAHRA-ROSE POVMate.I could hear the word echoing in my head, his mate. Ashvin’s mate.As I trembled in his arms while he handed me a change of clothes, I still couldn’t believe what had happened.“You better believe it,” she spoke again, this time the happiness in her voice was impossible to cont
Asael was by my side as I shifted back, offering me a change of clothes after the successful hunt.“You make this leadership thing look so easy. How do you do it?” he asked as I pulled on the shirt he handed me.Zen was exhausted, but satisfied.He loved coming out to play, to hunt, and to run bene







