ログイン"You want to walk into a room full of wolves who tried to kill you and offer them mercy?"Victor's voice was sharp with disbelief. He stood before my desk, his arms crossed, his expression a mixture of frustration and concern. The morning light streamed through the windows, but neither of us was in the mood for pleasantries."I want to walk into a room full of wolves who've already lost and give them a choice," I corrected. "Surrender or face the consequences.""They've made their choice. They chose your father. They chose the Shadow Council. They chose war.""And now they're choosing to negotiate. That's a change." I leaned back in my chair. "Victor, I understand your anger. I will share it. But we've been fighting for months. The kingdom is exhausted. Every wolf we lose to another battle is a wolf we can't afford to lose.""So we forgive them? Just like that?""No. We hold them accountable. But we don't execute them in the streets." I paused. "My father would have slaughtered them.
"You're certain he's stable? No lasting effects from the between-place?"I sat beside Rowan's bed, my hand wrapped around his, watching as the healer examined him. Mira had arrived within minutes of our return, her sharp eyes taking in every detail."He's weak," Mira said quietly. "The between-place drained him—body and soul. But the bond with you is strong. It's anchoring him, pulling him back to life.""How long until he's fully recovered?""Days. Maybe weeks. He needs rest, nutrition, and—most importantly—you." She paused. "The mate bond is a powerful healer. Your presence will do more than any medicine."Rowan stirred, his eyes fluttering open. "You're still here.""Where else would I be?"He smiled weakly. "I thought I dreamed it. The between-place. You are coming for me.""You didn't dream it. I'll always come for you, Rowan. Always."Mira excused herself, leaving us alone. I climbed onto the bed beside him, careful not to jostle his injuries. He wrapped his arm around me, pulli
"Selene, we have to go! Now!"Ivy's voice was urgent, her hand tugging at my arm. The sound of guards' footsteps echoed through the corridor beyond the throne room. But I couldn't move. The seal was burning in my palm, its power pulsing through me, and I could feel it—the door to the between-place, opening."I have to go now," I said. "If I wait, the connection will fade.""Go where?" Ivy's eyes widened. "Selene, you can't—""I have to. Rowan is there. And I'm the only one who can bring him back."Before she could argue, I pressed the seal to my chest and reached for the power inside it. The world twisted, folded, shattered—And I was falling.Darkness. Cold. Silence.I landed on something hard—stone, maybe, or ice. The air was thick and still, and there was no light except the faint silver glow of the seal in my hand."Rowan?" My voice echoed strangely, as if the space around me was both vast and enclosed. "Rowan, can you hear me?"Nothing.I stood, my legs unsteady, and looked aroun
"Rowan!"My scream tore through the ritual circle, but the light was already fading, the blood already spent. Where my mate had stood a moment before, there was nothing but empty air and the lingering scent of cedarwood and rain."No. No, no, no—"I lunged forward, reaching for him, but my hands closed on nothing. The Silver Flame flickered wildly in my palms, responding to my panic, my grief, my desperate denial."Selene, stop!" Victor caught me around the waist, pulling me back. "The ritual—you have to finish it!""The ritual took him!" I struggled against his grip. "It took Rowan! I have to get him back!""You can't!" Elara's voice was sharp, cutting through my hysteria. "The sacrifice has been made. The Devourer is bound. But if you break the circle now, everything we've done will be undone. The darkness will spread. The kingdom will fall.""I don't care about the kingdom! I care about him!""You think he would want that?" Lyra stepped forward, her voice steady but her eyes wet. "
"Your Majesty, there's something you need to see."Ivy's voice was tense as she burst into my chambers at dawn. I'd barely slept—my dreams haunted by visions of the Devourer, of shadows consuming the light, of wolves turning against each other."What is it?" I was already on my feet, reaching for my robe."The eastern villages. Three of them. They've gone silent.""Silent? What do you mean?""No messages. No travelers. No smoke from the chimneys. The scouts I sent didn't return." She paused. "And there's something else. Something in the air. A darkness that wasn't there before."The Silver Flame pulsed inside me, responding to the threat. The Devourer was already making its move."Gather the council. Now."The council chamber was tense as I explained what Ivy had discovered. The maps on the table showed the three villages—small settlements on the eastern border, isolated and vulnerable."We need to send scouts. Find out what happened," Victor said."I'll go myself," I said. "The Silve
"The ritual requires absolute focus. If you lose concentration, even for a moment, the connection will break."My mother's voice was steady as she prepared the sacred space. We'd chosen the garden—the same garden where I'd spent so many hours as a child, dreaming of a different life. Now, under the full moon, it would become a bridge between past and present."I understand," I said."The blood of every Silver Queen who came before you is in that vial. When you drink it, you'll feel their presence. Their memories. Their pain." She paused. "It won't be easy.""Nothing worth doing ever is."Rowan stood at the edge of the garden, his presence a steady comfort through the bond. Kael and Lyra were there too, along with Victor, Elias, and Ivy. My family. My pack."I'm ready," I said.My mother handed me the vial. The glass was warm, pulsing with a faint silver light. I uncorked it and drank.The world exploded.I stood in a vast chamber, surrounded by wolves. Dozens of them, hundreds, all be







