MasukRafe
The air burned with smoke and blood.
I tore through the lower levels, boots splashing through puddles of something red and slick, claws half-extended, my heart pounding like war drums in my chest. The walls were streaked with ash, lights flickering overhead — flashes of red and white that threw shadows across the cell doors.
Her scent had led me here. Faint, but familiar. Sweet beneath the iron.
That single, impossible whisper was enough to steady the chaos in my chest.
Evelyn.
She had to be here. She had to.
I kicked open the first cell door — empty. The next — nothing but chains hanging from the walls. I moved faster, breath ragged, slamming my fists into locks, ripping through steel like it was paper. My wolf was clawing at the surface, wild and restless, the air thick with his hunger.
Her scent lingered like a ghost. Fear. Iron. Pain.
And then — nothing.
I
Rafe“Me.”Dorian’s voice cut through the storm like a blade.He stepped forward, rain sliding off his coat, a slow grin lifting one corner of his mouth like he’s greeting an old friend — not the young boy he once tried to slaughter.My jaw locks. Something hot crawls under my skin, tightening my throat until I could barely breathe.He looks me over, head tilted.“Well,” he murmurs, “look how big you’ve grown.” he said it casual, almost conversational.My fingers curl into fists.“You were just a little boy back then.”He gestures lazily toward the forest like the memory is nothing but a passing storm.“When I killed your parents.”The words hit like claws dragging through my ribs. My vision tunneled for a heartbeat, the sound of rain replaced with the crackle of burning wood.He kept g
RafeThe air burned with smoke and blood.I tore through the lower levels, boots splashing through puddles of something red and slick, claws half-extended, my heart pounding like war drums in my chest. The walls were streaked with ash, lights flickering overhead — flashes of red and white that threw shadows across the cell doors.Her scent had led me here. Faint, but familiar. Sweet beneath the iron.That single, impossible whisper was enough to steady the chaos in my chest.Evelyn.She had to be here. She had to.I kicked open the first cell door — empty. The next — nothing but chains hanging from the walls. I moved faster, breath ragged, slamming my fists into locks, ripping through steel like it was paper. My wolf was clawing at the surface, wild and restless, the air thick with his hunger.Her scent lingered like a ghost. Fear. Iron. Pain.And then — nothing.I
EvelynHands. Cold, rough, unrelenting.I woke to them dragging me from sleep, fingers clamping around my wrists. The fog in my head broke apart just as metal bit into my skin — click. Shackles. My breath hitched, the sting burning deep where the iron met flesh.“What—what’s happening?” My voice came out cracked, barely human. “Rafe?”“Shut up.”The word landed like a slap.The air stank of sweat, blood, and damp metal. My vision swam; the world tilted between slices of torchlight and shadow. Two—maybe three—men surrounded me, faces half-hidden behind masks. Hunters.They yanked me upright. My bare feet scraped the concrete floor, my body still sluggish from the sedative. I tried to pull back, but their grip only tightened. Then I saw him.My father.Dorian stood by the open cell door, rifle strapped across his chest, his face caught in the flicker of the light. Time folded in on itself for one brutal heartbeat.He looked at me once. Just once.And then he turned away.“Move her throu
EvelynI woke to the sound of thunder that wasn’t thunder at all.Boots.Dozens of them—pounding against metal floors, echoing down the narrow hallways of the compound. Shouted orders cut through the haze of sleep, sharp and frantic.“Secure the prisoners!”“Lower levels—now! They’re inside the yard!”My heart lurched awake before the rest of me did. For a moment I couldn’t move. Then it hit me, all at once—the sounds, the voices, the panic.He’s here.I sat up so fast my head spun. My fingers gripped the thin mattress, the cold air biting my skin. Every muscle trembled, every heartbeat screaming the same truth.He’s here for me.I stumbled to my feet, still dizzy from sleep and the faint residue of the sedative that never seemed to leave my veins. The cell was dim, lit only by a flickering bulb overhead, its hum drow
RafeThe forest blurred around us—shadows darting between trees, paws pounding against the earth in perfect rhythm. The scent of the Hunters grew sharper with every stride, acrid with oil and gunpowder. Beneath it, I could hear the faint hum of engines, the low buzz of electric fences straining against the mist.We’re close.Branches whipped past my face. The world was a blur of movement—fur, breath, and the thunder of a hundred heartbeats locked to the same rhythm.The first arrow sliced through the air, embedding in a tree near my flank. Then another. And another.The attack had begun.Move! I snarled through the pack bond.Wolves scattered, darting low through the underbrush, silent as ghosts. Ironridge thundered from the east, their howls splitting the dawn as they collided with the Hunters’ perimeter. Gunfire cracked through the trees—deafening but useless once we reached th
RafeThe world held its breath.Dawn hadn’t come yet, but the forest was awake. The air thrummed with tension—quiet, trembling, alive. I stood just beyond the training grounds, the scent of pine and damp earth heavy in my lungs. Mist curled around my boots, drifting through the clearing like ghosts waiting for release.Sleep hadn’t come. It never did before bloodshed.The bond hummed faintly in the back of my mind. Evelyn. Restless. Awake. Maybe she felt it too—the weight of something inevitable pulling the night apart. For a heartbeat, I felt her breath hitch, a flicker of fear—or hope—through the bond before it dimmed again. It was enough to steady me. She was still out there. Still fighting.Cassian’s footsteps were soft but sure behind me.“Everything’s set,” he said. “Scouts are already in position. Healers near the southern edge. Ironridge has s







