LOGIN"Yes, Alpha." Those words strangely echoed in my head, refusing to make sense.My eyes darted around the corridor, scanning every shadowed corner, every alcove, and every space large enough to hide a man, but there was nothing. There was absolutely no one. The hallway remained exactly as empty as it had been a moment before, save for the four of us standing frozen in it.I didn't understand.Beta Tristan was the first to recover. He blinked once, sharply, like someone clearing water from his eyes, and straightened his shoulders."You heard the Alpha." He said, his voice tight, and directed at Cain and the two guards. "He has instructed that she is not to be sent back."My heart dropped to my stomach and then straight through the floor.I stared at Tristan, waiting for him to be wrong. I desperately waited for someone to correct him, and say he made a mistake but nobody did. Cain's face was still pale, and the guards stood rigid, both of them avoiding my eyes entirely."Leave us." Bet
The walk to the Alpha's quarters felt endless. It felt like we were heading to the end of the world. The guards kept a firm grip on each of my arms, half dragging me along the stone path, my bare feet stumbling over uneven ground I couldn't fully see in the dark. Tears blurred everything around me, but even through them, I noticed something strange the moment the towering structure of the quarters came into view.It was quiet, but I didn’t understand the silence. I had tried to live in silence for a long time, and it was that heavy and suffocating type of silence that came after loss, but this one was different. This silence had something else attached to it. It was like a pressure that pressed against my skin the closer we got, like the air itself was holding its breath.My stomach turned over slowly inside me, and then I heard something I hadn't heard in longer than I could remember.“Something is different here.” I froze for half a step, startled as I recognized the voice of my wo
~MOON DAWN PACK~"JAKE!!!"I jerked awake, my own scream tearing through my throat before my eyes were even fully open. My hands clawed at the air in front of me, still reaching, and trying to hold onto something that wasn't there."Jake!" I gasped, scrambling upright on the thin mat. "Jake, I'm here, I'm right here—""Elena." I heard my name as gentle hands grabbed my shoulders firmly. "Elena, stop. Look at me. Please, look at me right now."It was Mira.Her face came into focus slowly, her brows pulled together, her eyes wide and worried."He's gone," I choked out, the dream still vivid and raw behind my eyes. "They took him. He was right there, Mira. I had him, he was in my arms and they took him again—""Elena, listen to me." Her grip on my shoulders tightened. "You have to lower your voice right now. Else, Cain will hear you.""But I had him." The tears streamed down my face, hot and unstoppable. "I finally had him and they took him. They ripped him right out of my arms and he wa
~ELENA~The forest pressed in around me from every direction, dense and unfamiliar. The trees were too tall and the air was too thick with the scent of wet bark and rotting leaves.Honestly, I didn't know how I got here. I just knew I was standing in the middle of nowhere.I turned slowly, my heart hammering against my ribs inside of me. My eyes scanned the whole place as I searched the shadows between the trees, waiting for something to move, but nothing did."Hello?" My voice came out barely above a whisper, but silence answered me.“Hello.” I tried again, a bit louder this time, but my voice echoed back to me.And so I kept walking, my steps careful on the uneven ground, and my senses stretched as far as they could reach. I knew something was wrong, I could feel it deep inside me, but I couldn't even point out what was wrong in this place I couldn't name. I couldn't even remember arriving here. I couldn't remember where I was before or what I was doing or how I arrived where I was
Zane pulled the door to Milan's room shut behind him and stood in the corridor for a moment. He stared at the small container still in his hand, and thought of what Milan had asked him to do.“But this isn't right.” He muttered inaudibly to himself.Then he slipped the container into the inside pocket of his jacket, and started walking away.He hadn't gone far down the corridor before he heard quick footsteps behind him, and then Vera appeared at his side, slightly breathless, her eyes searching his face for answers before he could even open his mouth to speak."Well?" She asked, keeping her voice low. "Was there anything? Did he say anything useful?"Zane shook his head, his expression showing slight disappointment. He made sure not to tell her anything about the substance Milan gave to him.Vera's shoulders dropped, sadly. She exhaled slowly through her nose, the sound of someone who had expected the answer but had been hoping anyway. "So what do we do now?""I'm going to try speaki
Zane didn't leave. He stood exactly where he was, his arms still crossed. His eyes remained on Milan, who had already turned back to his desk and picked up one of the papers as though the conversation had ended.But to Zane, the conversation wasn't over.Milan looked up after a short while, and realized Zane was still standing there. "What are you still standing there for?" He asked him."I'm waiting for an answer, Milan." Zane replied, intertwining his hands behind his back."I gave you one." Milan shrugged, his hands in the air, and Zane crossed his arms against his chest once again."You told me to figure it out." Zane uncrossed his arms and took a step toward the desk. "I'm telling you I've run out of options. I've tried everything I can think of. Vera has tried, but the boy just wouldn't budge." He shook his head. "That's why I'm asking you again. What's the plan? What do we actually do about him?"Milan set the paper back on the desk. He leaned back in his chair and stared at Z
~AT A SECRET LAIR~The room was small and it smelled of wood and concrete mixed together. There was a narrow bed pushed against one side of the wall, a wooden table in the center, and a single window so high up near the ceiling that even a grown man standing on his toes could barely reach the ledge
Mother's words hung in the air of the court like smoke that refused to clear anytime soon.She stood in front of the council, trembling. Her swollen eyes were fixated on Alpha Jackson with a desperation that had nowhere left to go. She had asked the only question she had carried all the way there,
"Guards!" Alpha Jackson's voice cut through the noise like a warrior's sword, sharp and commanding, hitting off the walls of the court with authority that left no room for delay.The heavy doors swung open almost immediately, and one of the outer guards stepped inside, shutting the doors firmly beh
The silence that followed Alpha Jackson's outburst was deafening as the elders took their seats silently one after another. None of them moved or said anything afterwards. They didn't so much as shift in their seats or draw a breath loud enough to be heard. The nine of them sat perfectly still, li







