Nathaniel's arrival shattered the fragile peace in the ruins, his reformed pendant pulsing with a corrupted light that twisted the air around him. His body bore the marks of his earlier collapse—blood crusted around his eyes, veins bulging black beneath his skin—but he moved with unnatural grace, as if infused with the very darkness the Order worshipped. The Silver Pack warriors at his side looked uneasy, their eyes darting between him and the cloaked figures, who emanated the same ash-and-decay scent as the woman Elias had subdued.Autumn's blood ran cold, her palm still stinging from the ritual cut. The bond with Gale thrummed, a steady anchor, but the silver light within her felt dimmed, exhausted from sealing the entity. Elias stepped forward, his silver aura flaring protectively, positioning himself between her and Nathaniel. "You," Elias growled, his voice laced with years of pent-up rage. "You were there the night our parents died. You led the Order to them."Nathaniel's lips c
The young man's sudden appearance sent a shockwave through the ruins, his silver-glowing eyes mirroring Autumn's as he grappled with the cloaked woman atop the altar. The dagger clattered to the stone floor, its crescent-etched blade humming with residual dark energy. Autumn stared, her heart seizing in her chest—the face before her was older, scarred, but unmistakable. Her brother, Elias Callisto, lost in the chaos of the war that had claimed their parents, presumed dead for years. Yet here he was, alive, his body lean and battle-hardened, his clothes torn and stained with the same ash scent that clung to the Crescent Order's minions."Elias?" Autumn's voice cracked, the silver light in her veins flickering as the bond with Gale pulsed stronger, anchoring her amidst the turmoil. The colossal entity below the ground roared in protest, its shadowy forms recoiling momentarily from the surge of their combined power.Elias didn't glance at her, his focus locked on the woman as he pinned h
The colossal hand of shadow and bone loomed over the ruins, its jagged fingers clawing toward Autumn, each movement dripping with an ancient malice that made the air feel thick and suffocating. The wards around the stone circle flickered wildly, their pale light struggling against the onslaught of the Crescent Order’s creatures and the monstrous entity rising from the cracked earth. Autumn’s silver light pulsed erratically, her body trembling as the Callisto power surged within her, both a shield and a storm threatening to tear her apart.“Gale!” she cried, her voice breaking as she clung to him, her hands glowing where they gripped his bloodied arm. The pain from the curse her mother’s memory had warned of burned through her, like fire in her veins. She could feel the legacy’s power demanding release, but it was incomplete, unstable—tied to the bond she hadn’t yet claimed.Gale’s eyes locked onto hers, fierce and unwavering despite the wounds crisscrossing his body. Kane’s presence s
The roar of the approaching creatures shook the safehouse like an earthquake, their monstrous forms crashing through the underbrush outside. Gale stood in his wolf form, Kane's powerful body braced against the doorway, fur matted with blood from his wounds. The woman's sudden disappearance left a void filled only by the acrid scent of her dark magic, but the real threat was closing in—these beasts, summoned by the Crescent Order, their eyes glowing like embers in the night. They weren't wolves; they were abominations, twisted hybrids of shadow and flesh, their limbs elongated and jagged with bone-like protrusions.Levi and the warriors had pulled Autumn through the back exit, her silver light still flickering faintly as she glanced back at Gale, her face etched with worry. "Gale, come on!" she shouted, her voice cutting through the chaos. But he couldn't leave yet; he had to hold the line, buy them time to escape deeper into the forest.One of the creatures burst through the weakened
The woman’s words hung in the air like a death knell, her glowing eyes boring into me as Nathaniel writhed on the floor, blood pooling beneath him. The massive wolf whimpered, retreating to the shadows, its unnatural aura fading. Autumn knelt beside me, her breath ragged, her hands clutching her chest as if the pendant’s shattering had torn something from her. The safehouse was eerily silent, the wards now dead, leaving us exposed.“Get up,” I growled at Autumn, hauling her to her feet. My side burned from the wolf’s claws, but I ignored it, my focus split between the woman and the need to get Autumn out of here. Kane was frantic, urging me to shift and fight, but I sensed the woman’s power was beyond anything I’d faced. This wasn’t a battle I could win—not yet.The woman tilted her head, her cloak shifting to reveal a glimpse of pale skin and sharp cheekbones. “You’re stubborn, Alpha Gale,” she said, her voice laced with amusement. “But you can’t protect her from her destiny. The Cal
The sight of Nathaniel standing in the shattered doorway, clutching the glowing pendant, sent a surge of fury through me. Kane roared within, claws itching to rip through the smug Alpha who had already taken so much from Autumn. The massive wolf beside him growled, its coal-black eyes fixed on us, its fur bristling with an unnatural sheen. The air reeked of ash and decay, the same scent as the cloaked figure, confirming my worst fears: Nathaniel was no mere bystander in this hunt.“Stay back,” I snarled at Autumn, positioning myself between her and the intruders. Her green eyes burned with defiance, but fear flickered beneath, her body tense as she gripped the edge of the chair.Nathaniel’s lips curled into a mocking smile. “Protective, aren’t you, Gale? Pity you’re too late.” He dangled the pendant, its crescent moon and arrow symbol pulsing with eerie light. “She was never yours to keep.”“What do you want with her?” I demanded, my voice a low growl. Kane was barely contained, my mu