INICIAR SESIÓNThe trial ended with one life lost, yet the shock it caused across the northern packs was unprecedented.One case had claimed two lives and pushed the northern territories into complete hostility toward the Stormcliff clan. Elders of every pack demanded harsh punishment.Under immense pressure, Aldric was arrested for sheltering and allowing crimes to continue.Caelan was captured in the southern Silvermoon Pack. It was said that when the guards broke in, he was holding two female wolves and drinking. At the sight of the silver chains, he collapsed in terror.Stormcliff’s territory began to be carved up by other packs. In just a few days, the once-dominant family of the northern territories fell completely.After learning that one son was captured and the other had fled, Marla walked alone into the depths of the cedar forest. No one knew where she went. She left only a faded wolfhide cloak, hanging from a pine branch beside Selene’s gravestone.As for Darian, the elders planned to try
I released my tightly clenched hands and managed a weak smile toward Darian.“Darian, love has become too costly for me. I do not want to love anymore.”My life felt like drifting on a current, aimless and exhausting.Seeing my pupils begin to blur, Darian hurriedly took my hand and pressed it to his chest. His heartbeat was fast and erratic, as if it would burst through his ribcage.“I have failed you. Stay with me. I will take you home.”As the silver needles finally extracted my soul core, my consciousness began to drift.I seemed to see the first moment we met.It was in the cedar grove of Stormcliff. He stood bathed in moonlight, his wolf eyes pale gold, like the winter sun.For a moment, I thought he was a light sent by the Moon Goddess herself.Then I closed my eyes.Darian’s shout pulled me back, sharp and urgent.“Healer! Quickly!”Several Soul Walkers rushed forward, placing the lunar energy infusion rod against my chest. Silver light flowed into my body, but my weakened fram
The flames of the Moonlight Herb leapt in the projection. The wolfhide cover of the journal curled and blackened, and page after page crumbled into ash.Darian stood on the judgment platform, watching the fire. He cried and laughed at the same time, like a hollow shell emptied of its soul.The wolves in the plaza reacted like a storm-swept sea.“By the Moon Goddess, was it the youngest son who killed his own sister?”“One life means so little to them?”“Selene was so pitiful. And Lyra has borne so much for a wolf not worth it.”“What remains of Stormcliff besides Selene?”Under the care of the Soul Walkers, Marla regained consciousness. The first thing she did was lunge at Aldric. Her claws scraped against his breastplate, sharp and grating.“You knew all along!” she screamed. “Selene was your daughter. How could you bear it?”Aldric grabbed her wrist. His face was pale and hard.“That is enough. Selene was not our blood. Do you want to sacrifice our son for the sake of the dead?”Marl
“Go to the Silvermoon Tribe in the south. Leave immediately.”Caelan felt as if a great weight had been lifted. His forehead hit the stone floor with a thud.“Does anyone else know about this?”He shook his head. Under Aldric’s razor-sharp gaze, he hesitated, then spoke.“There is also the woman I keep outside. Father, don’t worry. I will take her with me.”Before he finished, Aldric slapped him across the face. The sound exploded through the hall like something snapping.“Fool. You will be ruined because of a woman.”Aldric lowered his voice. “Go at once. I will deal with the woman. In this world, only the mouths of the dead are truly silent.”Outside the door, I pressed my hands over my mouth. My legs felt like lead, unresponsive.I could not believe what I had heard.I knew Selene had been pregnant. What I did not know was that the child was Caelan’s.Though not directly related, this connection sent chills through my body.In my memory, Selene could never have done such a thing. Ca
Darian’s reaction was more extreme than anyone’s.He yanked the iron helmet from my head and grabbed my neck with both hands, pressing me against the cold stone platform. His wolf eyes burned blood red, and his voice was hoarse, almost unrecognizable.“Lyra! Are you trying to die?”“He is my own brother. How could he ever harm Selene?”Yes. The face in the projection was Caelan, the youngest son of Stormcliff, almost forgotten by everyone.After Selene died, Caelan did not even attend her funeral. Before dawn the next day, he rode away from Blackrock Keep, heading for the southern territory. No one knew why he left. Darian was angry at his sudden departure, but Caelan had always been his most favored brother. He had never truly held it against him.Now, facing this shocking truth, Darian’s world collapsed before his eyes.His fingers tightened around my neck. My vision began to fade.A Soul Walker rushed forward, forcing his hands apart and placing a lunar breathing mask on me. Cold mi
I lay on the iron bed, weak and chained. Every movement sent shocks of pain through my wrists and ankles. Darian stood silently at the edge of the room, tall and rigid, his eyes unreadable.He clapped once. The sound echoed through the stone chamber, sharp and commanding.Low-ranking Stormcliff warriors entered, heads bowed. Their boots clattered lightly against the cold floor. One whispered, “Alpha Darian… what are you doing?”He did not answer. He bent down, his voice soft but unyielding. “I need the truth. If you do not tell me, they will remain here. One day for each day of silence. One month for each month.”The warriors lined up along the wall, backs to me. I shivered, not just from cold, but from the weight of their silent judgment and the looming presence of the Alpha. The iron chains bit into my skin with every tiny tremor, each shiver sending a jolt of pain up my arms.“Darian,” I whispered, voice cracking, “I kept the truth for you. You must believe me.”“For me?” His laugh







