Vera's POV I floated above the treetops, deep in the woods west of Blackwood, cloaked in the remnants of my pocket dimension, where I stayed to continue the hallucination spells. I had made sure to layer the pocket dimension with enough cloaking to throw off even the most skilled trackers. She should have been curled into a sobbing mess by now, choking on her own heartbreak. And yet, here she was, Maya.So how the hell was she here?I didn’t sense her until she was right on top of me. Her magic flared sharp and clean as she slammed her hand against the air, shattering my veil like it was glass. My jaw clenched.Well, shit.“Surprised you found me,” I muttered, watching her float just a few yards away, eyes locked onto mine. "I buried myself in a pocket dimension. Was quite proud of it too."She didn’t say a word. Typical. Just floated there, like some righteous bitch here to pass judgment.I threw the first shot, dark violet flames surged from my hand and raced at her. She flicked th
Maya's POV 'I reject you, Maya.'The words landed like a hammer to my chest, and everything inside me collapsed. My knees buckled beneath me as I crumpled to the ground, breath caught in my throat, my heart seized in a crushing grip.Meliza was the closest and rushed to my side. “Are you okay, Ca..” Her words froze mid-sentence as she suddenly dropped to her knees too, clutching her chest.Panic flared.I glanced around.Lauren, Ashton, and Gabriel were all struggling, each of them pressing a hand over their hearts like something had reached in and wrenched it tight.Aira leapt down from the wall, Noah followed. Immediately moving toward us, eyes sharp and scanning.But I couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think. The world was spinning.Then I forced myself to lift my head, and saw him.Oliver.He was on one knee, one arm wrapped around his chest, jaw clenched in pain. But that wasn’t all. His skin, his skin was starting to burn under the sun.“Oliver!” I cried out, reaching for him with tre
Oliver's POV I figured it was the realization that he had lost Maya for good that finally pushed Damien to fight. He lunged at me, swinging for my face, but his form was sloppy. He wasn’t a real fighter, just a man letting rage guide his fists. I sidestepped easily, watching him unravel.I glanced at Gabriel and Ashton, mildly surprised. Did Damien even realize how exposed his pack was right now? Or had he stopped caring altogether?It had been a while since I truly let loose. Normally, I leave the heavy lifting to the team during missions. But make no mistake, I am the Grim Reaper Damien thinks I am.And what better reason to fight than putting three arrogant bastards in their place?They earned this, every second of it. And it’s going to be my pleasure to give them the beating they deserve. I had gone too easy on Trey before, only because I didn’t want to put Ashton in an awkward position.But the gloves were off now.Damien and his men were about to learn a very painful lesson.Da
Maya's POV I was so relieved to see my mate standing there, fearless, facing off against three ranked wolves. We had only been apart for one night, but it felt like years.Still, I couldn’t shake the unease twisting in my gut. I didn’t understand why Vera attacked us the way she did. The moment I saw her, I felt both confused and afraid. I had read about dark magic in one of the books my mother gave me, but that was nothing compared to facing it in real life. No amount of reading could have prepared me for the raw terror of coming face-to-face with a dark witch.Mom wasn’t one, she never practiced dark magic, so there was no way I could have learned firsthand. But I remembered what I had read: dark magic feeds on energy, on life force itself. That’s why the shields we tried to cast were absorbed so quickly, it wasn’t just overpowering us, it was consuming everything we threw at it.What scared me most was the thought that even after awakening my power, I still might have failed to pr
Ashton's POV I hadn’t slept a damn minute last night. If it were up to me alone, I would’ve stormed this place the second our plane landed. But I knew Oliver and Gabriel felt the same way, so we stuck to the plan, the one that gave our mates the best chance of keeping them safe.Lauren’s safety was clawing at the edges of my sanity. I was seconds away from tearing down these gates with my bare hands. I will take Damien’s head. The fury burning in my eyes made one thing clear: retribution was coming. Damien had crossed a line and in doing so, signed his own death warrant.And yet, he had the audacity to stand there and lie to my face.Funny thing is, his Luna seemed more reasonable than he ever was. She might have been the only reason this entire pack hadn’t already burned to the ground. But if Lauren, or our pup has suffered even a scratch, I swear, I’ll level this place. I’ll turn Blackwood into ash.Damien was getting on my last damn nerve with every word that came out of his mouth
Oliver’s POVThe muzzle of Maeve’s pistol gleamed in the dim light. A Beretta 92FS, old but reliable—standard issue back in the war when rogues were stockpiling weapons. Twelve rounds max. I doubt she had reload once since that night she shot Luke, which meant there couldn’t have been more than six or seven left.I felt Henry’s thoughts brushing against mine through the bond we had honed over centuries. He didn’t need words; the way his shoulders shifted told me he’d already read Maeve’s mind and confirmed what I suspected. Six rounds. That was all.She pulled the trigger.The bullet tore through the air with a hiss, grazing the edge of my shoulder before shattering against the wall. I felt the burn, but I didn’t stop moving. She was faster than most fledglings I’d seen, but Henry and I had fought creatures older and stronger than her when we were barely out of our first century.Reina lunged from the side, claws extended. Henry caught her motion before I even did, his gift letting hi