NOVAI stood a few feet away from Asriel. We were in a spacious hall that he called his private training room. The room had a round set of mattresses that covered most of the floor and a variety of weapons on the stands placed by every wall. I wondered why someone as powerful as Asriel needed to wield any kind of weapon. I bet that his magic could easily neutralize most of his enemies, and his lycan claws and teeth would seal their fate. He didn't need a sword, a bow, or a gun for that. I asked him about it, and he answered that he had to be prepared for any circumstances. I knew that it was possible to block someone's magic, but could anyone block a beast spirit? I doubted it. Yet, his cautiousness meant that he believed that there could always be someone stronger than him, and I found that lack of arrogance admirable."Focus, Nova." His firm tone reminded me that we were in the middle of my training. Asriel taught me a new kind of spells. I had never known that magic could be used l

NOVAFortunately for me, Maren didn't have a lot of fans among the lycans, nor did she have any among witches. I almost felt sorry for her… for a brief moment, but I had to admit that winning against her was liberating. I had crossed a boundary I had never thought I'd cross. I had tasted the magic that was neither white nor black, and I felt surprisingly good about it. Perhaps the fact that I could almost kill and then heal someone on the verge of dying should have frightened me. It could be addictive. It could push me farther. It could make me cross another line, and another after that. Yet, I was calm. I embraced my new abilities with a smile and confidence.The meeting at the audience hall ended along with my win against Maren. The majority of people stood in a long line to congratulate me before leaving the room. It felt odd. Those people told me that I was their warrior, and they believed that I could bring them peace. And somewhere, in between nodding, thanking, and smiling back

FELIXSix hours earlierI had never been good at pretending, but now I was forced to. How could I act as if nothing had happened? How long could I keep my identity secret? I was a lycan—not an Alpha wolf, but a fucking lycan! On the other side, I wasn't even sure how that was possible. My mother was a beta wolf, and unless Rainier wasn't at least a half-lycan, the fact that Eligor was my beast spirit should be considered a miracle.Along with acknowledging my unexpected identity, I noticed changes within me. As soon as Eligor had fully awakened, I realized that he clearly didn't like wolves, and he poured his anger and suspiciousness into me. He barely tolerated those whom I trusted, such as Zane, Logan, or Holden, but as soon as I briefly passed by Rainier, he filled me with an irresistible urge to tear him apart. I probably should have found a quiet place to talk with the lycan inside me, but I had little time for self-improvement. Not to mention that I literally felt like an enemy

NOVAI opened my eyes, and the blinding light assaulted my senses. A headache came a second later. Once my sight adjusted, I started to become slightly more aware of my surroundings. I was lying in a bed, in an unfamiliar bedroom. The bright light was coming from the wall-sized enforced window with steel bars behind it. I was wearing a thin, nearly see-through nightgown, and I was naked underneath. I had something on my neck—a metal collar with signs engraved on it, which I felt underneath my fingertips. Thick steel bracelets were locked around my wrists. Those too had symbols, and it wasn't hard to guess what their purpose was; someone put them on me to restrain my magic. But, as I tried to sit on the bed and found myself barely able to do so, I started to suspect that my new, uncomfortable jewelry was also meant to weaken my body.A moment later, the door of the chamber opened, and a few men walked in. I instinctively covered myself with sheets. They laughed. One of the men pushed f

FELIXAsriel and I landed outside the range of mind link, and neither of us could connect our men. I wasn't eager to meet more lycans, but they might have known who kidnapped Nova. Asriel claimed that it must have been those who rebelled against him, but I suspected that the whole case was more complicated than that.Eligor forced me to temporarily acknowledge Asriel's leadership. I hated it, but I had to agree to it because I didn't have the slightest idea where we were. Asriel spent many years in the woods around Crimson Mountain, and I had to believe that he knew where we were going.It was the first time I was quite casually running through the forest in my lycan form. It felt different from when I was a wolf, but it was equally liberating. We moved up from the river, toward the rocky foot of Crimson Mountain. Suddenly, Asriel stopped and shifted back to his human form. I shifted as well."My father's old hideout is over there." He pointed at the stone wall in front of us. "I disc