Lahat ng Kabanata ng The Moon's Dark Embrace: Kabanata 11 - Kabanata 20

What conversation?” I ask, swallowing hard. My throat suddenly feels dry. There hasn’t been a rejected wolf in over a hundred years. I can’t be rejected from the pack. I can’t. Sebastian is silent for a long time, no doubt trying to figure out the best way to break the news to me. “I told you the other day that the war with the werebears is worsening by the day. We don’t have the resources to spare to protect pack members who don’t pull their weight. They’re a liability, and the last thing we need right now is a liability.” He means me. Clearly. “What if I do something else?” I desperately suggest. “I could assist the scouts, maybe, or help maintain the village grounds.” But Sebastian is already shaking his head. “What’s the point, if you can’t defend yourself when you need to? Not being able to shift is a huge detriment, Nyx—not just to you, but to the rest of the pack. If you were attacked, or kidnapped, you couldn’t fight them. You could tell them all our secrets and they would

Follow the coast, she said. So I do.Part of me still isn’t sure I’m doing the right thing, especially when I see a sign for the nearest city and a garage a few miles away. I could hitch a ride, figure out something… and… I pause.I don’t want to hide with the humans because I am not one, no matter if my wolf is nonexistent. Claire never gave any indication of how she even knew this place existed, let alone any details about its name or what they do there. It could be a hoax, wishful thinking. And if it really does exist, is it even somewhere I want to be? The look on my father’s face when Claire brought up the subject still hasn’t left me, and it sends a chill down my spine. What do they do to their students? What did he mean when he said some things aren’t worth believing?More importantly, why were they all so cagey about telling me what they teach there?But I’m out of options. My parents gave me what human money they had before I left, but it won’t get me far. I know I can’t be f

Despite my initial reluctance, I can’t help but be awestruck as I follow him through the gates, which slide shut behind us as we make our way up the sloping path to the entrance of the Academy. Other than a couple buildings on the outskirts of the grounds, the castle is the centerpiece of the area, and beyond it, I can see a lush garden, fountains, and a sprawling field in the distance whose purpose I can only guess at. All around us are more lanterns that light up the grounds like fireflies. I’ve never seen anything like it.“This way,” Charles says, leading me up a set of ancient stone steps that end at the threshold in front of the doors. To either side of the entrance stand human-looking guards, wearing all black leather, whose expressions are stony as they keep watch for something unknown out there in the darkness. What’s strangest is that neither of them is holding any kind of weapon. Charles nods to them wordlessly and they pull open the doors, revealing an entrance hall that’s

First day?” asks the male to my right.I turn to him and raise my eyebrow. “How’d you guess?”He just laughs. “I know the look. Like a deer in the headlights. Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it.”“I do not look like a deer in the headlights!” I protest, even though I know he’s right. The sun has barely even come up yet and the class has already assembled: more than twenty students standing in rows in the training yard behind the castle. I feel like an idiot for missing breakfast, but I guess I was more tired than I thought last night. If the hall monitor hadn’t come banging on my door ten minutes ago, I probably would have slept right through training. I barely had time to pull on some cargo pants and a fitted sweater before I was scurrying outside, cursing under my breath.“Whatever you say,” the male teases, and his expression tells me he doesn’t believe a word of it.That’s enough to make even me chuckle, and my funk lifts a little. “Okay, okay. Busted.” I glance around the trainin

There’s a moment of silence before all hell breaks loose. Voices erupt around me, everyone speaking up at once to ask questions nobody has the answers for.“Is that?”“I think it’s Regina.”“Are you blind? That’s Seth!”“What’s he doing here? He was supposed to be protecting the pack!” “Is he alive?”“What do you think, genius?”“Everyone, step back!” Eiriana commands, extending her arms. That does the trick, and all though the hushed murmurs continue, the group takes a collective step away from the body.Magnus kneels down beside the fallen shifter to examine him. One look is enough to tell me everything I need to know: he’s dead, and probably has been for a long time, considering how the blood is drying up on his matted white fur. He’s been completely mauled, three enormous gashes ripping down his body from his neck to his tail. Bite marks from massive sets of jaws cover the rest of him, and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out who—or what—could have done this.“This wa