All Chapters of The Outcast’s Fate: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

The night air crackled with wild energy.Samantha knelt in the forest clearing, her breath ragged, her heart pounding like war drums. Her fingers had become claws, her senses sharpened, and every breath she took was laced with the pulse of the earth beneath her. The howl she had heard was real, not dreamt still echoed in her mind.And then, it happened.Her body seized with sudden heat, like a fire igniting deep in her chest. Her spine arched, her mouth opened in a silent cry, and the world spun around her. Her skin shimmered in the moonlight, splitting and shifting, her bones stretching, her limbs bending.She didn’t scream.She surrendered.With a final jolt, the change overtook her and she was no longer a girl.She was a wolf.A breathtaking, silver-pelted creature, sleek and luminous beneath the full moon. Her fur shimmered like starlight, and her golden eyes glowed with newfound clarity. Every movement was poetry, her muscles fluid, her stan

She’s just a girl,” Callen said at last, voice rough and certain as they stood at the edge of the forest. “Innocent, or not, we owe her a chance to live. Let’s get her help first then we’ll ask questions.”Neither Greer nor Harst objected. The three men adjusted the fur cloak that shielded Samantha’s fragile form and pressed forward toward their village Hollow Brook, a human settlement nestled quietly at the foot of the mountain, cloaked in mist and silence.Few outside the valley even knew it existed.Massive stone ridges guarded the settlement’s borders, jagged peaks rising like silent watchers against the sky. Trees blanketed the hills in thick, whispering layers. To the untrained eye, Hollow Brook might have seemed abandoned, forgotten. But within its hidden walls lived a people bound by secrecy, tradition, and fear.For generations, Hollow Brook had remained untouched by the wars and whispers of the outside world. Wolves roamed the wild forests above and around

Samantha sat in silence, her back pressed against the coarse wool blanket tucked beneath her. Her heart thudded in her chest, each beat reminding her that she was still alive even if she wasn’t sure who she was anymore. The women in the room had grown quiet, watching her with eyes that had seen too much, too often.Their questions kept swirling.“What is your name?”“Where are you from?”But her mind was spinning lost somewhere between the shadows of Black Ridge Park and the violent, primal awakening of her wolf. Every breath reminded her that nothing was as it used to be. She wasn’t the same girl who once chased butterflies through fallen leaves with her elder brother, or the girl who cried into Alex’s chest after the first signs of change appeared. That girl was gone, buried beneath fur, blood, and exile.She glanced around the room again.The warmth was unfamiliar.The voices, strange.She didn’t know if these people were wolves in human skin or ju

Samantha running bare feet pounding across wet leaves, heart thundering, lungs burning.Samantha’s breath came in ragged gasps as trees whipped past her, their twisted limbs clawing at her skin. The moon above glowed silver, casting light on her, not her human form. But a wolf. Her coat shimmered with a hue she didn’t recognize, something wild and ancient. Behind her, heavy footsteps followed, growing louder. Closer.A growl. A presence. A shadow that never had a face.She bolted through the underbrush, her paws slipping in the mud, untilSnap.She turned. The darkness reached for her. A voice snarled her name.“Samantha.”She jerked awake, drenched in sweat, chest heaving. Her hands clutched the thin blanket around her like a shield. The familiar stone walls of Mira’s cottage closed around her, dimly lit by the flickering candle at the far end of the room.The door creaked open and Mira entered slowly, her eyes warm, but concerned. “Another nightmare

The chamber was silent save for the soft creak of the wooden door as it opened.Alex and Ronan stepped inside.Derek turned from the window, arms crossed, eyes sharp. “Finally.”“Sorry,” Ronan said. “Had to make sure no one followed.”Derek gave a stiff nod. “Close the door.”Once they were alone, he motioned for them to sit. He didn’t bother with formalities. “How’s Erynn?”Ronan’s face darkened. “Getting worse. She barely speaks now. Keeps whispering Samantha’s name. She thinks she’s still nearby.”Derek’s jaw tightened. “Then we have to act fast.”“That’s why we’re here,” Alex said. “What did you find?”Derek walked to the center of the room, voice low. “Cassius and Serene. I overheard them whispering yesterday, behind the main hall. They were hiding something. Sneaking around like they knew someone was watching.”Alex and Ronan exchanged glances.“I didn’t catch the full conversation,” Derek continued, “but I heard the word ‘game.’ And