POV: Araya He found me just before dawn. A lone rogue — thin, twisted, scarred from battles he didn’t win but somehow survived. One eye is cloudy. The other yellow, bright with hunger that came from too many moons without a pack. No sigil. No rank. Just dirt, blood, and the smell of rot deep enough to taste. He grinned when he saw me. I stayed slumped against the black oak, my limbs dead weight, my dress hanging in shredded strips. My thighs and neck bloomed with bruises. Every breath scraped my ribs. “They said you’re broken,” he said, stepping closer. “Didn’t think they meant wrapped up like a gift.” I didn’t move. Couldn’t. My body had stopped answering hours ago. My throat burned. The brand on my back throbbed— not in pain, but like something knocking from the inside. A warning in a language older than the Moon. I couldn’t yell. Couldn’t beg. But my eyes… my eyes stayed open. He crouched in front of me, his shadow cutting me in half. His filthy hands forced m
Last Updated : 2025-07-24 Read more