Semua Bab Beneath the Howling Pines: Bab 31 - Bab 40

I stood alone in the center of the circle of stones, blood trailing from the cut across my palm, soaking into the dirt and dripping down onto the rune-carved altar. The scent of smoke and steel curled in the air, thick with the copper tang of battle.Around us, the cursed wolves circled like vultures, hunched and twitching. Misshapen things, their forms half-melted by shadow, their claws too long, jaws broken wide. Their eyes—if they had any left—burned with red flame.But they didn’t move.Not yet.They were waiting for the bond to break.Waiting for the moment the weight of war shattered us from the inside out.I clenched my jaw, refusing to give them anything.Not a flinch.Not a heartbeat of fear.Silas stepped up beside me, blade drawn and glowing faintly with a dark blue rune-fire. His shirt was torn, blood streaked across his temple, but his eyes—gods, his eyes—never wavered.“They’re not attacking,” he said. “They’re watching.”“Waiting,” I said. “For the bond to fray.”He nod

The dawn broke cold and sharp, with a frost that glittered on the edges of pine needles like tiny diamonds. I stood on the ridge overlooking Ashfang’s camp, the air still and heavy as if the forest itself was holding its breath. Below, the pack stirred slowly—wolves stretching, noses twitching, voices muted by the weight of what had come before.It had been a week since the first battle against the cursed wolves, and the scars of that night still burned fresh in my mind. The earth at the northern ridge was scorched and blackened where our traps had failed, where blood and ash mingled with pine needles and dirt. I could almost see their twisted shapes in the flickering shadows: malformed wolves with eyes that gleamed like poisoned silver, snarling in rage and madness.I closed my eyes and felt Nyx, my wolf, stir beneath my skin. The tension in the pack echoed inside me like a low growl — restless, uneasy. The wolf sensed it before I did: the scent of danger, old and new, weaving throug

The blood moon hung low over Ashfang camp, casting an eerie red glow that bled through the towering pines. Shadows twisted and lengthened, the forest around us alive with whispered fears and restless spirits. It was a night heavy with ancient power — and a night that promised no peace.I stood at the edge of the clearing, the weight of the pack pressing behind me, their eyes reflecting firelight and uncertainty. The pup inside me stirred with a steady heartbeat, a steady pulse I clung to amid the growing chaos.Silas came to stand beside me, his presence steady and sure. “The blood moon strengthens the curse,” he said quietly. “We’ll feel its pull tonight.”I nodded, feeling Nyx’s muscles tense beneath my skin. The wolf stirred in uneasy anticipation. Tonight, the battle would shift — from physical to spiritual, from steel and teeth to the raw, ancient forces that bound us all.The camp was a hive of preparation. Warriors sharpened blades and checked weapons, sentinels doubled their w

The Cursed OneThe hunger was never quiet. It gnawed at my ribs, an ancient and endless ache that twisted everything I once was into something dark, something primal. Every breath I took was tainted by the coppery scent of blood, by the stench of decay that clung to my own fur.But still… I remembered.Not everything. Not names, not places. But fragments. Echoes of laughter. The warmth of a den in the dead of winter. The sound of a heartbeat not driven by rage.I remembered being whole. Before the curse.Now, I was a shadow caught between life and death, loyalty and madness.And I was watching them.From the ridge above their camp — the Ashfang stronghold — I crouched beneath the cover of pine and ash, my form hidden by the blackened bark of cursed trees. The moonlight struggled to reach me here, as though it feared what it might reveal.Below, their camp shimmered with ward-lights and the throb of magic. I could hear their heartbeats, feel their strength pulsing through the soil. The

There are moments when the world quiets—not because there’s peace, but because it’s holding its breath before the storm.This was one of those moments.I stood on the high ridge above the Ashfang camp, watching the distant horizon blur into a dull gray. The wind bit colder than usual, even for these northern woods. It wasn’t the kind of cold that touched skin. It slid under it. Lived in your bones.Something was coming.I couldn’t see it yet, but I felt it.And worse—I could feel it through the bond.Elena was restless.She’d been pacing more than usual, unable to settle even when Mara and Severa all but ordered her to rest. Her wolf, Nyx, was on edge too, which put everyone else on edge. Especially me.I tried to give her space. Tried to let her lead, as she always had. But every time she slipped from my sight, I felt the threads of our bond pull tight around my chest, like a noose.She was strong. Fierce. The kind of leader that didn’t need saving.But she was also carrying our pup