The night clung stubbornly to the horizon, its shadows reluctant to surrender to the coming day. Raven Ridge lay hushed in the fragile in-between, where the silver light of the moon bled into the lavender wash of dawn. The forest, scarred by battle, still smelled of smoke and iron, as though the earth itself remembered every scream, every howl, every oath broken beneath the blood moon.Elora stood on the high cliff where it had ended. The soil beneath her boots was marred with claw marks and patches of scorched grass, remnants of the spirit wolves’ descent. The pendant in her hand—once radiant, now cracked and dim—caught the fading moonlight. It had been her anchor, her curse, her tether to both chains and hope. Now it was a relic, fragile and fractured, much like the girl who held it.Behind her, Joel stood silent, his silhouette carved against the paling sky. His presence was steady as stone, yet the tension in his shoulders betrayed the weight he bore.
Last Updated : 2025-10-03 Read more