Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 101 - Chapitre 107

Winter's shadows had teeth now.Not literal teeth, but the effect was similar. When she focused her magic during training, the darkness that pooled around her hands could strike out like living things. Fast. Sharp. Levi had stepped back the first time she'd managed it, genuine surprise crossing his face before approval replaced it.That had been yesterday. Today Winter sat in the same training cavern practicing the technique alone. The observers had thinned out slightly over the past week (Olivia's rumors losing momentum as Winter continued not betraying anyone), but a few witches still watched from the shadows. Making sure she didn't do anything suspicious with her increasingly dangerous magic.Winter ignored them. Her focus stayed on the shadow tendril she'd coaxed into existence, watching how it moved in response to her thoughts. Slower now, controlled instead of instinctive. She could make it curve left, extend forward, withdraw. The magic felt like an extension of her body. Nat

"I don't know what will happen," Winter admitted. "But I need to find out. I need to talk to him without walls between us or threats hanging over everything. I need to understand if what I felt in the citadel was real." "What you felt was captivity." Sophia's voice sharpened. "He imprisoned you. Kept you isolated. That's not romance, Winter. That's abuse." "He also protected me. Called me Little Ghost like it was a name that mattered. Let me touch his hand even though the curse made him cold as stone." Winter's hands clenched. "I'm not saying he was good to me. I'm not even saying I forgive him for keeping me locked up. But I'm saying it was complicated. More complicated than just captor and prisoner." Sophia was quiet for a long moment. Her expression cycled through anger and fear and something that might have been understanding. "You sound like me when I was your age. Defending your father to my parents, insisting he was different from other wolves." "How did you know?" Winter a

The bat arrived at dawn.Ezekiel was in the courtyard when the creature swooped through the broken window of what used to be a guest wing. Small thing, wings barely making sound, navigating the pre-morning darkness like it owned the space. It landed on a chunk of rubble that had once been part of a decorative pillar and sat there. Staring at him.Ezekiel stared back.Bats didn't usually approach werewolves. They had better survival instincts than that. But this one just perched on its broken stone and watched him with black eyes that reflected nothing.Something was tied to its leg.. Small. Dark against dark.Ezekiel moved fast. Not running (he didn't run unless chasing prey), just closing the distance between them in three strides. The bat didn't flee. Just sat there while Ezekiel's massive fingers carefully, impossibly gently, worked the binding loose.Cloth. Pale fabric tied with what looked like a hair tie. The kind women used for braids.The bat chittered once and launched itself

Ezekiel's golden eyes fixed on her. "Winter." "Is none of your concern." The woman's hands glowed faintly. Some kind of elemental magic preparing to manifest. "You need to leave. Now. Before we're forced to defend ourselves." "Winter," Ezekiel repeated. Not explanation. Not negotiation. Just stating the only thing that mattered. "She doesn't want to see you," another witch said. Younger, dark-haired, expression hostile. "She's finally safe from werewolf brutality and you think you can just--" "Liar." The word came out flat. Certain. "She sent a message. Wants to talk. You're keeping her here." The witches exchanged glances. Nervous. Like they hadn't known Winter had found a way to contact him. "Even if she did send a message," the older woman said carefully, "that doesn't give you the right to invade our sanctuary. To break our wards and threaten our people." Ezekiel took a step forward. The witches flinched back despite themselves. "Not threatening. Retrieving my mate." "Your