Claimed by the silverfang alphas 의 모든 챕터: 챕터 161 - 챕터 170

THE MONSTERS ON THE THRONE~MATHIAS'S POV~The sun didn't rise happily. It rose like a warning.We walked back to the Packhouse quietly. The storm had passed, leaving the sky a soft pink. Below us, the Void Rot.....the grey stuff that had destroyed part of our land....was gone. It had turned into dry, white ash that broke apart under our feet, blowing in the morning wind like snow.I leaned heavily on Daxon. My arm was healed, the bone knitted back together by the vampire blood, but I felt heavy. My soul felt heavy."We need a story," Daxon rasped, kicking a pile of ash. "The Pack will want to know where Marcus went.""We tell them the truth," Tate said. She was walking on my other side, her good hand gripping my jacket while she cradled her bandaged one against her chest. She was covered in mud and other people's blood, but she held her head high. "He saved us. He bought the future.""They won't care," I said. My voice was low, the soft, smooth sound that I still wasn't used to. "To

THE HUNTER'S DAUGHTER~TATE'S POV~The ritual room smelled like burnt sage and disappointment.Vida sat across from me on the floor, surrounded by a circle of crystals that had gone dark. She looked exhausted. Her hair was a mess, and there were dark smudges under her eyes. She dropped her hands into her lap with a heavy sigh."Nothing," she said.I sat there, staring at my own palms. I flexed my fingers. I tried to summon that familiar heat, the spark that used to live just under my skin. I pushed. I pulled. I begged.Nothing happened. No fire. No wind. Just the quiet hum of the air conditioner."Check again," I said. My voice sounded thin."Tate," Vida said, rubbing her temples. "We've been at this for three hours. I have scanned your aura, your blood, and your soul. There is no spark. The pilot light is out.""It can't just be gone," I insisted. "Magic doesn't just evaporate. It has to go somewhere.""It went into the Siphon," Vida said bluntly. She wasn't being mean; she was just

ROOMMATE FROM HELL~TATE'S POV~Moving day at Westwood University was basically a mosh pit with better lighting and more cardboard.The hallway of Dorm Hall B smelled like cheap body spray, nervous sweat, and floor wax. Parents were crying, freshmen were trying to look cool while dragging duvet covers up the stairs, and I was just trying to keep Daxon from growling at the Resident Advisor."He asked for my ID," Daxon grumbled, shifting a heavy box marked BOOKS like it weighed nothing. "I don't need ID. I need him to get out of my way.""He's doing his job, Dax," I said, steering him around a girl who was crying over a broken lamp. "Just... try to look less like a hitman, okay? Smile. Be a normal boyfriend helping his girlfriend move in."Daxon looked at me. He attempted a smile. It looked like a wolf baring its teeth before biting a throat."Never mind," I said. "Just look at the floor."We reached Room 304. The door was already open.I took a deep breath. This was it. The start of Ta

NORMALCY~TATE'S POV~"Stop doing that," Jamie said, flicking a sugar packet at my forehead.It bounced off my nose and landed in my latte foam."Doing what?" I asked, blinking."The Terminator scan," Jamie said. He gestured around the crowded campus courtyard with a half-eaten bagel. "You're sitting with your back to the wall. You're checking the exits every thirty seconds. And you've been staring at that guy by the fountain like he's about to pull a grenade out of his backpack.""He's wearing a trench coat in September, Jamie. It's suspicious.""It's fashion, Tate. Or he's an art student. Same thing."I sighed, fishing the sugar packet out of my cup. "Sorry. Old habits.""It's been two weeks," Jamie said gently. "You're safe here. The biggest threat at Westwood is the price of textbooks and the mystery meat in the cafeteria."I forced my shoulders to drop. I took a sip of coffee. It was overly sweet and tasted like burnt hazelnuts. It tasted like college. We were sitting at a wobbly

THE STANDOFF~TATE'S POV~Ten minutes. Daxon said ten minutes.It had been eight.I sat on the edge of my bed, the silver-loaded crossbow resting on my knees, aiming at the door. My heart was a metronome of panic. 'Thump. Thump. Thump.' From the hallway, I heard heavy footsteps. Not the wandering shuffle of a student. The purposeful, predatory stride of a wolf on the hunt.The doorknob turned. I raised the weapon."It's me," Daxon's voice came through the wood, low and rough.I scrambled up, disengaging the deadbolt and chain. I yanked the door open.Daxon filled the frame.He wasn't wearing his usual "college boyfriend" disguise of a hoodie and jeans. He was wearing tactical black—combat boots, cargo pants, and a tight black t-shirt that showed off every muscle in his arms. He looked like he was ready to storm a compound, not a dorm room.His eyes were flashing gold."Where is he?" Daxon snarled, pushing past me into the room. He scanned the space in one second—checking the closet, t