Chapter 11

The air in the basement was thick and foul. Iron chains rattled and clanked. Julian hung suspended in midair.When he saw me walk in, his whole body flinched. "Ella, I knew it... You wouldn't let me die. Water... please, give me water."I ignored him and dragged a chair over to sit in front of him. Theo leaned against the doorway, smoking. He said nothing, just tossed the silver knife my way. I caught it by the leather-wrapped handle."Water?" I toyed with the blade in my hands."You want water? I don't have any. Only a knife. You want that instead?"Julian nodded frantically. Snot and tears covered his face. "Ella, I'm an Alpha. If you let me go and let me recover, I'll make it up to you. Ella, I was blind before. From now on, you'll be my only Luna...""Shut up." I pressed the tip of the blade against his ankle.Julian froze. "What are you doing? Ella, I'm Kyle's father! I'm your Alpha!""You think you deserve to say his name?"I pushed down hard. The blade sank into flesh

Chapter 12

Soon, Theo and I arrived at Blackrock Mine.This place was an illegal human coal operation. For 50 miles in every direction, everything was covered in black soot. Out here, the only things that mattered were violence and money.The people working here were either wanted criminals or desperate men with nowhere else to go.The foreman, James Gadberry, was a bald man with a face full of scars. He was already waiting at the entrance. When he saw Theo, he bowed and scraped as he hurried over."Sir, the person you asked about is in the back.""Lead the way."We walked through the noisy work camp area where men played cards and cursed. In the most remote corner under an open shed, several enormous wash basins were lined up in a row.Even though it was winter, the water was bone-chillingly cold. A woman lay sprawled on the ground, her hands submerged in pitch-black water, mechanically scrubbing a pile of work pants that were stiff as iron.Her legs twisted unnaturally behind her. Her k

Chapter 13

Theo and I arrived at Julian's pack.The oak doors of the Elder Council were shut tight. Raised voices filtered through from inside. They were arguing about what to do with the pack now that they had no Alpha.I didn't bother with my hands. I kicked the heavy wooden doors open. The doors slammed against the walls, shaking dust loose from the ceiling.The arguing stopped abruptly. 12 pairs of eyes turned toward the entrance.I leaned on a black metal cane and walked in slowly. The vicious scar on my left cheek looked stark in the dim candlelight.At this moment, 30 of the Woolbrook pack's best warriors stood at the entrance. And of course, Theo."Ella? This is the Elder Council. Get out!" Elder Landon Whitlock, the head elder, slammed his hand on the table.I ignored him and walked straight to the head of the long table. It was the Alpha's seat."That's Alpha Julian's seat!" Elder Simon Graves, the second elder, tried to stand and block me.I swung my cane out hard. Not at him,

Chapter 14

Half a month later, the new house was finished.There were no fancy decorations, only a simple wooden construction with massive floor-to-ceiling windows. A fireplace burned pine logs, filling the rooms with a pleasant woody scent.That evening, Theo and I came to check on the new furniture. We also planned to inspect how the conversion of the public restroom was going in Julian's old house.The moment I stepped inside, I frowned. There was a strange smell in the air. Not the scent of pack wolves. It was mixed with dirt, rust, and a faint trace of perfume.Theo clearly smelled it too. We exchanged glances.Theo pointed toward the storage room. I hadn't bothered having anyone clean it out. I'd planned to burn everything of Julian's once the restroom was finished.I nodded and shifted my fingers into claws silently. We moved like hunting cats, making no sound as we crept forward.The storage room door was ajar. Inside came the sound of someone rummaging through boxes."Damn it, th

Chapter 15

Wind whispered through the leaves like a lullaby. I leaned against Kyle's headstone and drifted off without meaning to.In the dream, there was no blood, no fire, no suffocating night. Kyle wore his little bear hoodie, clutching a kite string, running with sweat dripping down his face.He didn't look back, just shouted, "Mommy! Hurry up! If you don't run faster, the kite's gonna fall!"I tried desperately to catch up, but my feet felt rooted to the ground. Kyle stopped and turned around. His little face was clean, and there was no wound or blood.He stuck his tongue out at me. "Mommy, stop frowning like that. You look like an old lady. I want apple pie. The kind with lots of sugar."Go back home now, and don't stay here with me. I'm gonna go play again."With that, he let go of the kite string. It soared into the sky while he laughed and ran into the depths of the forest."Kyle!"I jolted awake. Dawn had broken.Morning dew dampened my lashes, but my body felt warm. A leather

Chapter 16

A jacket, still warm, settled over my shoulders. Theo stood behind me without a word, silently blocking the wind."Is it over?" Theo asked."Yeah. It's over.""Then now it's my turn." Theo suddenly dropped to one knee.I froze. "What are you doing?"Theo pulled a box from his pocket and opened it. Inside was a ring carved from the hardest obsidian, etched with the wolf pack's totem."Ella, I'm not good with pretty words."This wolf who was usually so quiet actually had red creeping up his ears. "Ever since you were five and smeared mud on my face for the first time, I've never looked at another she-wolf."I know you've been hurt badly. I'm not in a rush. I can wait one year, ten years, or even my whole life if that's what it takes."He held up the ring. His eyes shone brighter than the stars above."But I'm still hoping you'll be my Luna. Let me protect you and our future home from every storm for the rest of our lives. Will you?"I looked at him. My eyes suddenly felt hot.