جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 120

~AURORA~They took me to the council estate.The room they had left me in was quiet, elegant, and heavily guarded—not to keep me in, but to keep everyone else out. I sat on the edge of a low sofa with my hands tightly clasped in my lap, the Blackwell necklace resting against my collarbone once more. Every few minutes I touched it, as if I needed the solid weight of it to remind myself this was actually happening.I still didn't believe it.A Blackwell. Me. The girl who had spent her entire life being told she was worthless, shiftless, a stain on the Varkas name. The idea that I belonged to a family powerful enough to make the council go pale with fear felt like a story someone else was living. My knee shook restlessly. My heart refused to settle. Somewhere inside me the baby shifted, a tiny flutter that made me press a protective hand over my stomach.Please let this be real, I thought. Please don't let it be another cruel trick.Footsteps sounded in the corridor outside. The counc

~SERAPHINA~We sat in the dark on a narrow side road overlooking the council estate, engines off, lights off, the three of us crowded into the back of the car like common spies. It was humiliating. Necessary, but humiliating. My mother had insisted we stay and watch with our own eyes. She refused to believe the council's sudden change in tone until she saw proof.When the first Blackwell vehicles appeared, we all went still.Dozens of them. Perfectly spaced security moving out with the kind of disciplined precision that made even Varkas guards look amateur. This was not a polite retrieval. This was a family of significant power arriving to claim something they considered theirs.My mother stared through the tinted glass, lips pressed into a hard line."There is no way," she said, voice tight with disbelief and rising anger. "There is absolutely no way that wolfless little nobody is a Blackwell. Have you seen their bloodline? Their wolves are among the strongest on the continent. Tha

~AURORA~My new room opened onto a wide stone balcony. The night air that greeted me was cool, carrying a peacefulness that the Varkas palace had never truly offered. I couldn't believe this place was meant to be my home. It was where I was supposed to grow up, surrounded by family. Instead, I had been robbed of a beautiful childhood, missing out on carefree days and warm memories. I didn't want to dwell on that now, though. At least, I was finally home.I stepped out, placing my hands gently on the wooden railing, its surface cool under my fingers, and looked down.Below, one of the training grounds was still brightened by flickering torches arranged along the perimeter. A group of young Blackwells—some close to Lila's age, others more towards Tristan's, moved across the ground in their wolf forms. Even from this height, I could see the clear distinction. Their wolves were large and muscular, with coats that glowed. They were a beauty to look at. I almost felt captivated by them.

~CASSIAN~Pain was the first thing that returned.It came in heavy, pulsing waves—across my back, my ribs, the deep ache in my muscles where too much power had been forced through a body that had already been pushed past its limits. For a moment I couldn't tell where I was. The ceiling above me was familiar, the air carried the scent of healing potions, and somewhere nearby someone was moving around quietly.Then memory slammed into me.Aurora.My wife.My baby. The courtyard. The council. Her voice screaming that she would go with them if they just stopped hurting me. The moment they dragged her away while I tried—and failed, to reach her.I tried to sit up too fast. Sharp pain ripped through my side and forced a rough sound from my throat. The door opened almost immediately.Zerath stepped inside, looking like he hadn't slept properly in days. When he saw I was awake, some of the tension left his shoulders, but his expression remained serious."You've been out for three days," h

~AURORA~The cave was colder than I expected.Stone arched high above. At the center lay a pool so still it looked like glass. The fine hairs on my arms rose the moment I stepped inside. I wasn't sure if I was doing the right thing. After this ritual, I would be expected to follow their every rule. But without this, I would never be able to awaken my wolf. I felt empty without her. I needed to do this. My father walked with me to the water's edge. He did not speak. None of them did. Blackwell elders formed a loose circle around the pool, their faces solemn in the flickering light. Alaric stood among them. Marcus too. The Vessel of the Moon waited nearest the water, robed in deep blue, his eyes already half-lidded as if he were listening to something the rest of us could not hear.They helped me into the pool.The water closed around my legs, my waist, then my shoulders, colder than river water and strangely heavy, as if it had weight beyond its own. I stood at the center, breath a