Semua Bab THE HALF BLOOD'S CURSE: Bab 11 - Bab 20

The bond snapped into place like a wolf trap closing on bone.One moment, Niklas was sitting at the German table, pushing food around his plate, pretending to listen to Dimitri's report about the second trial. The next moment, he was on his feet, his chair crashing to the floor behind him, his heart pounding so hard he couldn't breathe."Commander?" Dimitri stood up, alarmed. "What's wrong?"Niklas didn't answer.He couldn't.Because he could feel her.Not her presence. Not her thoughts. Her pain.Sharp. Bright. Terrifying.Elif."She's gone," he said. His voice didn't sound like his own. It was deeper. Rougher. More wolf than man."What do you mean, gone?""She went for a walk. Into the forest." Niklas was already moving, already walking toward the door, already shifting his hands into claws. "She didn't come back.""Maybe she got lost—""She didn't get lost." He turned to look at Dimitri. His eyes were red. "She was taken."The forest was dark.But Niklas didn't need light. He had h

The wolves never reached us.Before the first Siberian could close its jaws around Niklas's throat, a new sound echoed through the forest. Howling. Deep and low and many.Niklas's pack.They poured out of the trees like shadows given form—Germans in their dark furs, their eyes glowing amber and gold. Dimitri led them, his scarred face twisted into a snarl."Commander!" he shouted. "We came as soon as we heard!"Anastasia's smile faltered."You brought your whole pack," she said. "To protect one half-blood?""To protect my mate." Niklas's voice was steel. "Back down, Anastasia. Or I swear to you, there won't be enough of your Siberians left to bury."For a long moment, no one moved.The two packs faced each other across the clearing—whites and blacks, ice and shadow. The air was thick with tension, with the smell of fur and blood and barely contained violence.Then Anastasia laughed."Fine," she said. "Keep your half-blood. For now." She raised her hand, and her wolves retreated. "But

Niklas and Liesel collided like two forces of nature, their confrontation a tempest over a vast ocean. There was no artifice in their battle, no calculated maneuvers, only the raw, untamed fury of a husband against his wife, the past warring with the present, and love locked in a brutal struggle with hate.I stood rooted to the spot at the edge of the meadow, my hand pressed against my bleeding throat, a silent witness to their devastating clash."Elif!" Dimitri's voice cut through the chaos as he grabbed my arm. "We need to get you out of here!""No.""Elif—""I said no."I wrenched myself free and ran, not away from the fight, but towards it.Liesel had Niklas pinned to the ground. Her grey claws were sunk into his throat, her eyes burning crimson, a predatory grin stretching her mouth, revealing a hundred sharp teeth. "You should have stayed with me," she hissed, her voice laced with venom. "You should have loved me.""I couldn't," Niklas gasped, his breath ragged. "You were never

The stronghold felt different upon our return. It was quieter, darker. Torches burned low, casting elongated shadows that danced across the stone corridors. The usual hum of voices, the laughter of shifters, the steady tread of patrolling guards – all were absent. A heavy, palpable silence had descended."Something's wrong," Niklas murmured, his hand finding my arm."I feel it too," I replied, a knot of unease tightening in my stomach.We moved through the deserted halls. The Council chamber's doors were sealed shut. The training yard stood empty. Even the cells where I had been held were now open, their emptiness unnerving."Where is everyone?" I whispered, the sound swallowed by the silence."I don't know," Niklas admitted, his voice tight.We found Dimitri in the great hall. He stood alone at the head of the German table, his scarred face unnervingly pale, his knuckles white as he gripped the back of a chair. The sight of us seemed to tighten his jaw."You shouldn't have come back,

We buried Kianuk at dawn.Not in the ground—the earth was frozen, too hard to dig. We built a cairn of stones, stacking them one by one, each rock a prayer, each stone a goodbye.My mother stood at the edge of the clearing, her arms wrapped around herself, her breath misting in the cold air. She didn't help. She didn't speak. She just watched."He was a good man," she said finally."He was the only one who believed in me.""Your father believed in you.""My father is dead.""So am I." She looked at me. "Inside. Where it matters."I didn't know what to say to that. So I said nothing.We left the cairn behind and walked into the mountains.The cave was different now.Empty. Cold. The fire had died hours ago, and the shadows had crept in to take its place. I sat on the flat rock near the pool, my knees pulled to my chest, and stared at my reflection in the dark water.The Shadow Wolf is your reflection.Kianuk's words echoed in my head.Your darkness. The part of you you've been suppress