Chapter 61 - UNDER SIEGE

Nalani's POV The hidden trail Mara had described wound through the deepest shadows of Black Moon like a vein through poisoned flesh, narrow and overgrown, barely distinguishable from the surrounding wilderness. I followed it east, moving under cover of pre-dawn darkness that slowly gave way to the pale gray of daybreak filtering weakly through the dense canopy in dappled patches that danced across the forest floor but did little to chase away the bone-deep chill clinging to my skin. The forest here was ancient and unforgiving… massive trees with trunks wider than three wolves abreast, their bark scarred and blackened in places as if the corruption had seeped even into the wood. Roots twisted like gnarled fingers over moss-covered rocks, tripping hazards hidden beneath layers of fallen leaves that crunched softly under my bare feet.But even this untouched corner carried the pack’s horrid stench. It coated my tongue, burned my nostrils, made my eyes water with every breath. How coul

Chapter 62 - THE MISSING PIECE

Nalani's POVThe next day dawned with a fragile mercy, the sun rising pale and hesitant over the ruins of Ashwood. Kieran’s scent still clinging to the sheets like a ghost. My body felt… better. Not whole… the deep gashes had scabbed into angry red lines that pulled with every movement, and the bruises bloomed purple across my ribs but stronger.The antidote’s cool strength lingered in my veins, dulling the serum’s burn to a low hum. Joints ached less, skin no longer prickled with every brush of fabric. The pup kicked with more vigor, a reassuring flutter that grounded me. But the effects weren’t gone entirely; a faint shadow of deformation hovered, a twinge in my fingers, a subtle stretch in my bones when I flexed. It was there, waiting.I dressed in borrowed clothes… sturdy pants, a tunic that hid the bandages, the cloak from Mara to conceal my tattoos. The weight of the last vial in my pocket was a constant reminder: one more dose, one more chance if the shadows returned.Stan fou

Chapter 63 - THE BLOOD OF THREE

Nalani's POV I froze.Fingers trembling as I held the fragile pages, heart slamming against my ribs. I aligned the torn edges slowly, carefully.They fit. Perfectly.My breath caught in my throat, sharp and sudden, as the script flowed seamless across the join. Words I’d never seen stared back at me, complete for the first time. A secret hidden in plain sight, torn apart to protect it, now whole in my shaking hands.Shock rooted me to the spot, disbelief, wonder, fear crashing together.I sat down slowly on the nearest bench, the old wood creaking under me, and began to read.My dearest Alec,If you are reading this, then the worst has come. The rogue king stirs in his unnatural sleep, and the world teeters on the edge of darkness once more.I have seen it in visions granted by the Moon… flashes of blood and fire, a king risen from death by forbidden blood and gold. The Lynix and Goldmoon lines entwined to resurrect him, binding his fate to theirs.If he awakens fully, no blade, no c

Chapter 64 - INTO THE ROT

Nalani's POV We gathered in the ruins of Halestone’s war room… what was left of it. Cracked walls leaned dangerously inward, threatening collapse, overturned tables splintered into jagged shards, maps charred at the edges and curling like dead leaves in the draft. Stan spread a salvaged blueprint of Black Moon across a makeshift table fashioned from a fallen door balanced precariously on crates, his face grim under the flickering lantern light that cast long, uneasy shadows.The warriors we’d rallied… a total of two hundred wolves: one hundred and fifty battle-hardened survivors from both Ashwood and Halestone who could still fight, plus fifty from Pine Ridge and the smaller clans… crowded in shoulder-to-shoulder, eyes sharp but weary, bodies tense with the weight of what was coming. They were a mix, young and fierce with fire in their gazes, old and scarred carrying the wisdom of too many losses, all united by the speeches that had ignited their hope and fear alike.“We infiltrate

Chapter 65 - A BROTHER'S SILENCE

Nalani's POVDamian's gaze swept the room with leisurely satisfaction before locking onto me. Those dark, predatory eyes gleamed with triumphant malice, the promise of every horror I’d ever fled from finally delivered.“Hello, little wolf,” he murmured, lips curving into a smile sharp enough to cut bone. “Did you truly think you could run from me forever?”The words slithered through the air like smoke from a dying fire, wrapping around my throat and squeezing. My heart hammered against my ribs, a frantic drumbeat echoing the serum's lingering burn in my veins. The gash on my leg throbbed in rhythm, blood warm and sticky on my skin. Jade's pulse gun still hovered near Caspian's heart, his smugness now tempered by a wary glance at his father. Cleo’s bandaged face twisted in confusion and lingering fury.I wanted to shrink back, to let the fear coil me into submission like it had in my nightmares for years. Damian was the shadow that had haunted my every step, the architect of so much p

Chapter 66 - REGENERATION'S CURSE

Nalani's POV Rage ignited in my chest like a wildfire devouring dry tinder, scorching everything in its path as I watched the light fade from Zeph's eyes. That final, soft rattle of his breath echoed in my soul, a sound I'd carry forever… the death knell of the brother who'd been my anchor, my protector, my blood. The serum's fire paled in comparison to this inferno; it was primal, all-consuming, turning grief into a weapon sharper than any claw.Cleo's wails pierced the silence, raw and unhinged, her body convulsing as the mate bond's severance tore through her like invisible blades. She'd always been cold, calculating, burying any whisper of the connection under layers of ambition and spite. But now, with Zeph gone, it hit her full force… a hollow, aching void that drove her mad. Her single visible eye, red-rimmed and wild, locked on Jade with a hatred so pure it distorted her bandaged features into something monstrous. She thrashed against the rogues holding her, not with calcula