Runa Mga Nobela at Kwento

Her shadow stretched across the floor — wrong, enormous, rippling with wings and teeth and something serpentine. Her voice trembled for the first time. “Please… hurry…” Her hand spasmed. “Before they decide for you.” The ground lurched violently. Under their feet, the earth cracked. Not randomly. The crack made a shape. A rune. A chosen rune. A Rune of Sacrifice. Auren recognized it instantly and screamed: “KAEL—DON’T STAND IN—” The rune flared. Kael was trapped inside its boundaries. Light roared around him like a cage snapping shut.

A stolen child, far from his mother, in the arms of the last woman on earth who should be holding him. And I, who have never been a mother and never will be, felt something I had no name for and no use for and could not afford. "Rune," I said. Kaelen blinked. "What?" "His name. Rune." I don't know where it came from. It rose up in me looking at that sleeping face, small and hard and marked, a thing you carve into stone to keep a meaning safe. "It's old. It means a mark that holds power. A secret written down so it isn't lost." I looked up at Kaelen, and I gave him the smile that has never once failed me. "A weapon that carries a hidden meaning. Fitting for a boy who is more than he appears.

"Consider it my contribution to Ronan's eventual downfall." I looked at Stellan. His jaw was tight, his eyes suspicious, but he didn't say no. "Why?" I asked again. "Really. Why help us?" Runa was quiet for a moment. Then she said, "Because when I was young, Ronan sold my mother to another pack to secure an alliance. I never saw her again. He called it 'necessary.' He called her 'expendable.'" Her golden eyes blazed. "You're not expendable. Neither was she. And I'm tired of watching him treat women like property."

"Sweetheart, surely there's been some mistake. Noxon Alkham... he's dangerous. Everyone knows about his reputation." "His reputation?" I laughed bitterly. "You mean like Nathan's reputation as the perfect Alpha heir? The one who was using me to get to our pack?" Dmitry stepped forward, his expression troubled. "Aurora, that's different. Nathan made mistakes, but Noxon... he's unstable. The fights, the rebellions against pack law—" "At least he's honest about who he is!" I shot back. "He never pretended to be something he's not." "No," Maxim sneered. "He just took what he wanted and disappeared. How long did he stick around after he got what he wanted, sister? A day? An hour?"

she exclaimed, her voice trembling with newfound hope. Dominic leaned closer, his brow furrowing as he examined the ancient text. "There are some runes here. I recognize their names, but the meanings… I don't know their meaning." Victoria pointed at the first rune, a twisted, jagged mark etched into the page. "This one’s called Mendacium," she said, her tone uncertain. "Then there's Dolor... followed by Odium, and finally, Peccatum."

He answered. Curious, Akira asked,“And how did she die if you do not mind me asking.” “Houndras.” Rune answered as he started searching through the pile of books. Akira gasped, she was never going to get used to those creatures being mentioned. “Houndras?” She repeated, “aren't they the same creatures that…” “Yes darling…” Rune answered as he pulled out another book from the pile, this was larger than the first and thick, but not thicker than the first book he pulled out earlier.

But she had done nothing to earn it. Unlike Ravina. Ravina had never cared about power. She had never needed to prove herself through manipulation or empty words. She had been a warrior, a protector, a leader in her own right. And I had thrown her away for this. My hands clenched into fists under the table. I was a fool. I turned back to the elders. “The mating ceremony is postponed.” A heavy silence fell over the room. Amira sprang up from her chair. "You can't do this!" She was shrill, frantic. "Do you know how this is going to make me look?"

And there stood my wolf. "Runa." I cried out her name. My golden wolf stood proud and whole, her fur glowing faintly in the ethereal light. Whole. Awake. Furious. "Finally, you're here," she snapped, ears flat against her skull. I didn't care about her anger. I threw my arms around her neck, burying my face in her fur. She smelled of lavender, of home. "Don't hug me!" Runa wriggled free, baring her teeth. "How dare you run off with that witch? Do you know how much strength it took to show you our true mate? And what do you do? Leap into the arms of the first impostor who—"

I lowered my gaze, feeling a little disappointed. Someone invited me in, and I caught Darcy’s nervous gaze on me. I put on a sweet smile, sat beside him, stroked his face, and said, “Sorry I’m late.” He sighed with relief unexpectedly and corrected me, “Ginger, you are now my Luna. Don’t keep apologizing.” The werewolves around us cheered and heckled, “Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!” Being Darcy’s Luna was totally different from being a simp—obviously, my social status had risen. In the past, those werewolves looked down on me and made fun of me, but now they respectfully called me Luna.

The room smelled of broth. The woman sat beside her again, brushing hair from her face. “My name is Runa,” she whispered. “And that stubborn male you met is my mate. Everyone calls him Shadow. I think he likes it more than his birth name.” Aria blinked slowly. Runa smiled. “You’re safe now. That’s all you need to know.” A long silence. Then Aria whispered, her voice dry and cracked: “I don’t know where they are.” Runa paused. “Who?”