Chapter: Chapter 21 : The Mark of the First LunaMoana’s POVSela stepped into my path outside the library, her arms folded tightly across her chest. A sickly sweet smile spread across her face, but I had seen enough of her over the years to know it never meant anything good.“Well, if it isn’t Alpha Eldrick’s new Map Bearer,” she mocked.I didn’t flinch.For the first time in years, I didn’t lower my eyes either. I simply raised my head and held her gaze.“Move out of my way, Sela,” I said, keeping my voice calm. “I have orders from the Alpha, and unlike you, I have somewhere important I need to be.”The words came out sharper than I intended, and all three of them seemed to be caught by surprise. Anna and Elara exchanged a quick glance at themselves, their mocking smiles disappearing almost immediately. Even Sela stood there staring at me for a heartbeat, as though she couldn’t believe I had spoken back to her.I didn’t wait to see what she would say or do next. I just walked past them, adjusting the satchel resting against my hip
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-07-29
Chapter: Chapter 20: The First LunaMoana’s POV When the council meeting finally ended, everyone rose at once to carry out Alpha Eldrick’s orders. The war chiefs strode from the Great Hall, already discussing which warriors would ride north. The elders departed with grim faces, their voices low as they spoke among themselves. Kaelen remained beside Alpha Eldrick while the rest of the hall slowly emptied. I returned to Alpha Eldrick’s study. I couldn’t leave my work unfinished. The bucket and brush still waited where the guards had left them earlier. Dust still clung to the corners of the heavy table and the shelves lined with old scrolls. I finished cleaning in silence, moving the cloth in slow, steady circles while my thoughts remained fixed on everything I had heard during the war council. Three hundred elite warriors. Six thousand rogues. Two nights until we rode north. As I continued working, the world beyond the walls of Night Claw Hold refused to leave my thoughts. I had spent almost my entire life with
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-07-27
Chapter: Chapter 19: The War CouncilMoana’s POV The heavy doors to the Great Hall groaned as the guards pushed them open. Warm air rolled out to meet me, carrying the lingering scent of stale ale, burning pine, leather, roasted meat, and old timber. My heartbeat quickened as I stepped inside behind them. My boots echoed softly against the polished timber floor, sounding far louder than they should have in the silence. The hall was nothing like it had been the night before. The music was gone. So were the laughter, the dancing, and the endless stream of carved ale horns raised in celebration. The long feast tables had been cleared away, leaving only a broad meeting table standing in the centre of the hall. Pale morning light poured through the high windows, stretching across the wooden floor in long golden beams. The silence somehow felt heavier than all the noise from the feast. My eyes slowly lifted until they settled on the broad meeting table. Several people were already seated around it. I recognized ma
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-07-26
Chapter: Chapter 18 : Shadows Of The Morning.Moana’s POV. I woke up with a dull headache pounding inside my skull. When I opened my eyes, the straw beneath me scraped against my back, the same as every morning, but today it felt as though someone was beating war drums inside my head. I stayed flat on my back, staring at the low stone ceiling of my cellar. I didn’t even have the strength to sit up yet. Thin morning light slipped through the narrow gap beneath the door, stretching across the stone floor until it reached the side of my bed. My mouth felt dry, and the bitter taste of stale ale and smoke still lingered in my throat.“I hate drinking,” I muttered, my voice rough and thick.Slowly, memories from the feast came drifting back. The roar of the great hall. Carved bull Horns filled with ale we raised high in celebration for me. Wolves chanting my name until it echoed beneath the timber rafters. I closed my eyes again and let those memories settle warmly inside my chest. I couldn’t remember the last time I had been that g
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-07-25
Chapter: Chapter 17 : Must Be NiceMoana’s POVThe drums kept beating through the great hall, steady and warm like a heartbeat that refused to fade. I moved with Saga through the open space beside the hearth. My feet still stumbled from the ale, but I no longer cared. Every wrong step only made me laugh harder. Saga caught my hand whenever I nearly lost my balance, her bright smile glowing in the firelight. Around us, wolves clapped, stomped their feet, and cheered as the music echoed beneath the timber rafters. For a little while, nothing else seemed to matter.We danced like that for a while, laughing more than either of us managed to keep the rhythm. My head spun pleasantly as the ale warmed every part of my body, and for once I didn’t mind stumbling over my own feet. Saga only laughed, catching my hand before I could fall and spinning me back into the dance. Her bright red braids whipped through the firelight as she turned, and I couldn’t help laughing right along with her.Then, without warning, she slowed. Her sm
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-07-22
Chapter: Chapter 16: All Hail the Map BearerMoana’s POVI opened my mouth to explain myself, to tell them all this had been a mistake, a stumble of excitement and nothing more. But my voice caught in my throat, swallowed whole by the roar of the hall.“Too late to back out now, little wolf!” the auburn-haired warrior called, laughing as she thumped her own cup against the table.Two fresh horns were slammed down in front of us before I could protest, foam spilling over the rims and pouring onto the wooden table. Asger cracked his knuckles, one at a time, his grin never wavering.“Rules are simple, Map Bearer,” he said, loud enough for the whole hall to hear. “We drink. Whoever stays standing longest wins.” He leaned forward, lowering his voice just for me. “You can still walk away. No shame in it.”Something in his tone told me he meant it kindly. But every eye in the great hall was on me now, and I could feel the weight of all of them pressing down like a physical weight —curiosity, suspicion, and something else I couldn’t qui
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-07-19
Chapter: Chapter 31: “Sugar Pie”Clara’s POVJulian stood a few feet from the bed, waiting.“Can I trust you, Clara?” he asked again, quieter this time.“Yes,” I said. The word left my mouth before I could even think about it. “You can.”The second it was out, I wanted to take it back.Why did I answer him like that? I didn’t even know what he wanted from me yet.Regret settled in almost instantly. I just sat there, holding my glass of orange juice, staring at him, suddenly aware of how quickly I had agreed without even knowing what he was asking of me.Julian’s shoulders eased a little. Then he moved, leaning against the wall beside the bedroom door. One ankle crossed over the other and his arms folded across his chest, he stood there for a moment, studying me.“Yesterday, on the ride back to the hotel,” he said, “you told me about this Diva woman. You said she’s with the Goddards… not working for them. Right?”“Yes…?” I replied, frowning. “And where is this going?”“And she told you she has something important she
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-07-30
Chapter: Chapter 30: “Can I Trust You”Clara’s POV After Julian left, the suite felt too large. I stayed in bed for a long time, staring at the empty chair by the window, replaying every word he had said. The Goddards. My father. The shares he promised to return. Diva’s warning that still refused to leave my head. Eventually, the food he had talked about arrived, just as he had said it would. A quiet knock broke my train of thought for a moment. A pleasant service lady wheeled in a trolley, placed the tray of food on the table, then quietly excused herself. Grilled chicken, rice, steamed vegetables, and a small bowl of clear soup. My guess was they had added the soup because of the fainting spell from earlier. But I wasn’t hungry. My stomach still felt tight from everything, and the dull cramps from my period were only making it worse. Still, I forced myself to eat because I hadn’t eaten much all day. Besides, the nurse’s words kept circling through my mind. Rest. Eat properly. Let your body recover. I finished
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-07-28
Chapter: Chapter 29 “That’s a Story for Another Day”Clara’s POV. Julian stood at the door for a long moment, his hand still resting on the handle. I watched his back, waiting for him to say or do something. The silence stretched until my chest started to feel tight. Then he opened the door with a soft hiss.A small wave of disappointment settled in my chest. Of course he was leaving. What did I expect?I lowered my eyes to the tea in my hands and forced myself to take another sip. A second later, I heard the door click shut.Footsteps echoed back across the suite.My head snapped up.Julian was walking toward me.He stopped at the foot of the bed, one hand slipping back into his pocket. His expression had settled into its usual calm, but there was something softer behind it now.“I can stay for twenty minutes,” he said.For a second, I just stared at him, making sure I’d heard him right.A quiet smile found its way onto my face before I could stop it.“Please sit,” I said softly.He almost smiled back. Almost. Then he moved to the cha
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-07-26
Chapter: Chapter 28 “Can You Stay?”Clara’s POV. First all I could see was darkness. Then a dull, heavy throb pulsed behind my eyes, like someone was slowly tightening a screw inside my skull. I tried to swallow, but my throat felt dry. Something soft pressed against my cheek. A pillow. I heard faint sounds around me. Soft tapping, like someone’s fingers on a phone screen. Then the distant sounds of passing cars and the occasional honk. I blinked once. The ceiling swam into view, blurry and too bright. I blinked again. The lights dimmed a little. Shapes started to form. A lamp. Curtains. The edge of a table. I was lying on a bed. My heart skipped. I turned my head slowly. The movement made the headache flare. And then I saw him. Julian stood at the foot of the bed. One hand tucked into his pocket. The other tapping away on his phone. His face was completely still, his eyes fixed on the screen. “What the hell…” I whispered under my breath. The words came out a little louder than I’d meant them to. T
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-07-26
Chapter: Chapter 27 : “Why Didn’t You Tell Me?”Clara’s POV The boardroom doors closed with a soft, final click. Diva and Mich were gone. Julian remained seated for a long moment, his eyes fixed on the empty doorway as if he could still see them walking away. Mich hadn’t looked back once. Diva hadn’t either. Julian’s face gave nothing away, but I knew that look. He was calculating, silently turning pieces over in his mind. Then his gaze turned to me. The air conditioner hummed softly overhead, yet a thin line of sweat traced its way down my spine. Another beaded at my forehead. I shifted slightly in my chair, but he didn’t even blink. His expression wasn’t angry or cold. It was simply Julian Cross. Unreadable. Calculating. Like he was trying to solve another puzzle, and somehow that puzzle was me. The thought alone made my stomach twist. Then his attention dropped to the cream-colored envelope still resting on the table. The air between us felt so thick I thought I might just end up having a panic attack. “Pick u
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-07-23
Chapter: Chapter 26 : “Project Genesis”Clara’s POV. I followed Julian into the long conference room, my heels quiet against the thick carpet. At the center of the room stood an enormous mahogany table, its rich, polished surface gleaming beneath the recessed lights. It looked as though it had been carved from a single piece of wood, large enough to seat at least twenty people. Although only a few chairs had been arranged around it. Julian pulled out a chair for me like a gentleman, and I sat beside him without thinking twice. His hand brushed lightly against my shoulder before he took his own seat, solid and composed, as always. Then I let my eyes move slowly around the conference table. Several faces looked familiar, or at least the ones I remembered from the gala. A goofy-looking silver-haired man I’d seen laughing a little too loudly near the bar that day. A woman in a sharply tailored red suit who had commanded a small circle of guests near the ballroom entrance. And a few others. As I took in the faces, my
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-07-23
Masuk
