LOGINMICHAELA'S POVThe stairs remain on my mind long after they disappear from sight.I have questions.Far too many questions.Ancient stone buried beneath the forest and hidden for who knows how long.The more I think about it, the less sense it makes.Eventually, the terrain begins to rise.The incline is gradual at first and then it becomes annoyingly steep. And not long after, downright offensive.I mutter several highly unflattering things about hills under my breath as I climb.By the time I reach the top, my legs are burning, aching and terribly exhausted.Sweat clings to the back of my neck.And for the first time since entering the Wilds, I realize something equally important.I'm tired.Tired enough to know that continuing without a proper sense of direction would be incredibly stupid.The Wilds are dangerous.Walking aimlessly through them is probably an excellent way to die.And I don't plan to die.At least, not today.Not here.Nearly another twenty minutes passes before I
MICHAELA'S POVAt first glance, it resembles a rock.I straighten, staring at the offending object with disdain.A rock that has apparently dedicated its existence to attacking my toes.I narrow my eyes at it and slowly brush aside a layer of leaves with my boot.Something feels slightly off.I crouch downas I examine the small patch of stone visible through the foliage.With both hands, I brush away another layer of dirt and leaves.Then another.And another.I even yank out a few lightly rooted plants in the process.My irritation begins to fade as more of the surface beneath the forest floor becomes visible.The object beneath the dirt isn't rounded like most stones.It isn't jagged either.It's...Straight.Perfectly straight.I crouch lower."That's weird."Reaching down, I sweep away more soil with my hands.A sharp, defined corner emerges.Far too precise to be natural.A strange uneasiness settles in my stomach.I clear away more dirt as the shape continues.It becomes visible
MICHAELA'S POV The first thing I learned about the Northern Wilds was that silence could be loud. Very loud. Especially when every story you've ever heard about a place insists you're going to meet your end in it. I've been walking for approximately two hours, and I'm still not entirely sure how I'm supposed to find anything. One thing I am sure of, though, is that the Wilds aren't what they're supposed to be. I've been trekking through dense undergrowth for what feels like forever, yet the forest remains eerily silent. No birds. No insects. No distant rustling. Nothing. The silence is exactly the same as it had been when I first crossed the border. I try not to dwell on it, but the quiet is slowly eroding my composure. Apart from the trees and endless greenery, there seems to be no other form of life anywhere. Maybe I'm just rattled. Maybe that's why everything feels wrong. Because even though I'd woken up this morning knowing the day would be difficult, I hadn't exp
DAMON POV I stood before his desk trying not to tremble. Unsure how to reply. Mother had helped clean me up in her room while the tears never ceased from her eyes. I was clean now. Perfect now. No one could see the blood on my hands, I reminded myself but still my hands kept shaking. I push them behind my back immediately. Father's gaze remains on me. His expression still unreadable. “Where were you last night?” he repeats. I didn't know. I really didn't. But I wasn't sure how to tell him that. He wouldn't like that answer. At all. But my answer wouldn't be entirely true. I did remember a few details of what happened the last night. Fragments of memory had haunted me all morning. Brief flashes. Broken images. Enough to fill me with dread. Not enough to explain how I had woken up in that unknown place. What I had done. Who those people were. And not for the first time, I wonder, how does he know? He's never been one to care for tucking Rhoda and I into bed. I wa
DAMON'S POV I had lied. I have absolutely no arrangements for this. But I can't tell Rhoda that the roar in my head is getting louder than before. That the darkness clouding my mind is growing thicker. Heavier. Almost unbearable. I can't burden her with any more of it. Not again. She has already done enough. Ever since Mother died, Rhoda has taken it upon herself to help me through every crisis. Together, we have managed this curse as carefully as we could, hiding everything from Father for years. Because Rhoda always has a plan. She always knows how to suppress and subdue me when the cravings come. How to keep me from becoming something worse. Rhoda and I have always been a team. Which is why her betrayal cuts so deeply. The memory still burns. The fact that she told Soorayah things I shared with her in confidence. Things she knew were meant to remain secret. Things I never expected her to tell anyone. Especially not Soorayah. It leaves me w
COLE'S POV The realization settles leaving a bitter taste in my mouth. Back then, I gave in. I took Damon and the chief healer to the lab so they could look through Mia's research. Nothing more. At least, that's what I'd told myself. We'd agreed not to tell her. Not to open old wounds. The moment Damon stepped through those doors, something changed. I noticed it immediately. Not because he said anything. He didn't. Not at first. But his eyes moved across the room differently than I'd expected. Slowly. Carefully. As though he was taking everything in. The journals stacked along the shelves. The scattered notes. The countless records. Years of Mia's life laid bare for anyone willing to look closely enough. And Damon looked. I hated that he looked. Hated that he was seeing pieces of her that most people never would. Her determination. Her grief. The things she'd buried inside that place. The things she'd never say aloud. Yet what unsettled me most was what had
The world tilts violently.Loose earth crumbles beneath my feet as the slope suddenly gives way.I hit the ground hard.Pain explodes through my shoulder before gravity yanks me downward again.Branches lash against my face.Rocks tear beneath my boots.Everything becomes dirt and motion and panic.
Damon disappears between the trees. The forest goes quiet almost immediately after. Branches creak softly overhead as the wind shifts through them. Somewhere in the distance, water rushes steadily beneath the incline below us. But without Damon beside me, the woods suddenly feel... Bigger. Whic
Cole and I decide to make use of the dining hall for breakfast the next morning.Any moment now, Damon would come looking for me so we could begin today’s training.Today was apparently going to be different.We were heading into the woods so Damon could “familiarize me with the terrain,” which was
Damon doesn't move a muscle.His eyes remain on mine.I tilt my head slightly, just enough to see who just entered the room.I don’t recognize her at first.But there’s something about her that tugs at the edges of memory.Long blonde waves spill over her shoulders as she steps in, blue eyes sweepi







