تسجيل الدخولDAMON'S POV Soft sunlight filtered through a narrow opening high above, spilling into a hidden clearing tucked between towering walls of ancient stone. I stopped without meaning to. The place felt... Impossible. The nightmare we'd escaped seemed impossibly far away, as though the mountain itself had swallowed every trace of it and spit out something new. A narrow stream wound quietly through the clearing, its crystal-clear water slipping lazily around smooth stones polished by countless seasons. Moss climbed the surrounding cliffs in thick emerald patches, while stubborn vines draped themselves over ledges that had likely gone untouched for centuries. The air no longer smelled of blood or decay. Only wet stone, wood smoke and the fresh herbs drying somewhere nearby. Nestled against the cliff stood a small stone dwelling. Nothing grand. Nothing remarkable. Just a modest home built into the rock itself, as though the mountain had opened its arms and quietly sheltered it from
DAMON'S POV "Don't mind me. I'm just here. Trying not to die," Rhoda muttered from beside the fireplace, sounding equal parts amused and exhausted. Michaela sprang away from me so abruptly I nearly stumbled. A startled flush spread across her cheeks as her gaze snapped toward Rhoda. I could tell she hadn't even realized we weren't alone. In fairness... I'd almost forgotten Rhoda was there too. Michaela hurriedly wiped at the tears clinging to her cheeks with the heels of her palms, as though she could erase every trace of them before either of us noticed. It didn't work. When she looked up again, the embarrassment had already begun to fade. In its place... Disbelief. Her gaze drifted between me and Rhoda again and again, searching our faces as though expecting one of us to disappear if she looked away for too long. "How are you two here?" I exchanged a glance with Rhoda. The faint amusement that had softened her features moments earlier had vanished, replaced by quiet e
MICHAELA'S POV "Damon?"The last time I'd seen her...She'd been asleep.Her red hair had spilled across the pillow in tangled curls, her chest rising and falling in the slow, steady rhythm of peaceful sleep.I'd stayed beside her longer than I should have.Simply watching.Memorizing.The warmth of her scent.The constellation of freckles scattered across her face.All twelve of them.The faint curve of her lips, as though she was carrying on a very important conversation inside her dreams.I had taken all of her in.And somewhere deep inside my chest, something had begun to ache.Slowly.Quietly.Dangerously.It was the sort of ache that demanded immediate attention. Because everything I felt for this woman was becoming far too large to contain.Far too dangerous to ignore.Then she'd stirred.I'd held my breath, hoping she wouldn't wake.I couldn't have explained why I was there.Not to her.Not even to myself.She hadn't.And somehow...Even though that was exactly what I'd wante
MICHAELA'S POVPain returned before consciousness did.A dull, relentless throb spread through every inch of my body, settling deep inside my bones until even breathing felt like work.Consciousness arrived in reluctant fragments.First came pain.Then warmth.Then the unmistakable softness beneath my back.My sluggish mind struggled to make sense of it all before slipping away again, only to claw its way back a second later.For a long moment, I wasn't entirely certain whether I'd opened my eyes or not.Darkness surrounded me either way.Slowly...The memories returned.The cliff.The fall.The deafening rush of wind ripping the scream from my throat.The creature crouched over me, its jaws stretching open as it prepared to strike.Then...Nothing.No.Not nothing.There had been someone else.A female.The sorceress.My eyes flew open.I tried to sit upright immediately.Pain exploded through my ribs.A sharp gasp escaped me before I collapsed back onto whatever I was lying on, sque
DAMON'S POVThere was no way I was letting Rhoda continue with an injury like that.And there was no way I was leaving this place without knowing what had happened to Michaela.The thought of her sent a bolt of pain through my chest that had nothing to do with my own injuries.Just moments ago, I'd had hope.Real hope.Now, it was slipping through my fingers, crumbling piece by piece.My head buzzed at the thought of Michaela trapped somewhere down here...Alone.Surrounded by those monsters.I squeezed my eyes shut for a brief moment, trying to steady myself as the image forced its way into my mind.No.I refused to believe it.It wasn't possible.It simply couldn't be.I willed this to be the truth.I would find her, I repeated over and over in my head.Wait for me, Michaela.I would find you.When I opened my eyes again, I became aware of the cloaked female watching me, silently.Waiting.Without a word, with much more determination than the last second, I reached for the backpack
DAMON'S POVI had no more than two seconds to decide. So I made the only decision that made sense.I followed her.Surviving this nightmare on our own had already become impossible."Cover me," the cloaked female ordered.The command was sharp.Confident.Entirely too authoritative for my liking.Ruin stirred beneath my skin, distinctly displeased by the command in her voice. Yet beneath that irritation, I sensed something else.A reluctant respect.It made me hesitate.Ruin had never tolerated anyone who so much as tried to seem imposing.Not even Father.Whatever this woman was...Even my wolf wasn't dismissing her outright.Without another word, she strode deeper into the ruins.It seemed a few seconds after landing, whatever we had made the creatures to stay away from her, weared off.Rhoda and I fell in behind her, blades moving almost constantly as more of the monsters threw themselves into our path.I cut one across the chest.Rhoda impaled another through the neck before wrenc
“I’ll go first.”I step in front of Damon, reaching past him to tear a strip of fabric for his bandage.He watches me like he’s bracing for impact.I pause for a moment, considering my questions.There are too many.They’ve been circling my mind ever since he returned from the Winter Pack.Ever sin
The next day, I go to see Mum and Talia. The moment I step into the room, Mum looks at me. And then she looks away. She doesn’t say a word. Not a greeting. Not a question. Nothing. I have been gone for almost a month and she still has absolutely nothing to say to me. The silence sett
“You,” I whisper, stunned. “Me,” she replies. She closes the door with deliberate care, the soft click of the latch sounding far louder than it should. Then she turns and takes slow, unhurried strides into the room as if she owns it. As if she has always owned it. In the full light, I see her
When our lips meet, every form of reasoning obliterates. My mind combust into electric sensations. He growls, taking control of the kiss. Mouth claiming mine with the urgency of a collapsing star. Heat pours between us, reckless and blinding. When my lips part, it isn't an invitation. It’s ine







