Semua Bab Curse of the Moon's Bride : Bab 31 - Bab 40

The study felt smaller than usual. Too many bodies. Too much tension packed into one space.The map table was covered again – marks layered over older marks, plans built on top of plans that had already failed or nearly gotten us killed. This one had to work.Finn sat in the corner, hunched in on himself like he was trying to disappear into the wall. His hands wouldn't stop moving – fingers twisting together, pulling apart, then starting again. I could hear his breathing from across the room. Fast. Uneven."They use dead drops," I said, keeping my voice steady. "Hollow trees, cracks in stone. She leaves instructions there. He picks them up. No contact. No names."Kael's jaw tightened as he looked at the map. "So she stays unseen.""Yes."Rina leaned forward, bracing her hands on the table. "Then we make her come to us."Mira stepped closer, scanning the map with a sharp, focused gaze. "There," she said, pointing. "The old storehouse near the eastern border. Abandoned. No patrol traffi

The needle bit into my skin again. I didn't flinch this time.Mara's hands were steady, precise, threading sinew through torn flesh as if she were mending fabric instead of me. The sharp sting had dulled into something distant – manageable. What I couldn't ignore was the heaviness pressing down on my bones, dragging at my eyelids, settling deep in my chest like wet earth."You're pushing yourself too hard," Mara said quietly, not looking up. "The body needs time to heal."I stared at the opposite wall, at the faint cracks running through the stone. "There's no time.""There's always time," she replied, pulling the thread tight. "You just refuse to take it."I exhaled slowly. My shoulder throbbed in response, a reminder of claws and blood and how close Mira had come."Mira is in the cells," I said. "She knows things. Names. Plans. We can't afford to wait."Footsteps sounded at the doorway. Kael. I didn't have to look to know it was him. The air shifted when he entered – heavier, sharpe

The mornings had started to feel the same.Not in a dull way. Not in the suffocating, endless loop I used to know. This was different. Softer. Steadier.I woke to sunlight spilling across my bed, warm against my face. For a moment, I didn't move. I just lay there, listening – to the distant sounds of the pack stirring, to the quiet hum of something inside me that no longer felt broken.My shoulder didn't ache anymore. When I rolled it carefully, all I felt was a faint pull where the skin had healed. A pale scar. Nothing more.I traced it with my fingers, then let my hand fall.Alive. Still here. That was enough.By the time I reached the training yard, Kael was already there. Of course he was.He stood in the center of the clearing, shirt damp with sweat, a blade loose in his grip. He didn't look surprised to see me. He never did anymore."You're late," he said."I like to keep you waiting."His mouth twitched – almost a smile.We fell into motion without another word. Steel met steel

The fire cracked softly between us, its warmth doing little to ease the tension that had settled into my bones.Drakon didn't speak again after his offer. He just watched – patient, unmoving, like a wolf that knew time was on his side. Across from him, Kael stood rigid, one hand hovering near the hilt of his knife. Grey lingered near the wall, silent but alert. Rina's eyes flicked between all of us, measuring, calculating.I could feel the shift in the air. Not danger exactly. Something heavier. A decision waiting to be made.Kael broke the silence first. "You claim you can control the curse," he said, voice low and edged. "Prove it."Drakon didn't argue. He didn't bristle or smile. He simply nodded.Then he stepped forward. "Watch closely," he said.Something in me tensed before anything even happened. My wolf stirred, uneasy – not afraid, but aware.Drakon lifted his hand.At first, nothing changed. Then – slowly – his fingers curled, and the air seemed to tighten around him. His sh

The whispers didn't stop. They just… changed.A few days ago, they had been sharp. Fear-laced. Quiet enough to pretend they weren't there, but heavy enough to feel in every glance. Now, they carried something else.Curiosity."Is it true he never leaves the cabin?""I heard he doesn't eat with the others.""They say he's one of them—"I turned the corner before the sentence finished, and the voices dropped immediately.Two wolves stood near the wall, both pretending they hadn't just been talking. One of them – young, barely out of training – cleared his throat."Selene."I paused."What is it?" I asked.He hesitated, glancing at the other wolf before meeting my eyes. "The stranger at the border. Who is he?"Straight to it. No fear. Just a need to understand.I kept my voice even. "Someone the Alpha is questioning.""That's all?""That's all you need to know."It wasn't harsh. But it wasn't inviting either. He nodded slowly, though I could see the questions still sitting behind his eye