Chapter 230 Chapter 229: The Horns of Warning She knelt before the altar, fingers hovering over the ancient markings. Her hand trembled slightly as she continued from where she had stopped before, her fingertips grazing the grooves carved deep into the slab. The rushed engraving on the altar seemed to
Chapter 229 Chapter 228: The Storm’s Boundaries Daniel frowned, his arms crossed over his chest. “Hold on—how’s that possible? How can a storm decide to hit just some places and leave others dry p> Paula looked at him, patient but focused, as she pulled the map closer and pointed to
Chapter 228 Chapter 227: Preparation for the Storm Orion turned to Garrett. “Make sure the pack is aware of this. Everyone should be informed about the impending storm before the end of today p> Garrett nodded. “Yes, sir.” He turned to go, but Orion stopped him. “Also, send a message
Chapter 227 Chapter 226: The Weight of Three Days At the same time—while Sophia stood before the ancient altar and Eldric traced dust over forgotten runes, while Tobias slipped through the noise and dim lanterns of the black market—Orion remained in the eastern wing of the compound, inside the room
Chapter 226 Chapter 225: Eldric Shows Up Eldric looked oddly smaller in the doorway than she expected, as if the fact that his husband was not in the pack compounds had dealt a heavy blow to him. Sophia didn’t understand how his husband leaving the pack could affect him this
Chapter 225 Chapter 224: The Porridge and the Plan When Sophia’s eyes fluttered open, the first thing she noticed was the stillness. It wasn’t the kind of silence that followed night, but the sleepy hush of afternoon light filtering through thin curtains. Her body felt heavier than usual, as though
Chapter 224 Chapter 223: Shadow Tail The Black Market did not sleep in the neat way townspeople imagined sleep. Even in daylight, the place lived in a half-light of its own making — stalls shaded by awnings and tapestries, lanterns still swinging from beams as if it were always evening,
Chapter 223 Chapter 222: Shadows Among the Stalls The Black Market Tobias narrowed his gaze. “I’m a businessman. I’m not going to tell you how I get my goods p> The man nodded. “Yes, I apologize for that p> “How do you expect to carry them, though? Where are your
Chapter 222 Chapter 221: The Owl and the Gold Somewhere in the Black Market The Black Market was buried beneath the spine of the mountain—an intricate network of tunnels and chambers carved out of cold stone and greed. The air here was thick with the scent of oil, old metal,
Chapter 221 Chapter 220: The Gathering Storm The afternoon sun slanted through the office windows, spilling golden light across the piles of parchment on Orion’s desk. Despite the warmth it carried, the light only reminded him of how long he’d been sitting there—how much of the day had slipped through
Chapter 220 Chapter 219: The Small Things The soft slosh of water was the only sound that filled the quiet room. The steam rose gently from the tub, blurring the edges of the small brick walls and catching the light that spilled through the half-open window. Orion’s hand stilled on
Chapter 219 Chapter 218: Get Some Rest Even with Micah and Nia’s words echoing in her head, Sophia still couldn’t bring herself to leave. Not when the other trainees were still working. The cleaning moved in easy rhythm. There was chatter everywhere as the trainees polished the weapons and wiped
Chapter 218 Chapter 217: We Won There was proof of her claim: a darker smear of dirt on the edge of his boot, a bare sliver where the packed earth had been touched. The toe of his boot rested not on the inside of the circle but beyond it —
Chapter 217 Chapter 216: Breath and Reckoning The muted cheer that had begun at the edges of the training ground swelled as Sophia pressed the attack. At first it felt like a ripple — an involuntary swell when someone sees something good — then it became a chorus. Voices rose:
Chapter 216 Chapter 215: The Line Between Steel and Breath Sophia’s eyes flashed with the thrill of that near-success; she smiled in the middle of exertion, a quick bright notch of triumph. Orion’s answering grin was small and wolfish, a spark of something both proud and dangerous. He tilted his
Chapter 215 Chapter 214: The Last One Standing The training ground around Orion’s small ring had gone inexplicably quiet; the clatter of earlier sparring, the muttered advice and restless laughter, had folded into something close and watchful. Only a thin track of scuffed earth marked the boundary he’d drawn with
Chapter 214 Chapter 213: Playtime’s Over There was one part Orion miscalculated though — the part where he failed to take into consideration that Sophia used two weapons. He realized it too late, just as a dagger flew from her hands. It moved with a silent whoosh, and if not
Chapter 213 Chapter 212: Putting the Plan in Action The morning smelled of iron and snow, the training ground already alive with motion and the low, constant rhythm of breath. Trainees clustered in ragged lines, weapons held like promises. At the center of the clearing, a small ring of scuffed
Chapter 212 Chapter 211: Simple Enough Sophia rolled her eyes. They did not look good together at all. It didn’t matter that Holly was beautiful, confident, and from the pack. She shook her head slightly. Orion and Holly did not look good together. She wasn’t going to let insecurities get
Chapter 211 Chapter 210: Sparks in the Circle The other trainees attacked Orion. The attack was disorganized; there was no pattern to their movements, giving Orion time to intercept each and every one. He hadn’t even broken a sweat and still had a smile on his lips, his breathing even