together like wa

teacher, quick to criticize and slow to praise. But she was also the firs

thinking too much. Magic isn't about logic. It's about feeling. Abo

o beat properly. The shadows responded, creeping across the cave floor toward my o

ding back. You're afraid of what you've become. Until

s and dreamed of simple happiness. But that girl was dead. I'd watched her die in a forest, arrow-shot and heart-

ng like smoke. I learned to speak to spirits, the restless dead who lingered between worlds. I le

d destruction. It whispered constantly, urging me to lash out, to hurt, to dest

ou're a creature of vengeance now. That's the fuel that keeps you tethered to life. But yo

xhausted. "How do I control some

es that shouldn't be visible to her. "Every time the hunger rises, ask yourself: is this

ow. The line between my will and the

rcrown Kingdom had fractured into smaller territories. Wars had been fought and lost. New packs had risen while old ones fell. But t

his true mate and brought divine punishment on his people. Some worship him.

t viciously. L

at kind of man he'd become after all these centuries. Was he still the pr

ntly. I grew stronger, more confident in my powers. I could summon storms of shadow

trained, you'll learn for the rest of your existence, but

ge as it was, beat faste

eone whose name will reach even a king's ears. You need to be mysterious and powerful en

I needed to be someone. Someone threatening enough that Alaric wou

ary wolves couldn't handle. Hauntings. Curses. Political disputes that needed a neutral party with frightening pow

o scent. Some said I was a demon. Others claimed I was a fallen goddess. A few

oser to Silvercrown territory. I helped border packs, saved a few important nobles, ma

he forest and looked toward the distant palace. Lights glowed in the darkness,

She'd followed me out of the cave for the first time in

spent so long preparing for this.

d. It means you're still human

anymore. You sa

surprisingly gentle. "When you see him, you'll remember the bond. You'll feel the echo of what you lost. The darkness will

hy

oyed. Let him fall for you again. Let him feel the bond trying to reform. Let him realize too

r. But I'd asked for this. I'd chosen t

ietly. "If I see him and remember

e to decide what matters more. The vengeance that broug

en there. I stood alone at the border, staring at the kingdom that had rej

the powerful witch. Tomorrow, I would begin

loved a king and died for it. The girl whose heart, broken and

e doom. Tonight, I

bove me, and I could have sworn