The transition from the wild, suffocating darkness of the Blackwood Forest to the cold, oppressive grandeur of the Midnight Eclipse fortress was a blur of shadows and pain. I drifted in and out of consciousness, cradled against a chest that felt like living granite. The scent of Alpha Valerius—that intoxicating mix of storm and steel—was the only thing keeping the agonizing echoes of Kaelen's rejection at bay.
When my eyes finally flickered open, I wasn't in the dirt. I was lying on a bed of black silk, the fabric so soft it felt like water against my bruised skin. The room was cavernous, built from jagged volcanic stone and lit by flickering violet flames in silver sconces. High above, a vaulted ceiling disappeared into the gloom.
This wasn't a room for a guest; it was a sanctuary for a predator.
"You're awake," a voice murmured from the shadows.
I bolted upright, a hiss of pain escaping my lips as the wound on my thigh protested. Valerius was leaning against the far wall, his long obsidian coat removed to reveal a charcoal-colored shirt that stretched across his broad shoulders. He held a glass of dark amber liquid, his violet eyes watching me with a frightening intensity.
"Where am I?" I demanded, my voice raspy. I clutched the silk sheets to my chest, realizing my tattered dress had been replaced by a simple, loose-fitting tunic.
"The Obsidian Spire," Valerius replied, stepping into the light. "My private quarters. You've been asleep for nearly two days, Skaya Miller. Your body was on the verge of collapse—not from the forest, but from the soul-rot that comes with a broken bond."
The mention of the bond brought the memories rushing back. Kaelen's face. The laughter of the Silver Moon Pack. The sensation of my heart being shredded. I gritted my teeth, pushing the tears back. "Why didn't you let it kill me? A Null is useless to a pack like yours."
Valerius set his glass down on a stone table and walked toward the bed. He didn't stop until he was standing right over me, his shadow swallowing me whole. He reached out, his cool fingers grazing the skin of my throat, tracing the faint, jagged line where the mate-bond had snapped.
"I told you before," he whispered, his voice vibrating in my chest. "I don't see a Null. I see a weapon that hasn't been forged yet. Your scent... it's changing. The Silver Moon's stench is fading, and something older—something divine—is taking its place."
Before I could respond, the heavy iron doors of the chamber swung open with a resounding clang.
"Valerius! What is the meaning of this scandal?"
A woman swept into the room, her presence radiating a sharp, icy aura. She was beautiful in a lethal way, with hair the color of bone and eyes a piercing, predatory yellow. She wore a dress of dark leather and fur that marked her as a high-ranking warrior. This was Lady Morana, the lead female warrior of the Midnight Eclipse and the woman everyone expected to be Valerius's Luna.
She stopped dead when she saw me sitting in Valerius's bed. Her eyes widened, then narrowed into slits of pure hatred.
"You brought a stray into your sanctum?" Morana hissed, her claws extending slightly from her manicured fingertips. "And not just any stray. A rejected runt from the Silver Moon. The smell of her failure is making me nauseous."
Valerius didn't even turn around. His gaze remained locked on mine, a silent challenge in his violet eyes. "Morana, you forget your place. I do not answer to the Council, let alone to you."
"The pack is talking!" Morana stepped closer, her voice rising in pitch. "They say their Alpha has picked up a human pet. We are the Midnight Eclipse, Valerius. We are the apex. To have this... this Null breathing our air is an insult to our bloodline."
I felt the familiar sting of humiliation, the same shame I had felt on the altar. But this time, it was different. Deep within my chest, the silver spark I had felt in the forest roared to life. It didn't want to cry. It wanted to tear Morana's throat out.
I looked at Morana, my eyes narrowing. "I may be a Null," I said, my voice surprisingly steady, "but I survived the Blackwood Forest alone. Can you say the same, Lady Morana?"
Morana let out a snarl, her body tensing as if she were about to shift and pounce. "You arrogant little bitch. I will peel the skin from your—"
"Enough!" Valerius's voice boomed, a wave of Alpha pressure hitting the room like a physical shockwave. The violet flames in the sconces flared bright, then died down to embers.
Morana gasped, forced to her knees by the sheer weight of his power. I felt the pressure too, but strangely, it didn't hurt me. It felt like a warm cloak, shielding me from Morana's malice.
Valerius turned his head slightly, giving Morana a side-long glance that promised death. "Skaya Miller is under my protection. She is not a pet. She is my guest. If anyone—including you—so much as touches a hair on her head, I will feed them to the rogues at the border. Do I make myself clear?"
Morana trembled, her face pale with fury and fear. "Yes... Alpha."
"Leave us," he commanded.
Morana stood up slowly, her gaze lingering on me for a final, poisonous second. 'This isn't over,' her eyes promised before she turned and vanished from the room.
The silence that followed was heavy. I looked at Valerius, my heart racing. "She's right about one thing. Your pack will never accept me. I have no wolf. I have no rank."
Valerius walked back to the edge of the bed and sat down, his proximity making my skin tingle. He leaned in, his face inches from mine. "You think you have no wolf, Skaya. But I heard her. When I found you in the woods, she wasn't whimpering. She was screaming for blood."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, silver dagger, its blade etched with ancient runes. He held it out to me, the hilt toward my hand.
"In three weeks, there is a Lunar Convergence," Valerius said, his voice dropping to a low, conspiratorial whisper. "The Alphas of all the Northern Packs will gather here to renew the treaties. Kaelen Vancour will be among them."
I gripped the hilt of the dagger, the cold metal feeling right in my palm.
"Do you want to be a victim when he arrives?" Valerius asked, his violet eyes glowing with a dark, tantalizing promise. "Or do you want to be the nightmare that keeps him awake at night?"
I looked at the blade, then back at the man who was offering me a second chance at life. The choice was easy.
"Train me," I whispered, my voice cold and hard. "Make me a monster."
Valerius smirked, a look of pure, predatory satisfaction. "With pleasure, Little Flame. But remember... once you awaken the beast I sense inside you, there is no going back to being human."