The wind picked up as I walked deeper into the woods, the kind of wind that didn't just rustle leaves—it whispered secrets.
I wasn't alone.
I sensed it before I heard it: footsteps, light and deliberate. Whoever it was, they wanted to be heard just enough.
"Running again?" came a voice from the trees. Male. Smooth. Chilling.
I turned slowly.
A man emerged from the shadows, tall and sleek in a tailored black coat that didn't belong in the wilderness. His eyes glowed faintly gold, and his presence sent instinct screaming down my spine.
"Who are you?" I asked.
He smiled. "A friend. Or perhaps... family."
My blood turned cold. "You know who I am."
"Everyone does now," he said, circling slowly. "You're the girl who awakened the old blood. The halfbreed that upset the balance. A Vale and something else."
"Say his name."
He tilted his head. "Your father?"
I swallowed hard.
"I serve him," the man continued, voice almost reverent. "As do others. The Midnight Circle is rising again."
"The Circle is dead. My mother—"
"Your mother fled," he interrupted. "She stole what was his. You."
"Then maybe I take after her."
His eyes darkened. "Let's hope not."
A low growl vibrated in my throat before I could stop it. My instincts surged—wolf rising.
"Careful," I warned. "I bite back."
His smile faded. "That's exactly what we're counting on."
Before I could react, he tossed something at my feet. It landed with a dull thud, wrapped in burlap.
I crouched and pulled it open.
Blood. A torn piece of cloth.
And Lucian's scent all over it.
My heart stopped.
"What did you do?" I hissed.
The man simply bowed. "We don't need to hurt you. Not if you come willingly."
"Go to hell."
"I've been there," he said softly. "He built it."
With that, he vanished into the trees, leaving me with blood-soaked proof and a thousand new questions.
I ran.
Branches lashed my face. Roots tried to trip me. But I ran harder, faster, following the scent—Lucian's scent—through the woods and back to the pack lands.
But when I reached the Alpha's Hall…
It was burning.
Flames licked at the wooden walls, smoke curling into the night sky like a dying scream. Wolves were everywhere—fighting, howling, bleeding. The pack was under attack.
I charged into the chaos.
A beta lunged at me, wounded. "They came out of nowhere—shadows with silver blades. They weren't wolves. They were—"
"Midnight Circle," I finished, helping him to his feet.
I fought through the blaze, ducking flames and flying debris. Adrenaline surged, my senses sharpened to something inhuman.
Then I found him.
Lucian.
Pinned against the wall by a silver-tipped spear, blood pouring from his side.
"No," I gasped, tearing toward him.
He looked up, pain written across every line of his face. "Ravyn… don't."
I ripped the spear free, tossing it aside. His weight sagged into me, heavier than I expected.
"They're after you," he wheezed. "You have to run."
"I'm done running," I snapped. "You're not dying on me."
He chuckled, even as blood bubbled at his lips. "You're more like your mother than you know."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
Around us, the battle raged, but I focused on him—on keeping him alive. My hands pressed against his wound, glowing faintly. Something inside me stirred, warm and ancient. Power surged through my skin into his.
He gasped, his eyes flying wide. "What are you—?"
"I don't know," I whispered. "But it's working."
The wound began to close. Not fully, but enough. Enough for him to stand.
The pack rallied around us, pushing back the invaders. The flames began to die down.
But the message was clear.
The Midnight Circle was no longer hiding.
And neither could I.
Lucian gripped my arm. "They'll come again. Stronger. Smarter. They want you."
"I figured."
"What will you do?"
I looked out at the smoking ruins of the only home I'd ever started to believe in.
"I'll burn them first."