“In this life, I am Edvana, your mate,” she said truthfully.“In this life? Is there another life?” Danshak asked quizzically.Erin sighed. “Listen, you won’t believe me if I told you the whole story about how I got here. It’s too complicated.”“Try me,” he said with a determined expression. “I need to know why you speak strangely these days. Something about you has changed. I could swear that you have never spoken more than ten words to me since we were officially introduced six moons ago, but now, you seem to speak nonstop. You are bolder than you used to be, more sure of yourself. What brought these changes in you? What happened to you?”Erin didn’t know what to say. It was obvious now that she wasn’t the Edvana he has always known, and even if the others, including her family, didn’t notice, it was understandable that he would because he was her mate and there was no denying the supernatural connection that came with that bond. She was saved from answering his questions when a gu

“Never leave me, Danshak,” she said softly, tears welling in her eyes. “Never leave me, please.”“Where would I go?” He asked, gazing into her moist eyes. “I will never leave you, Edvana. You are mine and you will always be mine, again and again. If there is another life after this one, you will still be mine, my love. You will always be mine.”For reasons unknown to her, Erin felt a sudden wave of sorrow wash over her. She could not explain the strange feeling but it felt like a premonition. Had Olna Raven lied to her? Was Danshak the one who would not make it out of Ketjouk alive? How would she survive if her mate died tonight or tomorrow? How would she cope?“Don’t leave me,” she whispered again.“Never. I will never leave you, Edvana. I promise,” he assured her, cradling her in his arms like a baby. “We will always be together, always.”Feeling reassured, Erin let herself relax in his arms, inhaling his scent. She was not going to ruin this special moment with her unfounded fear

They crossed the border into Denai’ Vena an hour after the sun disappeared behind the clouds. The relief amongst the werewolves was palpable and they appeared to become even more energized, knowing that they were only a short distance from home. However, they were all also aware that they were not yet completely out of danger, as long as they have not yet reached the fenced fortress that separated the Smallchief compound from the rest of the community.Erin said a silent prayer in her heart that the rest of the journey will be uneventful. If they had made it this far without any attack, surely, they might get home in one piece without any more surprises.“Almost there,” Danshak whispered beside her as if he could hear her thoughts.Just then, they heard the piercing howl of a werewolf from somewhere ahead of them. They couldn’t see who it was yet, but they could all tell that the voice was coming from somewhere ahead of them. They kept on running, not breaking speed or formation as th

With eyes glinting victoriously, Nikjin prepared to sink his fangs into his brother’s neck and drink his blood, and finally become the Prime Alpha of all werewolves. His teeth were a hair’s breadth from Vak’s hide when someone rammed into him, knocking him off balance. He had been so fixated on killing his brother that he did not see his assailant from his side-eye before he was tackled. Nikjin whipped his head around to see who had interrupted his moment of glory, and his insides burned with rage when he saw that it was his newly married nephew, Danshak.“How dare you?” He whispered angrily, as he slowly regained his footing. “I promise you, Danshak, you will not survive this night.”Nikjin lifted his head and let out a loud howl, and instantly, all the beasts stopped fighting the werewolves and zeroed their attention on Danshak. As soon as their master stopped howling, they ran toward Danshak in a maddening rush, knocking one another down in their haste to get to him.Realizing wha

When they finally reached the battleground, Vak and his other sons were relieved to see Danshak standing beside his mother and his mate. Just like the rest of them, he was injured and blood was dripping from different parts of his body.“What a relief it is to see that you are still alive,” said Vak as he approached his son.“I am glad you all survived too,” replied Danshak. “Except Mother. She is barely alive.”Vak looked down at where his wife lay and his heart squeezed painfully in his chest. His once beautiful Olna Raven was gone and was replaced by a hideous caricature of mangled bones and ripped skin. She was all blood and gore, and merely seconds away from giving up the ghost.“My love,” she whispered when she saw Vak staring at her with a pained look in his eyes.“Olna,” he whispered back before dissolving into tears. He could no longer be strong, he could no longer hold his feelings back. His world was crashing down right before his eyes and he did not have the strength to pi