RAFAEL'S POVI attempted to breach the barrier once more, but it relentlessly repelled me with each try—frustration built within me.Gritting my teeth, my gaze fixed on Winter. Her countenance had adopted a sinister edge, and a smile danced on her lips, a facet of her I hadn't deemed possible. Granted, she was a werewolf, but I'd never witnessed her bare her canines like this. It rendered her unexpectedly dangerous, even more so than I'd imagined, or perhaps, dreaded if someone had described it to me and I hadn't witnessed it firsthand."Rafael," she murmured, her lips moving, yet I couldn't discern her words. I strained, attempting to catch any sound, but all I heard was the howl of the wind assaulting my eardrums."Winter," I implored once more. "Come back to yourself."My eyes darted skyward as thunder rumbled above. In response, Winter threw back her head, emitting a chilling cackle, leaving me perplexed."It's the forest," a voice resonated in my mind.It wasn't my own. My wolf r

WINTER'S POVTWO DAYS LATERClosing the journal in front of me, I opened it again, then closed it with an eye roll. I had been doing this for two days now, ever since we emerged from the silvamemoria forest. I wanted to uncover the journal's secrets, yet I found nothing of relevance.Don't get me wrong, what it contained wasn't entirely irrelevant. It mainly delved into my mother's childhood, but right now, that was not what I needed. I needed answers for Slade.I couldn't tell if Slade had returned with me from the forest, as it was Rafael who responded whenever I tried to reach out. I wondered if things had worsened, for he'd been keeping his distance for the past two days. Also, he seemed to be more lost in thought and oblivious to what was happening around him.Yes, Rafael was still in the Moonstone Pack. I had pleaded with him to stay close so I could keep an eye on him. I couldn't bear the thought of him being far away, fearing something might happen that I couldn't control.A s

WINTER'S POV"So, that really happened?" Rafael asked after I finished recounting everything. He frowned, shaking his head."Are you sure you didn't imagine it?" he inquired once more."You doubt me?" I sighed, starting to stand, but he held onto my hand."I believe you," he assured, pulling me gently onto his lap.Turning to face me, Rafael smirked, brushing aside the strands of hair by my right cheek.He cupped my face with one hand, the other still holding mine."What are you doing?" I mumbled as his fingers traced my cheeks."What does it look like?" he asked, leaning in. His face was inches from mine, his breath warm on my skin.I swallowed hard, gripping my thigh, trying to shift my gaze, but he held my head gently in place."Don't you think it's about time we address our attraction to each other? It's pretty obvious.""We can't do this right now," I protested, shaking my head."I'm not suggesting we do so now. I am still around, and we have plenty of time together. Besides, I w

WINTER'S POVAfter a while in the garden, I headed back indoors. It was already evening, and I realized I hadn't eaten. My stomach grumbled, making me wince, and I turned at the sound of footsteps behind me."Rafael," I murmured. I assumed he had stayed in the garden to reflect, as he had mentioned when he declined my dinner invitation."I'm hungry too," he said, approaching. In a softer tone, he added, "Though not for food."I rolled my eyes, catching what he meant, and replied, "But you won't be getting any, unfortunately.""I can only hope," Rafael stated. "Do you think it's wrong for me to have such a thought?"I shrugged. "It's not. But in my opinion, it's a waste of your time.""I don't think so," Rafael said again. I stopped and turned to face him fully. A smirk adorned his face as he stroked his chin, his gaze lazily roaming over me. Even though I was wearing an oversized sweatshirt, he made me feel exposed.Rafael wasn't bashful, and I saw the desire flicker in his eyes from

WINTER POVI waited for my mother or Denise to continue speaking, but both exchanged a glance instead of talking.I sighed, turning to my mother, "Will you both keep looking at each other rather than say what we need to know? It's a dire situation if it involves the Vordrak lycan. Let us know how to proceed in handling the situation.""Right," said Denise. "Is this place good enough for discussion? I mean, can anyone overhear us?""It's not," I said. The wall wasn't soundproof, and whatever we discussed could be heard. That was the last thing I wanted if the discussion required privacy."We should use the meeting hall for the council of elders," I suggested.We walked out of the dining room toward the hall and ran into Linda and Jude on the way. Both followed us in, and neither my mother nor Denise objected. I guessed it was because they were hardly strangers. Jude was the Beta and needed to be informed about everything going on, while Linda, being part of the family, needed to know t