Riley’s POV

    I was running out of time.

    b+5 /bFree bCoins /b

    My body felt like a broken bow, its string stretched to the limit, ready to snap. Every breath burned through my chest, every movement dragged knives through my veins. And yet, I refused to let my life end

    quietly, like a candle suffocated by the wind.

    I thought of Carmen–her face twisted in bloodlust, her hands dripping with the lives she had stolen for me. Four people. Four corpses staining her soul because of me.

    Because of Riley.

    If I had never stumbled into her world, her wolf would never have been dragged into the shadows of vengeance. If Mia hadn’t been cast out of the Ebonw Pack’s household for my sake, she would still be tending her herb garden with quiet joy. If Lucien hadn’t met me, perhaps his legs would never have been crushed under falling stone. Their fates had shifted because of my existence. I was a curse–a sweeping star that ruined every orbit it touched.

    And now… my wolf whispered that if I was going to die, at least I should make that death mean something.

    Mia had spoken with Caelum, Theo, and Jace, her voice grave as he listed my injuries, but hid the part about my wolfsbane. My body was weak, infection spreading through me like fire licking up dry wood. My organs faltered, one after another, as though my wolf was already preparing for the long silence of the

    grave.

    I forced a smile at the men who watched over me, their worry written inly in their eyes.

    “I’ll be fine,” I lied, because what else could I say? They didn’t need the truth–not yet.

    My gaze settled on Caelum. His loyalty was unshakable, his presence a steady me in the storm. “Caelum… don’t tell Lucien what happened to me. Please. He has enough burdens to bear. I don’t want him to worry.”

    He hesitated, his mouth tightening. I saw the war in his eyes–the instinct to protect Lucien’s heart, shing with the promise to honor my plea. Atst, he gave a single, quiet nod. My chest loosened with relief.

    I turned next to Theo. “You’re a healer, Could you… give me something for the pain? I’m not afraid of death, but… I’m afraid of what it will feel like getting there.”

    His hands stilled. For a heartbeat, Theo just stared at me, his wolf flickering in his eyes, as though he couldn’t believe I was the one asking. I never admitted pain. I swallowed it, hid it, fought it. For me to speak the word aloud… it must have broken something in him.

    Atst, his voice came low and hoarse. “I’ll fetch the medicine.”

    When he left, I told Caelum and Jace, “I’m tired. Just a little rest, that’s all.” My body sagged, too heavy for my bones to hold. They lingered, reluctant, but finally followed Theo out.

    The room fell silent. Only me and the hiss of the monitor beside my bed.

    |||

    O

    21:27 Fri, 29 Aug

    I turned toward the window.

    ? ?? 23%-

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    The Moon was absent tonight, but the sunlight earlier had been golden, pouring into my room as if the heavens themselves had tried to remind me of warmth. I remembered stretching my fingers into that light, hoping it would thaw the frost lodged deep in my veins. It hadn’t. My body was too cold, my wolf too

    weak.

    But the world outside was beautiful, and the thought of leaving it left me aching in ways no wound ever

    could.

    Theo returned soon after, carrying the small vial. “Here. This will ease it.”

    I took the pills obediently, even managing a smile. He lingered for only a few words offort before slipping away again, his wolf sorrow written in the way he avoided looking directly at me.

    When the medicine numbed the sharp edges of agony, I rose. My legs trembled beneath me, but I forced them to move. Every step felt stolen, borrowed from death itself.

    I found myself outside Lucien’s room. Through the ss, I saw him.

    My Alpha. My storm.

    Hey trapped in ster and pain, his proud frame bound, his wolf snarling inside the cage of his body. The Alpha Prince of Stormridge, reduced to stillness. Caelum sat at his bedside, speaking quietly, though I couldn’t hear the words.

    My throat closed. My wolf whimpered.

    This was my fault. All of it.

    If Lucien had never known me, he would still be fierce and unbroken, leading Stormridge with unshakable strength. Instead, I had dragged him into ruin.

    Tears slipped down my face unchecked. I pressed my palm to the cold ss, as though I could etch his image into my skin. I memorized him–the curve of his jaw, the defiance in his eyes even while broken, the way his presence filled every corner of the room like a tide.

    “I’m sorry,” I whispered, though he could not hear. “I can’t even say goodbye. Because if I tried… you would never let me go,”

    I turned away, forcing myself down the hall before my wolf shattered into pieces.

    Outside the hospital, the air was bright, almost cruel in its cheer.

    I slipped into the small apothecary nestled between the rune–marked stone alleys. The scent of herbs, dried moss, and ironwood clung to the air. Behind the counter stood a young omega tending shelves of tinctures and spell–woven remedies.

    “One vial of Wolfsbane,” I said. My voice was steady, though my wolf shuddered at the word.

    The omega froze, eyes darting to me with suspicion. His wolf stirred uneasily–he knew what Wolfsbane meant. It wasn’t for healing. It was poison, bane of our kind, ouwed except for sanctioned trials of

    execution.

    21:27 Fri, 29 Aug

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    “You don’t look like a warrior preparing for sanctioned use,” he said carefully, nostrils ring at the scent of sickness still bleeding from my pores. “We don’t sell death to the desperate.”

    For a moment, I faltered. My reflection caught in the obsidian mirror behind him: a thin figure in tattered clothes, eyes hollow, aura fading. No wonder he denied me. I looked like a wolf already half–dead.

    I left, empty–handed, my chest caving with shame.

    But shadows grant second chances.

    In another shop–one cloaked in incense and shadow–charms–I bought fresh garments, a long cloak that hid my broken frame. A mask of ck silk veiled my face, and smoked ss lenses covered my eyes. By the time I stepped into a different apothecary, no one recognized me.

    This time, the vial slid into my palm easily, its contents dark and shimmering with death. Wolfsbane. The end of wolves, the end of me.

    I tucked it close to my heart and summoned a carriage from the Mooncrest streets. The driver asked my destination.

    “The Tribunal Hall,” I answered, my voice low, final.

    The horses stamped nervously at the name. Even they knew the ce was heavy with judgment.

    As the carriage rolled toward the Elder Council’s stronghold, my hand tightened around the vial. If I had to vanish from this world, then I would make sure myst act mattered.