The smell of blood lingered in the wind.
Silverstone’s borders were no longer quiet. Alarms rang twice in one day, and the wolves were growing tense. Patrols returned with torn clothes and wounded bodies, but their spirits—Eva feared—were taking the deepest hits.
Three rogues had been killed. One had been captured.
He now sat tied to a post in the training yard, his arms bound, his face bruised but twisted into a grin that sent chills down everyone’s spine.
Max stood in front of him, arms crossed, eyes like ice.
“Why are they coming faster?” he asked.
The rogue spat blood onto the ground. “You’re already dead, Crescent boy. You just don’t smell it yet.”
Max didn’t move. “Talk.”
The rogue tilted his head, his grin widening. “The heir is alive… and he will bleed you all.”
Eva’s boots echoed against the stone as she stepped forward, her cloak billowing behind her. The rogue’s smile faltered for a second when he saw her.
She crouched, meeting his eyes. “Who is the heir?”
The rogue laughed softly, his voice turning almost childlike. “You already know. You feel him growing inside you.”
Eva’s stomach turned, but her face didn’t show it. She stood slowly. “Take him to the dungeons. Don’t kill him. Yet.”
Max didn’t argue.
As the rogue was dragged away, Max turned to Eva. “We don’t have much time.”
“I know,” she said, her voice low.
Together, they headed into the council room where maps were already laid out across the tables. Crescent and Silverstone warriors gathered around, bruised and alert. The atmosphere was charged with urgency.
Max stood at the front, explaining positions and rotations. “We’ll double the watch on the western ridge. Dany and I will lead the outer patrols. No one moves alone. No blind spots. These aren’t just rogues anymore. They’re being sent.”
He looked over at Eva, who stepped up beside him.
Her voice was strong and clear as she pointed at the map. “We aren’t prey. We’re predators who forgot how to bite. But that ends tonight. We defend this land not with fear—but with fire.”
The warriors murmured in agreement. Even the Crescent guards nodded.
“We train in shifts. We fight in packs. We take back our teeth,” Eva continued. “If they want a war, they’ll learn what it means to challenge Silverstone.”
Max gave a small nod of respect.
After the meeting, Tiana slipped out quietly. She didn’t want to wait anymore. There were questions still burning in her mind, and no one seemed willing to find the answers.
So she found them herself.
She moved through the trees with quiet steps, her body low, her senses sharp. She had followed the rogue trails before—watched how they moved, how they circled. And now, she crept into the shadowy path beyond the southern border.
The forest grew darker the deeper she went.
Suddenly, a gust of wind brushed past her, and she froze. Her breath caught. Every instinct screamed for her to run.
But she didn’t.
He stepped out from behind a tree like a shadow being peeled from the bark.
Sylvester.
He didn’t snarl. Didn’t shift. He just looked at her with strange eyes—those red, haunting eyes—and something almost soft in his expression.
Tiana held her ground, even as her heart slammed against her ribs. Her dagger was clutched tightly in her hand.
He raised a brow, not moving closer. “You came looking for me?”
“No,” she said through clenched teeth. “I came looking for the truth.”
Sylvester tilted his head. “You already know it.”
“Why aren’t you attacking?” she asked.
He looked at her for a long time. His voice, when it came, was quiet. “Because you look too much like your mother,” he murmured.
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
Summary & Review: Comrade
