SHADOWS OF THE GODDESS
LYKAINA’S POV
The stone fortress loomed above me, its spires clawing at the midday sky like jagged teeth. Zarek called it his home, the Royal Pack.
Vallancia’s rolling hills had given way to this mountain stronghold, all sharp angles and ancient power, and my chest tightened as Zarek led me through its iron gates. The air thrummed with a living pulse echoing the strange second heartbeat I’d felt since the forest. My sneakers crunched on gravel, and I gripped Zarek’s hand harder, his calloused palm an anchor against the storm in my head.
I wasn’t ready for this. Not for a pack, not for wolves, not for the truth Zarek had forced me to see in that cracked mirror.
My life was supposed to be anatomy textbooks, spending quality time with Grandma Elara talking all abo
