Evander POV
Even the sun seemed to rise in darkness over this palace. Ever since my mana veins were shattered, Eclipse and I had hunted souls for countless witches. But this was the first time I was working for a tyrant like Mortia. She still hadn't revealed my target, yet both my blade and I were certain it wouldn't be easy prey.
Eclipse had been my only companion since I was cast out of the council and left with nothing. Through the runes carved into its body, it devoured the souls of our victims and fed my ruined mana veins. With every soul it consumed, the sword gained more of a will—unable to speak, yet saying everything through its tremors. Today, it was impatient. It was hungry for the arena's opening match.
I dressed and made my way to the queen's audience chamber. Mortia greeted me with a smile so perfect it felt artificial.
"Welcome, Evander. How was your night?"
She was a woman cruel enough to imprison her own daughter until death, yet to the eye, she was flawless.
"I slept like a baby, my queen," I replied. Even Eclipse shuddered in its sheath, displeased by my flattery.
"I'm glad," Mortia said, her voice hissing like a serpent. "You'll learn your target after the match. I hope you deal with it quickly and continue enjoying life in this human form."
A threat.
But I wasn't one of the men she cowed so easily.
"Of course, my queen," I said, and we headed to the arena.
The arena pulsed with the energy of suffering souls. Thousands were trapped here—an unimaginable source of power. To Eclipse, it was an open feast. The sword trembled violently in my hand. I might have gone too far with the rune carvings; soon, it might even hunger for my own soul.
At the arena master's signal, the warriors entered. I had already seen the creature they would face.
They had no chance.
Then—
My eyes caught her.
Her scent.
Her hair.
Her eyes.
Had I not been seated among Mortia's guests in the front rows, I never would have recognized her. The helpless girl I had seen in the forest was gone. In her place stood a woman who challenged the world with nothing but her gaze.
When the seal was lifted, she transformed into a mesmerizing wolf, her eyes blazing like fire. The massive male wolf beside her stepped forward protectively, and Eclipse's hostility surged through my veins.
Lovers… I thought.
The arena erupted. The creature attacked, hurling the male wolf into the wall like trash. His howl shook the stones themselves. The female wolf was slashed across the back, her fur soaked crimson.
When the fight ended, they returned to human form. The male looked finished—heroic lover, dying as expected.
But the female…
Even drenched in blood, she was breathtaking. She noticed me. The savage glint in her eyes pierced straight through my soul. When they dragged her away, I would've followed without hesitation—if Mortia hadn't been standing beside me.
The next day, I went to the infirmary. Eclipse was suffering from power intoxication, practically dragging me in a single direction.
"Easy there, blade," I muttered. "Do you want us to become wolf food?"
That's when our dirty little puppy bolted out of the infirmary as if fleeing. The wind abruptly shifted, erasing her scent from the air. That wasn't normal. The forest itself was helping her.
I followed.
Her leg and back had healed—miraculously so.
At the old willow tree, she suddenly undressed. Smooth skin vanished beneath a magnificent wolf pelt. Eclipse screamed inside my mind.
So our beauty had managed to preserve her form.
I waited until she shifted back to human. When she looked around, as if sensing my presence, I stepped out from behind the tree and cleared my throat.
"Ahem."
The shock on her face only made her more beautiful as she scrambled to cover herself.
"Dirty, naughty little puppy," I said with a crooked smile. "I've seen you muddy, bloody, or blatantly naked—and if I'm honest… I prefer this version."
My smile froze.
Because in that moment, I realized—
She wasn't just a she-wolf.
There was something wrong about her presence.
Not magic.
Not a curse.
Something older.
Filthier.
Awakened.
Eclipse trembled in my hand.
No—
It recoiled.
For the first time.
That had never happened before.
Without breaking eye contact, I spoke.
"So what I saw in the arena wasn't a coincidence," I said. "The wind hiding you, standing against silver… that isn't luck."
I stepped closer.
She could have run.
She didn't.
"You know," I murmured, "this might be why Mortia summoned me here."
Eclipse's runes darkened. It wasn't recognizing a soul.
It was recognizing something else.
"If she's chosen you as her target," I continued, "then no one in that arena is safe."
My gaze slid from her eyes to her lips, then to her throat. This wasn't the instinct of a hunter.
It was curiosity.
And hunger.
"And if I choose you," I whispered,
"there won't be a single forest left where you can hide."