The wind whipped forcefully against Emma's face as she ran, her twin brother Ethan trailing behind. They had managed to escape their mother's watchful eye, driven by the haunting voice that had been tormenting Emma for days. Unaware of the impending danger, they ventured deeper into the forest. At that moment, a powerful storm threatened to unleash its fury upon the land, and if they were caught, they would end up drenched to the bone."Hurry, Ethan, run faster!" urged Emma, noticing her brother stumble over a stone and come to a painful halt."I can't run," gasped the eight-year-old boy, clutching his ankle and wincing in pain. "It hurts… it hurts too much."Emma glanced momentarily in the direction of their small house. They were getting closer, but the once-familiar path now seemed distorted, and the smoke from the chimney that seeped through the roof pipe took on a dark and eerie appearance, causing her a intense shiver.Their mother had forbidden them from venturing too deep into

Seventeen years later..."A great journey begins when you take the first step towards your destination, and I'm sure we're on the right path," Emma murmured to her brother, who looked at her with tired eyes.Maybe she was taking this change too seriously, and she had become more introspective than usual, but their lives had been a whirlwind of chaos over the past year.At twenty-five, both siblings found themselves adrift. They had lived in the seclusion of their cabin on the outskirts of the forest, far from society's influence and closely watched by their late mother. It was her final wish for them to stay within those boundaries, never venturing beyond the woods and always staying united. At least in that sense, they hadn't let her down; they were still together."Fortune favors the bold, right?" Ethan repeated the mantra Emma had been drilling into him for the past month. "Maybe Mom was being a little overdramatic. I mean, look how far we've come, and aside from that look of appro

The kind old woman had kept her word about giving them a ride. They loaded their belongings into the car, and despite her brother's annoyed expression, Emma settled into the passenger seat. Ethan had always been fiercely protective of her, but since their mother's death, that behavior had increased considerably.For some unknown reason, the sweet old lady gave her brother the creeps. But he agreed to let her take them, since they'd run out of options.At some point on the trip, Emma and her brother lost track of time. They couldn't tell if it had been minutes or hours since getting in the car, so they began to feel drowsy and eventually fell into a deep sleep.It was strange, especially for Ethan, who couldn't relax enough to fall into a deep slumber. Emma attributed her own drowsiness to exhaustion from traveling all the way from Pennsylvania to Alaska. When she finally opened her eyes, the cityscape had given way to a breathtaking mountainous landscape.They found themselves amidst

Emma realized it was impolite to let her eyes wander towards the man's virile member. However, referring to it as a mere "member" did not do it justice. Perhaps it was better to call it a weapon of mass destruction, a huge bat, or even an axe! Yes, this man could probably split logs with what was between his legs.She had never seen anything like it before. Although she had to admit that her knowledge of the male anatomy was limited, if not non-existent. Growing up with her brother Ethan, she had never thought to ask him to reveal what men kept hidden. The male form had never caught Emma's attention until that moment, when the display of masculinity before her attracted her with a fascination beyond words.Maybe she was lying to herself. Emma grew up in a single-parent family without a father to care for her. Her mother never wanted to talk much about him, always claiming that the responsibility of being a father to very special children was too big for him.Big... She shouldn't have

Asher stood there, unable to utter a word as he watched them walk toward the house. His beta held onto his arm tightly, although if he wanted to break free and kill the intruders, no one could stop him but the house itself. He knew that the building was protected by magic and wouldn't allow any wolf to approach it, yet these strangers could access it freely.Conflicting emotions surged within him, and he struggled to keep them under control. His mind told him one thing, while his wolf vehemently disagreed. Never before had he felt such opposition to his inner wolf's desires, and it had never been so challenging to rein it in. He was out of his mind, and his Beta could sense the inner struggle he was going through."I want them gone today," he snapped through clenched teeth, feeling his wolf vehemently reject that request."Alpha, I don't want to argue with your orders, but perhaps this may be our only opportunity to break free from this curse. Wouldn't you like to regain our freedom?"

Emma was overcome with fear and didn't dare question Ethan's decision to flee the haunted house and strange town. However, her physical fitness was no match for her brother's.While Ethan bore the weight of the heaviest luggage, Emma was burdened by her own suitcase, which hampered her movements and made it more difficult to climb the small hill that led to the property. The freezing temperatures, her anxious state, the snowy conditions, and the limited oxygen supply added to her difficulties. However, her biggest obstacle was the treacherous ice.Emma felt her feet slip, tried to get up holding on to the suitcase without much success, and after several stumbles she ended up lying on the snowy ground."Go on, Ethan!" she pleaded, as if offering herself as a sacrifice. "I'll catch up with you later, but if not, go on without me."A strange memory flashed through her mind, like a déjà vu. She saw an image from years ago, when they were both eight years old, running through the woods tha

Asher resisted the urge to glance back and witness Emma's face etched with terror. Anger surged within him, directed both at himself and his wolf. Briefly, as he saw her pleading expression, a flicker of compassion arose, almost compelling him to offer solace. If it weren't for his fiancée's menacing growls, he might have done something irrational and embraced her. Hugging a witch? Absolutely not!But what if she wasn't a witch? Asher couldn't get the thought out of his head. The newcomers to the town seemed to be just two ordinary, frightened people, but there was something off about them. Though this was a subjective assessment, it was his first encounter with humans. Maybe they all had that strange scent and he just hadn't recognized it.The thought that they might be innocent people who had stumbled upon the village troubled his thoughts, but he quickly dismissed it. That was impossible, no one could enter or leave Silvershade Summit, especially not humans. As soon as they arrived

Emma should be scared, wanting to run away and very worried about the situation she was facing, but instead she was in a warm room with the most attractive man she had ever seen in her short life, looking at him like a lovesick fool as he stood too close to her body.Asher was so close that she could feel the warmness of his breath on her lips. If her brother were watching right now, he would smack the back of her head with the palm of his hand to make her react.For God's sake, Ethan, how had she forgotten her brother! She should be screaming and demanding to be taken out of there and taken to him, but instead she was holding on to the desk because her legs felt like they were going to give out on her.Everything fell silent, there were no more questions from Asher, nor did Emma manage to fill the silence with endless babbling. At that moment, all she could feel was the heat emanating from the man's body, which was too close to hers.Their legs brushed against each other with a frict

Asher didn't understand what had happened, his wolf had taken control of his body and he had no way to stop it. This hadn't happened since he was an inexperienced lycan who could barely control his own turn.He was thankful that his Beta had interrupted, otherwise he would have marked her. He had every intention of biting her and making her his.But the worst thing, the thing he was most ashamed of, was that he knew exactly what his wolf was going to do and he didn't try to stop it. He gave up, not wanting to fight the scent of that woman that seemed to engulf him to the point of leaving him without willpower."What do you want, Alaric?! "He growled as he stood in front of the door, stopping his Beta's advance.He hoped that the witch had the sense to pull her clothes together and get down from the desk. He didn't want anyone to know what was about to happen in this room.His Beta squinted and tried to peer into his office, but Asher had positioned his body in front of him to prevent