The forest was quiet—eerily so.
Eila slept perfectly between Zois and Lukas on the bed. Inside the Robbers' Hut, nestled deep in the forest beyond the main pack territory. The moonlight spilled through the broken wooden slats above, and the fire crackled low in the hearth. Her mates, Zois and Lukas, lay sleeping close to her—one on each side, their bodies relaxed for once, the strain of prophecy and politics forgotten for a moment.
She watched them in the flickering light, a fond smile pulling at her lips. For all their strength and mischief, they looked boyish in their sleep. She almost felt safe.
Almost.
Suddenly, a loud noise cracked through the woods outside.
Zois stirred faintly but didn't wake. Lukas shifted and grunted before rolling to his side.
Eila's senses sharpened. Something was off.
She rose, carefully slipping from between them. Her bare feet made no sound on the wooden floor as she reached the door and cracked it open.
A cold wind met her face. Not the usual crispness of a forest breeze—this was unnatural. Sharp and biting. Heavy with intent.
And in that wind, she heard it.
A whisper. Thin as thread, but soaked with power.
"Mate of the Triad… the Veil watches you."
She stepped outside. Her breath caught.
A hooded figure stood in the darkness beyond the hut—no, floated. He hovered inches above the ground on a misty shroud of clouded water, his tattered cloak rustling with each pulse of ghostly wind.
Strands of fiery red hair spilled from beneath his hood. His face was gaunt, hollowed, but his eyes gleamed with cruel delight.
"Jeremy Soren…" Eila whispered.
He tilted his head, a crooked grin playing on his cracked lips.
"You should not be so happy," he rasped, his voice like a blade dragged through ash. "Your parents may be walking, but their purpose is not yet fulfilled. They can still die… if I will."
Eila's heart pounded, fury building behind her ribs. "They're safe now," she said defiantly. "You're just trying to scare me."
Jeremy let out a horrible, wheezing laugh that made the branches shudder. Around him, more laughter echoed—grotesque, chittering, and wrong.
From the darkness slithered the shapes of Varium—limb-like bodies with twisted spines, eyes like burning embers. They crawled from the trees, hissing and snickering.
Eila's breath caught. The air itself grew thick with dread.
She clutched her head as the whispering became unbearable, the laughter of the Varium crawling into her ears like insects.
"Get out of my head!" she screamed.
A blinding white light burst from her, fueled by raw instinct and fury.
The Varium screeched and recoiled, writhing in agony. Jeremy's face contorted into shock and rage as the light consumed his form, scattering his presence like ash in the wind.
The forest trembled. The trees moaned. The whispering stopped.
Eila collapsed to her knees, her throat raw from screaming, her limbs shaking violently.
"Eila!" "Eila! My love, Wake Up!"
She opened her eyes and blinked a few times to look up.
Two strong hands gripped her shoulders.
Zois and Lukas were beside her now, their wolves just beneath their skin, golden and silver eyes wild with panic.
"Eila, what happened?!" Lukas demanded, grabbing a nearby glass of water from the table. She drank deeply, the coolness anchoring her back to reality.
"I saw him…" she finally said, voice raspy. "Jeremy Soren. He was right outside. And… the Varium were with him."
Both of her mates stiffened. She dreamed about him and he was right outside the house. How did he know their location?
Zois's voice dropped low, tense. "He came here?"
She nodded. "He said… he said my parents still had a purpose. That he could kill them whenever he wanted."
Lukas let out a low growl, his hand clenching into a fist. Zois's wolf, Jace, growled inside him, while Joro within Lukas snarled in unison.
Eila glanced between them, her eyes wide. "I think the Veil is thinning faster than we thought. He's not hiding anymore."
Silence hung between them for a beat—thick, haunted, and urgent.
Then Lukas stepped closer and cupped her face. "He won't touch you. Or them. We'll find a way to stop this."
Zois nodded, his voice iron. "And we're not leaving your side again."
Eila looked up at her mates—her strength and her weakness—and took a breath.
"The Triad will stop him," she said. "We have to."