,

Ever wonder what really goes on in the halls of Lupin Leadership Academy—when the teachers aren’t looking and the moon isn’t full? Today, I’m sharing a special story that steps off the main path of Broken Truth and gives you a behind-the-scenes look at our lead heroine and her friends.

No spoilers here—just a taste of the camaraderie and secret alliances that make the Academy so unforgettable (I loved writing about it!). If you’ve ever wanted to see how Ava (aka “Aiden”) navigates the tricky world of shifters, misfits, and maybe-friends, this one’s for you.

***

The observatory smells like cold glass, burnt dust… and the kind of old fear that clings to your skin long after you’ve outrun it. Fog still creeps along the tower windows, ghosting the glass in thin, skeletal patterns. It shouldn’t be able to reach this far—not inside Academy grounds—but after what we saw tonight? 

I’m not betting against anything.

The floor creaks under my boots as I sink into the shadowed corner, pulling my knees tight to my chest. My ribs still ache from our earlier ordeal—Shadowlands mud crusted in the stitches of my uniform, my lungs raw with leftover panic.

It wasn’t an exercise. It wasn’t some dumb tradition.

It was the Rift cracking open. Them watching.

Zain sprawls onto the battered couch like the whole thing wasn’t a horror show. His wild blond hair sticks up in every direction, and there’s a faint smear of dirt across his jaw. 

“Survived.” He waves a hand like he is a king dismissing a servant. “Guess we’re all officially not cowards.”

Edward collapses into the armchair by the telescope, hands twisting his sleeves, brown eyes still too wide to pass for casual. “I nearly threw up when that fog came through,” he mutters, shivering even though we’re indoors. “I swear… I saw something move. With—like—too many eyes.”

“You did throw up,” Zain corrects with a lazy grin, popping a grape into his mouth. 

It’s just another Friday night for him.

Edward groans, burying his face in his hands. “Why’d we have to volunteer to retrieve that artifact during the Dark Moon? That place is the worst. Give me the Dreamscape any day.”

Leaning against the window, Zara peels off her jacket, rolling up the sleeves of her black shirt. Her curls are a tangled halo, moonlight threading through them like silver wire. Her Scry-phone glows faint blue in her hand, pages flicking across the screen as her blue eyes scan the flying text.

“Because that’s when it’s closest to… them,” she says, voice low, like she’s reading it straight from a funeral dirge.

My stomach tightens. That word. Them.

I shift, trying to ignore the lingering ache under my ribs and the sting of old, buried instincts screaming run. “Them?”

Zara looks up, her gaze locking onto mine l. “The Breachers.” She taps the screen, turning it toward me.

Sketches glow faintly against the dark. Twisted shapes. Wolf-like… but all wrong. Limbs stretched too long, joints bent at the wrong angles. Faces half-shifted, half-human, with jaws that split too wide and way, way too many teeth.

A shudder crawls over my skin.

“The ones that roam when the Rift is thin,” Zara finishes, voice almost detached. But there’s something simmering beneath, the way her fingers grip the phone… daring it to be false.

Edward shudders, sinking deeper into the armchair, his hands pulling his hoodie tighter around his neck. “I don’t—why would the Academy make us go in there if… those… things are still around?”

Zain snorts, tossing another grape into his mouth. “Fear builds character.” He speaks around the fruit like this is all one big inside joke. “Or weeds out the weak.”

Zara shoots him a glare hard enough to slice marble, and for once, the smug drops from his face.

“It’s not just tradition,” she says, eyes flicking from Edward to me. Her gaze pins me in place, like she’s weighing how much I already know. How much I can take.

“You know the real story, right?” Zara presses. “About how the Shadowlands started?”

I shift, jaw tight. The old version? Sure. I’ve heard the bedtime special from those around campus. Don’t stray past the wards, don’t chase the fog, or the shadows eat you whole.

But after tonight? The usual version feels paper-thin and useless.

Still, my walls kick up by reflex. Sarcasm’s easier than admitting I’m rattled. “The usual version? Cursed land. Stay out or get dragged into the fog. Wolves disappear. Blah blah.”

Zara doesn’t blink. Doesn’t smirk. She just looks at me… waiting for the mask to crack. 

She already knows it will.

And I hate that she’s right.

***

Ready to see what the pack’s really like when no one’s watching?

Click here to read the full spin-off story on my website—and if you haven’t grabbed your copy of Broken Truth yet, now’s the perfect time to dive in!

Romantasy Book promotion

Support an indie author:

He’s the predator. I’m the spark. The forest is about to burn.

When wildlife photographer Lila Carter ventures into the mysterious Whispering Pines forest, she expects to capture rare beauty—not stumble into a world of secrets, shadows, and a golden-eyed panther that shouldn’t exist.

But the forest doesn’t play by the rules of logic. And neither does the man who steps from the shadows.

Aiden Blackthorn is more than just the enigmatic alpha of a hidden shifter enclave—he’s bound to the forest by blood, duty, and a dangerous legacy. When Lila captures more than just his attention, their fates entwine in ways neither of them can escape.

As ancient magic awakens and a deadly enemy rises, Lila and Aiden must confront the truth about the bond that ties them together—and the power it unleashes. But in a world where secrets can kill and love is a risk neither can afford, will their connection be their salvation… or their undoing?

Whispering Shadows, a suspenseful and charged paranormal romance, is perfect for fans of shifter alphas, fierce heroines, and slow-burn passion that ignites into wildfire.

_____________________________________________________________

Thanks for reading, clicking, and staying with me.

See you on the wild side,