The night air carried the scent of rain and blood. Deep within the forest, the Moonfang pack moved like ghosts beneath the trees, silent and watchful. The fires of the last attack still smoldered in their memories, the cries of the poisoned and the dying echoing in every corner of the valley.
Lucian stood before the council fire, his silver eyes reflecting the flames. Around him, his trusted warriors gathered in a half circle, their faces hard with grief and anger. The Alpha's jaw was tight, his voice low but sharp with authority.
"The humans think we are broken," he said. "They think their poison has crippled us. But they know nothing of what it means to be wolf. We will not fall."
A murmur of agreement rippled through the warriors.
Lucian turned to Darius, his Beta. "Send word to every Alpha across the borders. Tell them what Aldred has done. The time for silence has ended. Every pack must be ready for war."
Darius bowed deeply. "I will see it done before dawn."
Lucian looked toward the dark horizon. "And every pup, every elder, every mother is to be moved to the safe houses before the next full moon. We cannot risk another night of smoke."
The warriors nodded and moved to obey, fading into the village one by one until only Lucian remained. He tilted his head back, gazing through the canopy where the moon hung pale and watchful. The curse still pulsed inside him, an ancient wound that throbbed with every heartbeat. His power was strongest beneath the full moon and yet the rest of the month he felt its hunger weakening him.
And still, when he thought of Selene, something inside him stirred with warmth instead of pain. Her touch had burned through the curse like sunlight through fog. He could not understand it, nor could he erase the memory of her hands on his skin, her calm voice soothing his rage.
He wanted to hate her. He needed to. Her bloodline had cursed his pack generations ago, stripping them of their eternal strength. But when he closed his eyes, hatred no longer came easily.
Something else did.
Desire.
And that frightened him more than any poison.
He turned sharply, forcing the thought away. The night had no mercy for weak hearts.
The months came so fast and the day, King Aldred planned for his attack came.
In the marble halls of Valehart, King Aldred sat upon his throne. The golden crown upon his brow gleamed in the torchlight, though his smile was sharper than any blade. Before him knelt his spy, Marcus, clothes torn and stained with blood.
"They vanished, my lord," Marcus rasped. "When we reached the Moonfang valley, there was no one left. No howl, no heartbeat. The villages were empty."
Aldred's smile faltered. "Empty?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. But the trees.... they watched us. I swear they watched us." Marcus's voice shook. "Then they came. The Alpha and a few of his men. They fell upon us from above. They slaughtered the knights. I barely escaped."
The king rose slowly, his cloak trailing across the floor. "And my poison?"
"Wasted," Marcus whispered. "They were gone before it spread."
Aldred's eyes hardened. "So the beasts learn strategy."
He turned to his alchemist, Serwin, who stood pale and trembling beside the throne. "Then we will adapt. Find a way to make the poison travel through air itself. Let it move with the wind so it finds them wherever they hide."
Serwin bowed shakily. "My lord, that can only work with the help of a powerful witch. But there is another matter. Our scouts discovered that Moonfang is not the only pack left in the wildlands. There are others. Many others."
The king froze, then laughed softly, the sound low and dangerous. "So the vermin breed in shadows." He leaned closer to Serwin. "Then find a powerful witch and we shall burn the shadows themselves."
His gaze drifted toward the window where the moon glimmered like a blade in the sky. "We begin with Lucian's pack. I want the Alpha's head brought to me before the next moon rises."
Serwin scared and shaking " My lord there is no witch in this world again, they were all killed by the werewolves according to history"
The king, smirked and said they should search secretly "I'm sure there are still some in hidden like the werewolves. Ask from some old trusted people in the village who can help us on how or where to get them."
Marcus and Serwin swallowed hard. Marcus asked "And if we fail again, sire?"
Aldred's smile was cold as frost. "Then you will not live to fail twice."
Back in the valley, Caius watched Lucian from the shadows of the council chamber. His lips curved into a faint smile that did not reach his eyes.
The pack revered Lucian, but Caius saw weakness. The curse had softened the Alpha, tethered his strength to the moon like a chained dog. And now there were whispers that the prophecy could be broken only by the death of the one who bore the curse, death by the witch's hand.
Caius did not care about prophecy. He cared about power.
He waited until Lucian dismissed the council, then stepped forward, bowing respectfully. "My Alpha, I have spoken with the scouts. The king grows bold. He will not stop."
Lucian's expression remained unreadable. "Then we will be ready."
Caius tilted his head. "The elders grow restless. Some say the curse has weakened you. They speak of choosing another to lead if you cannot protect them."
Lucian's gaze snapped to him, cold and sharp. "Do you share their doubts?"
Caius lowered his eyes. "Never, my Alpha." But his smile returned the moment Lucian turned away.
That night, Caius slipped into the forest, his cloak blending with the mist. He met a shadowed figure near the old ruins, a human messenger bearing the seal of the king. They spoke quietly, exchanging secrets that would decide the fate of the pack.
Caius knew that betraying Lucian was dangerous. But he also knew that history only remembered those who seized power, not those who served it.
Selene felt the tremor in the air before she saw the vision.
She stood in the quiet of her shop, the candles flickering though there was no wind. The silver bowl on her table rippled with light, showing glimpses of soldiers marching through fog, the glint of steel, the flare of torches near the valley. She saw wolves moving through shadows, waiting.
The second attack had begun.
Her hand tightened around the edge of the table. "Foolish king," she whispered.
Elara entered, her face pale. "You saw it again."
Selene nodded. "He will not stop until they are all dead."
"And you would stop him alone?" Elara's voice was sharp, afraid. "If you reveal yourself, the humans will burn you. The wolves will tear you apart. You are the last of our kind, Selene."
"I cannot stand by and watch them die," Selene said softly. "The curse may have begun with my blood, but perhaps it can end with it too."
Elara grabbed her arm. "The prophecy warns that the witch and the wolf bound by the curse will bring ruin to the world."
Selene's eyes met hers, steady and cold. "Or they will bring its salvation."
She turned back to the bowl. The surface shimmered again, showing a flash of silver eyes in the darkness. Lucian stood upon a branch high above the battlefield, his warriors hidden in the trees around him.
The human army entered the empty village, finding nothing but silence. Confusion spread among them like fog. Then, in a single breath, the forest came alive.
Wolves dropped from the trees, claws flashing, teeth bared. Lucian struck first, his blade singing through the night. The scent of fear filled the air as the soldiers broke ranks. Those who fled were allowed to run, carrying the message of defiance back to their king.
Lucian watched them vanish through the mist, his chest heaving. "Let him know," he murmured. "We are not prey."
Selene saw the moment through the water's surface, her pulse quickening. Something deep within her answered the power in his voice.
Elara whispered behind her, trembling. "You are calling to him again."
Selene did not look away. "He will need me before this ends."
The vision dimmed, leaving only her reflection in the blackened water. Her eyes glowed faintly, silver meeting silver across the unseen bond.
Far away, Lucian paused in the forest, feeling the same pull he could not explain.
Neither spoke the other's name, but both felt the truth taking shape between them, a truth the prophecy had only begun to reveal.
The war had already started and neither witch nor wolf could stop it now.
123
Dawn crept over Moonfang painting the battlefield in shades of ash and blood. But the human blood.
For a long moment, The Alpha said nothing. Then, slowly, the faintest curve touched his lips, not quite a smile, but something that could have become one if he allowed it. "You have courage, Aldred. Or foolishness. Perhaps both."
"He turned to his men and said, we have no time for rest," he said. "The human king will not stop here."
Caius said perhaps, "They were searching for something." His expression darkened. "Or someone."
The words struck a chord of unease. "You think they came for me?"
Caius's gaze turned to the horizon where the forest met the mist. "Perhaps. Or for the one the prophecy binds to you." His eyes found him again. "The witch?"
Lucian's pulse stumbled. "I don't even know if the witch ever exist, how will the king come looking for her here."
"Do you truly believe that?" Caius asked quietly. "The king's spies have eyes in every corner of the realm. If he learned of a witch who could tame the cursed Alpha, he would burn every forest until he finds her."
Lucian turned away, gripping the head of his sword. He wanted to deny it, to cling to the illusion of control. But the truth hung heavy between them. If the king truly know selene exist, he will want to use her against him." I will make sure, he doesn't find her."
Caius bowed his head slightly, though the glint in his eyes betrayed mockery. "As you wish, Alpha." He turned and walked away, leaving tension in his wake like smoke after flame.
When he was gone, Darius exhaled shakily. "He will not stop."
Lucian's gaze lingered on. "No, Aldred will never stop."
Later, within the keep, the wounded were brought in. The pack doctor Sophia, the beta's mate, attended to them, moving from one cot to another, her hands steady, her voice calm.
Lucian went to look for Selene at her worn-out shop, he saw her standing by one of her vial shelf, he stepped closer, the shadows between them shrinking. He told her everything that happens and he said "Whatever his plan, he will come again. I cannot fight him alone."
Selene met his gaze, caught in the gravity of it. "You want my help."
"I need it," he said simply.
Her pulse quickened. "And if I refuse?"
His eyes searched hers, something raw flickering there. "Then I will still protect you. Even if it destroys me."
The silence that followed was heavy, charged with something neither dared name.
Lucian reached out, his fingers brushing hers. It was a small touch, but it sent a spark through her like lightning striking dry earth. The tether between them pulsed, invisible yet undeniable. She could feel it in her veins, a bond born not of choice, but of fate.
Then he woke up to a knock at his door, "It was all a dream, but it felt real."