The night before the storm was deceptively calm, Bloomfield Pack rested beneath a silver sky, its woods whispering softly in the wind.
Yet every instinct in Serena told her something was wrong.
The air felt too still, the silence too complete, like the forest itself was holding its breath.
She stood on the balcony outside her chambers, gazing at the moon. Its glow had always comforted her, but tonight it seemed distant, veiled. A shiver crawled down her spine.
"Couldn't sleep again?" Kol's voice came from behind her, low and warm.
Serena turned, forcing a faint smile. "The wolves are uneasy. I can feel it. Even the pups were restless."
Kol joined her at the railing. His eyes were shadowed with worry, though he tried to hide it. "Lucien's mess, no doubt. He's been stirring tension between borders again. His envoys arrive by dawn."
"Then maybe that's the danger I sense," she murmured.
Kol placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "You worry too much. Nothing will happen here, not while I'm breathing."
She wanted to believe him. She wanted to let his confidence drown out the whisper that something dark was already moving inside their borders.
Morning came cloaked in grey.
The pack gathered as Lucien's envoys arrived, wolves dressed in dark leathers, bearing the scent of arrogance and ash.
They spoke of territory, of broken promises, of power.
Serena watched from a distance while Kol negotiated. The words were sharp but controlled, and still she felt it, the faint tug of disquiet threading through the air.
When Aria approached her later that afternoon, Serena almost welcomed the distraction.
"Luna," Aria said softly, bowing her head. "May I speak with you?"
Serena hesitated. Their last encounters had been strained, full of polite smiles and silent resentment. Yet something in Aria's voice sounded genuine, almost remorseful.
"Of course," Serena replied.
They walked through the garden path that trailed toward the woods.
For a while, neither spoke. Then Aria sighed. "I've been… unfair to you. My pride blinded me. I thought if I distanced myself, the pack would find balance again, but it only made things worse."
Serena glanced at her, surprised. "You don't owe me apologies, Aria. We both want what's best for Bloomfield."
Aria's smile was thin. "Then you'll come with me? There's something near the border I think you should see.
Strange markings could be Lucien's doing. I didn't want to alarm Kol until I was sure."
Duty outweighed doubt. Serena nodded. "All right. Show me."
They left the pack grounds together, slipping beneath the shade of the forest. The deeper they went, the thicker the mist grew, curling low around their feet.
Hours seemed to stretch as the forest grew denser. Serena noticed the faint scratches on the trees—claw marks too deliberate to be random. Her unease grew.
"Are we close?" she asked.
"Almost," Aria said, her tone oddly light.
The sound of a raven croaking above made Serena flinch. When she looked again, Aria was watching her, not with remorse, but with something darker glittering in her eyes.
"Aria…?"
"You really don't see it, do you?" Aria's voice trembled, half-laugh, half-snarl. "How everyone bows to you, how Kol can't see anyone else when you're around.
You think the moon chose you because you're special? You're cursed, Serena. You've brought weakness to this pack."
Serena's pulse quickened. "This isn't the time."
"Oh, but it is." Aria stepped closer, the air between them thick with rising energy. "You took everything from me. Now I'll take it back."
The ground beneath Serena shimmered faintly. Strange runes, drawn into the soil, flared with sickly light. A jolt of pain shot through her limbs as her strength began to drain away.
"Aria, what have you done?"
"Just undoing what fate got wrong." Aria's grin was wild, desperate.
Serena stumbled back, forcing her wolf to the surface. Her claws burst through skin, eyes glowing gold. "You'll regret this."
They collided with a snarl. The forest erupted with the sound of bones cracking and claws slashing through air.
Aria fought with feral precision, but Serena was faster and stronger, fueled by a burning sense of betrayal.
"Yield!" Serena growled.
Aria spat blood and laughed. "Never."
Aria's fingers closed around the blackstone dagger, its hilt heavy with ancient power.
She slammed the dagger's point into the earth, activating the ancient runes, and the magic surged, exploding outward, throwing Serena back.
The ground seemed to ignite, runes flaring to life beneath her feet.
The dagger's magic seared through her body, her wolf howling in pain. She rose again, shaking, refusing to fall.
She pinned Aria to the ground, "her jaws clamped around Aria's throat."
"You know you can't defeat me in a fair fight, Aria. That's why you resorted to dark magic.
"That dagger has been lost for centuries. How did you come by it?"
"Aria's grin twisted into a snarl, her face contorting with malevolence as she spat, 'I had my ways...'"
"You think you're so clever, don't you, Serena? You think you're above us, above the pack.
But you're the one who's blind. You've always been blind."
Serena's eyes narrowed.
"Aria, I'm giving you a chance to end this with dignity. No more magic, no more tricks. Just you and me, honor and steel.
Will you take it?"
Aria's grin was a twisted, cruel thing.
"Honor? You deserve no honor, Serena. You're a curse on this pack, a blight on our name. And soon, you'll be nothing but a memory."
Miles away, Kol stiffened mid-sentence. The envoy's voice faded into nothing.
A sharp ache split through his chest, their bond flickering like a candle in the wind.
"Luna?" his Beta asked, alarmed.
Kol didn't answer. He was already moving, instincts screaming. He ran from the hall, through the fields, and into the woods, his heart hammering with every step.
"Serena, no!"
The scent of burnt magic hit him before the clearing came into view. His wolf surged forward, claws digging into the dirt as he sprinted faster.
Through the trees, he saw flashes of movement, two figures locked in a deadly dance of fury and betrayal.
Serena fought with everything she had left. Blood matted her hair, her claws dulled, but her spirit burned bright. "You don't have to do this, Aria!" she shouted between blows.
"I want to!" Aria screamed. "I want to see you fall!"
Another surge of magic burst from the ground. The air crackled, and Serena's knees buckled.
The runes glowed brighter, feeding on her life force. She staggered, vision dimming, but still she swung again, landing a blow across Aria's face that sent the warrior sprawling.
For one fragile moment, silence fell. Serena stood panting, shaking, the light of the runes flickering. She could almost taste victory.
Then the whisper returned, dark and cold, the same voice that had haunted her dreams.
"Blood can unmake what the moon binds."
The runes ignited once more, blindingly white. Serena cried out as the light tore through her chest.
Kol burst into the clearing as the energy faded. The stench of charred earth filled his lungs.
Aria stood in the corners trembling, her face streaked with blood and disbelief. Serena lay on the ground, her body still, the glow of the runes fading beneath her.
"Serena!" Kol's roar shook the forest. He dropped beside her, lifting her into his arms. Her eyes fluttered open just long enough to meet him.
"I tried… to come back," she whispered.
Her hand brushed his cheek before falling away.
Kol's heart broke as her pulse slipped from his grasp. A sound escaped him, half growl, half cry, that echoed through every corner of Bloomfield.
Aria took one step back, horror dawning at what she'd done. But Kol's eyes lifted, blazing gold with grief and rage.
The forest itself seemed to recoil.
By the time the sun rose over Bloomfield Pack, the silence that followed felt endless.
Kol held her until the warmth left her fingers.
He pressed his forehead to hers, as if he could somehow breathe life back into her with the closeness of him.
Wolves who had argued hours before now stood frozen at the edge of the clearing, eyes huge and wet, mouths slack.
No one moved to comfort Kol.
How could they? He had been the one who kept them all steady. Now he was the broken center.
He did not scream. He did not howl. He only lifted his head, eyes blazing gold beneath the fading moonlight.
The world had gone silent around him—too silent. He looked at the charred ground, at the dagger half-buried in ash, and something inside him broke clean in two.
When he finally spoke, his voice was nothing more than a whisper.
"Who did this?"
No one answered.
The forest held its breath, the wind carried only the faint echo of his question... and the promise of retribution.