Night settled over the Blood Moon Pack like a heavy cloak. The guards patrolling the border felt uneasy, though none could explain why. The wind was silent. The forest animals were silent. Even the moon seemed to dim.
Then—
A ripple moved through the trees.
A faint distortion, barely noticeable, slid across the ground and through the wards like they weren't even there. The alarm spells flickered briefly, then died, snuffed out as if swallowed.
The shadow had arrived.
It drifted past the guards unseen, slipping into the heart of the pack grounds like a whisper of death.
But tonight, it was not searching blindly.
Tonight… it moved with purpose.
Zira tossed restlessly in her bed, a soft glow pulsing beneath her skin where the seal lay.
In her dream, she stood at the edge of a silver lake, the moon reflecting brightly on the water.
But then the water darkened—
A black ripple spreading across the surface, swallowing the moon's reflection whole.
Zira's breath hitched.
"Nyx?" she whispered.
Her wolf appeared beside her, hackles raised, eyes glowing fiercely.
"Wake up, Zira."
"Why? What's happening?"
Nyx growled, staring into the shadows slithering across the lake.
"It has found us."
Zira gasped as cold tendrils wrapped around her ankles.
Nyx roared.
"WAKE UP NOW!"
Zira's eyes snapped open—
Just in time for a terrifying scream to pierce the night.
Hazel.
Zira bolted upright as Hazel's wailing echoed through the pack house.
Not a normal cry.
Not hunger or discomfort.
This was pure terror.
Zira sprinted down the hallway barefoot, bursting into the nursery just as Celeste swept Hazel into her arms. The baby's face was red from screaming, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Mom, what's wrong with her?" Zira cried.
Celeste's voice trembled as she rocked Hazel.
"She—she just woke up crying suddenly, something scared her Celeste said.
Hazel reached toward Zira, tiny fists shaking. Zira grabbed her hand, and instantly Hazel quieted—though her body still trembled.
Damien rushed into the room, eyes glowing fiercely.
"It's here," he said. "Something crossed the border."
Celeste stiffened and Zira nodded.
You knew, Damien and Celeste asked simultaneously.
Nyx told me, she replied rather calmly.
Who's Nyx, they asked uncertainly.
My wolf, she replied and let's talk about it later.
Nyx's voice echoed in Zira's mind again:
"This feels the same shadow from before. But stronger."
Zira swallowed hard.
A sudden crash shook the pack house.
Damien growled. "Stay behind me."
But the shadow was already inside.
It seeped under the doorframe, rising like smoke. The temperature dropped instantly. Hazel began screaming again, clutching Zira's shirt so tightly her tiny knuckles turned white.
Zira stepped back—
But the shadow moved toward her, ignoring everyone else.
It knew.
Her heart pounded as fear flooded her veins.
"Damien…" Celeste whispered, stepping closer protectively. "The seal—"
"I know," he replied, eyes locked on the rising darkness.
The shadow lunged.
Something inside Zira snapped.
A pulse of heat erupted in her chest, burning through the seal like cracks in ice. Light exploded from her skin—silver, gold, and midnight black swirling together.
The shadow screamed.
Zira screamed with it.
Her power surged out uncontrollably, filling the room with blinding light. The force threw Damien and Celeste backward, but Hazel clung to Zira, untouched and unharmed, wrapped in her sister's aura.
The shadow was pushed back—
But only barely.
Zira felt pressure in her mind as Nyx shouted:
"CONTROL IT, ZIRA! FOCUS!"
Zira clenched her teeth, tears streaming down her face.
"I—I can't!"
The shadow charged again.
Instinctively, Zira shielded Hazel with her body and unleashed another burst of raw, unrefined power. This time, it hit the shadow directly, shattering it into fragments of darkness that scattered like ashes.
Silence followed.
Zira collapsed to her knees, gasping, the seal glowing weakly—cracked but still holding.
Damien rushed to her, kneeling beside her.
"Zira… what did you do?"
Zira looked up, holding Hazel close.
"I didn't mean to," she whispered. "I just wanted to protect her."
Damien's eyes widened—not with fear, but awe.
Celeste placed a shaking hand on Zira's back.
"You protected all of us, my love."
Outside, the night grew still again.
But the danger was not gone.
The shadow had been defeated…
But not destroyed.
Somewhere deep in the forest, its pieces began to gather again—
And a pair of burning, ancient eyes opened in the darkness.
Far from the Blood Moon Pack, in the heart of the Wolf Kingdom, King Aldric of the Silvercrest Royal Pack sat in a council meeting when the doors slammed open with a thunderous bang.
Everyone turned.
A warrior from the Blood Moon Pack staggered inside, armor dented, breath ragged. He fell to one knee immediately.
"Your Majesty… urgent news… from Alpha Damien."
King Aldric rose to his feet, eyes sharp as a blade.
"Speak."
The warrior swallowed hard.
"My king… something entered our territory last night. A dark entity—nothing like we've faced before."
Murmurs rose in the council chamber.
"A rogue?" one elder asked.
"A witch?" another whispered.
The warrior shook his head violently.
"It wasn't a creature of flesh. It was a shadow—ancient, powerful, and it went straight for a child."
The room froze.
King Aldric's jaw clenched.
A child born during the prophecy's omen days.
"Was the child harmed?" the king demanded.
"No, Your Majesty," the warrior said, voice trembling. "Alpha Damien's… daughter protected everyone. Her power—"
He hesitated, unable to explain.
"—it was unlike anything we've ever seen."
A silence heavier than stone settled.
The King's gaze narrowed.
"Send word to the priest immediately. The prophecy has begun."