Chapter 5: Confronting the unseen

As I stood there, watching Mara work to save the wolf’s life, I made a silent vow. I was going to find out who was behind this. I was going to put an end to these attacks, no matter what it took.

But deep down, I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were only just beginning to unravel a much larger, darker web of secrets.

As I watched Mara’s hands move with frantic precision, a cold realization settled over me—I was no longer just a rejected Luna struggling to find my place in the pack.

I was at the center of something far more dangerous, something that threatened not only me but everyone I cared about.

“Lysa,” I whispered, turning to my best friend, who had been standing silently beside me. “We need to dig deeper into that book.

There has to be more we’re missing. More about the curse, about the prophecy—something that can help us stop this.”

Lysa nodded, her eyes filled with determination. “I’ll start searching through the library tonight. We can’t afford to waste any more time.”

I glanced at Gideon, who was now leaning against the wall, his face set in grim resolve. “Gideon, I need you to help secure the perimeter.

Whoever did this got in and out without being seen. We need to tighten security and keep everyone on high alert.”

He nodded, pushing off the wall and straightening his stance. “Consider it done. I’ll gather the patrol teams and make sure no one gets in or out without us knowing.”

As Gideon left the room, I turned back to the injured wolf, a wave of helplessness washing over me. I wasn’t a warrior like him or a scholar like Lysa.

I was a healer, someone who fixed wounds, not prevented them. But I couldn’t stand idly by while my pack was torn apart. I had to do something, anything, to protect them.

Mara looked up at me, her face lined with worry. “Sera, there’s something else,” she said quietly. “These wounds—they’re not just from any ordinary werewolf attack. There’s a dark energy here, something I’ve only sensed once before.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, dread creeping into my voice.

Mara hesitated, glancing around to make sure no one else was listening. “Years ago, before you were born, there was a similar attack on the pack. It was the night your parents were killed.

The wounds they sustained... they were just like these. I always suspected there was something unnatural about that night, something... cursed.”

My breath caught in my throat. My parents’ deaths had always been shrouded in mystery, their bodies found in the forest with wounds that didn’t quite match any known predator.

The pack had chalked it up to a rogue attack, but now... now it seemed there was something far more sinister at play.

“Why didn’t you ever say anything?” I asked, my voice trembling.

Mara sighed, her eyes filled with sorrow. “I had no proof, and no one wanted to believe that there could be dark forces at work in our pack. It was easier to accept the official story.

But now... now I’m certain that whatever attacked your parents is the same thing that’s attacking us now.”

My mind was spinning, the pieces of the puzzle starting to come together in a way that made my blood run cold.

The curse, the prophecy, the mysterious deaths—it was all connected. And if we didn’t figure out how to stop it, history was going to repeat itself.

“Thank you, Mara,” I said, my voice steadier than I felt. “You’ve given me exactly what I needed.”

She nodded, her expression grim. “Be careful, Sera. Whatever this is, it’s powerful. And it won’t stop until it gets what it wants.”

As I left the infirmary, the weight of Mara’s words pressed heavily on my shoulders. The attacks weren’t random; they were targeted, deliberate. And if they were connected to the curse that had been placed on the pack centuries ago, then the danger was far greater than any of us had realized.

I made my way back to my room, my mind racing with thoughts and theories. I had to get back to that book, had to find out more about the curse, the prophecy, and how it all tied back to the first Alpha.

But as I reached for the door, another scream echoed through the packhouse, chilling me to the bone.

I spun around, heart pounding, and saw Lysa sprinting down the hall toward me, her face pale with fear. “Sera!” she called out, panic evident in her voice. “There’s been another attack!”

Without another word, I followed her, adrenaline surging through my veins. We burst into the common room where a small group had already gathered, their faces filled with shock and horror.

On the floor in the center of the room lay another pack member, this one barely conscious, their body covered in the same vicious wounds as the last victim.

But what caught my attention wasn’t just the blood or the injuries—it was what was carved into the floor beside them. The same symbol, the Mark of the Shadowed Moon, etched deep into the wood in what could only be described as a deliberate, calculated act.

“This... this can’t be happening,” I whispered, my voice barely audible over the pounding of my heart. “Not again...”

Lysa knelt beside the injured wolf, trying to apply pressure to the wounds, but it was clear that this was no ordinary attack.

The dark energy that Mara had spoken of was palpable in the air, thick and suffocating, like a storm on the horizon.

“What do we do?” Lysa asked, her voice filled with desperation. “Sera, we can’t keep letting this happen. We have to fight back.”

I stared down at the symbol, the truth finally sinking in. This wasn’t just about me anymore. This was about the entire pack, and if we didn’t figure out how to break the curse, we were all doomed.

“We will fight back,” I said, my voice steadier than it had any right to be. “But first, we need to figure out what we’re up against.

We need to dig deeper into the past, find out what really happened to the first Alpha and how it ties into the prophecy.”

Lysa nodded, but her eyes were filled with uncertainty. “And what if we can’t? What if it’s already too late?”

I didn’t have an answer for her. The truth was, I didn’t know if we could stop whatever dark force was at work here. But I knew one thing for certain—we had to try.

As we worked together to move the injured wolf to the infirmary, I couldn’t shake the feeling that time was running out.

The attacks were escalating, becoming more frequent and more brutal. Whoever—or whatever—was behind them was growing bolder, more confident that they could destroy us.

And as we left the common room, the symbol of the Shadowed Moon still etched into the floor, I knew that the real battle was only just beginning.

We were no longer dealing with an enemy we could see or fight with claws and teeth. This was something far more insidious, something that had been festering in the shadows for centuries, waiting for the right moment to strike.

And now, as I stood on the brink of a battle that would determine the fate of my pack, I realized that I might be the only one who could stop it.

But to do that, I would have to uncover the truth about the curse, about my parents, and about the prophecy that had haunted my life for so long.

Because if I didn’t, the next attack might be the one that finally tears us apart.

The night was far from over, and the darkness had only just begun to show its true face. As the moon hung high in the sky, casting its cold light over the packhouse, I made a silent vow.

I would find the answers we needed, no matter what it took. And I would make sure that whoever was behind these attacks would pay for the pain they had caused.

Because if there was one thing I knew for certain, it was that I wasn’t just a healer. I was a fighter. And I would do whatever it took to protect my pack from the darkness that threatened to consume us all.

The air outside the infirmary was thick with tension as I paced back and forth, my mind racing.

The night was far from over, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were on the verge of something terrible. I needed answers, and I needed them fast.

But as I turned to head back to the library, determined to find the key to breaking the curse, a shadow moved in the corner of my vision.

I froze, my heart pounding as I squinted into the darkness, trying to make out what—or who—was there.

“Who’s there?” I called out, my voice trembling slightly despite my best efforts to keep it steady.

For a moment, there was nothing but silence. Then, from the shadows, a figure stepped forward, their features obscured by the dim light.

My breath caught in my throat as they slowly approached, their movements deliberate, almost predatory.

“Sera,” the figure said, their voice low and filled with an unsettling familiarity. “You’ve been asking too many questions. It’s time you learned the truth.”

Before I could react, the figure lunged forward, and everything went black.