Home / Werewolf / EMBRACING THE FORSAKEN LUNA / Chapter 8: The Pack's Darkest Hour

Share

Chapter 8: The Pack's Darkest Hour

Author: Miriam Samuel
last update Last Updated: 2024-10-29 19:42:56

“That’s what we need to find out,” I said, glancing at each member in turn. “Rowan indicated that Alaric is searching for something—something tied to the prophecy that led to my rejection as Luna.”

A heavy silence fell over the room as the council absorbed this information. The prophecy had always been a source of contention, its ominous words casting a long shadow over the pack’s decisions.

But now, it seemed that prophecy might be more than just a forewarning—it could be the key to understanding Alaric’s motives.

“Rowan was attacked shortly after entering our territory,” I continued, my tone grave. “Someone doesn’t want him sharing what he knows. We must assume the worst—that there may be a traitor among us.”

The weight of my words hung in the air, and I saw the flicker of fear in their eyes. The idea of a traitor within our ranks was more terrifying than any external threat.

It meant we couldn’t trust our own, that we were vulnerable from within.

“What do you propose we do?” Gideon asked, breaking the silence, his voice steady.

“First, we secure the packhouse and our borders,” I replied. “Double the patrols, increase our defenses. No one enters or leaves without our knowledge.”

“And Rowan?” Elder Thorne asked, his tone cautious. “Can we trust him?”

I hesitated. “He’s injured, badly. Lysa is tending to him now. We’ll need to wait until he’s stable before we can question him further. But for now, we should proceed with caution.”

Elder Maris leaned forward, her eyes narrowing with concern. “And what of the prophecy, Sera? If Alaric seeks it, we must understand it fully.”

I nodded, understanding the urgency in her words. “I’ll review the old texts, see if there’s anything we’ve missed—anything that could give us insight into what Alaric is after.

The prophecy is more than just words—it’s a warning, and we need to decipher its true meaning.”

Gideon glanced around the table, his expression hardening. “We also need to root out the traitor. Whoever attacked Rowan did so with the intent to silence him. If we don’t find them soon, they could strike again—and next time, it could be one of us.”

The gravity of the situation settled over us all, and I could see the resolve in their eyes. The council might not have fully trusted Rowan, but they understood the danger we were in.

Alaric Draven was a threat we couldn’t ignore, and the traitor among us made it even more urgent.

“Let’s not waste any more time,” I said, my voice firm. “We all have our roles to play. We need to be vigilant, united. This is no longer just about protecting our pack—it’s about survival.”

The council members nodded in agreement, the tension in the room easing slightly as they began to discuss the steps we needed to take.

Plans were made to fortify the packhouse, to question every member of the pack, and to review the ancient texts for clues. We couldn’t afford any mistakes.

As the meeting concluded, Gideon approached me, his expression unreadable. “Sera,” he said quietly, “I don’t like this. Rowan showing up out of nowhere, this prophecy, Alaric… it all feels like a trap.”

“I know,” I admitted, meeting his gaze. “But what choice do we have? We need to find out what Rowan knows before it’s too late.”

Gideon nodded reluctantly. “Just be careful. If Rowan’s telling the truth, we’re up against something far bigger than we anticipated. And if he’s lying…”

“We’ll deal with that when the time comes,” I finished for him. “Right now, we need to stay focused.”

Gideon gave a short nod and turned to leave, but before he could, one of the warriors burst into the room, his face pale and eyes wide with alarm.

“What is it?” I demanded, my heart leaping into my throat.

“It’s Rowan,” the warrior said breathlessly. “He’s gone.”

“What do you mean, gone?” I asked, fear prickling at the back of my neck.

“He was in the infirmary, unconscious,” the warrior explained, his voice trembling. “But when I checked on him just now, his bed was empty. There was blood—everywhere. It looks like he was dragged away.”

A chill ran down my spine. If Rowan had been taken, it meant the traitor was more dangerous than we’d thought—and they were right under our noses.

“Find him!” I ordered, adrenaline surging through me. “And whoever took him—bring them to me.”

As the warrior ran off to carry out my orders, I couldn’t shake the growing sense of dread. We were already too late. The enemy was inside our walls, and now, we were being hunted.

I didn’t have to look at Gideon to know he was thinking the same thing. We were out of time, and the real battle was just beginning.

Related chapters

  • EMBRACING THE FORSAKEN LUNA   Chapter 9: Alaric’s Ambition

    The air in the packhouse was charged with tension as I paced back and forth, trying to piece together the fragments of information we had gathered. Rowan's disappearance had shaken everyone, especially after the trail of blood that led to nowhere. It was a stark reminder that the enemy was not only outside our walls but possibly within them as well.Gideon entered the room, his usual stoic expression hardened by worry. “Sera, we need to talk,” he said, his voice low and urgent.I stopped pacing and faced him, bracing myself for whatever news he had. “What is it?”“We've uncovered more information about Alaric Draven,” he began, walking over to the large map of our territory that hung on the wall. “It’s worse than we thought. He’s not just after revenge—he’s planning to dominate Silverwood, and he’s willing to use any means necessary.”I felt a cold knot form in my stomach. “Dominate? How?”Gideon’s expression was grim as he pointed to the outskirts of our territory on the map. “His

  • EMBRACING THE FORSAKEN LUNA   Chapter 10: Rowan's True Colors

    As we turned to leave the ruined storeroom, the gravity of the situation settled over me like a heavy shroud. Alaric was pushing us to the edge, and the pressure was mounting. But I wouldn’t let him break us. We had to be stronger, smarter, and more resilient than ever before. That night, as I lay in bed, sleep eluded me. My mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and plans, each more desperate than the last. The threat of Alaric hung over us like a storm cloud, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were on the brink of something catastrophic. When I finally drifted off, my dreams were haunted by images of fire and blood, of shadowy figures lurking in the darkness. And in the midst of it all, I saw Alaric’s face, his eyes gleaming with malice as he watched Silverwood crumble under his grasp. I woke with a start, my heart pounding in my chest. The room was still and silent, but the unease from my dreams lingered. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong, that the nigh

  • EMBRACING THE FORSAKEN LUNA   Chapter 11: The Betrayal

    Lysa had been distant for days, and it was driving me insane. Ever since the last attack, she’d been avoiding eye contact, giving me curt responses, and disappearing for hours at a time. At first, I chalked it up to stress—everyone in the pack was on edge, and it wasn’t uncommon for people to want space. But this was different.I stared at the door to her room, my heart pounding in my chest. I had tried to ignore it, tried to push the gnawing suspicion to the back of my mind, but it was no use. Something was wrong, and I needed to know what it was.With a deep breath, I knocked on her door. “Lysa? Are you in there?”A long silence stretched out before I heard the soft creak of the floorboards. The door opened just a crack, and Lysa peeked out, her eyes shadowed with fatigue. “Sera? What are you doing here?”“I wanted to check on you,” I said, forcing a smile. “You’ve been… off lately. Is everything okay?”Her hesitation was enough to confirm my worst fears. “I’m fine,” she said, her

  • EMBRACING THE FORSAKEN LUNA   Chapter 12: The Secret Meeting

    The betrayal hung between us like a storm cloud, thick and suffocating. After what I’d seen in the woods, I couldn’t sleep, couldn’t think. Every time I closed my eyes, all I could see was Lysa’s guilt-ridden face as she handed something over to Alaric’s spy. I couldn’t let it go. I had to confront her. I had to know the truth.I found Lysa early the next morning in the training yard, her back to me as she faced a row of targets. She was going through the motions, but her movements were sluggish, lacking her usual precision. I took a deep breath, my heart hammering in my chest as I approached her.“Lysa, we need to talk,” I said, my voice as steady as I could manage.She froze, her shoulders tensing as if she had been expecting this. Slowly, she turned to face me, her eyes shadowed with exhaustion and something else—something darker.“What’s there to talk about, Sera?” she asked, her voice flat, emotionless. “You already think you know everything.”“I saw you,” I said, my voice tre

  • EMBRACING THE FORSAKEN LUNA   Chapter 13: Forest of Fear

    The forest was eerily quiet as I made my way through the trees, the night air thick with the scent of damp earth and pine. I moved carefully, every snap of a twig underfoot setting my nerves on edge. If I was right about this, if there really was a secret meeting place out here, then I had to be prepared for anything. I followed the directions I’d memorized from the book, my breath coming in short, sharp bursts as I pushed deeper into the woods. The further I went, the more the forest seemed to close in around me, the trees pressing in on all sides as if trying to keep me out. Finally, I reached the clearing. It was just as the book had described—a small, hidden hollow surrounded by dense trees, almost invisible unless you knew exactly where to look. My heart raced as I crouched behind a large boulder at the edge of the clearing, my eyes scanning the shadows for any sign of movement. And then I saw them. A group of figures emerged from the trees on the opposite side of the c

  • EMBRACING THE FORSAKEN LUNA   Chapter 14: Forbidden Alliances

    My hands trembled as I wrapped the blanket tighter around myself, trying to shake off the chill that had settled deep in my bones. The night’s events weighed heavily on my mind—Lysa’s betrayal, the secret meeting, Rowan’s unexpected intervention—it was all too much to process. But the one thing I couldn’t ignore was the urgency in Rowan’s voice as he led me back to the packhouse. Once inside, we didn’t head to our respective rooms. Instead, Rowan guided me to a small, unused room on the second floor. It was dark and dusty, a place long forgotten by the rest of the pack, and it reeked of secrecy. I had a feeling whatever he was about to tell me would change everything. “Sit,” Rowan said, his voice firm but not unkind. I obeyed, perching on the edge of an old armchair that creaked under my weight. He remained standing, his eyes scanning the room as if making sure we were truly alone. After a moment, he began to pace, his jaw clenched in thought. “Rowan,” I finally broke the

  • EMBRACING THE FORSAKEN LUNA   Chapter 15: The Cursed Artifact

    The air grew colder as I descended deeper into the passage, the walls narrowing around me. The scent of earth and decay filled my nostrils, each step bringing me closer to a secret that had been buried for centuries. My heart pounded in my chest, the echo of each beat reverberating in the confined space. The passage finally opened into a wide chamber, its walls lined with ancient carvings that seemed to tell a story—a story that had been forgotten by time. My breath caught as I stepped inside, the faint glow of the moon filtering through cracks in the stone ceiling, illuminating the room in an eerie light. In the center of the chamber stood an altar, carved from stone and covered in strange symbols. And atop the altar, resting on a worn piece of cloth, was a small, intricately designed artifact. It was made of some dark, gleaming metal that seemed to pulse with an otherworldly energy, its surface covered in symbols similar to those on the walls. I approached it cautio

  • EMBRACING THE FORSAKEN LUNA   Chapter 16: Allies and Enemies

    The tension in the air was palpable as I made my way back to the pack house, the weight of the cursed artifact still heavy in my bag. My mind raced with the events of the past hours—the ancient chamber, the terrifying power I now held, and the looming threat of Alaric’s forces. But as much as I wanted to focus on the immediate danger, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something else was brewing. Something closer to home. The moment I stepped through the door, I was met by Gideon Hale, the pack’s Beta. His expression was a storm of emotions—anger, concern, and something else I couldn’t quite place. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days, his normally sharp eyes dull with exhaustion. “Sera,” he said, his voice low and strained. “We need to talk.” I nodded, following him into the empty meeting room where we could speak in private. The room felt cold and sterile, the usual warmth of the pack house replaced by an unsettling silence. “What is it, Gideon?” I asked, my he

Latest chapter

  • EMBRACING THE FORSAKEN LUNA   Chapter 159: The Final Gambit

    The world was collapsing around me, the very fabric of reality tearing apart at the seams. The air was thick with chaos, the ground splitting open to reveal the dark void beneath. Everything we’d fought for, everything we’d sacrificed, was on the brink of being lost.But I couldn’t give up. Not now. Not when so much was at stake.I clenched my fists, feeling the power surging within me, a wild, untamed force that threatened to overwhelm me. The artifact had shattered, releasing its energy in a chaotic burst, but there was still a chance. A slim, desperate chance that I could turn the tide.“Focus, Sera,” I muttered to myself, trying to steady my breathing. “You can do this. You have to do this.”The fused entity hovered before me, its form a swirling mass of darkness and light, a blend of the mastermind’s cunning and the entity’s raw power. It was a monstrous amalgamation of chaos, a force of destruction that seemed unstoppable. Its eyes—those cold, calculating eyes—bored into me,

  • EMBRACING THE FORSAKEN LUNA   Chapter 158: The Fused Threat

    The ground beneath us buckled, shifting as if it were alive, writhing under the influence of the fused entity. I barely kept my footing as tendrils of darkness snaked across the landscape, choking the life from the trees and splitting the earth open like a ravenous beast. The combined force of the entity and the mastermind was more powerful than anything I’d ever faced, a swirling mass of chaos and malice that threatened to consume everything in its path.“Everyone, fall back!” I shouted, my voice barely audible over the cacophony of destruction. “Get to the inner circle! We need to regroup!”My allies scrambled, obeying the command without hesitation, but there was panic in their eyes. They’d seen what I’d seen: the realization that this fight was beyond any of us. We were outmatched and out of options.I clenched the artifact in my hand, feeling the cracks pulse beneath my fingers, the fragile balance within it holding by a thread. It was barely holding together after the last b

  • EMBRACING THE FORSAKEN LUNA   Chapter 157: The Cracking Artifact

    The artifact pulsed violently in my hands, the cracks spreading like a spider’s web across its surface. The light emanating from it was blinding, a chaotic storm of energy threatening to burst free at any moment. Every instinct screamed at me to drop it, to throw it away before it exploded, but I couldn’t. Not now. Not when we were so close.“Hold on, Sera!” Aiden’s voice was barely audible over the roar of the artifact’s energy. “You’ve got to stabilize it!”“I’m trying!” I shouted back, gritting my teeth as I focused every ounce of my willpower on containing the artifact’s power. My mind raced, searching for a solution. The energy was wild, uncontrollable—like trying to hold onto a bolt of lightning with my bare hands. The ground beneath us trembled, and I could feel the pressure building, the artifact’s core straining against the limits of its cracked shell. If it shattered completely, the explosion would annihilate everything within miles. I closed my eyes, reaching deep withi

  • EMBRACING THE FORSAKEN LUNA   Chapter 156: The Impossible Task

    The ground continued to tremble beneath my feet, and the darkened sky seemed to swallow the light. The entity loomed before us, a swirling mass of chaos and darkness, its form shifting and twisting in impossible ways. I could feel its power radiating outwards, an endless well of chaos that threatened to consume everything in its path.“We need a plan, Sera!” Aiden shouted over the roaring winds. “If we don’t do something fast, it’s going to tear everything apart!”I knew he was right. The entity had already shown us a fraction of its power, and even that had nearly been our undoing. I had to think of something, and fast. But what could possibly stand against such a force?Then, a thought struck me. The artifact. Its power had been the key to everything so far, the only thing that had been able to counter the chaos. But if I could harness it fully, if I could direct all its energy into a single, concentrated attack…“It’s risky,” I muttered to myself, “but it might be our only shot.”

  • EMBRACING THE FORSAKEN LUNA   Chapter 155: The Unimaginable Force

    The world around me exploded into chaos. The force unleashed by the entity tore through the air like a hurricane of fire and ice, sending shockwaves that threatened to shatter the very ground beneath our feet. I staggered back, trying to shield myself from the onslaught, but the sheer power was overwhelming.“Hold the line!” I shouted over the deafening roar, my voice nearly lost in the maelstrom. Around me, my allies struggled to maintain their footing, their faces set with determination despite the fear in their eyes. They were fighting with everything they had, but it felt like trying to stop a tidal wave with a paper dam.“We can’t keep this up!” Aiden yelled, his magic flaring wildly as he tried to create a barrier against the force. His face was pale, his breaths coming in ragged gasps. “It’s too strong!”“I know!” I called back, my own energy beginning to falter. “But we have to hold on! We can’t let it break through!”I could see the entity, a towering figure of darkness and

  • EMBRACING THE FORSAKEN LUNA   Chapter 154: The True Force Revealed

    The darkness was suffocating, pressing in from all sides, and for a moment, I thought I was dead. But then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, the void receded, and I found myself standing in a vast, otherworldly chamber. The walls were made of shifting, translucent material, like glass or crystal, but they pulsed with an eerie, otherworldly energy. I blinked, disoriented, trying to make sense of where I was.I wasn’t alone.The figure who had emerged from the rift stood before me, their presence dominating the space. Their features were sharp and unearthly, with eyes that glowed like twin stars. Power radiated from them, an overwhelming force that seemed to bend the very fabric of reality around us.I took a step back, instinctively raising my guard. “Who are you?” I demanded, my voice echoing in the vast chamber. “What do you want?”The figure’s lips curled into a faint smile, though there was no warmth in it. “I am far beyond your comprehension, little wolf,” they said, their v

  • EMBRACING THE FORSAKEN LUNA   Chapter 153: The Hidden Weakness

    I forced myself up from the crumbling ground, every muscle screaming in protest as I fought against the pull of the growing vortex. Chaos swirled around me, blurring the line between reality and whatever hellish dimension the mastermind had pulled us into. My packmates struggled, claws and teeth flashing as they battled the horrors that emerged from the rift. Every breath was a fight against the storm, every heartbeat a reminder of the ticking clock we faced."Eli!" I shouted again, my voice barely cutting through the cacophony. "We have to go for the heart! It’s our only chance!"Eli glanced at me, his face set with determination. Despite the chaos, he understood. We didn’t have time to question or plan. We had to act now, or everything would be lost."The heart," he nodded, then barked orders to the others, his voice strong and commanding. "Everyone! Form up on Sera! We’re going for the core!"We pushed forward, tearing through the onslaught of the mastermind's forces. With every

  • EMBRACING THE FORSAKEN LUNA   Chapter 152: The Final Assault Begins

    The air grew colder as the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows over Silverwood. I could feel the tension coiling in my chest like a spring ready to snap. Every nerve was on edge, attuned to the smallest sound, the slightest shift in the wind. The anticipation was suffocating, pressing down on me like a weight I could barely bear."Eli, get everyone ready," I ordered, my voice taut with urgency. "We don’t have much time."He nodded, his expression grave. “Already on it, Sera. Everyone’s in position. We’re as ready as we’ll ever be.”I nodded back, but my mind was racing. How could we ever be ready for what was coming? The mastermind wasn’t just any enemy. They were chaos incarnate, a force of nature that thrived on unpredictability and disorder. And they were coming for us, with everything they had left.I scanned the perimeter, taking in the sight of my packmates huddled behind makeshift barricades, weapons at the ready. Their faces were a mix of determination and fe

  • EMBRACING THE FORSAKEN LUNA   Chapter 151: The leap of Faith

    The blinding light slowly receded, leaving a deafening silence in its wake. My eyes blinked against the glare, trying to make sense of the shifting landscape around me. For a moment, everything felt still—too still, like the eye of a storm where destruction was held at bay by sheer will alone. I braced myself, heart pounding, as the realization set in: I was still here. I hadn't been erased. But that was only part of it. The artifact had responded to my plea, bending to my will in a way I hadn’t thought possible. I could feel its power settling inside me, a dormant force waiting to be unleashed again, but this time, it didn’t feel foreign or overwhelming. It felt like an extension of myself, something I could control.Eli’s voice broke through the silence, filled with cautious hope. “Sera? Are you…?”“I’m okay,” I replied, my voice surprisingly steady despite the chaos still simmering around us. I turned, meeting his gaze. His eyes were wide with disbelief, but there was a glimmer

DMCA.com Protection Status