Diana Dominicus continues, voice dropping lower. "So here’s your choice. You tell me the truth, and only the traitor dies. Or you lie, you hesitate, you waste my time—" His fingers tap once against his arm. "—and I treat you all as the traitor. Then it’s not just one Elder dead. It’s all of you. And really, would it be so hard to believe the mysterious enemy that has been plaguing the werewolf world for decades- an enemy who is able to waltz in and out of any pack unseen and unimpeded massacred the entire Council in one fell swoop?" The silence is suffocating. Elder Thomas, grips his walking stick like it’s the only thing keeping him upright. His voice is a rasp. "You—you would announce the existence of witches to the entire werewolf world?" Dominicus doesn’t blink. "Obviously." A murmur of disapproval ripples through the Elders. Dom exhales, impatient. "The rule that only Alphas and Elders can know about the existence of witches has always been stupid. There’s an enemy hunt
Diana All eight of them suffer through it. All except Elder Thomas. The ancient man stands to the side, hunched over his gnarled walking stick, his knuckles white where they grip the wood. His face is the color of spoiled milk, his breath coming in shallow, uneven gasps. He looks like a strong breeze could snap him in half. Dominicus doesn’t touch him. According to him, the man is so old and frail that if he did, his heart might give out and he would expire from the fear alone. But from the way Elder Thomas trembles, his rheumy eyes darting between his fellow Elders as they moan and writhe, it’s clear he’s suffering just as much. Occasionally, Dominicus pauses. “Are you the traitor?” he’ll ask, voice deceptively mild. “No!” they gasp, voices cracking. And he continues. Hours pass. Then a full day. The Elders grow delirious, their fear turning them feral. They start accusing each other, voices rising in panic. “It’s you!” Elder Gideon snarls at Elder Fendel, spittle
DianaElder Thomas’s frail body shakes like a leaf in a storm, his milky eyes wide with desperation. "This—this is a mistake," he stammers, voice cracking. "I would never betray our kind. Never!" His gnarled hands clutch at his chest, fingers trembling. "Your Command did work on me. I’m just—just old. My mind isn’t as sharp. My body isn’t as quick. That’s all!" A tear slips down his wrinkled cheek, glistening in the torchlight. The other Elders watch, their expressions shifting from horror to doubt. Elder Fendel winces as he pushes himself up from the floor, his muscles protesting. His voice is hoarse, raw from screaming. "Perhaps... perhaps there’s been a misunderstanding." He glances at Dominicus, hesitant. "Elder Thomas has served longer than any of us. A hundred and twelve years. His loyalty—" Elder Thomas cuts in, his voice breaking with emotion. "I’ve given everything to our people. My youth. My soul. My blood." His chest heaves. "How could I betray the very wolves I’ve spen
Diana84 years. The words hang in the air like smoke after gunfire. The room goes deathly still. Then— A raw, guttural scream tears from Elder Fendel's throat. "Eighty-four YEARS?!" Spittle flies from his lips as he lurches forward, his aged body trembling with rage. "You've been betraying us for decades—before any of us even joined the Council?!" The other Elders recoil, their faces slack with horror. Gasps echo off the stone walls. Fendel's knees hit the floor with a sickening crack. "How dare you..." His whisper is broken, his fingers clawing at the stone. "A century of lies..." But I don't look at them. My entire world narrows to Dominicus. His body has gone rigid, every muscle locked. The air around him warps, thick with the kind of energy that makes my wolf whimper in my chest. "Dom..." I reach for him, my voice barely audible. Lightning-fast, his hands snap out and seize Elder Thomas by the shoulders. The old man's bones creak under the force of his grip. "What did
DianaThe chase is a nightmare. Thomas moves like a ghost, slipping past Amadeus warriors with eerie precision. By the time I burst through the window after him, he’s already a shadow melting into the treeline. Impossible.Not even the Amadeus pack wolves are this fast, and high ranking Amadeus pack wolves are stronger than any normal Alpha.I push harder, my legs eating up the ground, but the distance between us doesn’t close. Behind me, the shouts of Amadeus wolves fade—they can’t keep up. We go deeper and deeper into the woods until the Council buildings as well as the shouts behind us disappear. Then, abruptly, Thomas stops. He stands perfectly still, his back to me. Slowly, he turns. "You shouldn’t have followed me." he sighs, like he’s chastising a disobedient child. "Now you’ll die here. Alone."His voice is different. Stronger. Younger.He still looks like an old man. But the way he holds himself—the coiled power in his stance—sets every instinct I have screaming. Danger
DianaA black blur intercepts with a sound like a butcher's cleaver hitting bone.Dominicus stands between us, Thomas' paw caught effortlessly in one hand. His fingers tighten with a sickening crack of breaking metacarpals. Thomas' wolf-form yelps, the sound high and reedy compared to his earlier bravado.Dom doesn't even look at him. His glowing blue eyes rake over me—the gashes across my ribs, the unnatural angle of my left foreleg, the blood matting my fur. With every injury catalogued, the air grows heavier, thick with the ozone-scent of his rage.A low, inhuman sound rumbles from his chest as he finally turns to Thomas."How dare you."The transformation happens between heartbeats. One second Dom stands there—the next, a monstrous black wolf looms where he stood, towering over Thomas with eyes like smoldering saphires. The very trees seem to recoil from his presence.I shift back, my human form gasping as pain flares through freshly knitted bones. Strong hands catch me—Amadeus wa
Diana "You... you asked about the Castellanos?" Thomas’ voice is hoarse from screaming. I realize he's referring to Dominicus's earlier questions in the interrogation room. The ones that had gone unanswered before his true nature was revealed. Dominicus shifts his weight slightly, and Thomas's breath hitches. "Tell me," he growls, his voice vibrating through the clearing like thunder before a storm. "Everything." Thomas's bloodshot eyes dart to me, then away. "Castellanos... must be her parents?"His cracked lips twist. "She bears the name. But I don't—" The snap of another rib breaking cuts through the night. Thomas arches off the ground with a strangled scream, his fingers clawing at the dirt like a dying animal seeking purchase. "Twenty-one years ago," he gasps when he can speak again. "Almost exactly... they destroyed a pack. I don't know which one—they never tell me anything important!" The 'they' hangs heavy between us. The Dark Witches. I flex my healing fingers,
Diana His eyes dart wildly. "I... I told you! They threatened me! I didn't want to either but they said they would kill me if I didn't comply! You have to understand. I'd just become an Elder—I had so much to live for, I didn't want to die!" Dom rolls his eyes, “You’ve said that over and over already. That’s not what I want to know.” "What I’m curious about is the reward they offered" Dom, his claws extending further. "I'm sure they must have offered you some sweet candy for your compliance. Else, you wouldn’t be working so enthusiastically for them." Guilt clouds Thomas’ features as he stammers out, "That... that... they said they would reward me if I did well." "Oh, that was very nice of them," Dom laughs mirthlessly. Then his voice turns serious. "But how? How did they do it? Witches can't step foot on Amadeus lands without being detected," he continues, his fingers flexing at his sides. "A curse that powerful—that all-encompassing—would have strict requirements. Conditio
DianaSeconds later, it’s clear that just because he understands doesn’t mean he’s convinced.“Fine,” Billy says at last, but his tone is sharp. “If the Primarch is so amazing, then why are you in this condition now?”Eleanor flinches.“You said it yourself,” he presses. “You were forced to use dark magic. It left you magically crippled for decades. Doesn’t that prove the Primarch isn’t so infallible after all?”Eleanor opens her mouth, but Billy cuts her off before a single word escapes.“And what about the dark witches?”She freezes, confused.“You told us all about the light witches,” Billy says. “What about the other side? How strong are they, compared to you?”Eleanor looks away, visibly reluctant. But after a long pause, she sighs and answers truthfully.“Dark witches… progress faster light witches. But their pace is accelerated. What a light witch might accomplish in twenty years, a dark witch can reach in just nine.”Silence falls like a hammer.Every face in the room darkens.
DianaI don’t say anything. I can’t—because part of me agrees with him.He searches my face, voice cracking.“I already lost your mate. And for 13 years, I believed I lost my child too. I won’t lose you.”The silence between us stretches again. The grief in his words coils around my ribs like a vice.After a long moment, I exhale.“I promise,” I say softly, reaching for his hand, “we’ll talk about this. We’ll figure it out. But right now… let’s go back inside. There’s still more Eleanor has to tell us.”He looks at me for a long moment. Then, finally, he nods.We walk back together, quiet and heavy with unspoken thoughts. Inside, the room is just as we left it—Dominicus and Eleanor still seated, their faces somber.Billy crosses his arms as he steps in, his tone dry but edged in steel.“Might as well just leave her with the humans. She was safe there. Let her stay hidden.”Eleanor tilts her head slightly.“Yes, she’s safe,” she says calmly. “But for how long?”He frowns but doesn’t an
Diana The room goes quiet. I blink in confusion, taken aback and not understanding why he’s so angry. My brows furrow as I watch him in confusion. He seems to be getting more furious by the second. It’s a fury I don’t think I have ever seen on him before. My mind races a second more and it clicks. My heart stutters before dropping to the pit of my stomach. I hadn’t thought of that. Not fully. Shit! Blood drains from my face and I suddenly feel sick. Billy asks again, slower this time, the words like steel. “Who the fuck did you say was gonna fight him?” Eleanor’s expression crumples into something close to guilt. She looks down. I bite my lower lip. Dom’s brows draw together. Billy’s voice is calm but dark. “Three people, right? That’s what you said?” He points at Dominicus. “One is the Amadeus Alpha. He’ll fight the physical battle.” Then he points at me. I flinch. “Second is the Castellanos Alpha and Priestess. That’s you.” I can’t meet his eyes. “And the third…
Diana He starts pacing toward the door like a man possessed. I glance outside—the sky is pitch black, the moon high and silver. “Billy,” I say gently, “it’s late. Why don’t we go tomorrow?” But he shakes his head, already reaching for the doorknob. “I can’t wait. Who knows where she is? What kinda situation she’s in? If she’s far, the sooner I leave, the sooner I’ll reach her—” Eleanor lifts her eyes to Dom in a silent signal. Dominicus stands immediately, moves forward, and catches Billy by the shoulders before he can bolt. “Wait,” he says gently but firmly. “Where are you going? You don’t even have the tracker yet. How will you find her without it?” Billy blinks. “Right. Right, right.” He lets himself be guided back, still jittery, heart pounding in his chest. He turns to Eleanor again, eyes wide and pleading. “Then give it to me. The… the thing you said. What is it?” “I’ll make you a Scrythorn,” Eleanor replies. “It’s an ancient charm, carved and imbued with s
Diana Billy hasn’t moved. His eyes are bloodshot and shining, and when he finally speaks, his voice is hoarse. “You said you used dark magic, too,” he rasps to Eleanor. “But you’re still here. Still… you. Why couldn’t she do the same?” Eleanor’s face softens. “Because she wasn’t strong enough. Six years of dark magic, even in small doses, is too much. I stopped after one spell. I cut myself off. Let the darkness bleed out slowly over time. But your mate…” She sighs. “She didn’t have that luxury. The curse had corrupted her too much”. But I know the rest. Eleanor is the Primarch Arcana. Stronger than any light witch alive. That’s the difference. That’s why she survived. Billy lowers his head, shoulders slumping. He doesn’t speak for a long time. My chest aches with a pressure that builds and builds until I can barely breathe. All those years, I thought no one loved me. That I meant nothing to anyone. I was wrong. Now I know—my parents, the witches who could have teleport
Diana Eleanor folds her hands in her lap, her face as gentle as ever, but I see the flicker of regret in her eyes. “I’m sorry, Billy,” she says softly. “What I’m about to tell you might be hard to hear. But I believe it will answer the questions you’ve carried for a long time.” Billy glances between Dom and I, seeing the corresponding seriousness on our faces and sits straighter, “Go on,” he says. Eleanor nods. “Just as I was explaining to Diana and Dominicus, your mate—Myralie—was the one who suppressed Diana’s wolf. It was the only way she could keep her from shifting, and from being found.” Billy’s head jerks slightly. “Myralie?” he repeats, his brow creasing. “You mean… Myra?That her real name?” I watch the flicker of pain flash through his eyes. He once told us he didn’t know much about her. Only her name. And now it turns out… even that was only half true. There’s a bittersweet sadness in his face as the realization sets in. His mouth parts slightly, but no words come. “S
Diana Dominicus stares at her, brows drawn. “So… you’re not dying,” he says, voice low, suspicious. “I’m not dying,” she insists, looking directly at him now. “I swear it.” He holds her gaze for a beat longer. Then, finally, he nods. I feel the tight coil of tension in his body loosen, the faintest ripple of relief coming through the bond. I exhale too, only now realizing I’d been holding my breath. “It’s not fair,” I whisper. The words slip out before I can stop them, soft and aching. Eleanor looks at me with kind eyes, and then gives a small smile. “Magic isn’t a person, dear. It has no consciousness to look into the facts surrounding the incident and decide whether or not it’s fair. It doesn’t think or feel. It simply is.” She sets her teacup down gently, the sound barely audible. “Light magic doesn’t coexist with dark magic. It won’t. The moment I used it—even to save someone—I knew what it meant. My days as the Primarch were numbered.” Her smile turns wry. “The fac
Diana She lifts her eyes, and they shimmer with something like wonder. “I felt it. A divine ripple. Like something ancient had stirred. Like the pattern of fate had twisted slightly on its axis.” Her fingers curl around the porcelain cup. “I didn’t know what it meant. But I knew—something was coming. I didn’t know what, or who, but… I hoped.” She looks at me now. And her expression softens into something almost reverent. “And then, one morning… a girl walked in.” My throat tightens. Eleanor’s voice drops into a hush, as though telling a sacred secret. She gives me a small smile. “A werewolf… a werewolf with a sealed wolf”. “A beautiful girl,” she continues. “Her eyes were haunted and it was obvious she was running from something.” My stomach tightens. Eleanor’s expression softens again. “It took me just one look. I knew exactly who you were. The Castellanos Alpha heir. The one who escaped the massacre. I was… stunned.” She shakes her head with a quiet chuckle, bu
Diana I swallow the lump in my throat. For the longest time, Dom had no one. I’m so glad is finding more family and loved ones. He doesn’t answer. But his eyes shine, and he reaches up, catching her wrist. “You should’ve told me,” he murmurs, his voice thick, “I wasn’t in the right state of mind for a long time, but when I got better-“ She looks at him with weary affection. “Because you’d already suffered enough,” she says softly. “You were just starting to come back to yourself. I didn’t want to pile all this… this heavy, dark mess on your shoulders.” Her eyes flick over to me, and a teasing smile tugs at her lips. “And you had just started falling in love, too. I couldn’t bear to spoil it.” My cheeks warm instantly. Eleanor chuckles. “After nearly a decade of pain and silence, you deserved a little reprieve. Both of you. Watching it happen—watching you fall for each other—it was so cute. And awkward.” I let out a tiny, strangled sound and cover my face with my hand