Chapter 150
The wind was cooler here–crisp and edged with the scent of pine and frost even though the season hadn’t quite shifted yet.
Moonlight bathed the quiet territory in silver, but it did nothing to ease the heavy silence that clung to the air like mourning veils draped over stone.
I stood just outside the Alpha manor, arms crossed, the cool breeze stirring strands of my hair across my cheek.
My eyes followed the flickering torchlights that illuminated narrow paths winding between houses, workshops, and community halls that once held life.
Now, they echoed hollow.
What happened here? I thought in wonder.
Audrey stepped beside me without a word, her stance relaxed yet alert. Ever the guard, the warrior, my friend. For a long moment, we said nothing, both of us listening–to the rustle of leaves, the creak of old wood, the whisper of grief that lingered in every shadow.
“You’re quiet,” I murmured, breaking the stillness.
“So are you,” she answered.
I offered a soft smile, though it didn’t quite reach my eyes. “That obvious?”
Audrey tilted her head. “You’ve always been easy to read. At least to me.”
My gaze drifted toward the hills in the distance, where I imagined children once laughed and ran free, where women once hung laundry or gathered herbs, where the future used to bloom. Now all I saw was absence.
“This wasn’t supposed to happen,” I whispered.
Audrey let out a soft snort. “You mean the romantic trip with your brooding Alpha, just the two of you?” She bumped her shoulder against mine lightly. “Yeah. Not quite the candlelit dinner you were expecting.”
A breathy laugh escaped me. “I was hoping for more stolen kisses and less political rescue missions.”
“You still got the kisses,” she teased.
I glanced at her sideways. “You spied on us?”
“Guarded,” she corrected with mock offense. “Totally different. Marlow was ready to jump off a roof if you so much as tripped on a cobblestone,”
I chuckled despite myself. But then I looked back at the town. The laughter faded.
“They’re broken, Audrey. This place… it’s grieving. And scared.”
She nodded, her face growing serious. Yeah. I’ve seen war–torn territories. I’ve walked through ruins and helped rebuild after bloodshed. But this?” She shook her head. “This is different. It’s like the soul of the pack was carved out.”
We stood there for another beat of silence before she spoke again, voice quieter this time. “You’re going to go with him, aren’t you?”
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Chapter 150
I blinked, startled. “What?”
“With Francesco. When he goes after whoever did this.”
I looked down at my hands, fingers twisting together.
“We can’t just let this go.”
Audrey didn’t flinch. “I know.”
“I didn’t mean to leave you behind,” I said, turning toward her. “I didn’t even think I just…”
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“You didn’t,” she said gently, “because you were in pain. And because a part of you wanted to believe you could just disappear and still be whole again.”
Her words hit me like truth always does–sharp and soft all at once.
I swallowed. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.” She reached over and tugged me into a quick, firm hug. “I never left. I never will leave you. You think I trained to be your shadow for years just to watch you run into danger with your overpowered boyfriend and not follow?”
I smiled into her shoulder. “You’re insane.”
“Yeah, well,” she pulled back, grinning, “you’re mine to protect. It’s not like I’ve got a better job offer.”
We started walking together, past shuttered homes and long–cooled forges, past fields that had been left to go wild. As we moved, Audrey did what she always did–talked to people, asked questions, listened with the patience of someone who knew that pain often came out sideways.
We met a grizzled warrior missing two fingers who had tried to track the children through three territories before losing the scent to ash and water. We spoke with an old healer, her hands trembling as she recalled the night a dozen women vanished from their
beds without a sound.
And everywhere we went, the same story repeated in whispered tones and haunted eyes:
It began with fear.
A flicker of unfamiliar scent on the wind.
A missing scout.
A dead wolf, drained of blood and buried in unmarked soil.
Then, one night–silence.
No children’s laughter. No mothers‘ songs.
Gone. All of them. Without a trace.
“We thought it was witches,” one elder told us. “But the magic felt… colder. Hungrier. Not the forest witches of lore. This was… something else.”
I was silent.
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Chapter 150
I remember Anastasia also mentioned that ‘other creatures will be free after the dark magic lift, the hidden creature will walk freely, is this what she means?
Later, we found ourselves seated on a wooden bench outside what used to be a school. The windows were boarded. A broken swing hung limp from a crooked tree.
“I don’t get it,” I muttered. “How could this happen without anyone knowing?”
“Someone wanted it that way,” Audrey said darkly. “And whoever it is… they’ve been thorough.”
I stared at the ground, heart twisting. My wolf, Mika stirred uneasily beneath my skin, sensing the wrongness that saturated the air. “This isn’t just a missing persons case. This is an eradication.”
Audrey’s hand tightened on mine.
“Do you regret it?” I asked softly.
She looked at me in wonder what I mean.
“Coming back to me. Following me here.” I continue.
She didn’t hesitate. “Never.”
I smiled. “Even if it means no sleep, constant travel, and creepy villages full of missing people?”
She snorted. “Please. That’s practically a vacation compared to our usual life.”
We both laughed, and it felt like a small victory–one piece of light in a place shrouded by shadows.
Footsteps approached, and we turned to see Francesco making his way toward us, eyes locked on me.
“I was wondering where you disappeared to,” he said, brushing a strand of hair from my cheek.
“Interrogating villagers,” Audrey replied for me. “You know. Fun stuff.”
Francesco looked at me then, his gaze softening. “Any answers?”
“More questions,” I whispered.
He nodded. “Same from the Alpha. They’re barely holding on.”
I rose, slipping my hand into his. “Then we’ll hold it for them.”
His expression warmed, pride and pain dancing behind his eyes. “You always say the right thing.”
“It’s what you do.” I said gently. “Lead. Heal. Fight.”
Francesco looked at Audrey. “We’re leaving at first light. If there’s even the smallest trail left… I’ll find it.”
Audrey nodded. “You won’t be alone.”
He turned back to me and drew me closer. “You sure about this?”
I leaned into him. “Always.”
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Chapter 150
And though we stood in a dying town, surrounded by stories of loss, the three of us together formed something stronger- something that would not be broken. Not again.
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“Beta Luc will take me to take a look around. You okay with Audrey here?” Francesco asked gently, his dark eyes searching mine.
I nodded without hesitation.
This wasn’t what we had planned–our quiet time together now interrupted by something much bigger–but I was still grateful we had the two best warriors by our side. “I have Audrey. Don’t worry,” I told him softly, offering a small smile.
“Luckily we decided to follow them, huh, Marlow?” Audrey murmured beside me, arms crossed and eyes scanning the hallway.
Marlow, ever composed, let out a low chuckle of amusement. “Fate always has a reason.” he said before adding “Beta Alfonso just mindlinked me,” he added, shifting his attention to Francesco. “He wants to speak with you, Alpha. Please open the link.”
My mate rolled his eyes in mild annoyance but didn’t protest.
We all knew what was coming–Alfonso’s scolding, no doubt. But beneath the eye roll, there was a glint of affection. He wouldn’t trade their loyalty for anything.
And truthfully, neither would I.
Despite everything–despite the fear that my power stirred in other Alphas, the reason Francesco and I had chosen to leave our lands behind temporarily in the first place–our pack had never wavered. Not even once. They didn’t see me as a threat. They didn’t see me as unstable or dangerous.
To them, we were still their King Alpha and Luna.
And that meant more than I could ever put into words.
I watched as my mate turned and began to walk alongside Beta Luc, his tall frame commanding and silent, the weight of leadership heavy on his shoulders. Marlow followed close behind, his presence quiet but alert, acting now as Francesco’s shadow guard. Knowing he was there brought me a small comfort, even though I knew my mate’s power could eclipse any threat that dared to face him.
Still, it eased my heart to see them together–the most trusted hands guarding the man I loved.
And now, it was just Audrey and me, standing in the quiet corridor of a broken pack house, in a place where grief clung to the air
like smoke.
But for now, we were safe.
