The moon hung heavy in the sky, casting silver beams through my window, but sleep refused to come. My mind churned with everything Elra had said earlier. A traitor among us. A final test tomorrow. And after that? The real war would begin,
1 exhaled, rubbing my temples. Sky, my wolf, stirred inside me, restless.
“You’re not going to sleep, are you?” she asked.
“No,” I admitted.
A deep growl of approval echoed through my mind. “Then go. You know what you need to do.”
I didn’t need any more convincing. Quietly, I slipped out of bed and pulled on a cloak, moving toward the door. My heart pounded, but I wasn’t scared. I was determined.
The witch we captured–the high witch of the Children of the Eclipse–had known where to find us. That meant she had answers. Answers I needed.
I moved through the castle with practiced silence, staying close to the walls, and avoiding the patrols. The halls were dark, only lit by flickering sconces. Every shadow seemed deeper than usual, making my skin prickle.
Then, as I passed through a dìm corridor, a hand shot out and yanked me into the darkness.
I barely had time to react before I was pulled into a room, the door shutting behind me.
I turned, eyes flashing, ready to fight-
“Where exactly do you think you’re going?” Isaiah’s voice was low, teasing, but his expression was anything but playful.
My pulse slowed slightly. Isaiah.
I folded my arms. “None of your business.”
He smirked. “Stormi, you and I both know that’s not true.”
His dark eyes searched mine, reading me too easily. He sighed. “You were going to see the witch, weren’t you?”
I didn’t answer.
He let out a soft curse. “Dammit, Stormi.”
“I need to talk to her, Isaiah. I need to know how she found us.”
His jaw clenched. “And what if it’s a trap?”
“Then I’ll deal with it.”
He exhaled sharply. “Yeah? And what if she tries to get in your head?”
“I won’t let her.”
He looked unconvinced. “You always think you’re in control, but some things–some things aren’t that simple.”
1/4
I pushed past him and reached for the door. “You’re wasting time. Cone with me or don’t, but I’m going.”
Isaiah muttered something under his breath before following. “I swear, one day, you’re going to get yourself killed. You know how dangerous she is.”
I ignored him.
We moved in silence, slipping through the corridors through shadows
When we reached the dungeon, I motioned for Isaiah to stay close. We weren’t alone.
From the cover of darkness, we watched as Mother entered the room where the witch was being held. Her signature veil cascaded over her form like a living shadow, obscuring her features. Her voice was calm, and commanding.
“Keep a close watch on the witch,” she instructed. “She is more dangerous than she appears.”
Her gaze shifted, unreadable beneath the veil. “And have the destroyed wing repaired by morning. The Silver Wolf’s power grows- we cannot allow chaos to spread.”
Isaiah and l’exchanged a look.
Something about her words didn’t sit right with me.
We waited until she left, her presence lingering like an echo even after she was gone. Then, without hesitation, we slipped inside.
The room was dim, lit only by flickering torches. The walls were lined with ancient symbols, glowing faintly with magic.
And in the center of the room, bound in chains, hanging upside down, was the witch. The moment she saw me, she laughed.
The sound slithered through the air like poison, making my skin crawl.
I stepped forward, my voice cold. “Something funny?”
Her lips curled into a wicked smile. “Oh, just remembering how much I enjoyed killing Mariah.” My breath caught.
Isaiah stiffened beside me, his hand resting on the hilt of his dagger
The witch’s grin widened. Then she opened her mouth.
And Mariah’s voice came out.
“Please… don’t kill me. I have to apologize to my daughter. I have to make things right.”
A wave of nausea crashed over me.
It was her voice. Her exact voice.
I took a shaky step back.
Isaiah grabbed my arm. “She’s trying to get in your head, Stormi. Don’t let her.”
But I was in my head.
Mariah was dead. I knew that. But hearing her voice like this–pleading, desperate–it ignited something dark inside me.
2/4
The witch laughed again, and 1 snapped.
A snarl tore from my throat as I let my wolf take over. My bones shifted, my muscles stretched, my vision sharpened. The world around me blurred as 1 transformed, my form towering, silver fur glowing like molten moonlight. My armor appeared, shimmering against my body, an extension of my very essence.
I felt the power of the moon surge through me and then, without thinking, I growled in warning at her my claws digging into the concrete floor loudly.
ing with divine power.
Light gathered around me concentrating above me as a spear of pure lunar energy formed, crackling
“Stormi, stop!” Isaiah’s voice was urgent, desperate. But I couldn’t hear him.
I could only see the witch’s smiling face. I could only hear Mariah’s ries. The horrible image of Mariah appeared in my mind her clothes were torn and bloodied, her chest grotesquely ripped open as though her heart had been torn from her body. Blood smeared her face, and her once gentle eyes were clouded over, lifeless.
With a growl, I released the spear. The light shot forward, piercing straight through the witch’s chest.
She screamed–but she was still laughing.
Even as blood poured from her mouth, even as she collapsed against the wall,
pinned
an insect, she laughed.
A sick, twisted sound that wouldn’t stop.
Then, silence.
The air was thick with the scent of blood.
My breath came in ragged gasps as I stared at the witch’s lifeless body.
I had killed her.
But something felt wrong.
A chill crawled down my spine. The torches flickered wildly. The very walls seemed to shudder.
Then-
The doors burst open.
Eira, Rowena, and several witches rushed inside, their faces a mix of horror and disbelief.
Their gazes locked onto me–still in my wolf form, still glowing, my spear of moonlight still embedded in the dead witch’s body.
A heavy silence filled the room.
Eira’s eyes burned with something unreadable. “What have you done?”
Reality came crashing down on me all at once.
I had lost control.
I had let my rage consume me.
3/4
I had acted without thinking.
And now?
Now, I had killed our only source of information.
