Moonwatch Pack was eerily quiet under the waning moon. The usual chatter of wolves, the laughter of warriors after training sessions, and the bustling sounds of daily life had dulled to a haunting hush. Since Sheila's exile, the air had changed. Heavier. As if even the wind held its breath.
Sabrina stood on the balcony of the Alpha's house, her eyes fixed on the woods beyond the eastern border. Her fingers traced the crescent-shaped pendant around her neck—a twisted mockery of the Moon Goddess's symbol. Kael had gifted it to her after their mating ceremony. It was supposed to mark her as his Luna. But now it burned against her skin.
"She's still alive," she said quietly.
Behind her, Kael stood in silence.
"Sheila," she clarified. "I feel it. Like a thorn in my chest."
Kael's jaw clenched. "She's no threat anymore."
"You never really understood her, did you?" Sabrina turned to him, her eyes flashing. "She was weak, yes. But she survived. Even when we thought she wouldn't."
Kael shifted uncomfortably. "I made my choice. You're my Luna now."
Sabrina smiled, cold and cruel. "Yes. But choices come with consequences."
He frowned. "What are you saying?"
"She should've died at the border."
"She did."
"No, Kael," Sabrina whispered. "She rose."
---
Deep beneath the Silverstone forest, in the sealed tower, Brutus's breath fogged the cold air. Another chain had broken. Not from force—but from time, memory, and the weakening of magic.
He was changing. Remembering.
Not just Selene—but her vessel.
The girl with broken eyes and a shattered soul.
"She bleeds like Selene," he murmured. "But she doesn't know yet."
He closed his eyes and reached out—not with hands, but with his soul.
Across the forest, Sheila gasped, dropping the herb bundle she was holding.
"You okay?" Lira asked, kneeling beside her.
"I… felt something." Sheila held her chest. "Like a presence. Ancient and heavy."
Lira's smile faded. "Brutus?"
Sheila nodded slowly.
"He's not trying to hurt me," she said, more to herself. "But he's… desperate."
---
Back in Moonwatch, Sabrina descended into the dungeons beneath the temple ruins. A place few dared to enter. The scent of rot and mold filled the air.
She stopped before a steel door and pressed her hand against a symbol carved into the stone. The mark on her wrist burned bright.
The door opened.
Inside, shadows clung to the walls like oil. Something moved within them—slow and slithering.
"I kept my promise," she said. "Now keep yours."
The shadows quivered.
"I want her dead. I want her power."
A low voice responded, like wind through broken glass: "Then become what she fears."
---
At Silverstone, Emery called a council.
"Sheila is not safe," she said, pacing the floor. "There are forces moving. Old enemies. Sabrina is not finished."
"What do you propose?" one of the elders asked.
"Sheila must begin her training. Not just physically. Spiritually. She has to be ready to contain the soul or release it."
"Release it?" Sheila repeated. "To who?"
Emery looked her dead in the eyes. "To Brutus. Or to the Devourer. If you can't contain Selene's soul, one of them will."
Sheila's stomach turned. "And if I fail?"
Emery didn't answer.
---
That night, the Oracle came to Sheila's room.
"She has summoned the first of the shadow beasts," the girl said calmly.
"Who?"
"Your sister."
"She's not my sister anymore," Sheila replied.
"She was never just your sister," the Oracle said. "She was your balance. And now, she is your undoing."
The girl placed something on Sheila's bed—a shard of obsidian wrapped in silver thread.
"What is this?"
"A key. To your past life."
Sheila picked it up. The moment her fingers closed around it, she was pulled into a vision.
---
She was running through silver woods. Moonlight lit her path. Behind her, something snarled—a beast of flame and smoke. She turned and raised her hands. Power surged from her palms, blinding and wild.
But it wasn't enough.
The creature lunged.
---
Sheila screamed as she snapped out of the vision.
Emery burst into the room. "What happened?"
"I saw her," Sheila gasped. "Selene. She failed. She died."
Emery's expression darkened. "No. She fell. But she did not die. She became you."
---
In the forest near the Silverstone border, three wolves patrolled the edge of the territory.
They didn't see the shadow until it was too late.
It didn't howl. It didn't roar.
It just moved—fast, silent, and deadly.
The first wolf went down without a sound. The second barely had time to shift before claws tore through him.
The third tried to run.
Tried.
---
In her sleep, Sheila sat bolt upright.
"The border," she gasped.
"What?" Lira asked, half-asleep in the next bed.
"They're here."
Lira sat up, wide-eyed. "Who?"
Sheila's eyes glowed silver.
"The hunt has begun."