"Sothing is wrong."
The words pressed against Haelyn’s mind like a dark fog, clinging to her thoughts with a weight she couldn’t shake. She paced restlessly in her chambers, the tension in her muscles coiled tight, her instincts screaming.
Sothing had shifted in the air....sothing unnatural.
She turned sharply as Cerius, Seraphis, and Marlyil entered, their faces lined with unease.
"You felt it too, didn’t you?" she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.
Seraphis nodded grimly. "Sothing dark has stirred. The balance has shifted."
Cerius crossed his arms, his golden eyes unreadable. "The feeling is too strong to ignore. This isn’t just a power moving through the shadows....this is a direct threat."
Marlyil’s jaw tensed. "And it’s coming for you, Haelyn."
The weight of their words hit Haelyn like a physical blow. Her heartbeat quickened.
"I need to know what’s happening," she said, gripping the edge of the wooden table. "If sothing is coming for , I can’t just sit here and wait for it."
Seraphis exchanged a glance with Cerius before sighing.
"You must prepare," Seraphis said carefully. "This isn’t just about strength. This is about what you are."
Haelyn frowned. "What I am?"
Seraphis hesitated, as if choosing her next words carefully. "We still don’t know the extent of your power, Haelyn. But what we do know is that you are more than just a wolf.....you are a Spirit Wolf, the first of your kind in over a century. That kind of power does not go unnoticed."
Cerius’s eyes hardened. "And it has drawn the attention of those who should never have awakened."
Haelyn’s blood ran cold.
"Who?" she whispered.
Before anyone could answer, a heavy knock sounded at the chamber doors.
Kieran stepped in, his face grave.
"You need to see this," he said simply.
Haelyn followed him through the dimly lit corridors, her pulse pounding. Cerius and Seraphis flanked her, Marlyil walking beside them in silent tension.
As they reached the entrance hall, a figure stood waiting.
A lone man, dressed in black robes, a heavy cloak obscuring most of his face. His stance was neutral, but sothing about him reeked of malice.
Seraphis stiffened. "Who sent you?"
The stranger lifted his gaze, revealing piercing red eyes beneath his hood. His lips curled into a slow, knowing smile.
"I bring a ssage from Zareth."
A thick silence settled in the air.
Haelyn felt her stomach twist.
Cerius’s entire body went rigid. "You dare speak that na in my domain?"
The ssenger smirked. "And yet, here I stand."
Seraphis took a sharp step forward, her eyes blazing. "Speak, and then leave this place."
The stranger’s gaze locked onto Haelyn.
"You are requested to surrender yourself," he said smoothly. "Zareth wishes to welco you ho."
Haelyn’s skin prickled with unease. "Ho?" she echoed, her voice laced with disbelief.
"His words," the ssenger said, tilting his head. "Not mine. He believes you belong to him."
Marlyil growled lowly. "She belongs to no one."
The ssenger smiled, a slow and deliberate show of teeth. "Then war it is."
Hours later, Haelyn sat in her chamber, replaying the ssenger’s words in her mind.
"He believes you belong to him."
The weight of those words sat like a stone in her chest.
Before she could dwell further, a sudden chill ran down her spine.
She turned sharply toward the door, her wolf snarling in alarm.
The scent hit her a second too late.
The door burst open.
Arthur.
His presence flooded the room, suffocating and overpowering.
She barely had ti to react before he lunged.
Haelyn dodged, but Arthur was faster than before....too fast. His claws swiped at her, missing her by an inch as she stumbled backward.
"What the hell...." she started, but his eyes weren’t normal.
They were blackened. Twisted. Corrupted.
"Co quietly," Arthur growled, his voice no longer just his own. "You don’t know what’s coming for you, Haelyn."
She snarled, her wolf raging. "Like hell I’ll go anywhere with you."
Arthur lunged again.
She barely had ti to shift....
A deafening roar split the air.
A massive force collided with Arthur, throwing him backward.
Archer.
He stood in front of Haelyn, his chest heaving, his stance protective and murderous.
"Touch her again," Archer snarled, his canines bared. "And I’ll rip your damn throat out."
Arthur laughed darkly.
"You’re already too late, Archer," he whispered. "The deal is sealed. The ga has already begun."
Haelyn’s stomach dropped.
Sothing was wrong.
Archer growled, stepping closer, but Arthur only smirked.
And then....
He vanished.
Disappearing into the shadows like he was never there.
Haelyn’s hands shook.
"What... what just happened?" she whispered.
Archer exhaled harshly, his eyes still locked on the spot where Arthur had been.
"Sothing is coming," he said, his voice dark. "And it’s coming for you."
Cerius and Seraphis rushed in, their eyes flickering with alarm.
"We need to leave," Cerius said, his voice firm. "Now."
Haelyn turned, her wolf restless.
"But where?"
Seraphis swallowed, her face pale.
"Sowhere even Zareth’s reach cannot find you."
"We need to leave. Now."
Cerius’s voice was firm, unwavering, but there was a weight in his words, a hesitation that Haelyn caught instantly.
Seraphis nodded. "If Arthur has already been tainted by Zareth’s influence, we can’t afford to stay here. Haelyn needs to be as far from his reach as possible."
Archer stood protectively near Haelyn, his posture rigid with tension. "Then let’s move. Right now."
Haelyn swallowed hard, her pulse pounding. She didn’t like running. But after Arthur’s attack, she knew she had no choice.
Before anyone could move—
The heavy doors of the estate swung open, crashing against the walls.
A figure strode inside, dressed in ceremonial robes, the crest of the Lunar Council embroidered in silver threads across the fabric.
Haelyn’s breath hitched.
This could not be happening.
The man’s eyes swept across the room, settling on Cerius and Seraphis. "A summons has been issued," he declared, his voice deep, commanding.
Archer frowned. "What summons?"
The envoy pulled out an ivory scroll and unrolled it with precision. He lifted his gaze.
"By decree of the Lunar Council, all recognized alphas and their key figures are required to attend the Gathering of the Moon’s Banquet in two days’ ti. It is mandatory."
The room went deathly silent.
Haelyn’s heart pounded.
They had been preparing to escape—now they were being forced into a public gathering instead.
Cerius clenched his jaw. "This is unexpected."
Seraphis exhaled sharply. "No, it isn’t. The council has been quiet for too long. They must be sensing the shifts in power....Zareth’s awakening, Arthur’s corruption... They’re testing the waters. And they want Haelyn there."
Haelyn’s stomach twisted.
"Why ?" she asked, voice tight.
The envoy looked directly at her, his gaze unreadable.
"Because the council believes it is ti for you to stand before them."
Artemis cursed under his breath. "This is bad."
Archer crossed his arms, his expression dark. "This is a trap. They want Haelyn exposed."
"They want to see what she’s beco," Marlyil corrected, her voice grim. "They want to judge if she’s a threat."
Cerius’s hands clenched into fists. "There’s no choice. If we refuse to attend, we will be labeled as traitors."
Seraphis shook her head. "This changes everything."
Haelyn’s throat felt tight. "So... what do we do?"
Archer’s eyes flickered with unspoken rage. "We attend," he said finally. "But we don’t go in unprepared."
The weight of his words settled over them all.
This banquet wouldn’t be just a formal gathering.
It would be a battleground.
And Haelyn was at the center of it.
anwhile, in an unknown location...
A long table stretched in the dimly lit chamber. Several alphas sat in silence, their faces shadowed by flickering candlelight.
At the head of the table sat Alpha Marius, his fingers drumming on the wood. "It is confird, then?"
A hooded figure nodded. "She will attend."
Marius smirked. "Good. Then the council will finally see with their own eyes why Haelyn cannot be allowed to exist."
Another alpha grunted. "If she is as powerful as the rumors suggest, we should eliminate her before she becos unstoppable."
Marius’s eyes glead. "Patience. The Gathering will decide her fate."
He lifted his goblet in a silent toast.
The hunt had begun.
Back at Cerius’s estate, the tension was suffocating.
"We need a plan." Archer’s voice cut through the silence.
Seraphis nodded. "We cannot refuse the council, but Haelyn cannot go in blindly."
Cerius crossed his arms. "Then we use this opportunity. We expose Arthur. We expose Zareth’s influence. We turn the council against them before they turn on us."
Rowena exhaled. "That’s a gamble."
Haelyn’s mind spun. They wanted her to stand before them, to be tested, judged.
But she was done playing their ga.
She lifted her chin, her wolf stirring beneath her skin.
"Then let’s make them regret summoning ."
Cerius’s lips curled into a slow, dangerous smirk.
"Now that," he murmured, "is sothing I can work with."
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