David and Damian followed him, with Damian casting one last, covetous look at Emma. They were gone, vanishing as mysteriously as they had arrived, leaving behind only the shattered glass and the lingering scent of desire and fear in the air.
As the door clicked shut, a heavy silence fell over the room. Emma slid slowly to the floor, her eyes still fixed on the spot where Damian had stood. I struggled to pull myself over to her, my legs still unsteady.
"Emma?" I whispered, my voice thick with concern.
She slowly lifted her head. Her eyes were no longer gold, but they held a new, deep gleam. Fear was still there, but alongside it was something else—wonder, confusion, and a flicker… of excitement.
"What did they do, Sophie?" she asked, her voice trembling. "I felt... I felt something..."
I reached her and pulled her into my arms. She was shaking. "I know," I said, my voice muffled in her hair. "I know."
But as I held her, my mind flooded with questions. If Emma was truly a part of this now, did that mean our mother was too? Was she truly an 'Elder Luna,' as Mr. Shadow claimed? And what of that ring she always wore?
"We have to talk to Mom," I said to Emma, a new firmness in my tone. "No more waiting. We need the truth."
Emma nodded, tears in her eyes, but behind them was a solidity that hadn't been there before. "Yes," she said. "I can't hear any more lies."
And elsewhere, in a dark, opulent office on the other side of the city, Mr. Shadow retrieved his phone. He looked at the number that had called him—a number he hadn't seen in years. He typed out a message, his fingers swift and decisive on the keypad.
'They are ready. The time has come. You will give me what you promised.'
He sent the message and walked to the window, looking down at the city lights below. A grim smile touched his lips. The game was truly in motion now. And this time, he did not intend to lose. The curse flowing in Sophia and Emma's blood was not just a burden; it was a legacy. And he had come to claim it.
Several days had passed, but the tension in the air had not dissipated; it had only condensed, becoming a thick, invisible fog through which Emma and I moved. We attempted a semblance of normalcy—going to work, cooking meals, watching television—but every moment was saturated with the memory of that night. The physical marks on our bodies were slowly fading, but the internal fire, that strange new energy, remained, a constant hum beneath our skin. Emma had grown quieter, her eyes holding a new, unsettling depth that frightened me.
We tried to broach the subject with our mother, but she had become even more guarded. Any mention of the curse or the Alphas made her flinch, swiftly change the topic, or invent an excuse to leave the room. The fear in her eyes was palpable—fear, and the frantic need to conceal a truth that was tearing her apart.
One evening, as I sat on my bed tracing the faint, lingering marks on my arms, the now-familiar chill seeped into the room. My heart slammed against my ribs. They were coming.
Across the hall, Emma, preparing for bed, suddenly stilled, a strange shiver running down her spine as if she were being watched. She glanced out her window into the darkness but saw nothing.
In my room, they manifested one by one. First, David, his powerful presence making the very air heavy and difficult to breathe. Then Damian, his gaze instantly darting to the door, as if willing Emma to appear. And finally, Mr. Shadow, woven from the darkness itself, his crimson eyes locking directly onto me.
"Sophia," Mr. Shadow's voice, that deep, velvety rumble, broke the silence. "The time for your decision has come."
"Decision?" I asked, struggling to keep my voice steady.
"Yes," David said, an odd urgency lacing his tone. "Each of us must choose his Luna. It will solidify our bond."
As if on cue, Emma's door opened and she stepped in, drawn by the voices. Her eyes met Damian's, and an invisible spark crackled in the air between them.
Mr. Shadow took a step toward me. His cold fingers traced my jawline, sending a jolt through my entire system. "I choose you, Sophia. You will be my Luna."
Damian's gaze, sharp and possessive, settled on Emma, a brief, sharp smile playing on his lips. "And I choose Emma."
A flash of raw anger and insult ignited in David's eyes. His fists clenched, the muscles in his jaw tightening to cords. "So this is your decision?" he growled, the sound low and dangerous.
"It is destiny, David," Mr. Shadow stated calmly, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Your Luna is not yet ready. You must wait."
David let out a sharp, bitter laugh. His eyes swept over all of us, a storm of resentment brewing in their depths. Without another word, he turned on his heel and stormed out of the room. The door slammed shut behind him with a finality that shook the walls.
But outside, his steps halted. The lines of anger on his face smoothed into an expression of deep, calculated planning. An idea, dangerous and brilliant, sparked in his mind. If he could not have a new Luna, perhaps an older, experienced one would do... Sophia and Emma's mother. A dangerous smile curved his lips. It was perfect. Winning the Luna of an old pack would be a significant victory for his new one.
Inside the room, Mr. Shadow turned his attention back to me. "Now that the choosing is done, you must understand the nature of your new life. A Luna bonded to her Alpha is granted a... gift. You will remain young, beautiful. Time will lose its effect on you. Our bond grants you eternal youth."
Emma's eyes widened, filled with wonder and a flicker of delight. But my mind instantly conjured an image—my mother. She had always looked so young, so beautiful, her age never truly showing. Was it because of those five Alphas? The ones I had seen in the ruined temple with her? Was she a Luna too? And if so, had she been granted this same... gift?
Mr. Shadow read the realization on my face. "Yes, Sophia," he said, as if plucking the thought from my mind. "Your mother was a Luna. A very powerful one. And she has paid her price."
He took my hand, his touch possessive, and led me toward the bed. "But now you are mine. And I will show you how deep the bond between a Luna and her Alpha can be."
Simultaneously, Damian pulled Emma toward him. "And you, my little Luna," he whispered, his nose grazing the side of her neck, making her shudder. "You will learn how to please your Alpha."
Mr. Shadow began to undress me, each movement slow and deliberate. His cold fingers were a brand on my feverish skin. He laid me back on the bed, covering my body with his, his red eyes piercing into my very soul. "You are mine, Sophia," he repeated, and then his lips claimed mine.
This kiss was different from David's passionate assaults or Damian's rough advances. It was deep, claiming, and unbearably intimate. It felt as though he were swallowing every breath, every thought I possessed. His lips traveled down my body, marking every inch as his territory, a slow, methodical conquest.
Across the room, Damian had Emma pressed against the wall. His hold was wild, a hunger pretending to be controlled. "The blood in your veins makes you ours," he growled, his hands tearing at her clothes. Fear was in Emma's eyes, but her body responded, her back arching, a moan escaping that spoke of both surrender and a shocking, burgeoning desire.
Mr. Shadow entered me, and a shockwave radiated up my spine. It was painful, but the pain was instantly eclipsed by an indescribable wave of pleasure. It was like lightning coursing through my veins, awakening every dormant sense. With every thrust, I lost more of myself, drowning in a dark ecstasy only he could provide.
He whispered in my ear, his voice slithering directly into my mind. "Your power, Sophia... let it out. With me, you can become everything you are destined to be."
I closed my eyes, and a picture flashed behind my lids—my mother, her eyes holding the same deep, mysterious glow that now lived in mine. Had she felt this too? Was this the price Mr. Shadow had mentioned?
From the other side of the room, Emma's moans grew louder, more frantic, as if Damian were pushing her toward a precipice she never knew existed. Her cries hitched, a sound of complete and unconditional surrender.
When it was over, a heavy silence fell, broken only by our ragged breaths. Mr. Shadow lay beside me, his fingers gently stroking my hair. "You did well," he whispered.
I didn't answer. My mind was still on my mother. She remained a mystery, just as we were now a mystery to her. A wall stood between us, even under the same roof.
Elsewhere, David sat in his car outside a vacant office building, his gaze fixed on Sophia and Emma's house. He pulled out his phone and dialed a number—one he had procured from an old company directory. The number for Sophia's mother.
When the line connected, he adopted a professional, friendly tone. "Hello, is this Mrs. Reynolds? This is David Matthews, from Sophia's office. I was wondering if I could have a moment of your time? Perhaps for coffee tomorrow afternoon?"
He ended the call, a satisfied smile gracing his lips. The game was long, and he knew how to play it slowly. While Mr. Shadow and Damian were preoccupied with their new Lunas, he would plot the conquest of the old one. And that victory, if successful, would secure him a position of immense power within the pack.
That night, as Emma and I lay in our respective rooms trying to sleep, we were both thinking the same thing—our mother. The woman we thought we knew was a stranger, hiding more from us than we could ever imagine. And as we navigated our new bonds with our Alphas, she was likely grappling with the ghosts of her own past. These layers of secrets were pulling us apart, even as a deep, invisible bond—the bond of blood—tied us together forever.