I didn't sleep.
Instead, I watched Kael sleep. Watched the moonlight trace across his face. Watched the peace in his expression—the peace that would shatter if he knew what had happened tonight.
*Protect him,* I told myself. *Protect them all. For as long as you can.*
Dawn broke before I made my decision.
I'd investigate quietly. Carefully. Without alarming anyone. Without—*
*Without worrying them.*
I slipped out of bed, dressed, and went to find Selene.
The Lycan Elder was already awake, sitting on her balcony with a cup of tea, watching the sunrise.
*I felt something last night,* she said without turning. *Wrongness. Disturbance. You.*
*Intruders,* I said quietly, stepping onto the balcony. *Three of them. In the Alpha quarters. They... vanished.*
Selene turned, her violet-gold eyes sharp.
*Vanished how?*
*Like smoke,* I described. *Like shadows. Like they were never there. But they were. I felt them. Through the network. Their wrongness. Their—*
*Their power.*
*Yes.* I sat across from her. *They said they came to deliver a message. From their master. From the one who remembers. The one who was forgotten.*
*The one who will rise again.* Selene's mental voice dropped. *That's... concerning.*
*Do you know what it means?*
*No.* Selene frowned. *But I can guess. The Inquisition had allies. Supporters. Sympathizers. When the triad fell, when their power was stripped—not everyone accepted it. Some went into hiding. Waiting. Planning. Biding their time until—*
*Until they could strike back.*
*Exactly.*
*How many?* I asked. *How many are left?*
*I don't know,* Selene admitted. *Dozens. Hundreds. Maybe more. They're not organized. Not yet. But if someone is uniting them... if someone is building a new army...*
*Then we're in trouble,* Selene finished.
*Can you track them?* I asked. *The intruders. The magic they used to vanish. Can you find them?*
*I can try.* Selene closed her eyes, reaching out with the Lycan network. *But they're gone. Long gone. Whatever magic they used... it masked their signature. Made them untraceable.*
*Damn.*
*However,* Selene continued, *there are traces. Residual energy. Like... footprints in snow. Faint, but—*
*But followable.*
*Possibly,* Selene said, opening her eyes. *I'll need to visit the scene. Where exactly did they vanish?*
*The hallway outside our quarters,* I said. *Third floor. East wing.*
*Then let's go.*
We went.
The hallway was empty now. Pack members moving through it on their way to breakfast, to training, to their daily routines. None of them knew what had happened here hours ago. None of them suspected.
*Here,* Selene said, stopping in the middle of the hallway. *This is where they were?*
*Yes.*
Selene closed her eyes again, extending her senses. I watched her face—watched the furrow in her brow, the tension in her jaw, the way her breathing slowed.
*Something,* she murmured. *I can feel... something. Residual magic. Not Lycan. Not vampire. Not—*
*Not witch,* I guessed.
*No.* Selene opened her eyes. *Old magic. Ancient. The kind that existed before the covens formed. Before the clans united. Before—*
*Before recorded history?*
*Maybe.* Selene shook her head. *I can't identify it. But I can track it. Faintly. It leads...* She pointed *...that way. East.*
*The human territories,* I realized.
*Yes.*
*What's in the east?* I asked. *Besides humans.*
*Nothing,* Selene said. *Supernaturally speaking, the eastern territories are empty. No clans. No covens. Just... humans.*
*Then why would the trail lead there?*
*I don't know.* Selene's expression was grim. *But I think we should find out.*
*Agreed,* we both said.
We returned to the main hall as breakfast was being served. The children were already there—Felix, Darius, Lucian—eating with Kael. Laughing. Talking. Being—
*Normal.*
I hated that I might have to take that away from them.
*Morning,* Kael said as I approached. *Where were you? I woke up and you were gone.*
*Training,* I lied smoothly. *With Selene. Early session.*
*You should have woken me.* Kael pulled out a chair for me. *I would have joined you.*
*I didn't want to disturb you.* I sat. *You needed sleep.*
*So did you,* Kael pointed out. *You look tired.*
*I'm fine.*
*Elena—*
*I'm fine,* I repeated more firmly. *Really. Just... early training.*
He didn't look convinced, but he let it go.
*Mama?* Darius sent, his mental voice quiet. *Can I talk to you?*
*Of course.* I looked at my son. *What is it?*
*Not here.* Darius stood up. *Alone?*
I felt a chill.
*Sure.* I followed him out of the dining hall, into a quiet corridor. *What's wrong, Darius?*
*He looked both ways, then spoke.*
*I felt something last night.*
My stomach dropped.
*What kind of something?*
*Wrongness.* Darius mimicked my earlier thought. *Like... static. Like darkness where there should be light. In the network. In—*
*In the hallway.*
*Yes.* Darius's violet-gold eyes searched mine. *You felt it too.*
*I did,* I admitted. *But how did you—*
*I'm always connected to the network,* Darius said. *Even when I sleep. Part of me is always... listening. Watching. Feeling.* He hesitated. *I felt them. The intruders. I felt their wrongness. Their—*
*Their hostility.*
*Yes.* Darius's hands curled into fists. *Mama, who were they? What did they want?*
*I don't know,* I said honestly. *They said they came to deliver a message. From their master. From someone who remembers. Someone who—*
*Who was forgotten.*
*Yes.*
Darius frowned. *That doesn't make sense. Who forgets a master? Who—*
*An army that's been defeated,* I realized. *Followers who've been scattered. Enemies who've been—*
*Gone but not defeated.*
*Exactly.*
Darius was quiet for a moment.
*I'm scared,* he confessed.
I knelt down and hugged him.
*Me too,* I admitted. *But we don't have to be scared alone. We have each other. We have Papa. We have Selene. We have—*
*We have the pack,* I reassured him.
*But can the pack protect us?* Darius asked. *From something old? Something ancient? Something that—*
*That we don't understand?*
*We'll figure it out,* I promised him. *Together. We always do.*
We returned to breakfast. I tried to act normal. Tried to pretend everything was fine. Tried to—
*Protect them a little longer.*
It didn't work.
*Mama?* Felix asked as soon as I sat down. *Why were you and Darius talking secretly? Is something wrong?*
*No,* I lied. *Just... training stuff. Private lesson.*
*Oh.* Felix didn't look convinced, but he let it go. *Can I have private lessons too?*
*Sure.* I managed a smile. *Whatever you want.*
*Good.* Felix went back to eating, satisfied.
But Lucian was watching me. His dark eyes narrowed. Assessing.
He knew.
He didn't know what, but he knew something was wrong.
I'd have to talk to him too. Privately. Soon.
After breakfast, I gathered the council—Valerica, Marius, Rowan, Helga, Kael, Selene. Told them about the intruders. About the message. About the trail leading east.
*This is concerning,* Valerica said when I finished. *If someone is organizing the Inquisition's remains—*
*Then we have a problem,* Marius finished. *A big one.*
*The trail leads east,* I said. *To the human territories. To a place that should be empty. But clearly isn't.*
*I'll go with Selene,* Rowan volunteered. *If there's magic involved, I need to see it. To understand it. To—*
*To counter it.*
*I'll come too,* Valerica decided. *If this is a threat to the alliance, to the council—*
*Then we face it together,* Helga finished. *I'm in.*
*I should stay,* Kael said reluctantly. *With the pack. With the children. If there's another attack—*
*We'll send guards,* I said. *The best. From all our forces. But Kael's right. Someone needs to hold the fort. Someone needs to—*
*To protect home,* Kael finished.
*When do we leave?* Rowan asked.
*Now,* I decided. *Today. Before the trail goes completely cold. Before—*
*Before they realize we're coming.*
*They already know,* Selene said grimly. *They felt us investigate. They felt us track their trail. They—*
*They're expecting us.*
*Then let's not disappoint them.*
I went to find the children before leaving. Found them in the training yard—Felix practicing with Marcus, Darius meditating with Astrid, Lucian helping younger pups.
*I have to go,* I told them. *On a mission. With the council.*
*Is it dangerous?* Felix asked immediately.
*Possibly,* I admitted. *But I'll be careful. I'll have Selene, Rowan, Valerica, Helga. I'll be—*
*You'll be safe,* Darius finished. *Or you wouldn't go.*
*Exactly.*
*How long will you be gone?* Lucian asked.
*A few days. A week. However long it takes.*
*Be careful,* Felix said, hugging me tight. *Please. Just... come back.*
*I will,* I promised. *Always.*
Kael walked me to the edge of the pack grounds.
*You'll tell me if something happens?* he asked. *Immediately?*
*Of course.*
*And you'll be careful?* Kael pulled me into a hug. *No taking unnecessary risks. No playing the hero. No—*
*No dying,* Kael said fiercely.
*I'll be careful,* I promised. *I promise.*
*Good.* Kael kissed me—deep and hungry and desperate. *Come back to me. Please. Just—*
*Come back.*
*Always.*
I left with the council—Selene, Rowan, Valerica, Helga, and a small guard force. We traveled east, following the faint trail of ancient magic, following the residual energy, following—
*The unknown.*
The landscape changed as we traveled. From dense forests to open plains to... nothing. Just flat grassland stretching to the horizon. Empty. Desolate. Like—
*Like a wound.*
*What happened here?* Valerica asked, looking around. *There's nothing. No life. No animals. No—*
*No anything.*
*Something happened,* Rowan said quietly. *Something bad. Something that—*
*That scarred the land.*
We kept moving. The trail grew stronger. More distinct. Until—
*There.*
A building appeared on the horizon. Not large. Not imposing. Just... there. An old structure. Stone walls. Crumbling. Ancient.
*What is it?* I asked.
*I don't know,* Selene admitted. *But the trail leads inside. We need to—*
*We need to go in.*
*Together,* Valerica agreed.
We approached carefully. Weapons ready. Senses alert. Power humming just beneath the surface.
The door was gone—rotted away centuries ago. We stepped through into darkness.
*Wait,* Rowan said suddenly. *There's a—*
*Trap.*
Too late.
The floor dropped out from under us.
We fell.
Darkness swallowed us whole.
And when we landed—*
*When we landed, I knew.*
This wasn't just a building. This wasn't just a trap.
This was—
*A beginning.* And I knew—it was also an ending.