Afterward, Lucas’s death tore through our community like a feral howl, resonating deep within all hearts. His absence was a gaping wound, raw and exposed, that no amount of time or silence could heal.

The pack was divided; whispers of betrayal filled the air, each word sharpening the knife already lodged in our collective chest. Despair clung to the atmosphere, thick and suffocating. My mother’s stark demeanor only fed the unease—her gaze cold, her answers colder.

Days blurred into nights. The moon shone mournfully upon our den, its pale light casting jagged shadows on the walls as if mourning alongside us. Sleep became a distant memory. I’d close my eyes, only to be haunted by Lucas’s eyes, his voice, his final breath.

I wandered through the woods at dusk, my feet carrying me toward the heart of the forest as though drawn by some invisible thread. The towering trees whispered overhead, their branches heavy with secrets. My heart ached with the weight of unanswered questions and the chilling suspicion that the truth was far darker than I imagined.

And then I saw her.

My mother stood in a forest clearing, her face bathed in the silver glow of the moonlight. Her hands were outstretched, her lips moving in a soft, rhythmic whisper—communing with the night itself. The way the light flickered around her made her look almost… otherworldly. The wind curled around her, rustling her hair like it was listening.

“Why, Mom?” My voice cracked as I stepped forward, my heart pounding so hard it hurt. “What did you do?”

At the sound of my voice, she turned sharply, her wolfish eyes flashing in the moonlight. For a moment, she simply stared at me, her expression hard and unreadable. Then her mouth curled into a slight frown.

“Willow,” she said, her voice low and steady. “There are forces at play here that you cannot begin to understand. Do you think he was like us?”

Her words struck like ice through my veins. My breath hitched. “What are you saying?”

Her eyes darkened. “Lucas’s death… it wasn’t what it seemed.”

My chest tightened painfully. “Then tell me the truth.”

Her gaze sharpened. “The truth,” she repeated, her tone like a blade sliding free of its sheath. “The truth is dangerous. Only the moon and the spirits know the full story. What I say now may bind you forever to the darkness we face.”

Her words coiled around me like smoke, the weight of them sinking into my bones. Fear warred with the desperate need for answers. But beneath the fear, a sharp resolve blossomed.

“I want the truth,” I said fiercely. My hands curled into fists at my sides. “Whatever the cost.”

For the first time in years, my mother hesitated. Her fierce facade faltered as she studied me, her gaze softening in a way that made my throat tighten. Beneath the hardness, beneath the steel of her exterior, was something vulnerable. Something scary.

“You sound like him,” she whispered. Her voice was so quiet I almost didn’t hear it.

I stepped closer. “Like who?”

Her eyes shimmered. A tear slid down her cheek before she quickly wiped it away. She inhaled deeply, as though fortifying herself for what came next.

“Listen well,” she murmured. “For this path you embark on will fortify you against the darkness.”

She stepped closer, so close I could feel her breath against my skin. Her hands settled on my shoulders, her gaze burning into mine.

“Lucas wasn’t just killed,” she said. “He was hunted.”

My heart dropped. “Hunted?”

She nodded grimly. “By something ancient. Something dangerous.”

My breath quickened. “What was it?”

Her hands tightened on my shoulders. “If I tell you, Willow… there is no turning back.”

My chest heaved as fear curled around my heart like frost. But beneath it was something else, something fierce.

“I need to know,” I said.

She took a shaky breath. Then, with a final, resigned look, she whispered, “It was a blood debt. One that has haunted our family for generations.”

My stomach turned. A cold wave of dread swept through me. But I didn’t back down. I met her gaze, my heart thundering in my ears.

“What does that mean?” I asked.

Her eyes darkened to obsidian. “It means that Lucas died because of me.”