The beginning of the end

WINTER POV

"My lady!" Jude exclaimed, rushing towards me. I shook my head, signalling him to halt.

"I've got this!" I yelled.

"Whoever stands in my way shall die!" Gloria roared, her voice brimming with fury.

"Likewise for me," I declared, gripping my dagger tightly.

I aimed my dagger at her, noting that she, too, wielded a weapon. Its origin mattered little to me; I focused on disarming her without causing harm. Yet, it was evident that Gloria desired to kill me.

The battle continued, and fatigue weighed heavily on my muscles, making my limbs feel sluggish, but I didn't yield. In a moment of determination, I managed to disarm Gloria, knocking her weapon aside and pinning her down. She thrashed beneath me, her eyes blazing with wrath, her voice an animalistic growl.

"You think you can stop me?! You foolish child!" she spat, venom dripping from her words.

I held her gaze unwaveringly. "I don't care how powerful you may be right now; I can and will stop you!"

Gloria's laughter cut through the forest, bitter and chilling. "You can't!" she shoved me aside, swiftly regaining her footing.

Seizing her sword from the ground, she charged at me with full force, poised to impale me. But I couldn't let that happen; I wouldn't.

Harnessing my wind power, I intercepted her attack, deflecting her sword precisely. Then, without hesitation, I plunged my dagger into her chest as she would have done to me if she had the opportunity.

Gloria's eyes widened, and she staggered backwards. "W-what did you just do, you... bitch!" she cried out, disbelief and pain mingling in her voice.

"I just killed you, bitch," I retorted, pushing the dagger deeper into her chest. "Since you refused to release the darkness that consumed you, joining your son in hell will be a fitting end!"

Gloria collapsed to the ground with a resounding thud. Her words, barely a whisper, reached my ears. "Likewise for your mate."

I turned towards her, a mixture of curiosity and dread washing over me. A faint smile adorned her face, frozen in eternal stillness. My attention quickly shifted to Slade as another voice echoed through the air.

"I can finally die in peace." It was Slade.

"Never!" I shouted, my heart pounding in my chest. "Don't even think about giving up!" Fear and desperation fueled my sprint towards his side.

I clasped Slade's hands tightly, feeling their slight coldness. Furrowing my brow, concern etched across my face, I muttered, "Come on, we need to get you treated. I've already defeated Gloria." But all I received in response was a weak nod accompanied by a pained smile.

"Jude, help him up. I don't think he can walk," I called out as Jude approached us. He had fought bravely, vanquishing a significant portion of the enemy forces, leaving only a few still standing. Perhaps the ones standing had surrendered and begged for their lives.

"No need," Slade grunted, his voice strained. "I won't make it."

"Don't say that!" I shouted. "The packhouse is just a few minutes from here, and..."

Slade gasped, clutching his side, his face contorted in pain.

"It's only a short distance, and Jude is one of the swiftest runners in the pack. You can survive this," I pleaded, though doubt lingered in my words. I was trying to convince myself as much as I was trying to reassure him, for he was slipping away from me slowly but surely.

"Please, Jude, run as fast as you can!" I urged as he lifted Slade onto his back, supporting him with care and haste.

"Yes, my lady," Jude responded.

As we made our way through the forest, a sudden and intense pain coursed through my body. While I had experienced intermittent discomfort before, this time, it was more severe, bringing me to an abrupt halt.

Jude sensed my distress and halted, his eyes brimming with worry. Carefully, he laid Slade on the ground, his breathing laboured and uneasy.

"Why did you stop? We need to get him to the infirmary!" Panic laced my voice as I exclaimed.

"I sense something wrong with his breathing," Jude murmured, his voice cracking with emotion.

Narrowing my eyes, I watched as Jude clasped Slade's hand and placed his head on Slade's chest.

"No..." Jude whispered, his voice trembling. "No, I can't feel his pulse!"

"What?" I gasped, gently pushing Jude aside. I pressed my ear against Slade's chest, desperately seeking any sign of life.

"Slade," I whispered, shaking him tenderly. "This can't be some sick joke, right?"

Turning to Jude, tears streamed down his face, mirroring the anguish in my heart.

"No!" I mumbled, my mind racing as I searched for answers.

"The prophecy," I whispered, recalling the words the seer spoke during the coronation. Though her predictions were not always accurate, a sense of foreboding gripped me, as if this prophecy was already unfolding.

"The prophecy stated, 'Your true form shall only come after your first test. The enemies shall rise against you in the world's four corners, and death shall give birth to a greater evil. You shall run wild, and only the kiss of the purest wolf shall restore you.'"

Though the events appeared out of sequence, they were undeniably unfolding. Tears blurred my vision, cascading down my face as I succumbed to grief. Cupping Slade's face in my hands, I pressed my lips to his, desperately seeking any flicker of life.

But his lips were cold and motionless. Cold as death.

My hands trembled, and my body shook as I stared into his lifeless, unblinking eyes and the frozen smile on his once-handsome face.

"He's gone!" Jude cried out, anguish saturating his voice. "The Alpha is dead!"

"Don't say that!" I admonished him, refusing to accept the brutal reality. "He's not dead. The goddess has a plan. She would never take away my mate. We were fated!"

My gaze shifted upward toward the heavens, where the night sky seemed to radiate with an intense glow. The stars shimmered brighter than ever, and the moon cast a luminous aura upon the scene below.

"Is the goddess mocking me?" I pondered silently. "Is this some twisted test?"

"He's gone," Jude reiterated, trying to pry my arms away from Slade's lifeless body.

"I refuse to accept that!" I cried out, clutching Slade's motionless form tightly, rocking back and forth, lost in a world of despair and incoherent murmurs.

Was he truly dead? Why wouldn't he respond? Questions swirled within my mind, but answers eluded me.

A wail of anguish erupted from my lips, the sheer force of my emotions causing the air around me to crackle with energy. Power surged within me, untamed and uncontrollable.

All I desired was to unleash the storm of rage and sorrow consuming me. With a surge of my Wind power, the forest around me transformed into a chaotic tempest.

Consequences and those caught in the vortex were of no concern. They had taken away the person dearest to me, and they would all pay for their actions.

The gods, the goddesses, the covens—anyone involved!

_________

Despair.

That word barely scratched the surface of the agony consuming me, yet it felt inadequate to explain the pain.

"My lady," Jude croaked.

I shook my head, eyes drifting toward the pyre where Slade's coffin lay.

"It will be all right," Jude reassured me, and my gaze flickered to his.

His bloodshot eyes reflected the grief etched on the faces of everyone present. Since the devastating events of last night, the pack had been plunged into profound sorrow. Not only did we mourn the loss of Slade, but also Damien and Gloria.

Although once part of our pack, Damien and Gloria succumbed to the darkness and turned against us. I couldn't ignore the fact that they had been our comrades before evil consumed them. Likewise, I didn't regret their demise.

"I believe he's in a better place," Jude said, trying to offer solace.

"What if he isn't?" I questioned, my voice filled with uncertainty. "Who knows where the goddess has taken him? She's the one responsible for all of this, remember?"

"Barely," the seer replied, approaching us. Her presence in her usual form-old and wrinkled- was not unusual, but this time it felt different as if she deliberately chose to reveal herself.

The wind stirred as she moved closer, her gaze shifting skyward. A fleeting smile crossed her face before she looked back at me.

"What do you mean by 'barely'?" I whispered.

"The alpha's death was necessary for fulfilling the prophecy," she revealed.

Sudden anger surged within me, and I clenched my fists, gritting my teeth. "How does killing my mate make the prophecy better?!" I spat, the words dripping with frustration. In reality, his death only worsened the situation. The true enemies were still out there, and without an alpha to lead us, our pack was vulnerable to attack. Also, it could be our doom as we'd be without direction.

"That is why you are the Luna," the seer declared. "You will lead the pack."

With those words, she walked away, leaving me seething with confusion and anger. "It makes no fucking sense!" I muttered under my breath.

Jude gripped my shoulder, a calming presence amidst the chaos within me. "I'll always be at your service. I'll always be loyal to you," he assured me.

Exhaling heavily, I nodded, acknowledging Jude's unwavering loyalty. My frustration, however, lingered. Why had the goddess taken my mate? The seer appeared remorseless, and it seemed she had known all along that this would happen on the night of the hunt. Yet, she had allowed us to go hunting without taking necessary precautions.

"Let's begin," The seer's voice echoed around the gathering.

The funeral was unlike any I had witnessed before. Instead of the customary body burning, the seer performed a unique ritual, blessing Slade's lifeless form and bidding him a safe journey—a departure from our usual traditions.

My gaze narrowed as I watched the seer apply mysterious ointments to the pyre, her eyes glancing upward with a fleeting smile. Then, she turned to me, motioning for me to come closer with a nod of her head. Reluctantly, I approached her, my steps hesitant.

Suddenly, she clasped my hand tightly, her grip firm, and whispered urgently, "You must seek out the rogue king. He holds the answers you've been searching for!"

"W-what?" I stammered, taken aback as she released my hand.

The seer nodded, refusing to elaborate further, before turning away from me. Confusion and curiosity consumed my thoughts. What did she mean by finding the rogue king? And what connection did it have to my own quest for answers?

Even as the ceremony ended, her words echoed in my mind. The rogue king... How did he fit into my story?