Chapter 11: The Lure of the Echo (part 1)

​The air in the Silver Moon territory had turned thick and cloying, smelling of stagnant water and old copper. It had been three days since Caleb’s apparition at the border, and the "Great Devourer" was already living up to his name. He wasn’t attacking with teeth and claws; he was eating us from the inside out.

​I stood in the palace apothecary, my eyes burning from lack of sleep. On the table before me lay a cluster of black-veined lilies and a vial of water taken from the royal well. Both were corrupted. The water didn't just look oily; it pulsed. Every few seconds, a tiny, dark ripple would move through the liquid, like a heartbeat made of ink.

​"It’s not a bacteria, Marcus," I said, rubbing my temples.

​The Beta stood by the door, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. He looked thinner, the stress of the invisible siege carving deep lines into his face. "If it's not a poison, then what is it? Half the livestock in the southern valley died overnight. The warriors who drank from the creek are seizing. They’re... they’re clawing at their own throats, Elena. They say they can hear someone calling them from the dirt."

​"It’s a resonance," I explained, gesturing to the pulsing vial. "Caleb—or whatever is wearing Caleb’s skin—is emitting a frequency. It’s necromantic. It’s vibrating the very molecules of the land to match the Wastes. He’s turning the Silver Moon into a graveyard before he even sets foot back in the palace."

​"Can you stop it?"

​"I can create a damper," I said, reaching for a jar of crushed Sun-Salt. "A spiritual filter for the wells. But it’s a temporary fix. As long as he’s alive—or active—the source will keep pumping this rot into the earth."

​The door swung open, and Liam strode in. He was dressed in reinforced leather, a heavy traveling cloak over his shoulders. His scent was sharp, agitated.

​"The scouting party is ready," Liam said, his gaze meeting mine. "We’ve tracked the source of the resonance to the 'Shifting Sands' just inside the Neutral Zone. If he’s hiding in the old iron mines, I can collapse the tunnels and cut the signal."

​I walked over to him, checking the seals on his armor. "It’s a trap, Liam. You know that, right? He’s baiting the Alpha out of the den."

​"I know," Liam whispered, catching my hand and pressing a brief, hard kiss to my knuckles. The Moonstone on my finger flared a warning violet against his skin. "But I can’t sit here and watch my pack wither. Stay here. Keep the filters running. Guard the children."

​"Always," I promised.

​I watched him go, a hollow feeling growing in my gut. My wolf was pacing, her hackles raised. She didn't like the separation. She didn't like the way the shadows in the corner of the room seemed to be stretching toward the hallway that led to the nursery.

​The Silent Nursery

​Two hours after Liam’s departure, the palace felt unnaturally still.

​I had finished the first batch of Sun-Salt solution and handed it off to the Omegas to distribute to the wells. My feet felt like lead as I climbed the stairs to the royal wing. All I wanted was to hold my children, to feel the warmth of their living, breathing bodies against the cold dread of the day.

​I passed the guards at the nursery door. They were two of Marcus’s best, their eyes sharp and alert. They bowed as I approached.

​"Any movement?" I asked.

​"None, Luna. The Prince and Princess have been quiet for the last hour. We heard the Prince playing with his wooden soldiers earlier, but it’s been silent since."

​I nodded and pushed open the heavy oak door. "Aries? Lyra? It’s Mommy."

​The room was dark, the curtains drawn against the sickly amber sunlight. Lyra was curled up in the window seat, her head resting against the glass. She looked exhausted, her small face pale.

​"Where's your brother, Lyra?"

​She didn't move. She didn't even blink. "He went to help Daddy."

​My blood turned to ice. "Daddy is gone, Lyra. He’s with the scouting party."

​"No," Lyra whispered, her voice sounding far away. "Daddy came back. He called Aries from the balcony. He said he found a secret path and needed a 'brave little Alpha' to show the way. Aries went with him."

​I whirled around, looking at the balcony doors. They were unlocked, swaying slightly in the fetid breeze.

​"Aries!" I ran to the railing, looking down at the sheer drop of the palace walls. There was no one there. No footprints in the garden below, only the blackened grass.

​I turned back to the guards, my voice a whip-crack of panic. "Who left through this door? Who did you let pass?"

​The guards rushed in, their faces masks of confusion. "No one, Luna! We haven't moved from our post. No one entered, and no one came out."

​"My son is gone!" I screamed.

​I looked at Lyra. She was finally looking at me, but her eyes were filled with tears. "It sounded just like him, Mommy. It smelled like pine and snow. But when Aries took his hand... the shadow didn't have any feet."

​The Echo in the Woods

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