4

I looked up. At the top of the cave, eight red eyes glinted with malice.

A Venom-Mist Spider!

What were these creatures doing here? They lived in the Death Mountains, much further north!

The spider lunged at me. I desperately tore at the net, my wolf claws ripping through the sticky silk. The poison was already taking effect; my vision was blurring.

Its massive jaws snapped at my head. I twisted sideways sharply, shifting back to human form and drawing the silver knife Rhys had given me.

Silver flashed as the blade plunged into the spider's belly.

The spider shrieked, its limbs twitching frantically. I shifted back to wolf form and lunged at its exposed weak spot – the soft tissue under its head.

A fatal blow. The spider fell, but the poison was spreading. My fur was matted with it in several places, the wounds burning.

Venom-Mist Spiders wouldn't just show up here.

It was… Cassidy.

That strange smell earlier, and the "herbs" she was gathering near the cave – it was a scent to lure the spiders!

Every step felt like walking on knives. The poison seeped into my blood, making me shake all over. The illusions grew stronger.

Father stood by the Silver Fern, holding out his hand to me.

"Dad…" I whimpered.

No. Not real. Focus!

I dragged my battered body towards the Silver Fern. Sharp stones tore at my paw pads, leaving bloody prints.

Finally, I bit through the stem of the Silver Fern, holding it carefully in my mouth.

The journey back was even harder. The poison made my limbs increasingly numb. I practically crawled out of the cave.

But just as I neared the cave entrance, I heard footsteps.

"Is she dead?" A familiar voice. Finn.

"Should be," came Cassidy's voice. "That dose was enough to kill a full-grown Alpha."

"If she makes it back alive…"

"Impossible," Cassidy sneered. "Even if she killed the spider, the poison would finish her."

Those two vicious rats, waiting for my corpse! I fought the sickness in my body, curled up in the shadows, perfectly still.

"Let's go," Finn said. "Get back before daylight. Tomorrow we'll announce she's missing, and the Moonstone will be ours by default."

After their footsteps faded, I struggled to my feet. I had to get back alive, to expose their plot.

All night, until dawn, I dragged myself out of the forest. My silver fur was matted with dirt, blood, and poison, now a dull gray. Raw flesh showed in several places.

The pack members stared at me in horror. Someone screamed. Someone backed away.

Rhys and Finn stood at the front of the crowd, their shock impossible to hide.

"She's back!" someone yelled.

I walked slowly towards the Elders' stone house, leaving a trail of blood with every step. The Silver Fern was still clenched tightly in my teeth.

"Rachel…" Rhys started towards me, his voice laced with fake concern. "What happened to you?"

I saw a flicker of something, almost satisfaction, in his eyes.

He knew about the trap too. He actually wanted me dead…

"You'd do this to yourself just to get the Moonstone," Finn mocked. "You're a disgrace to the Silver Moon Pack!"

I ignored them. I didn't stop until I reached the Elders' stone house, then I spat the Silver Fern onto the ground and collapsed into Elara's arms.

Her tears fell onto my battered fur.

"The Moonstone," I managed, shifting back to human, my voice hoarse. "It's mine now."

Elder Thorne stepped forward, his face grim. "You have proven your loyalty and courage, Rachel. The Moonstone will be yours."

But as I got closer, a wrongness prickled at me.

The light… it was different.

I reached out and touched the stone. It was cold, dead, without a trace of my father's energy.

This wasn't the real Moonstone.

I looked up towards the doorway, catching a flash of panic on Cassidy's face.

Rhys quickly stepped forward. "You need to rest, Rachel. Come back for the Moonstone tomorrow."

My voice was weak but firm. "This is… just a regular rock."