Took me a while to put together this chapter. Please vote gems. Drop your reviews on the chapters so far! I'm waiting to read 🤭You can also share/recommend the story to your friends and families to read 💜 Thank you 🥰
By the way, should I drop a free chapter?Took me a while to put together this chapter. Please vote gems. Drop your reviews on the chapters so far! I'm waiting to read 🤭You can also share/recommend the story to your friends and families to read 💜 Thank you 🥰By the way, should I drop a free chapter?
~The Crimson Shade Pack~They were called the Crimson Shade Pack. A small, secretive pack that most dismissed as little more than a myth. Every member wore a long, deep-red cloak, the hood pulled low to shadow their faces. They moved quietly like ghosts slipping between worlds.Their territory sprawled across Hollowpine Marsh, a bleak, fog-choked stretch of land where twisted cypress trees clawed at the sky and pools of black water glistened like oil.The air was damp and heavy with the scent of decaying wood and something metallic; an unmistakable signature of Crimson Shade.To outsiders, the smell was enough to make them gag; to the pack, it was a source of pride.Their lair was hidden in the marsh’s heart, a crumbling fortress of dark stone that looked half-swallowed by the bog. Wooden walkways and rope bridges connected leaning towers and sunken halls, swaying above waters that swallowed the careless whole.Inside, green torches burned fitfully along the walls, their sickly light
~Eleanor~“When did Jenna begin wielding dark magic?” I asked.Nadia blinked, startled. “I… I don’t know,” she admitted, shaking her head. “I’ve never seen her use it. Not once. And I’ve never even smelled it on her.”I frowned. “Smelled?”She fluttered her eyes before quickly nodding. “Dark magic has a scent, Miss Luna. It clings to skin and breath like ash soaked in rusted iron. It’s not something anyone can easily wash off. Those who use it carry it… unless they are top-level users. Minister Jenna could never achieve that level given her age.”“And you’ve never smelled it on Jenna?” I asked slowly.“Never.” Nadia’s voice trembled. “And I would’ve noticed. I trained with her. Ate with her. Fought beside her. There was never a trace.”A cold silence followed. Confusion settled in my chest like a weight I couldn’t shake. None of it made sense. If Jenna had truly attacked Nathaniel using forbidden magic, there should’ve been signs… more than just a pendant.I frowned harder, stepping a
~Eleanor~I clutched the pendant tighter, watching Nadia with the sharpness of someone who had already lost too much. My voice was like steel scraping against stone.“Where did you get that necklace?”Her brows furrowed in confusion. “This?” she said, fingers brushing her own chain. “Why?”I held up the one the intruder dropped.The moment her eyes landed on it, her breath hitched. She didn’t hide it.“I… I don’t understand,” she murmured. Her fingers unconsciously clutched her necklace tighter. “It looks just like mine. Save for some slight differences.”A part of me wanted to believe her — but the timing, the design, the way she hadn’t been there when Nathaniel was nearly killed...“Miss Luna,” she said softly, eyes locking with mine, “I swear on the stars, on the moon, and on my loyalty to Alpha Nathaniel, I don’t know anything about this. That pendant—it’s been in my family for years. Passed down from my great-grandmother.”“Then explain this.” I tossed the other one onto the tabl
~Eleanor~ I opened the door with just a crack and peeked out. Two guards were pinned against the corridor walls, groaning, seeming to be in intense pain. The figure darted past them, cloaked in black, moving like a shadow. I barely registered the motion before it got in front of me. I tried to slam the door shut but I was too slow. A flash of dark energy surged forward. Boom! The blast of black magic struck me square in the chest. I flew back like a ragdoll, crashing against the far wall. Pain erupted through my body. I hit the floor hard, coughing violently as blood spilled from my lips. My ribs screamed, and it felt like my organs were collapsing in on themselves. ARGH! Damn! I tried to rise but failed. My limbs shook. My vision had gone mia. The cloaked figure silently stepped inside, swiftly, with her face hidden beneath the folds of black fabric. I could tell from the small form of her cloak that a female was behind it. The aura around was suffocating and cold; soaked in fo
~Eleanor~I buried my face in my hands, mortified beyond belief. My cheeks were flaming, and my heart was racing like a rabbit under a hawk’s shadow.Nadia gently strode inside and set a silver tray on the nightstand. Her movements were composed, as though nothing was amiss. I didn't feel any better. It’d be better if she at least teased me but said nothing… oh Goddess."Drink this, Miss Luna," she said softly, handing me a steaming bowl of herbal medicine. "It will help with the aftershocks."I slowly looked up. "Is it morning?"Her lips curved faintly. "It's the second morning since the ritual. You've been in and out. Mostly out."That startled me. "It’s been two days?"She nodded, glancing briefly at the man beside me. I followed her gaze. Alpha Nathaniel, still lying beside me bare-chested, was completely motionless, save for his chest, which was steadily heaving up and down."Has he been asleep since then too?" I asked, feeling a bit shocked. Isn't he the all-powerful Alpha? How