The Village At The Border

By noon, we were already approaching the first village.

It was one of the smaller settlements on Mooncrest’s northern border, surrounded by thick trees and narrow paths that eventually led toward the eastern forest. I had visited the village several times with Selene when we were younger, and back then, it had always seemed peaceful.

Today, something felt different.

The streets were unusually quiet, and the few villagers standing outside their homes watched us carefully as we passed. Most of them lowered their heads when they noticed Kael, showing the respect expected for their Alpha.

Selene rode beside him, looking every bit like the future Luna she had spent her life preparing to become. I followed a short distance behind them, accompanied by six experienced guards whom Kael had insisted on bringing after the council meeting.

As we entered the center of the village, an elderly man hurried toward us.

“Alpha.”

He bowed respectfully.

Kael dismounted and looked at him.

“You’re the village head?”

“Yes, Alpha. Marcus.”

Kael nodded.

“Tell me what happened.”

Marcus glanced around the village before answering.

“Three nights ago, we discovered that several boxes of medicine were missing from the storage house.”

“How many?”

“Seven.”

Kael’s expression hardened.

“Seven boxes?”

“Yes.”

“Was there any sign of forced entry?”

Marcus shook his head.

“That’s the strange part. The door wasn’t damaged.”

I frowned.

“Who has the key?”

Marcus looked at me.

“Only me and the healer.”

“Does anyone else know where the key is kept?”

He hesitated.

“The guards.”

I looked toward the small building behind him.

“Can we see the storage house?”

Marcus nodded and led us there.

The building was old but sturdy, and the lock on the door was still intact. While Kael examined it carefully, I looked down at the ground surrounding the entrance.

Several footprints were scattered through the grass. Some clearly belonged to villagers, but others looked different.

I crouched down.

“These.”

Kael turned toward me.

“What did you find?”

I pointed toward a set of footprints that were partly hidden beneath the grass.

“They’re different from the others.”

One of the guards stepped closer.

“They could belong to one of the villagers.”

I shook my head as I studied the pattern.

“No. The sole is too narrow.”

Kael crouched beside me and examined the print himself. For a moment, neither of us spoke.

Then he nodded.

“You’re right.”

The guard looked surprised.

Kael stood and turned toward two of the warriors.

“Follow the trail.”

They immediately moved away.

Selene came to stand beside me.

“You noticed that quickly.”

“I’ve always been good at noticing things.”

She smiled.

“I know.”

For a brief moment, everything felt normal between us again. Then a young girl came running from one of the nearby houses.

“Marcus!”

The village head turned.

“What is it?”

“The healer needs you.”

His expression changed immediately.

“Why?”

“There’s another sick child.”

Kael exchanged a glance with Selene.

“We’ll go.”

We followed the girl to the healer’s house, where a woman was kneeling beside a young boy who looked no older than six. His face was pale, and his breathing was weak. The healer stood beside him with a worried expression.

“What happened?” Kael asked.

“He has a fever.”

“How long?”

“Since last night.”

She hurried to a small cabinet and opened it. There were only a few bottles remaining inside.

“We’re running out of medicine.”

My stomach tightened.

“The missing medicine.”

She nodded.

“Most of it was meant for children.”

Selene covered her mouth, and the concern that crossed her face was impossible to miss.

“Why didn’t you tell the council?”

“I sent a message yesterday.”

Kael immediately looked toward one of the guards.

“Did we receive it?”

The guard shook his head.

“No, Alpha.”

Kael’s jaw tightened.

“Find out why.”

I turned toward the healer.

“Which medicine do you need?”

She named three herbs, and I immediately recognized two of them.

“The eastern forest has the first one.”

The healer looked at me with concern.

“But it’s dangerous to go there.”

“Why?”

“Something has been disturbing the animals. Hunters stopped going there weeks ago.”

Kael’s attention shifted toward her.

“You didn’t mention that.”

The healer swallowed nervously.

“Nobody wanted to cause panic.”

His expression hardened.

“From now on, anything unusual is reported directly to me.”

She nodded quickly.

Before anyone could say more, one of the guards returned.

“Alpha.”

Kael stepped toward him.

“We found the trail.”

“Where does it lead?”

The guard glanced toward the forest.

“East.”

Kael’s eyes narrowed.

“How far?”

“About two miles.”

My heart sank.

It was the same direction as the missing medicine.

Kael turned toward the other guards.

“We’re going.”

Selene stepped forward.

“Kael, shouldn’t we return to the pack first?”

“No.”

His answer came immediately.

“If someone is moving through our territory, I need to know who.”

Selene looked uneasy, and I understood why. She had spent her entire life learning how to become Luna, preparing for council meetings, ceremonies, and the responsibilities that came with leading a pack.

But this was different.

This was a real threat, and none of her preparation could make it feel less dangerous.

Kael turned toward me.

“Liana, stay with Selene.”

I nodded.

The guards began preparing to leave, but something caught my attention near the healer’s house.

A small piece of black cloth was caught on a thorn bush.

I walked over and pulled it free.

There was an embroidered symbol on it—a crescent moon surrounded by three small marks.

I had never seen anything like it before.

“Kael.”

He turned.

I held the cloth toward him.

His expression changed the moment he saw it.

“What is that?”

“I don’t know.”

He took it from me and stared at the symbol for several seconds without speaking.

Then one of the older guards stepped forward.

“Alpha…”

Kael looked at him.

The man’s face had gone pale.

“You recognize it?” Kael asked.

The guard nodded slowly.

“I’ve seen that symbol before.”

“Where?”

His eyes shifted toward the eastern forest.

“On the clothes of the men who attacked the northern border twelve years ago.”

Silence fell over the group.

I looked at Kael.

“Who were they?”

His expression was unreadable.

“We don’t know.”

The guard shook his head.

“They were never identified.”

Kael closed his hand around the piece of cloth.

“Then maybe they’ve finally come back.”

A cold feeling settled in my chest.

Someone had been stealing medicine.

Someone had been moving through our territory.

And now we had found the symbol of people who had attacked Mooncrest years ago.

But something else was bothering me.

I looked toward the forest.

The trees stood completely still.

Too still.

“Kael.”

He turned toward me.

“What?”

I pointed toward the trees.

“There.”

Everyone followed my gaze.

For several seconds, nothing happened.

Then a branch moved.

Someone was watching us.

Kael’s expression changed instantly.

“Guards!”

The warriors rushed toward the forest.

A howl sounded somewhere beyond the trees.

Then another.

And another.

My blood ran cold.

Those weren’t ordinary wolves.

They were werewolves.

Kael drew his weapon and stepped in front of us.

“Stay behind me.”

The first figure emerged from between the trees.

Then another appeared behind him.

Then another.

They weren’t alone.

At least ten of them stood among the trees, and every one of them wore the same crescent symbol.

Kael stepped forward, his voice carrying across the clearing.

“Who are you?”

The man at the front smiled.

“We’ve been waiting for you, Alpha.”

His eyes moved past Kael.

Straight toward me.

Every muscle in my body went rigid.

My heart seemed to stop as his gaze settled on mine.

Then he spoke the words that made the entire world around me disappear.

“We finally found her.”