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 led toward the eastern forest.

I had been here several times with Selene when we were younger.

Back then, the village had always seemed peaceful.

Today, it felt different.

The streets were unusually quiet.

A few villagers stood outside their homes, watching us as we passed. Most of them lowered their heads when they noticed Kael.

Selene rode beside him, looking every bit like the future Luna she was expected to become.

I followed a short distance behind them.

There were six guards with us, all experienced warriors.

Kael had insisted on bringing them after the council meeting.

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

“Alpha.”

He bowed.

Kael dismounted.

“You’re the village head?”

“Yes, Alpha. Marcus.”

Kael nodded.

“Tell me what happened.”

Marcus glanced around 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.”

“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.”

“Anyone else knows 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.

We followed him.

The building was old but sturdy. The lock was still intact.

Kael inspected the door while I looked around the ground.

There were several footprints near the entrance.

Some belonged to the villagers.

Others didn’t.

I crouched down.

“These.”

Kael turned.

“What did you find?”

I pointed at a set of footprints partly hidden beneath the grass.

“They’re different from the others.”

One of the guards stepped closer.

“Could be from the villagers.”

“No.”

I looked at the pattern.

“The sole is too narrow.”

Kael crouched beside me.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

He examined the print carefully.

“You’re right.”

The guard looked surprised.

Kael stood.

“Follow the trail.”

Two guards moved immediately.

Selene walked toward me.

“You noticed that quickly.”

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

She smiled.

“I know.”

For a moment, everything felt normal between us.

Then a young girl came running from one of the houses.

“Marcus!”

The village head turned.

“What is it?”

“The healer needs you.”

Marcus’s face changed.

“Why?”

“There’s another sick child.”

Kael immediately looked at Selene.

“We’ll go.”

We followed the girl to the healer’s house.

Inside, a woman was kneeling beside a young boy.

He looked no older than six.

His face was pale, and his breathing was weak.

The healer stood beside him, visibly worried.

“What’s wrong?” Kael asked.

“He has a fever.”

“How long?”

“Since last night.”

She opened a small cabinet.

There were only a few bottles inside.

“We’re running out of medicine.”

My stomach tightened.

“The missing medicine.”

She nodded.

“Most of it was for children.”

Selene covered her mouth.

“Why didn’t you tell the council?”

“I sent a message yesterday.”

Kael looked at one of the guards.

“Did we receive it?”

The guard shook his head.

“No, Alpha.”

Kael’s jaw tightened.

“Find out why.”

I looked at the healer.

“Which medicine do you need?”

She named three herbs.

I recognized two of them.

“The eastern forest has the first one.”

The healer looked at me.

“But it’s dangerous to go there.”

“Why?”

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

Kael’s attention immediately shifted to her.

“You didn’t mention that.”

The healer swallowed.

“Nobody wanted to cause panic.”

Kael’s expression hardened.

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

She nodded quickly.

Outside, one of the guards returned.

“Alpha.”

Kael stepped toward him.

“We found the trail.”

“Where does it lead?”

The guard looked toward the forest.

“East.”

Kael’s eyes narrowed.

“How far?”

“About two miles.”

My heart sank.

The same direction as the missing medicine.

Kael turned to the other guards.

“We’re going.”

Selene stepped forward.

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

“No.”

His answer was immediate.

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

Selene looked uneasy.

I understood why.

She had spent her whole life learning how to become Luna.

But this was different from council meetings and formal dinners.

This was a real threat.

Kael looked at me.

“Liana, stay with Selene.”

I nodded.

But as the guards prepared to leave, I noticed something on the ground near the healer’s house.

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

I picked it up.

There was an embroidered symbol on it.

A crescent moon surrounded by three small marks.

I had never seen it before.

“Kael.”

He turned.

I held it out.

His face changed the moment he saw it.

“What is that?”

“I don’t know.”

He took it from me.

For several seconds, he said nothing.

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?”

The guard looked 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 have 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 there was something else bothering me.

I looked at 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 a few 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 from somewhere beyond the trees.

Then another.

And another.

Not wolves.

Werewolves.

Kael drew his weapon.

“Stay behind me.”

The first figure stepped out of the trees.

Then another appeared behind him.

And another.

They weren’t alone.

There were at least ten of them.

And every one of them wore the same crescent symbol.

Kael stepped forward.

“Who are you?”

The man in front smiled.

“We’ve been waiting for you, Alpha.”

His eyes moved past Kael.

Straight toward me.

My blood ran cold.

Then he said the words that made my entire body freeze.

“We finally found her.”