Chapter 45: Where Secrets Burn

The clearing was no longer peaceful. As Serena and Elias emerged from the forest, the tension that had simmered between them gave way to something colder, more urgent. Kayden stood in the center of the camp, his expression tight, his arms crossed over his chest. Behind him, Soren and Mira were locked in a quiet, intense conversation, while two young scouts lingered with anxious eyes.

“What happened?” Elias demanded, his Alpha tone cutting through the chatter.

Kayden didn’t bother with pleasantries. “Scouts saw movement near the eastern ridge. We found tracks—large ones. More than just wolves. They were... organized.”

Elias’s eyes darkened. “Rogues?”

“Not just rogues,” Mira said, stepping forward. Her hair was wind-blown, and there was a blood smear on her arm that looked recent. “There were symbols burned into the trees. Runes.”

Serena stiffened. “What kind of runes?”

Mira’s eyes met hers. “Old ones. Forbidden magic. The kind only a few even remember how to read.”

Serena’s heart dropped.

Elias swore under his breath. “They’re getting bolder.”

“They’re getting desperate,” Kayden added. “The question is: for what?”

Serena rubbed her temples, the heat from her encounter with Elias replaced now by a cold dread. She couldn’t forget what Luka had said before he vanished: “There are secrets about you they will kill for.”

Secrets. Power. Magic that had been buried for centuries. And she was at the center of it.

“I need to see those symbols,” she said, her voice steady despite the fear curling in her gut.

“I figured you’d say that,” Mira said, tossing her a small leather pouch. Serena caught it and opened it to find parchment with charcoal rubbings of the runes.

She unrolled them and crouched near the fire, letting the flickering light dance across the ancient marks. Her breath hitched. “This one... this is a binding sigil.”

Elias crouched beside her. “Binding?”

She nodded. “It’s old magic used to anchor something. Or someone.”

“Like a spell?” Kayden asked.

“More than that,” Serena whispered. “This is blood-bound magic. It requires sacrifice.”

Elias’s jaw clenched. “They’re preparing a ritual.”

“But for what?” Mira asked, pacing. “What could they need from our territory?”

Serena didn’t answer right away. She was staring at the last symbol on the page—a spiral within a triangle. Her pulse skipped.

“What is it?” Elias asked, gently brushing her arm.

She looked up at him. “That symbol... it’s the mark of the Blood Pact. An ancient agreement between the Shadow Wolves and the Priesthood of the Hollow Moon.”

Kayden went pale. “Those are myths.”

“No,” Serena said. “They’re not.”

Her hands trembled slightly as she held up the parchment. “This... this isn’t just a threat. It’s a message. They’re activating the pact again—and to do that, they need a descendant of the original line.”

Mira’s eyes narrowed. “You?”

Serena didn’t speak.

Elias stood, his voice a growl. “No. They’re not touching her.”

Serena rose to her feet slowly, her voice calm but resolute. “If I’m the key, then I need to find out why. Hiding won’t solve anything.”

“You’re not going anywhere near them,” Elias said, stepping in front of her.

“I don’t think I have a choice anymore,” she said, eyes blazing. “This isn’t just about me. It’s about the packs, about the lands, about magic that should’ve stayed buried.”

Elias looked torn, but Kayden stepped in. “If they’re doing a blood ritual, then we have time. It takes days to prepare a site strong enough for the binding. We can intercept them.”

“We’ll need a team,” Elias said. “And a tracker.”

Soren stepped forward. “I’ll go.”

Serena raised a brow. “You?”

Soren smirked. “I’m not just a glorified guard. I’ve been hunting rogue mages longer than you’ve been breathing, princess.”

Elias growled at the nickname, but Serena held up a hand. “Fine. You’re in. But we move fast.”

As the camp burst into action, Serena slipped away toward the ridge. She needed a moment to think. To breathe. The air was crisp, laced with pine and distant storm winds. Her fingers traced the spiral rune from memory, the lines etched deep in her thoughts.

“You okay?”

Elias’s voice, low and familiar, sent a shiver down her spine.

“I don’t know,” she admitted, staring into the trees. “Every time I think I understand who I am, something else comes to the surface.”

He moved beside her, not touching her, but close enough that she could feel his heat. “You’re strong. You’re stubborn. And you’re mine.”

She turned to him slowly, their eyes meeting in the half-light. “You keep saying that.”

“Because it’s true.”

He took her hand, fingers interlocking. “No matter what happens tomorrow, I want you to know this—my loyalty isn’t to your bloodline, your power, or the legacy you carry. It’s to you. Just you.”

Serena’s throat tightened, but she nodded. “And I’m not going to run anymore. Whatever they want, they’re going to have to face both of us.”

Elias leaned in, brushing his lips against her temple. “They won’t know what hit them.”

As the wind howled through the trees and the camp below prepared for war, Serena and Elias stood together—unbreakable.

Tomorrow, blood would be spilled.

But tonight, they had each other.