Chapter 26
Viona POV
One Month Later
After several other incidents of massacre happening both near and far, the Pack members finally made a decision to hold the council meeting that has been postponed due to one death or the other.
The summons came with the rising moon, marked in blood-red ink and bound in leather stitched with silver thread. I watched as my father cracked the seal. His eyes scanned the parchment, and then he exhaled, long and grim.
"The Royals have also called for the main Council," he said at last. "Tonight." I stood from the window seat. "It took them long enough."
He nodded. "I think the letter must have rattled them too. Or... perhaps this isn't the first warning they've received."
I was so excited for the meeting. It is to be held in the Great Hollow, a place sealed by the moon goddess herself; only her messenger, the seer, has the key, and the place has been locked for decades since the last war centuries ago.
I'm so excited to go; I have never been to the Great Hollow. I have always wanted to go. Even after becoming the Luna of the Royals, I still wasn't allowed to go; instead, Flora always went in my place.
It was an insult, but who cares? If my Mate did not care, who else was left to speak up? Flora had always been the darling of the Royal faction, maybe not yet, but she is getting there.
Alpha Jones has always loved the daughter-in-law that listened to his every command and had a son who did the same, but I was a different case. I always tried to impress him by doing more and getting better results. My mentality was wrong; he threw me away the moment Nicolas was hospitalized, and I lost my influence.
I'm different now. I'm not the Luna of the Royals pack; I'm the princess of the Levites pack. My dad is alive, my uncle is not alpha, I have a biological younger brother and sister. I'm not Viona Smiths but Viona Nobel, the proud eldest daughter of Alpha Jason Nobel.
"You're not coming, Viona..."
"What...!" I heard the glass chattering, snapping me out of my inner self-motivational speech.
"But daddy..."
"No... Viona, you're getting more and more disobedient; you don't listen to me like you always did."
"It's not that... I want to come."
"Why can't you bring me?"
"It's dangerous."
"But dad, I'm already prepared to come."
"Then go change; it's late. You should be in bed."
"Daddy... please." I'm on the verge of tears; why is he being especially difficult today? Just when all hope was lost.
"Let her go with you." It was my Mom; she must have been standing at the door watching us for who knows how long.
"But..."
"She can go in my stead; I think she's mature enough," she said, cutting my dad off.
"It's too dangerous... she'll get hurt."
"You'll protect her; I know you would."
"I have to stay with the kids; I can't come with you... Okay?"
Slowly but surely, well... they kissed.
Yes, in front of me, it's weirdly cute; at least my dad's gonna take me.
Few Hours Later
We stood before the Great Hollow.
The Great Hollow was carved into the bones of the Earth itself—deep beneath the Mountains of Olde, where the echoes of the First Howl still lingered. It took them three hours on horseback and one more through the winding tunnels guarded by ancient sentries.
I walked beside my father, my boots echoing on stone. Every step toward the chamber carried weight. This was where wars were declared, where packs were banished, where alliances were forged in blood and oath.
And tonight, where answers—or more questions—waited.
The chamber yawned open before us like the maw of a great beast. Dozens had already gathered. Long cloaks. Moon-etched armor. Symbols of pack legacies stitched into leathers and silks. The Alphas and Elders of the two major Packs, and their seconds. The air was thick with tension and a charge of power that made the hairs on my arms rise.
At the center of it all stood Alpha Jones of the Royals Pack—tall, broad-shouldered, with silver dreadlocks tied behind his back and eyes as sharp as a hawk's. He stood on the raised obsidian dais reserved for the Summoner. I could see Nicolas sitting by his side, though it felt like he was avoiding my gaze. Mirage also sat at the opposite side, not even interested in our arrival.
The murmurs died as he lifted his hand.
"We are gathered," he said, voice thundering, ringing through the hollow. "Not by tradition. Not by ceremony. But by necessity. The hills run red. Our kin lie in ash. And still we wait, pretending this darkness will pass if we close our eyes long enough."
'We or you?'
He looked around. "I say no more. No more waiting. No more whispers. We face a threat not seen since the Riven War. Someone—something—hunts us."
A low growl rumbled through the room.
Alpha Varya of the Windclaw Pack stood. "The Hills were only the latest. Three dens in the southern wilds went dark last month. We thought it was feral strife. But now..."
Alpha Collins stepped forward. "I visited the massacre site myself. There were no survivors. The remains were... grotesque. Nothing natural did this. No rogue, no beast. This was orchestrated."
My dad nodded. "And to prove the orchestration—" He held up a black envelope, identical to the one I had seen and read. "—we received this."
Gasps and snarls broke out. More than one Alpha leaned forward. "You were warned too?" asked Elder Garrek of the Stonehide Pack.
My dad passed the letter to a Council scribe, who unrolled it before all. The words were nearly identical:
To the House of Levites
You send your hounds to dig through ashes. But it is not the dead you should fear.
We have risen. We remember.
And soon, so will the world.
Let the Hills be your warning. The next will burn brighter.
Sleep well, Jason. You won't sleep long.
"I also received one." Alpha Dante from the Royal faction also handed his letter to the scribe, who unrolled it before all.
You gather in circles like wolves once did.
But we are not what we were.
We have evolved. You? Still clinging to ashes. Keep gathering. Keep howling.
It won't stop what comes.
We are the Shadow Beneath the Fur.
We will erase your name from the wind.
My blood chilled.
"That's not a threat," murmured Alpha Caelin of the Northern Frosts Pack. "That's a declaration of war."
"But who are they?" demanded a younger Alpha, his fists clenched. "Shadow Beneath the Fur? What kind of name is that?"
"A faction?" offered another. "Some exiled blood cult? A branch of witches?"
I stepped forward. I wasn't an Alpha, but my dad gave a subtle nod. I was the Levites princess. I had the right to speak.
"They're not just killing to destroy," I said, steady despite the weight of so many gazes. I gained confidence as I spoke. "They're killing to provoke. To send a message. That means they want us to be afraid and divided."
My dad nodded. "Exactly. And they succeeded. Half the packs still think these are rogue attacks. The others think it's sorcery. But I say again—this is warfare. Methodical. Clean. And mocking."
Elder Garrek grunted. "Then let us strike first. Form a combined war party. Hunt them down."
"And if they're watching us?" Varya countered. "They waited for Alpha Jason to reach the massacre site before delivering the message. They knew."
"Then someone inside the Council may be feeding them information," Mirage said quietly.
The silence that followed was thick and uneasy. Betrayal was a heavy word in the Hollow. It echoed too loudly.
My dad raised a hand once more. "Enough. We won't devour each other out of fear. That's what they want. We will act—but we will act together."
He turned to the scribe. "Record the declaration: a temporary Alliance of the Two. We form a joint patrol. One warrior from each pack. They will scout, track, and report directly to this Council."
"And if they find the enemy?" I asked.
My dad looked me dead in the eyes. "Then we rip out the Shadow by its roots."
The Council roared in approval, wolves lifting their voices in unison—a chilling, powerful sound that shook the cavern walls. Yet even in that unity, I felt something hollow behind it. The enemy had already struck first. Already taunted us. And we still didn't know who they were.
'If only I had a clue from my past.'
I looked at the burning seal of the black envelope and thought of the final word that had scorched itself onto my stone floor: "Soon."
Soon could be tomorrow.
Or it could already be here.
Author's Note:
"Temporary Alliance of the Two"
There are two major packs, a.k.a. the two factions:
- The Royals, mostly decision-making, once the overall ruling pack.
- The Levites, mostly protection, were in charge of military affairs in the werewolves clan, once under the Royals but with time became another faction.
Each faction has multiple packs under them. Before starting a pack, each alpha must seek approval from the faction leader he wants to be under. Please don’t be confused when I use packs and factions simultaneously.
Please Log In or Sign Up to continue reading.
Unlock all Chapters with 3$
Proceed to payment to unlock all chapters and continue reading.