Three Days
Before the Full Moon
Age 22
The training
hall felt colder after Seraphina's departure, the air heavy with the lingering
scent of her anger—sharp and bitter, like burnt sage. I stood there, the crumpled
note still clenched in my fist, my wolf growling softly in my chest. The
pendant at my throat pulsed, its warmth spreading through me like a heartbeat,
steady but insistent. I wanted to throw the note into the fire, to burn away
Seraphina's words, but they'd already taken root, twisting in my mind: He'll never love you. Leave, or
I'll make you.
I shoved the
note into my pocket and grabbed my bag, my movements jerky, my body still
buzzing with adrenaline from our fight. I needed answers—about the pendant,
about my mother, about the power everyone seemed to think I had. Darius
believed in it, Kael hinted at it, even Seraphina seemed to fear it. But I
didn't understand it, and that ignorance felt like a noose tightening around my
neck.
The manor's
halls were quiet as I made my way to the healer's quarters, my boots echoing
against the stone floors. The pack was elsewhere—hunting, training, or avoiding
me—and I was grateful for the solitude. I couldn't handle their stares right
now, the whispers that followed me like shadows. I turned a corner, the air
growing warmer, tinged with the scent of herbs and candle wax, and stopped at a
heavy wooden door carved with runes that matched the ones on my pendant.
I knocked,
the sound sharp in the stillness, and a moment later, the door creaked open.
Elena Marwood stood there, her dark hair streaked with silver, her brown eyes
sharp despite the lines etched into her face. She wore a simple gray dress, a
shawl draped over her shoulders, and her hands were stained with green from
whatever she'd been mixing. She looked at me, her expression unreadable, and
stepped aside. "Come in, Liora," she said, her voice calm but heavy, like she'd
been expecting me.
The healer's
quarters were a small, cluttered space, shelves lining the walls with jars of
dried herbs, vials of strange liquids, and books that looked older than the
manor itself. A wooden table sat in the center, covered with mortar and pestle,
a few candles flickering softly, casting shadows that danced across the stone
walls. The air was thick with the scent of lavender and something
sharper—wolfsbane, maybe. I hesitated at the threshold, my wolf bristling at
the unfamiliar energy in the room, but I forced myself to step inside.
Elena closed
the door behind me, her movements slow, deliberate. "You've come about the
pendant," she said, not a question. She gestured to a chair by the table, and I
sat, my hands clenched in my lap.
"How did you
know?" I asked, my voice quieter than I meant it to be. The pendant pulsed
again, its light faint but noticeable, and Elena's eyes flicked to it, her
expression tightening.
"I knew your
mother," she said, sitting across from me. She reached for a jar of dried
leaves, her hands steady as she began grinding them with the pestle, the
rhythmic motion oddly soothing. "Better than most. That pendant—it was hers.
She wore it always, even before you were born. I knew it would come to you
eventually."
I swallowed
hard, my throat tight. "She gave it to me the night before she died," I said,
the memory sharp and painful—her pale face, her trembling hands, her whispered
words: It'll protect you when
I can't. "She said it would
keep me safe. But I don't understand what it is, Elena. It… it does things. It
burned in the forest, drove back a creature that attacked me. And during the
blood oath with Darius, it flared, caused me pain. What is it?"
Elena's
hands stilled, her gaze dropping to the table. For a long moment, she was
silent, the only sound the soft crackle of the candles and the distant patter
of rain against the window. When she finally spoke, her voice was low, heavy
with a guilt I didn't understand. "It's a relic," she said. "An ancient one,
tied to the pack's oldest magic. Your mother… she was more than a beta's mate,
Liora. She was a seer, a keeper of secrets. That pendant holds a piece of her
power—and a piece of the pack's history."
A seer? My
mother? I stared at Elena, my mind reeling. I'd always known my mother was
special—her quiet strength, her way of knowing things before they happened—but
a seer? "Why didn't she tell me?" I asked, my voice breaking. "Why didn't
anyone tell me?"
Elena's eyes
met mine, and I saw the weight of her guilt there, raw and unfiltered. "Because
I failed her," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "I'm the reason she
died, Liora."
The words
hit me like a blow, stealing my breath. My wolf whimpered, curling in on
herself, and I gripped the edge of the table, my knuckles white. "What do you
mean?" I asked, my voice trembling. "She died of a fever. That's what they told
me. That's what everyone said."
Elena shook
her head, her hands trembling now as she set the pestle down. "That's what we
wanted you to believe," she said. "The truth is uglier. Your mother… she
uncovered a secret, something about the pack, something dangerous. She came to
me, asked for my help to protect you and Kael. I was supposed to keep her safe,
to hide her until the danger passed. But I was weak. I told the wrong
person—someone I thought I could trust. They betrayed us, and the Mafia Leader
found her. He killed her, Liora. Because of me."
I stared at
her, my heart pounding, my mind a storm of grief and fury. My mother—murdered?
Not by a fever, but by the same man who'd destroyed my father, who was now
hunting me? Tears burned my eyes, but I blinked them back, my wolf growling low
and deep, a sound that vibrated through my bones. "Who?" I demanded, my voice
raw. "Who did you tell?"
Elena's face
crumpled, her hands clenching into fists. "Seraphina's mother," she said, her
voice breaking. "She was my friend, or so I thought. But she was working with
the Mafia Leader, feeding him information. She sold your mother out, and I… I
didn't see it until it was too late."
Seraphina's
mother. The pieces clicked into place, a jagged puzzle that cut deeper with
every revelation. Seraphina's hatred, her venom—it wasn't just jealousy over
Darius. It was personal, generational, a legacy of betrayal that stretched back
to my mother's death. I wanted to scream, to tear the room apart, but I forced
myself to breathe, to focus. "Why are you telling me this now?" I asked, my
voice cold, sharp. "Why not years ago?"
"Because you
weren't ready," Elena said, her eyes pleading. "And because I was a coward. But
you're here now, Liora. You're strong—stronger than I ever was. You need to
know the truth, because that pendant—it's more than a relic. It's a key. To
your mother's power, to the pack's magic, to the secrets the Mafia Leader will
kill to possess."
I touched
the pendant, its silver cool against my fingertips, and as I did, it
flared—brighter than ever, a soft glow that filled the room with silver light.
My breath caught, and then I heard her. My mother.
"Liora," she
whispered, her voice soft but clear, echoing in my mind like a memory brought
to life. "My brave girl. You're ready now. Trust yourself. Trust the pendant.
It'll show you the way."
The glow
faded, leaving me trembling, tears streaming down my face. I looked at Elena,
my voice a broken whisper. "That was her," I said. "My mother. I heard her."
Elena
nodded, her own eyes glistening with tears. "She's still with you," she said.
"Through the pendant. She's been waiting for you to be ready—to unlock what she
left behind."
I stood, my
legs shaky, my mind a chaotic mess of grief and determination. My mother's
voice, her power, the truth of her death—it was too much, but it was also a
fire, burning away the last of my fear. "I'll find him," I said, my voice
steady now, my wolf rising with a snarl. "The Mafia Leader. I'll make him
pay—for her, for my father, for everything."
Elena
reached for my hand, her grip surprisingly strong. "Be careful, Liora," she
said, her voice urgent. "He's closer than you think. And he's not the only one
watching."
I nodded,
pulling my hand free, and turned to leave, the pendant's warmth a steady pulse
against my chest. My mother's voice lingered, a whisper of hope in the
darkness, and for the first time, I felt like I might be strong enough to face
what was coming. But as I stepped back into the rain-soaked halls of Silverfang
Manor, I couldn't shake the feeling that the shadows were closing in—and that
the pendant's whisper was only the beginning.