Chapter Ten
Seraphina
Sunlight filtered through the dense canopy, casting dappled patterns of warmth on the cool forest floor. Each beam glinted off dew-kissed leaves like liquid gold, igniting the forest in a vibrant palette of greens and browns. Tyler, Logan, and I moved quietly through the ancient trees, our human forms navigating the underbrush with purpose. Anticipation coursed through my veins, and every one of my senses felt heightened by my hunt for the rare pink buds of the jedra herb.
Both Tyler and Logan lugged hefty packs, bulging with camping supplies. I carried a lightweight rucksack with my magic supplies and a box to carry the herb should we be successful on our hunt. We’d broken up camp that morning, leaving the remnants of our fire smoldering against the backdrop of the Nuvuja Mountains. Now, our ascent along the lower slopes became steeper with every passing hour.
The air was filled with the earthy scent of moss and fallen pine needles. We didn’t speak as we scanned the forest floor. Only our footfalls interrupted the forest’s relative peace. Logan had been pretty much silent at camp, too. Both he and Tyler had taken the first watch last night. When I’d awoken to take over, Logan had claimed not to be tired, so only Tyler had rested.
Logan still didn’t trust me. Out here in the wild, Logan had kept the same careful eye on me that he’d seemed to think necessary back in Nahachoh. I glanced over at him, noticing the shadows beneath his eyes from his lack of sleep. As we’d shared the warmth of the campfire in silence last night, I’d imagined telling him that it was I who had decided to bring him, amusing myself by imagining the look of surprise that would blanket his face.
But I’d contented myself with the thought that Logan was doing exactly what I’d hoped, acting as a buffer. With his presence, Tyler and I hadn’t had a single moment alone.
As we continued our way, the rugged slope of the mountain ascended more steeply. As my gaze flew up, I felt a sudden draw. My heart raced, intuition deepening in the pit of my stomach as I scanned the gray crags of the mountain. I spotted a delicate tuft of pink flowers nestled in a narrow crevice, glimmering jewel-like against the gray stone.
“That’s it,” I breathed. It must be a good thirty feet above us, but the herb was so rare. I wasn’t going to let that stop me. “Those crevices are so narrow only a female wolf will fit,” I blurted out, my heart racing. With the herb being incredibly difficult to find, I knew I had to collect every specimen we saw, even if it meant taking a risk.
Tyler took off his pack, his serious gaze taking in the height and steepness of the cliff. From the solemn expression on his face, I knew he was about to argue.
Quickly, I shed my clothes, only briefly self-conscious as I unclasped my bra. But in a moment, I’d shifted, the familiar pulse of my wolf bursting forth, her strength coursing through me, thrilling me.
“Seraphina!” Tyler’s shout barely reached me over my pounding heart as I raced up the cliff. Instinct guided me, and the need to retrieve the herb consumed my thoughts. Each foothold felt precarious as I scampered upward, the rocks scraping against my paws, but I heaved myself up the slope, edging along the mountain’s crevice.
Tyler’s voice faded away. Even the wind’s call and its touch through my fur fell away as I hauled myself up the jagged rockface. It was just me and the mountain. My wolf reveled in the challenge, each movement taking all of her agility and determination as she ground her claws into the stone, heaving her sleek-muscled body up the slope.
I panted with the strain it took me to shift my lupine form along the rocks, but every few minutes, I made progress up the mountain. Finally, I reached the ledge on which the herb bloomed. Triumph shot through me. The herb beckoned beneath a blanket of moss and roots entwined in the shallow soil. With careful precision, I dug my claws into the earth, uprooting the jedra. I couldn’t give it the reverence it deserved but cradled it in my mouth as gently as possible.
Descending, my muscles strained with even more effort as I dug my claws into the treacherous slope, inching down on my forelegs as I eased myself down the peak. My belly scraped the jagged slope, but I forced myself not to ground my teeth, the precious herb in my mouth obliging me to keep my jaw soft.
Back on the forest floor, I carefully dropped the herb, morphing into my human form.
“I told you to wait,” Tyler censured.
“And I told you, I’m more capable than you think,” I argued, tilting my chin up, a mixture of determination and defiance catching me up. Tyler’s nostrils flared with anger, but the glint in his blue eyes had my heart thrumming with something other than anger.
Suddenly, I was very aware of my nakedness. I caught up my clothes, slipping my knickers on, which finally prompted Tyler to turn his back on me. I didn’t miss the way his Adam’s apple bobbed or the flush of heat on his cheeks. My stomach flip-flopped, but I quashed the sensation.
My cheeks heated as I considered again that it was a good thing Logan was here with me and Tyler; when one couldn’t even shift without getting all hot and bothered, there was a definite need for a buffer. With surprise, I noticed that Logan had turned away from me, too. I’d expected him to make me feel as uncomfortable as possible, but he’d been decent and given me privacy to dress.
“I’m decent,” I announced to them both as I squatted down to pack away the precious herb in my hand in its box.
When Logan turned around, his entire demeanor had altered, and respect shone in his eyes. “This past week, I’ve been watching you,” he said, his expression intense.
“I hadn’t noticed,” I deadpanned.
I thought I detected the minutest smile, but it was gone so quickly I might have imagined it.
I picked up the box with the jedra, carefully putting it away in my bag.
“You’ve dedicated yourself to treating the sick,” Logan continued, “even those who have treated you poorly. Now, you’ve risked your life to get that herb. I respect that.”
I looked up at him with surprise. A strange prickling sensation washed over me from the crown of my head right down to my spine. Logan’s brown eyes, ordinarily so hostile, were centered on me with complete earnestness. For a moment, I felt more bare than I had when I’d been naked. Even Tyler’s expression, etched with frustration from my dangerous climb, seemed to fade into the background as Logan seemed to be extending this wholly unexpected olive branch.
But clearly, I’d read too much into his words as he added, “Don’t for a second think I trust you fully. I’ll be keeping a close eye on you when we get back.”
My lips twitched. Logan was back to being himself.
Before I could respond, a guttural growl sliced through the air, freezing my blood. Black wolves emerged from the shadows of the trees, their onyx fur glinting ominously in the muted light. Eyes burning with malevolence, they stalked toward us, primal rage etched into their features.
My heart hammered. All six Alaskan packs had different colored fur, and the wolves with the ebony coats belonged to the Black Moon Pack.
“Fire the flare, Logan!” Tyler ordered before shifting into his majestic silver wolf, his glinting coat like that of all of us Silver Moons.
From the side of his pack, Logan drew out a flare gun. Without hesitation, he pointed the gun skyward. The rocket spiraled up in a blazing arc, illuminating our surroundings as it exploded like a fiery star.
Yet, the black wolves advanced, their growls rumbling through the forest as they circled us, slowly surrounding us. I held my breath, anticipation crackling around us like static. My magic pooled in my veins, a hidden power awakening.
The black wolves lunged, snarls echoing and their teeth gleaming in the low light.
I raised my hands, and a protective barrier sprang to life, shimmering like liquid light, encasing Tyler, Logan, and myself.
In a moment, Logan had shifted into his silver wolf, too. My shield allowed both him and Tyler exit and entry, a fluid curtain of protective energy, but it was as impenetrable as the mountain rock to the enemy wolves.
Both silver wolves locked onto the invading wolves. When the first black wolf lunged, Tyler launched himself through the barrier, a silver streak colliding with the ebony shadow, the two spinning in a whirl of claws and teeth.
But then, the weight of dark magic pressed against my shield, a force that took all of my focus. Shock ricocheted through me. Where had that come from?
Logan launched himself through the barrier, his movements fierce and swift as he brought down two black wolves before returning to the safety of our circle. Both he and Tyler fought with calculated coordination, their attacks brutal and efficient. The clash of black wolves as they threw themselves against my shield crackled with energy, but they couldn’t penetrate it.
But then something shifted; a figure emerged from the trees—someone in human form. He boasted rippling muscles, and his arms were adorned with tattoos that coiled around them like shadows. But it wasn’t his figure alone that was intimidating. It was what he held—an artifact, some sort of medallion studded with different ores.
Dread stole through me as I sensed the power pulsing around this relic. The hint of dark magic that had assaulted my shield earlier came from this man and relic. The familiar oily residue I felt from the Black Moons’ dark magic thickened against my skin. My heart raced as I realized this was no ordinary group of wolves. This man, wielding this relic, reeked of powerful dark magic. The object he wielded was one steeped in the darkest kind of magic, and those crystals were instilled with cursed magic.
In a moment, the Black wolves fell back toward him, and Tyler and Logan moved back into my protective circle. Tyler shifted once more into his human form, his muscled, powerful body taut with tension as he fixed his attention on the newcomer.
The tattooed man had longish dark hair and a silvery scar across his cheek, giving him a roguish look. He pinned his dark stare on Tyler.
The man’s gaze settled on Tyler, his eyes gleaming with a malevolent intensity. “Alpha Tyler, what a fine thing to happen upon you.” His words were laced with sarcasm.
Tyler’s face remained impassive, but a hint of anger simmered beneath the surface. “Alpha Marcus, I presume?” His voice dripped with disdain.
Marcus chuckled, his grin twisting into a snarl. “My reputation precedes me,” he sneered, his eyes glinting with amusement.
Tyler’s gaze fell to the dark relic in Alpha Marcus’s hands. “You know using dark magic to spread illness is a coward’s way of fighting?”
A flash of anger crossed Marcus’s face, and he took a deliberate step closer, his voice lowering to a cold whisper. “Let’s see if you dare call me coward when you and your witch are on your knees.”
The dark relic he clutched gleamed ominously. The wolves at his side growled in response, their eyes glowing like embers.
Tyler straightened, defiance igniting in his chest. “You can’t intimidate me. A true leader doesn’t hide behind curses and shadows.”
The tension crackled between them as Tyler shifted once more into his mighty silver wolf.
“ Unnuak atuutluk tuku! ” Alpha Marcus’s voice boomed with power. The ancient language of the goddess was sharp and guttural as his curses flew at me like arrows.
I’d never felt anything as powerful or grotesque. That last word of the incantation pulled at me: “ tuku — kill .” I felt the certainty in that word and in the oily residue that pulsed from the artifact and Marcus’s will.
Sweat broke across my brow, rivulets winding down my back. With every ounce of determination, I reinforced my barrier. I clenched my fists and teeth, willing all of my strength into the force field around us. The rhythmic thud of my heartbeat drowned out the growls around me, filling my senses with urgency. But the artifact glowed ominously, and a pulse of malevolent energy rushed at me—a darkness that seemed almost alive as it barreled toward me.
“No!” I screamed. I reached out with my magic, pouring my essence into the barrier, but it shimmered and faltered dangerously. Shards of light shattered like glass around me, splintering, leaving myself and the two silver wolves exposed. I felt the oppressive surge of the Black Moon’s power crushing my own as time seemed to slow and stretch around me.
“ Unnuak atuutluk tuku! ” The Black Moon leader chanted again. His voice was all-consuming. The bloodlust in it centered on me as he sent another wave of darkness from the relic toward me. Without my barrier, I knew this was it. I didn’t have the energy to conjure anything else. I didn’t even have the energy left to shift into my wolf’s form, who might have been able to outmaneuver this dark magic. The whisper of my wolf beneath my skin was too weak to even rise to the surface after I’d drained my magic.
But then, Tyler’s wolf threw himself in front of me. A low growl resonated from Logan, too, as he joined him, the two of them forming a wall of silver fur. Protectiveness radiated from them both as they positioned themselves between me and the encroaching tide of dark magic. Like a crashing wave, the darkness hit the two wolves. The air crackled with tension as their bodies collided with the oncoming threat.
Terror and shock pounded through me. The world around me was a cacophony of growls and the breaking wave of darkness. Then, both my protectors, who had taken the full force of that hit, slumped to the forest floor.
Were they all right? But before I could check on them, two massive black wolves stole toward me. My heart raced as I braced myself to fight, not just for my sake, but for Tyler and Logan’s. The air hummed with tension, the distance closing all too quickly as the wolves charged.