Chapter 77: The Silent Threat
Melissa’s POV
As I emerged from the packhouse, the anxiety in the morning air was palpable. The typical forest sounds-the distant howling, the rustling leaves-were muffled, almost unreal. There was a problem.
“Elissa!” A panting warrior sprinted in my direction. “There’s another one missing.”
My heart tightened. “Who?”
“Leah. She never checked in last night, even though she was meant to be on patrol close to the southern border.
I looked at Kane, who was standing next to me with a sombre expression. He whispered, “That’s the fourth in two days.” “This isn’t typical.”
I tried to stifle the rising uneasiness in my chest as I nodded. Shifters didn’t simply vanish. Not in this manner. “We must locate them.”
After I summoned the scouts, a few of us were sprinting in the direction of the southern border in a matter of minutes. My inner wolf was restless, yet something didn’t feel quite right. My relationship with her had been weakened ever after the conflict, as though something was affecting our relationship.
When we got to Leah’s last known location, Kane proposed that we divide up. Claw marks were carved into the soil, upsetting the ground. Here there had been a struggle.
One of the scouts whispered, “No scent trails.” “They seem to have disappeared into thin air.”
I felt cold. That was not feasible. They should have left a trace, blood, fur, something, even in death. But aside from the indications of battle, the earth was bare.
With a stiff frame, Kane snarled, “We’re not alone.”
There was a strange smell on the breeze, something chilly, almost metallic. My senses stretched out as I slowly turned, but whatever was outside was still hidden. Observing.
I remarked, feeling sick to my stomach, “We need to fall back.” This is not a straightforward assault. There is another factor at work.
Kane gave a grudging nod. “We’ll reorganize and dispatch additional patrols.” However, nobody travels anywhere by themselves until we determine what’s happening.
Though I knew in my heart that this was just the beginning, I still agreed.
My thoughts were racing as I paced the war room back at the packhouse. One thing was evident from the disappearances and the odd energy that pervaded the air. The heart.
I closed my eyes and tried to feel the energy that had seemed so familiar, but I encountered resistance rather than warmth. A shadow that coiled like an invisible force around the power.
“Melissa.” I was reminded by Kane’s voice. Arms crossed, he rested against the doorframe. “Didn’t you feel it too?”
I gave a nod. The energy of the heart is different. Something has altered since I stabilized it.
He gave a quick breath. “You believe it has something to do with the disappearances?”
“I don’t believe-it must be.” I looked over at him. “What if the Heart didn’t simply level off? What if something was left behind?
Kane’s mouth clenched. “Something invisible to us.”
We were interrupted by a knock on the door. A troubled-looking healer entered. “You have to see something, Luna.”
A young scout lay on the cot, shaking, and we accompanied her to the infirmary. His breathing was laboured, and his skin was soaked with perspiration.
The healer said, “He returned from a patrol close to the western border.” However, he is not hurt. Something seems to be draining him.
I moved in closer. “What did you observe?” Gently, I inquired.
Panic swept across the scout’s eyes as they opened. “Shadows!” he exclaimed. “They whisper, they move.”
I felt sick to my stomach. “What is a whistle?”
“Names,” he rasped, his fingers tightening around the blanket.
I felt a chill go through me. Kane’s face grew serious.
The Heart wasn’t merely steady. Something had been roused by it.
And it was on its way to us, whatever it was.
I watched as the pack warriors rehearsed their formations from the edge of the training field. Their attention and motions were exact, yet I could see the uneasiness in their eyes. They had been shaken by the disappearances.
From behind me, Kane said, “Melissa.” He spoke in a tight, cautious tone. “There is a guest here.”
A tall, commanding figure was standing at the edge of the pack as I turned around. His face was angular, with jagged scars across his jaw, and his dark hair was dishevelled. His grey, piercing eyes met mine.
An outlaw.
He moved forward, and the warriors stiffened. He exuded authority, but not in the same way as Kane. It was something more untamed, wilder.
With his hands raised slightly, the visitor added, “I come in peace.” There was a harsh edge to his deep, smooth voice. “Alpha Zephyr is my name.”
The wolves gathered and murmured in response to the name. Zephyr was an Alpha rogue, never having sworn allegiance to a pack, yet renowned for his strength.
“What are you looking for?” Protectively stepping in front of me, Kane questioned.
Zephyr grinned but remained still. “To warn you, I came.”
I scowled. What are you warning us about?
His eyes grew gloomy. “The disappearances.” They are not by chance. Your wolves are being hunted, not simply disappearing.
I felt a chill go down my back. “By whom?”
Zephyr let out a sharp sigh. Not by whom. What?
The tension in the air increased. Every wolf in our immediate vicinity tensed up, anticipating his next move.
“An adversary is hiding in the shadows that is worse than anything you have ever encountered.” Zephyr’s face became stern. “They identify as The Forsaken.”
There was silence. The name was weighty and unnatural, like a hint of something dreadful and old.
“What is your knowledge of them?” Kane insisted.
Zephyr tightened his jaw. “More than I would prefer.” He looked over at me. “And they’re coming for you next if you don’t act quickly.”
The atmosphere was oppressively tense. Every wolf in our immediate vicinity appeared motionless, anticipating Zephyr’s next move.
I took a step forward, my voice calm despite the knot in my stomach. They’re coming for me, what do you mean?
Something unreadable-perhaps pity-flitted in Zephyr’s grey eyes. “Don’t you now possess the power of the Heart?”
My digits quivered. “How are you aware of that?”
A laugh came out of his mouth, without humour. “Because they can detect it.” His eyes moved over me. “Like me, they can smell it on you.”
From Kane’s chest came a roar. “You mean Melissa is wanted by these Forsaken, whatever they are?”
Zephyr gave a nod. “Power appeals to them. They will pursue you more if you are stronger.
My attention snapped to the jungle at a rustling sound. The smell of blood was carried by the howling wind. Uncomfortably, my inner wolf woke up.
Then someone staggered out of the darkness.
A man, no, a wolf, fell to the ground, causing gasps to reverberate across the pack. His arms and torso were covered with deep gashes, and his body was bruised. His ripped clothing was saturated in blood. He breathed shallowly and raggedly.
I hurried over and knelt next to him. “Who did you get hurt by this?”
His lips quivered as he attempted to speak, and his head lolled to the side. I knew Kane didn’t have much time, even though he was crouching next to me with his hands applying pressure to the shifter’s wounds.
The man’s terrified, apathetic eyes flitted open. I heard the slightest movement of his lips.
Just one word.
A whisper that chilled me to the bone.
“The Forsaken.”
He went limp.
A terrible quiet descended among the pack.
Despite my racing heart, I glanced up at Zephyr. Please share all of your knowledge about them with me.
For the first time since he had come, I noticed the glimmer of genuine dread in Zephyr’s eyes as we locked eyes.
He whispered, “They’re not just after you, Melissa.” “They have already arrived.”
Deathly silence fell across the air. A low, guttural growl that didn’t belong to any wolf I had ever encountered suddenly resounded from the forest’s depths.