Tania stood next to the statue, saying, “What you are about to drink is ash created from the burning of the Tree of Æris, which our Alphas stand underneath now. Groves of these trees grow in the far north where the unforgivable weather has reclaimed the lands, difficult even for us to navigate. We gathered moonstone and crushed it to powder, along with drops of my blood. These serums are much more than a tonic; they are nearly impossible to make and to become a creature of the moon in such a manner is aprivilege.”
An Elder whom Rem didn’t recognize lowered the wooden bowl before her, placing it on the ground. The Elder’s eyes caught the glow of the moon, as if a translucent white liquid swam in the her eyes. The dried paint began to crack all over her skin.
“Drink deeply and without fear,” the Elder said through a thick accent, which the others echoed to their Silvers.
Without hesitation, Rem reached down to the bowl and held it to her lips. “Drink,” the Elder urged.
Surrounded by darkness, moonlight, and magic, Rem was overcome by the setting and drank deeply, wanting to belong to the energies and enchantments that flowed through these lands.
After she downed the gritty, earthy liquid, Jola approached, touching Rem’s forehead with blood on her thumb, hastily muttering words before pulling out a blade that glinted in the moonlight. The Elder cut her hand, offering it to Rem. To her left, Shia licked the bloody palm of an Elder.
Rem stared at the dark liquid that oozed out, frozen back to terrible memories of Fiona.
Jola quietly said, “I am not a witch, Rem. We all use blood magic, especially in a transformation. This is the final step, and then your new life awaits.”
R O N A N
Ronan crossedhis arms as he watched with caution, having only seen this process once before. Jola presented a bloodied hand to Rem, who, for a moment, seemed stunned and recoiled.
That was how Fiona bewitched her.
A part of him wanted to approach, to let Rem know it was alright.
Ronan couldn’t quite put into words what made Rem stand out among the rest, but she did. Despite the initial instinct to intervene, he refrained. This wasRem’smoment. A part of him wanted to see her rise to the occasion. He also wanted to leave this sacred moment to her as much as possible.
It was hard to push down his instincts, especially with the moon’s energy. Those unspoken moments of trust, care, and protection bound his kind closer. He wondered if Rem even knew of the relationship she had with Nia and how an unspoken bond existed between them.
He knew that he might have prematurely started something between the two of them after their last encounter, but he couldn’t turn her away, especially with how she carried herself differently—like she’d rather let her trials forge her into something resilient instead of breaking under their weight.
Traits like those appealed to him.
And a hot-blooded male like himself wanted more of her lithe body, ofallher scent, to kiss and lick her curves, then make sure she only walked away once saturated in his smell…
Rem leaned forward and licked the blood of Jola, controlling the fear in her eyes, even though he could smell it… A primal side of his mind stiffened at watching her lick something, adjusting his posture—
One of the smaller Silvers lurched over in pain, her eyes glowing… Notamber,though… His eyes widened as the Silver’s eyes glowed like themoon. The others quickly succumbed to the same effect, the power of the goddess flowing through them, the statue brightening.
He looked at the other Alphas, who all watched on with the same marvel. In the cave, he spotted Enola standing in the shadows, her eyes reflecting from the mine’s entrance. Something was wrong with the queen. Even Enzo echoed those concerns when they spoke earlier.
The Silvers ceased in their pain as one by one, they slowly sat up straight, still on their knees, staring at the statue. What would Rem be like when she had claws, when she had strength to crush a man’s skull? Would she truly control wargs?
He eyed the statue.Whatever magic you give them, goddess, grant them protection with the wargs. I do not trust this place.
The queen left her shadows and stepped into the moonlight, her crystal crown faintly glowing as she passed by each Silver. Her elegant, well-fit black dress reflected the moon’s light, as if the fabric were designed to do just that. Ronan’s body tensed when Enola observed Rem, his instincts not even questioning attacking the monarch if she touched his Silver—just another reason she needed his scent in her. But the queen moved on until she eyed the Alphas and approached them. “So, now we wait, my kin,” she said to them all.
Ronan continued to watch Rem rather than acknowledge Enola, admiring the way her hair looked, even if the others had the same design; it fit her best.
“I hear you are leaving,” Enola said, addressing Ronan.
He rolled his gaze back to her. “I must. There was treason within my pack.”
“Shame,” Enola remarked, looking down as if she were hardly bothered by it. “Rem is remaining, correct?”
He couldn’t stop the way his eyes narrowed, just ever so, as he glared at her. “What doyouthink I should do?” he asked, curious as to what she’d say.
“I would strongly advise leaving her here,” Enola countered, her tone hard to read as she looked back at him.
“I was thinking similarly,” he said with caution, a few of the Alphas listening in. “Although, perhaps I should take her,” he added, trying to coax a reaction out of her.
