Chapter 36 THE MORNING AFTER
CHAPTER 36: THE MORNING AFTER
I wake to the sound of people breathing.
My eyes open and sunlight shines through the broken window. I wince and try to sit up. Pain shoots through my ribs and I gasp.
"Don't move." Sofia's voice comes from my left. "You literally died yesterday. Twice."
"I'm fine," I croak. My throat feels like sandpaper.
"You're not fine. You're barely functional." She presses a cup of water into my hands. "Drink."
I drink. The water helps but everything still hurts.
I look around my room. It's packed. Kieran is slumped against the wall by the door, half asleep. Alaric sits in the chair by the window, eyes closed but I know he's awake. Cassian and Zev are sprawled on the floor near the bed. Morgana is curled up in the corner, actually sleeping.
And Luna is standing at the window, staring out at the ruined courtyard.
"How long was I out?" I ask.
"Ten hours," Sofia says. "The healer wanted to move you to the infirmary but the boys refused to let anyone take you."
"Overprotective much?"
"You died. Twice. In one day." She gives me a look. "I think they're allowed to be a little protective."
Kieran's eyes open. The moment he sees me awake he's on his feet and across the room. "You okay?"
"Define okay."
"Breathing. Conscious. Not actively dying."
"Then yeah, I guess I'm okay."
He sits on the edge of the bed. His hand hovers near mine like he wants to touch me but isn't sure if he should. I take his hand and squeeze. He exhales like he's been holding his breath for hours.
"You scared the hell out of me," he says quietly.
"Sorry."
"Don't apologize. Just don't do it again."
"I'll try."
Alaric opens his eyes. "She's awake."
Cassian and Zev stir. Within seconds all four of them are surrounding the bed.
"How do you feel?" Cassian asks.
"Like I got hit by a truck. Multiple times."
"That's accurate," Zev says. "You absorbed the Hollow King's power, burned out your mother's fragment, died, got resurrected by us, and then slept for ten hours. You should feel worse."
"Thanks. That's comforting."
Morgana wakes up and stretches. "She lives. Again. This is becoming a pattern."
"Not by choice."
"I know." She stands and walks over. "How's the bond feel?"
I check internally. The bond between us is still there but it's different. Calmer. Like it's settled into something stable instead of chaotic.
"It's okay," I say. "Feels quieter."
"Good. Mine too." She glances at the others. "I'm gonna get food. Anyone else hungry?"
Everyone raises their hands.
"Great. I'll be back." She leaves.
Luna finally turns from the window. "You're awake."
"Yeah."
"Good." But she doesn't move closer. Just stands there looking uncomfortable.
The room goes quiet. Everyone's watching her.
"Luna," I start. "About yesterday—"
"We should talk," she interrupts. "About why I'm really here."
My stomach drops. "What do you mean really here? You came to help with the Hollow King."
"I came for that. But there's another reason." She takes a breath. "I need your help."
"With what?"
She looks at the boys. At Sofia. Back to me. "Can we talk privately?"
"No," Kieran says immediately. "Whatever you have to say, you can say in front of all of us."
Luna's jaw tightens. "This is pack business."
"And she's part of our group," Alaric says. His tone is cold. "So either tell us all or don't tell anyone."
Luna looks at me. "Thalira?"
I want to side with her. She's my sister. But the boys are right. We're a team now.
"They stay," I say. "Whatever it is, we'll handle it together."
She's quiet for a long moment. Then she nods. "Okay. But you're not going to like it."
"Try me."
She walks to her bag in the corner and pulls out a folder. Opens it and spreads photos across my bed.
They're crime scene photos. Bodies. She-wolves. Brutally murdered.
Sofia makes a small sound and looks away.
"What is this?" I ask.
"The Northern Pack," Luna says. "My home. For the past three months we've been dealing with a serial killer."
Kieran leans forward. "What kind of serial killer?"
"The worst kind. He targets she-wolves. Stalks them. Takes them. Keeps them for days." Her voice is flat. Like if she shows emotion she'll break. "Then he kills them. Slowly."
"How many?" Zev asks.
"Seven missing. Three found dead." She points to different photos. "These are the ones we recovered. The others are still missing."
Cassian's flames flicker around his hands. "And your pack hasn't caught him?"
"We've tried. He's smart. Careful. Always stays one step ahead." Luna pulls out another photo. This one shows a man. Late twenties. Dark hair. Cold eyes. "This is Marvin. Former pack member. We exiled him ten years ago for attempting to force himself on a she-wolf."
My blood runs cold. "He's a rapist."
"And a murderer." Luna's hands shake. "He came back six months ago. Changed. He's been studying dark magic. He has power now. Power that can kill supernaturals."
"What kind of power?" Alaric demands.
"Anti-supernatural magic. He's learned how to negate our abilities. Our healing. Our strength. Everything that makes us more than human." She meets his eyes. "He makes us vulnerable. And then he kills us."
The room is dead silent.
"Why are you telling us this?" I ask quietly.
Luna pulls out one more photo. This one shows a wall covered in blood. Words written in it.
THE MOONWHISPER TWINS ARE NEXT
My breath stops.
"He knows about you," Luna says. "About us. He left this message at the last crime scene three days ago."
"That's impossible," Sofia says. "How would he know about Thalira?"
"I don't know. But he does." Luna looks at me. "And that's why I really came. Not just to help with the Hollow King. To ask for your help stopping Marvin before he kills more innocent she-wolves."
"And before he comes after us," I say.
"Yes."
Kieran stands. "This is insane. We just finished one war. We can't jump into another one."
"I know," Luna says. "And I wouldn't ask if I had any other choice. But my pack is dying. Alpha Magnus sent me to find help. You're the only one strong enough to stop him."
"Why us?" Cassian asks. "There are other packs. Other fighters."
"Because he's not just killing randomly." Luna's voice drops. "He's harvesting supernatural essence from his victims. Building something. A weapon."
Zev's eyes narrow. "What kind of weapon?"
"One that can kill every supernatural in a massive radius. If he completes it he'll wipe out my entire pack in one strike. Then move to the next territory. And the next. Until he's killed everyone like us."
The words hang in the air like a noose.
"How long do we have?" I ask.
Luna's face is pale. "Three weeks. Maybe less."
"And if we don't help?"
"Then hundreds of innocents die. Including everyone I love." She looks at me. "Including your sister."
The room is quiet except for the sound of breathing.
I look at each of them. Kieran's jaw is tight. Alaric's expression is unreadable. Cassian looks torn. Zev is studying Luna like he's trying to read her mind.
"We need to talk about this," I say to Luna. "Give us a minute."
She nods and walks out. The door closes behind her.
The moment she's gone everyone starts talking at once.
"This is a bad idea—"
"We just survived the Hollow King—"
"We can't just ignore people dying—"
"She could be lying—"
"Enough!" I shout.
They all stop.
I take a breath. "I know this is terrible timing. I know we're all exhausted. But those she-wolves are innocent. And Luna is my sister. I can't just ignore this."
"You almost died yesterday," Kieran says. "Multiple times. You need to recover."
"There's no time to recover."
"Then we send someone else," Alaric suggests. "Alert other packs. Let them handle it."
"Luna said they've tried. It's not working. He's too powerful."
"So we're just supposed to drop everything and run off to fight another war?" Cassian demands.
"Not a war. One guy. One serial killer."
"With anti-supernatural magic and a weapon of mass destruction," Zev adds. "Sounds like a war to me."
I close my eyes. They're right. This is insane. We just barely survived the Hollow King. We're all injured, traumatized, running on fumes.
But those she-wolves don't have anyone else.
And Luna is family.
"I'm going," I say finally. "With or without you."
"Thalira—" Kieran starts.
"She's my sister. Those are innocent people dying. I can't just sit here and do nothing."
The boys exchange looks.
Finally Kieran sighs. "You're not going alone."
"Neither am I," Cassian says.
"Count me in," Alaric adds.
Zev just nods.
Relief floods through me. "Thank you."
"Don't thank us yet," Zev says. "We haven't heard the worst part."
"What worst part?"
The door opens. Luna steps back in. Her face is grim.
"There's something else I didn't tell you about Marvin," she says.
My stomach drops. "What?"
She pulls out her phone and shows me a video. It's dark and grainy but I can make out a figure. Marvin. He's standing over someone. A she-wolf tied to a chair. Beaten. Crying.
Marvin smiles at the camera. "Hello Moonwhisper twins. I know you're watching. I know you're coming. Good. I've been waiting my whole life for this."
He runs a blade along the she-wolf's throat. She whimpers.
"Come find me. Let's see if the prophecy is true. Let's see if you're really as special as they say."
He draws the blade across her throat.
The video turn to black.
I stare at the blank screen. My hands shake.
"When was this sent?" I ask.
"An hour ago," Luna says. Her voice breaks. "That was Beta Kira's daughter. She's sixteen. He's had her for two days."
Kieran's wolf pushes to the surface. His eyes flash gold. "Where is he?"
"Northern mountains. Abandoned mines. But there are hundreds of them. We don't know which one."
"Then we search them all," I say.
"Thalira this is a trap," Zev warns. "He wants you to come."
"I know. But we're going anyway."
Luna looks at me with something like hope. "You'll help?"
"Yeah. We'll help."
She exhales like she's been holding her breath for days. "Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet. We haven't stopped him."
"But you will." She sounds certain. "You killed the Hollow King. You can kill Marvin."
I wish I felt as confident.
The door opens again. Morgana comes back with food. "Okay I've got bread, cheese, some kind of meat situation, and—" She stops. Looks at our faces. "What did I miss?"
"We're going on a road trip," Cassian says.
"To where?"
"The Northern territories," I say. "To hunt a serial killer."
Morgana sets down the food. "When do we leave?"
"Tomorrow at dawn," Luna says.
"Great. I'll pack." She doesn't even question it. Just starts gathering her things.
Sofia appears in the doorway. "I'm coming too."
"Sofia you don't have to—" I start.
"I'm coming," she repeats. Her voice is firm.
"You're not doing this without me."
I look around at all of them. My makeshift family. Battle-worn and exhausted but still ready to fight.
"Okay," I say. "We leave at dawn. Pack light. Bring weapons. And someone tell Corvus where we're going before he has a heart attack."
Everyone scatters to prepare.
Luna lingers. "Thalira?"
"Yeah?"
"I know this is asking a lot. Especially after everything you just went through."
"You're my sister. You don't have to ask."
She looks like she might cry. "I'm glad I found you."
"Me too."
She leaves.
I sit on my bed surrounded by photos of dead she-wolves and a half-finished breakfast I can't eat.
Kieran sits beside me. "You okay?"
"No. But I will be."
"We're walking into another nightmare."
"I know."
"And you're still going."
"I have to."
He takes my hand. "Then I'm with you. Whatever happens."
"Even if it gets us killed?"
"Especially then."
I lean my head on his shoulder. "You're an idiot."
"Probably."