Chapter 147 Thirty Years Ago
Thirty years ago, in the heart of the pack’s central den, Luna Deja lay on a wide birthing pallet, her swollen belly unnaturally large and unmoving. She had carried the child for fifteen months, far beyond any natural term. Sweat beaded on her forehead, but no contractions came. No sign of labor. Only exhaustion and quiet fear.
Alpha Nolan knelt beside her, gripping her hand tightly. His face was drawn, eyes red from sleepless nights.
“Deja,” he whispered, thumb brushing over her knuckles. “Just hold on a little longer. The healers are trying everything.”
Deja’s voice was thin, barely above a breath. “They’ve tried everything for months, Nolan. Nothing works. I can feel him… but he won’t come.”
One of the elder healers, a gray-furred woman named Rhea, stepped forward, head bowed.
“Alpha, Luna… we’ve used every herb, every chant, every positioning. The child is strong, too strong. He refuses to descend. If we force it now, we risk both their lives.”
Nolan’s jaw clenched. “Then find another way. I will not lose them.”
A commotion sounded from the entrance tunnel. Several warriors dragged in a ragged group of six witches hands bound, mouths gagged, eyes wide with terror. Their leader, a tall woman with silver-streaked hair and a crescent scar across her cheek, was shoved to her knees before Nolan.
The warrior captain spoke quickly. “We caught them trying to cross the northern ridge, Alpha. They claim they can help with the birth.”
Nolan rose slowly, towering over the witch leader. His voice was low, dangerous. “Speak. And if this is a trick, you die first.”
The woman lifted her chin, meeting his gaze without flinching. “My name is Selene. We are the last remnants of the Crescent Veil coven. I can make your Luna give birth tonight. Safely. The child will live. The mother will live.”
Nolan’s eyes narrowed. “At what cost?”
Selene’s voice never wavered. “Our lives. Spare us. Let us leave your territory after the birth and never speak of whatever happens tonight to no one. We will never return. That is the bargain.”
Deja’s weak voice cut through the tension. “Nolan… please. I can’t do this much longer.”
Nolan looked down at his mate pale, trembling, eyes pleading. He turned back to Selene.
“Do it. Save them both. And you walk free.”
Selene nodded once. “We need the moon shade stone. The black one from your sacred vault. It holds the power to anchor the soul during birth.”
Nolan hesitated only a second. “Bring it.”
A warrior ran off. Minutes later he returned with a velvet pouch. Inside lay a fist-sized stone, black as midnight, veined with faint silver that pulsed like a heartbeat.
Selene took it reverently. “This is the first time sorcery has entered your world, Alpha. It will not be the last.”
She placed the stone on Deja’s belly. The other witches formed a circle around the pallet, hands joined. Selene began to chant low, rhythmic words in a language older than the pack itself.
The stone glowed faintly. Deja gasped, back arching.
“It’s working,” she whispered. “I feel him moving.”
Nolan knelt again, gripping her hand. “Hold on, love. Just a little longer.”
The chant grew louder. The stone’s silver veins brightened, spreading light across Deja’s skin. Suddenly her body tensed, a sharp cry escaping her lips.
“He’s coming,” Selene said. “Push, Luna. Now.”
Deja bore down with a raw scream. Nolan held her shoulders, whispering encouragement.
“You’re doing it. You’re so strong. Almost there.”
Minutes later, a newborn’s cry pierced the room.
The witches fell silent. Selene lifted the infant small, dark-haired, eyes already open and unnaturally bright.
“A boy,” she said. “Strong. Touched by the moon shade. He carries Enigma power.”
Nolan took the child carefully, tears in his eyes. “Vince,” he whispered. “His name is Vince.”
Deja reached out weakly. “Let me see him.”
Nolan placed the baby in her arms. She smiled through exhaustion, brushing a finger over his cheek.
“He’s perfect.”
Selene stepped back. “The bargain is fulfilled. We leave tonight.”
Nolan nodded once. “Go and never return.”
The witches filed out silently.
Years passed.
When Vince was two, the first full blood moon rose.
The child’s eyes glowed silver. His tiny body convulsed. Claws and fangs erupted. He lunged at his older brother Rhett, nearly tearing out his throat before warriors pinned him down.
Nolan watched in horror as his son was chained to the stone wall of the deepest den.
“Father ” Rhett whispered, clutching his bleeding arm. “What’s wrong with him?”
Nolan’s voice cracked. “The moon shade stone… it gave him power no wolf should have. Enigma strength. But it comes with a price. He loses control under the blood moon.”
Deja stood beside him, tears streaming. “We can’t keep chaining him every month. He’s only two.”
Nolan looked at his son now calm, whimpering, chains rattling. “We have no choice. Until we find a way to seal the power… we chain him.”
Word of the Enigma child spread.
The Lycan king heard. He came himself tall, silver-furred, eyes burning with greed.
“Moon shade stone,” he said, standing over the chained toddler. “It can wake the dead. Grant immortality. Stop aging. I want it. All of it.”
Nolan stepped in front of his son. “He is my child. Not your weapon.”
The Lycan king smiled, cold and cruel. “Then I will take him. And your pack. And every witch who ever touched that stone.”
Nolan bared his teeth. “You will have to kill me first.”
The king laughed. “That can be arranged.”
The rampage began that night after the negotiation fell through.
Witches hunted. Packs turned on each other. The moon shade stone was shattered in the chaos, its power scattering.
Vince’s memories were sealed by Deja in a final act of desperation, locking him inside a cabin with one last spell.
When the cabin was found years later, only a nameless boy remained.
Sold at auction.
Bought by Fernando.
And now thirty years later the past was clawing its way back.