Chapter 87 – The Wolf and the Trail
Chapter 87 – The Wolf and the Trail
John’s POV
The forest hadn’t healed since the blast.
Everywhere I walked, the earth reeked of burnt magic and moonlight. Trees were turned to ash from the inside, their bark pulsing faintly as if still bleeding power. The air was thick with her energy, Scarlett’s energy and I followed it like a bloodhound following a ghost.
I hadn’t slept in three days.
The mark on my chest burned whenever I veered off her path. I didn’t need maps or scouts anymore. The bond between us fractured and poisoned as it was pulled me toward her, relentless as gravity.
I could feel when she used her power.
When she dreamed.
When she screamed.
But I couldn’t reach her.
The Goddess had twisted the link into something cruel, a thread that let me feel her suffering but not help her. I gritted my teeth and pushed through the brush, following the scent of silver that clung to the wind.
The packs had begun to stir again, whispers traveling faster than fire.
> “The Silver Queen.”
“The Luna of the Moon.”
“The end reborn.”
They thought she was a prophecy fulfilled.
I knew better. She was a prophecy rewritten by the wrong hands.
When I reached the ridge above Elderglen Valley, I saw the first signs of her passage. The ground shimmered faintly, the grass tipped in frost though it was midsummer. Wolves had gathered near the edges of the village below half in awe, half in terror. I caught fragments of conversation as I moved through the shadows.
> “She came at dawn.”
“Didn’t speak a word.”
“Her eyes... they weren’t human.”
And then, lower, fearful
> “John is coming for her.”
I pulled my hood lower and ignored them. The last thing I needed was more hunters trailing me. They already saw me as the cursed Alpha—the man who brought death to every Luna he touched.
But this wasn’t about redemption.
This was about her.
The scent grew stronger as I entered the heart of the village. Doors slammed. Mothers called their children inside. Wolves turned their eyes away.
In the center of the square stood a statue—one that hadn’t been there days ago.
It was Scarlett.
She stood with her arms raised toward the moon, her expression serene, her eyes carved as twin gemstones that glowed faintly silver even in daylight. The stone pulsed like it was breathing.
I swallowed hard, stepping closer. When I reached out to touch the base, the stone shifted—warm beneath my fingertips.
A whisper cut through my mind like a blade.
> John...
I froze. “Scarlett?”
> She sees you.
The voice wasn’t hers. It was layered, doubled her and the Goddess, speaking together.
I snatched my hand back. “Where are you?”
The air rippled.
A vision slammed into me the cliffs beyond Elderglen, waves crashing below, and her silhouette standing against a storm. Her hair whipped wild in the wind, her dress torn and glowing faintly where the moonlight touched it.
And her eyes, Gods, those eyes were silver fire.
“Scarlett,” I breathed.
When the vision faded, I was already running.
The climb to Elderglen’s cliffs took hours. The trail was narrow, carved from crumbling stone, but I barely noticed. Every step brought her scent sharper into focus rain and roses and cold steel. My heart beat faster with every breath.
She was close.
At the ridge’s edge, the storm broke. Rain lashed the cliffs, lightning slashing across the sky. I shielded my eyes and scanned the horizon—and there she was.
Just as the vision had shown her.
She stood near the precipice, hair streaming like ink in the wind, her bare feet on the wet stone. Power shimmered around her like a second skin.
“Scarlett!” I shouted.
She turned. Slowly.
Her expression was unreadable. “You shouldn’t have followed me.”
I took a step closer, heart pounding. “You left me no choice.”
Lightning illuminated her face. For a moment, I saw the woman who’d once looked at me with fire and trust. But when the light faded, only the Goddess remained.
“You think you can save her?” the Goddess asked through her lips. “She doesn’t need saving. She’s transcended you.”
“She’s not you,” I snarled. “You’re using her.”
“She offered herself willingly. You would’ve done the same for her.”
The words hit too close. I hesitated.
The Goddess smiled faintly, knowing. “You see? Love and surrender are the same thing when the heart is weak.”
I lunged before she could say more. We collided with light exploding between us. The cliff beneath us cracked from the force. She caught my wrists mid-strike, her strength monstrous.
Her eyes glowed brighter, silver bleeding down her cheeks like tears.
“Scarlett, listen to me!” I shouted. “You’re still in there! You have to fight her!”
For a moment, her grip faltered. The glow dimmed.
“John...”
Her voice was small, broken, cut through the storm.
“I know you can hear me,” I said, softer now. “You told me once you didn’t believe in destiny. Don’t start now.”
Her eyes fluttered. The silver shimmered, warping into green.
I thought I’d reached her until the Goddess roared, and the sky itself split.
The wind howled. Lightning struck the sea below. Her power surged outward, throwing me backward. I hit the rock hard enough to taste blood.
When I looked up, she was gone.
All that remained was a faint shimmer of moonlight and the echo of her whisper carried on the rain.
> Find me before the next moon, or there will be nothing left to save.
I stayed on my knees for a long time, the storm drenching me, the world spinning between guilt and determination.
If the Goddess had a timeline, that meant Scarlett was still fighting. That meant she could still win.
And I would move heaven, hell, and every pack between them to make sure she did.
I pushed myself to my feet, staring out over the black ocean.
“Hold on, Scarlett,” I whispered into the wind. “I’m coming.”