Midnight Discovery

Midnight Discovery
Elara's POV

The scream that tore from my throat echoed through the room like a warning bell.
My body jerked awake, sheets soaked with sweat, heart pounding against my ribs. The terror felt so real - Sabrina's cold smile, the needle piercing my skin, the darkness spreading through my veins like poison.
"Just a dream," I mumbled to myself, but my hands were shaking.
I looked around the guest room Kaiden had given me. Alaric was sleeping in the chair beside my bed, his face calm but his hand resting on his sword. Even in sleep, he was protecting me.
The clock on the wall showed 2:30 AM. Everyone in the pack house would be asleep by now. But I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. The dream had felt too real, too much like a warning.
I slipped out of bed quietly, careful not to wake Alaric. My bare feet made no sound on the cold floor as I crept toward the door. I needed to move around, to clear my head and make sure everything was really okay.
The hallway was dark and empty. Moonlight streamed through the windows, creating long shadows that made me jump at every sound. I told myself I was being silly, but something in my gut told me to keep walking.
As I passed Kaiden's office, I heard voices coming from inside. That was weird - who would be meeting this late at night?
I pressed my ear against the door and heard Kaiden talking to someone. But the other voice made my blood turn to ice. It was Sabrina.
"The plan is working perfectly," she was saying. "The pack is getting weaker every day."
"Are you sure about this?" Kaiden asked. He sounded tired and scared. "Maybe we should try a different way."
"There is no other way!" Sabrina snapped. "You wanted power, didn't you? You wanted to be the best Alpha in the region? Well, this is the price."
My heart started racing. What plan? What was Sabrina talking about?
I heard footsteps moving around the room, and I quickly ducked behind a big plant near the door. Through a crack in the door, I could see into the office.
Sabrina was standing in front of what looked like a mirror, but the image wasn't normal. Instead of showing her face, it showed the face of an old woman with silver hair and evil eyes.
"Sister," the woman in the mirror said, her voice sounding like broken glass. "How much longer until the omega is ready?"
Sister? My mind reeled. Sabrina had a sister who could talk through mirrors?
"Soon," Sabrina answered. "I gave her the first dose today. The dark magic is already making its way through her system. By tomorrow night, she'll be fully under our control."
The old woman smiled, showing teeth that looked more like fangs. "Perfect. And the Alpha?"
"He's too weak to stop us now. The curse we put on his pack is draining his strength. Soon, he'll be nothing more than a robot."
I had to cover my mouth to keep from screaming out loud. Curse? They had cursed the pack?
"What about the Lycan King?" the woman asked. "He could be a problem."
Sabrina laughed coldly. "Alaric won't be able to save anyone once we turn his precious Elara into our weapon. She'll kill him herself, and he'll never see it coming."
The room started spinning around me. They wanted to turn me into a weapon? They wanted me to kill Alaric?
"The girl has no idea what she really is, does she?" the old woman continued. "A Luna Priestess with that much power... once we control her, we'll have everything we need to take over all the packs."
Luna Priestess? What was that meant to mean?
"She suspects nothing," Sabrina said. "She actually thinks I care about being Kaiden's mate. The stupid girl has no clue that I'm only here to get close to her."
My hands clenched into fists. All this time, Sabrina had been lying. Everything had been a lie.
"And you're sure the magic will work?" Kaiden asked. He sounded worried.
"Of course it will work," Sabrina said impatiently. "Our group has been planning this for years. The spell I put on her today will make her lose control of her mind. She'll become angry and dangerous, and everyone will think she's turned evil. Then, when she's at her weakest, we'll take full control of her power."
I felt sick to my stomach. The shot hadn't been medicine at all. It had been some kind of dark magic spell.
"What if she fights back?" Kaiden asked.
"She won't be able to," the old woman in the mirror said. "The spell is meant to make her think her own thoughts are telling her to hurt people. She'll be so confused and scared that she won't know what's real anymore."
That explained the dark words I'd been hearing in my head. They weren't coming from me at all - they were part of Sabrina's spell.
"Once we have her power," Sabrina added, "we'll use it to curse every pack in the region. They'll all bow down to us, or they'll die. And with a Luna Priestess under our power, no one will be able to stop us."
"What about after?" Kaiden asked quietly. "What happens to me once you have what you want?"
Sabrina's smile turned nasty. "Oh, sweet Kaiden. Did you really think we needed you for anything other than getting close to Elara? Once this is over, you'll be just as useless as every other Alpha we've killed."
I saw Kaiden's face go pale. "You're going to kill me too?"
"Eventually," Sabrina said with a shrug. "But don't worry - it won't hurt much."
I had to get out of there. I had to warn everyone. But as I started to back away from the door, my foot hit something that made a loud noise.
Sabrina's head snapped toward the door. "What was that?"
"Probably just the wind," Kaiden said, but his voice was shaky.
"No," Sabrina said slowly. "Someone's out there."
I heard her footsteps coming toward the door, and I knew I was in big trouble. If she caught me listening, she'd probably use her magic on me right away.
But as I turned to run, I felt something grab my ankle. I looked down and saw a shadow moving across the floor like it was alive. It wrapped around my leg like a rope, holding me in place.
"Well, well," Sabrina's words came from right behind me. "Look what we have here."
I spun around to see her standing in the doorway, her eyes sparkling with a strange purple light. She didn't look human anymore - she looked like something much more dangerous.
"Hello, Elara," she said with a smile that made my skin crawl. "I think it's time we had a little chat."