Chapter 64 The Pillars of Salt

Chapter 64 The Pillars of Salt
Aurelia

I was turning into something far more than just a witch blessed by the Moon Goddess. At first, the idea had terrified me.

Now it felt like a waking nightmare. The way the light had exploded out of me yesterday, the way my eyes turned pure white, the way the bond had sang like something ancient and hungry had taken over my body, it all pointed to one terrifying truth: I was changing into something I couldn’t control.

Zhayad suggesting I see the pack’s diviner only made it worse. He knew something. Something big. Something he wasn’t ready to tell me yet. 

If the Alpha of the Onyx Fang pack, the most powerful wolf I’d ever known, needed someone else to explain what was happening to his own mate, then it was worse than I feared.

Maybe he never should have bonded with me. The thing was, witches were never meant to thrive outside their own clans. My blood was probably rebelling. My father’s cursed legacy mixing with whatever divine power the Goddess had shoved into me. 

What if it broke me? What if it broke us?

“Luna!”A sharp, urgent voice snapped me out of the spiral.

I jerked my head up to find one of the shifter scouts standing right in front of me, his eyes wide with panic, breathing hard like he’d run across the entire compound.

“Yes, sorry,” I said quickly, shaking my head. “My mind was somewhere else. What’s wrong?”

“A group of basilisk shifters arrived ten minutes ago,” he said in a tight voice. “And they’re not here for diplomacy, Luna. They’re furious.”

A chill raced down my spine. Zhayad had left early this morning to personally investigate the missing eggs. For the basilisks to show up unannounced and aggressive in his absence… this was bad.

I straightened, pushing my fears about my powers to the back of my mind. Right now, the pack needed their commander.

“In the Alpha’s absence, the commander takes on the—”

“I know,” I cut in, already moving. “Take me to them.”

The scout nodded sharply and led the way, his boots pounding against the stone floors. I followed close behind, my long coat flaring behind me as we moved through the compound. 

Warriors and pack members stared as I passed. Some with fear, some with wary respect. A few still stared with open hatred, but as usual, I ignored them.

By the time we reached the main courtyard, the tension in the air was thick enough to taste on my tongue.

Six basilisk shifters stood in the center, their pale, almost ethereal skin gleaming under the morning light. 

Nero, the heir, wasn’t with them. Instead, his sister Nimaya stood at the front, her slit-pupiled eyes burning with cold fury. 

Two of the males behind her had already partially shifted, rendering the whole place in steam and heat.

The moment I stepped into view, Nimaya’s gaze locked onto me like a predator spotting prey.

“Where is your Alpha?” she hissed, her forked tongue flicking out briefly. “We gave him two weeks. Two weeks! And now our scouts have found new wolf scents all over the stolen nesting grounds.”

Murmurs erupted from the gathered warriors as I stepped forward. I really had no idea what to say, or how to say it.

What would Zhayad say in a situation like this? I took a deep breath and trusted my instincts.

“I am acting commander in his stead,” I said calmly. “Tell me what you’ve found.”

Nimaya laughed, a low, venomous sound that slithered through the courtyard.

“You? The witch whore who stole the Alpha’s soul?” She took a step closer, her eyes narrowing. “We smell the Goddess on you… but we also smell weakness. Your pack stole what belongs to us. Hand over the culprits to us, or we will burn this entire compound to ash and pick the bones of every wolf we find.”

The threat carried weight, I felt it on my skin, in the air, everywhere. Nimaya wasn't bluffing.

My power stirred beneath my skin, eager, waiting for me to pull on the threads. The mark on my chest pulsed once, bright enough that a few of the pack's warriors instinctively stepped back.

I met Nimaya’s hateful gaze without flinching. “Threaten my pack again,” I said softly, letting a hint of that divine white glow bleed into my eyes, “and I will show you exactly what this ‘witch whore’ is capable of.”

The basilisk shifters tensed. One of them hissed loudly. They could hiss all they wanted, spit out venom if they wished, too, but the moment any single one of them moved wrong, I was going to take a hit.

Nimaya stepped forward, her slit-pupiled eyes flashing with condescension. “I don’t care if your eyes bleed white, red, yellow, or fucking blue. You can spill light from your ears for all I care. There are wolf shifters in our territory, and I need you to name them. Now.”

I fought the violent urge to make her forget how to blink and watch her eyes dry out and bleed. 

Instead, I kept my voice calm, just as Zhayad would if he were here. “The Alpha is already investigating the matter personally. We have not yet identified the culprits, but I give you my word, you will be notified the moment we do.”

“Lies!” Nimaya snarled, her forked tongue flicking out in rage. “Pure fucking lies! I came here for answers, not your pathetic stalling. Who are the culprits? Hand them over!”

I stared her down, unflinching. “We. Don’t. Know. Them.”

Nimaya’s lips curled into a cruel smile. “Let’s see about that.”

The temperature in the courtyard spiked violently. The air grew thick, scorching, until every breath burned my lungs. 

Shifter warriors around me started choking, clutching at their throats as the oxygen seemed to vanish.

“What the hell are you doing?” I demanded

“Showing you exactly what I’m capable of,” she hissed sweetly. 

“I don't remember asking you to.” I said through clenched teeth, even though my lungs were fighting for air.

“I’m just being nice, Luna.” Nimaya’s smile was nowhere near nice.

A female pack member dropped to her knees, gasping desperately, her slender arm stretched out like she could physically grab the air.

“Stop this, Nimaya!” I snapped. “You’re hurting innocent people. This is insane.”

“Hand. Them. Over.” She snarled.

I closed my eyes for half a second, trying to think through the rising heat. When I opened them again, the entire world had gone white. And Nimaya was the only dark thing left in it.

Without moving a muscle, I reached out with my power and slammed her legs out from under her. 

She crashed to the ground like a toppled statue, an oversized, furious toddler. She tried to push back with her own power, but it felt like a weak breeze against a hurricane.

“Is this all you’ve got, Luna?” she spat, even as she struggled to rise. “Shiny eyes and party tricks?”

I tilted my head. “If you behave, you might live long enough to see more.”

Her skin began rippling, scales pushing through as she tried to shift. I simply lifted my chin.

Nimaya’s body shot upward, suspended in mid-air. Her eyes widened in shock, her mouth forming a perfect, horrified ‘O’ as she dangled helplessly.

A rush of warmth flooded through me, no longer foreign but completely mine. 

My voice, when it came out, didn’t sound like mine at all. It was ancient. Resonant. Terrifyingly calm.

“Nimaya… I admire your determination. But not when it crosses my boundaries.”

The other basilisk shifters roared and charged forward. I waved my hand almost lazily.

They froze mid-stride. Their bodies hardened from the toes upward, their skin turning to glittering pillars of salt, eyes wide in eternal terror.

“You have exactly one minute,” my voice echoed through the courtyard like divine judgment, “to take your people and leave. Or I will turn every last one of you into statues that will stand here until the end of time.”

The remaining basilisks stared at their frozen comrades in pure horror.

Nimaya, still floating, looked at me with something close to fear for the first time.

“Let them go!” Nimaya yelled as she dangled helplessly in the air.

I tilted my head, the divine power humming through my veins like liquid starlight. My voice came out calm, almost bored.

“Not until you swear you and your people will leave the moment I release you.”

Nimaya’s face twisted with hatred, but the terror in her eyes won out. 

“Fine! We’ll leave!”

“Good girl,” I said softly. I lowered her gently to the ground. The moment her feet touched the floor, she stumbled back, breathing hard.

I turned my attention to the five basilisk shifters I had turned into pillars of salt. I reached out with my power, willing them to return to flesh and blood.

Nothing happened. I pushed harder, the power inside me surged but it refused to obey. It sat heavily in my chest, stubborn and ancient, like it had decided their punishment was final.

A cold sweat broke across my skin.

Come on… reverse it.

Still nothing. The salt statues remained frozen, their faces locked in expressions of horror.

No, no, no. This couldn't be happening.