Chapter 14: Puppet.

“She’s dead.”

The words slipped out of Damien’s mouth before he even knew he had spoken them. His arms still trembled, remembering the weight of Serena’s lifeless body against his chest. His hands wouldn’t stop shaking, no matter how hard he tried.

Back at the abandoned house, the air was heavy and cold. Dust floated in the moonlight that reflected through the cracked window. Damien paced back and forth, his heart racing loudly, it all felt like a nightmare. Was all this real?

Jack sat on a broken chair, he leaned forward, his elbows were on his knees, he rubbed his hand through his messy hair. His voice cracked as he muttered, “I can’t get her face out of my head… the way she coughed, the blood…” He shook his head, his jaw clenched. “It was too real.”

Lyra stood in the corner, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. Her mask wasn’t on, but the shadow of it seemed to hang over her face. Her expression was hard, but her eyes carried guilt.

Maya closed the old book on the wooden crate in front of her. Her hands lingered on the cover like she was trying to keep herself steady. She finally looked up at Damien. “Tell me everything.”

Damien stopped pacing, his throat tightened but he forced the words out. “Serena… she’s dead, she collapsed in front of us, right in the courtyard. Blood just kept coming out of her mouth. It was like…” His voice cracked, and he looked away, fists clenching. “It was like her body gave up.”

Maya’s eyes narrowed, she tapped her finger against the book. “Blue bodies, and blue blood, that's The illusionist’s work.”

Lyra pushed off the wall. “But Serena wasn’t the illusionist, she couldn’t be. Could she?” Her voice was sharp, but the uncertainty in her tone was clear.

Jack tilted his head." I had doubts about it too, but now she ends up dead the same way the other victims did. Isn't it weird."

" I'll agree it is." Maya murmured.

"Serena knew more than she let on, she kept on hinting about my strength. I think she knew I was a werewolf." Damien gulped, his eyes scanning the others.

Lyra bit her lips. "She's still a suspect though."

Jack lifted his head, his voice was hoarse. “We all thought she was suspicious but if she was really the one… then why would she kill herself?”

The room went silent, the only sound was the faint creak of the house settling.

Damien finally sat on a crate across from Maya. He buried his face in his hands, then dragged them down slowly. His eyes were red, his chest still aching. “I need to tell you something else.”

Everyone looked at him.

“I had a dream,” Damien said, voice low. “A nightmare, actually. I was with Lyra. She… she turned into a monster with fangs, claws and red eyes. She tried to kill me.”

Lyra stiffened. Her eyes widened, then narrowed into a glare. “That’s not funny, Damien.”

“I’m not joking.” He met her eyes. His voice shook, but his words were steady. “It felt real. Too real.”

Lyra’s arms dropped to her sides. She took a step back, her breathing uneven. “So now you think I’m the enemy?”

“No,” Damien said quickly, his voice rising. “I don’t think that but we all agreed Serena was strange. And now she’s gone. What if this isn’t about who we trust or don’t trust? What if it’s bigger than that?”

Maya leaned forward, her elbows on her knees, eyes sharp. “Dreams are warnings. In our world, they mean something, maybe it wasn’t about Lyra specifically. Maybe it was showing you the illusionist’s power, how they twist what you desire and turn it into something deadly.”

Lyra folded her arms again, but her jaw softened. She looked away. “So you’re saying it wasn’t me?”

Damien gave her a small nod. “I don’t want to believe it was.”

Jack let out a long sigh, running his hands down his face. “Okay, let’s step back, we thought the trouble ended when Damien killed Coach D. We thought killing the Alpha fixed everything but now Serena’s dead, and people are still in danger. So what the hell are we fighting?”

The question hung heavy in the room.

Maya stood, her chair scraping against the floor. She walked over to the wall where symbols had been scratched in long ago. She traced one with her finger, her face looked worried.

Damien followed her with his eyes. “What are you saying?”

Maya turned to face them. Her face was pale, her voice quiet but firm. “Killing the Alpha was just the first chapter.”

Jack frowned. “The first chapter?”

“Yes.” Maya’s hands curled into fists at her sides. “Don’t you get it? That wasn’t the end, it was the beginning. The Alpha’s death didn’t close the door...it opened it.”

Lyra’s stomach twisted. She stepped forward, her boots crunching against the dust. “Opened it to what?”

Maya looked at each of them, her gaze sharp and steady. “To everything else that’s coming.”

Damien’s chest tightened. He felt a cold shiver crawl up his spine. “Maya, stop being vague. Just tell us what you mean.”

Maya’s lips parted, her eyes dark as storm clouds. She let out a breath, slow and heavy.

“This…” She paused, her voice dropping to a whisper. Then she spoke louder, each word cutting the air like a blade.

“…this is just the beginning.”

"The beginning of what?" Lyra asked.

"The beginning of doom, everything we are going through is a test and because Damien is the true Alpha, he has to undergo a test to prove his worth," she said softly.

Jack frowned." Why, he never asked for the bite, this wasn't his fault..."

Lyra cuts in." It isn't any of your fault and we have to bear it."

" Did you guys notice something?" Damien asked.

" What?"Maya replied.

"Everything that's happening, it's like a pattern. First the Alpha then the random killings and Serena trying to get comfortable."

Jack cuts in." You mean Serena has something to do with this."His gaze fell on me.

" She has to, I started having strange dreams when she appeared, she said some strange things too." He said softly, nodding his head.

Maya eyes furrowed." Who is Serena?"