Chapter 41: CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

Hellen’s POV

The night air was thick with silver mist, and for the first time in what felt like forever, I could breathe without pain. The mark on my neck pulsed faintly warm, alive as if my bond with Matt had finally stirred from its long, painful slumber. My wolf, Lyra, was restless within me, pacing with a power that felt almost foreign. Every heartbeat, every flicker of energy running through me, whispered one truth: I was no longer broken.

I opened my eyes slowly, the soft glow of the moonlight spilling across the chamber floor like liquid silk. The air smelled faintly of smoke and pine, Matt’s scent. He had been here. I could still feel the weight of his presence lingering, heavy yet comforting. The way his eyes had looked at me earlier… gods, I could still feel the ache that settled in my chest when I saw that pain in them, pain he tried to hide behind that Alpha mask.

My fingers brushed over the blanket, feeling the spot where his hand had been moments before. Warm. Real. I exhaled shakily, pressing my palm against my chest. The bond throbbed again, stronger this time. Lyra let out a low growl of satisfaction within me.

He still feels it, she whispered. He still wants us.

I didn’t reply. I couldn’t. My throat tightened with emotion. It had taken everything in me not to reach for him when he sat by my bed, his voice low, broken, whispering words he probably didn’t even mean to say out loud. He’d spoken about guilt, about fear, about failing me, nd the weight in his tone had been so raw it made my soul tremble.

And then he stopped… because he thought I was asleep.

I almost wished I hadn’t moved. That tiny twitch of my hand had been enough to send him away. I hated that.

I swung my legs off the bed, feeling the smooth stone floor under my bare feet. The weakness that used to cripple me was gone. Every movement felt new, alive, steady, and deliberate. My reflection in the mirror across the room made my breath hitch. My eyes glowed faintly silver. My aura hummed with energy. I wasn’t just healed… I was evolving.

Something had changed in my blood, in my wolf, in my soul.

And I could feel the pull of destiny shifting, as though the moon herself was holding her breath.

Before I could process the sensation, a soft creak echoed by the door, and I tensed immediately. My senses sharpened.

“Who’s there?” I asked, my voice low but steady.

The door opened slightly, and Laura slipped in, carrying her usual fake sweetness like a cloak. Her lips curled into a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

“Oh, Luna,” she said softly, her tone dripping with concern. “You’re awake. Thank the goddess, I was beginning to worry you’d never recover.”

I tilted my head, studying her. “How thoughtful of you.”

She walked closer, her steps light and graceful, so graceful. I noticed the flick of her eyes toward the herbs by my bedside table, the faint twitch in her jaw when she saw the untouched tea the healer had left earlier.

“Have you been drinking your tonics?” she asked.

I smiled faintly. “No need. I seem to be doing just fine without them.”

For the briefest second, her mask cracked. Her lips parted slightly, surprise flashing before she composed herself again.

“That’s… wonderful,” she murmured, her tone slipping into something more careful. “You must be relieved. Matt has been...”

“Busy?” I cut her off softly, stepping closer. “Yes, I noticed. But you’ve been quite the companion to him, haven’t you?”

Her lashes fluttered, but she didn’t deny it. “He needs someone, Luna. You’ve been… unavailable.”

I could almost hear the venom behind that word.

Lyra growled inside me. Let me claw her eyes out.

Not yet, I warned silently. We play her game.

“Then I should thank you,” I said aloud, feigning a small, tired smile. “For taking care of him while I was… fragile.”

Her eyes searched mine, suspicion flickering beneath that sugary smile. “Of course. That’s what a pack is for.”

Pack. The word made me want to laugh.

She started to move toward the door, but then paused, lancing back over her shoulder. “You should rest, Luna. The healer will be by soon to check on you. He said your energy may still be unstable.”

“I’m sure he did,” I replied, voice soft but edged with steel.

As she left, I caught the faintest whiff of something herbs and ash mixed with the metallic tang of deceit. My jaw tightened. The healer and Laura. They were still at it.

When the door clicked shut, I exhaled and turned toward the window. The moon hung high, burning white against the darkness. My reflection shimmered faintly against the glass. My wolf’s eyes met mine, erce, and live.

It’s time, Lyra said. We find the truth.

I wrapped a cloak around my shoulders and slipped out of the chamber. The corridors of the packhouse were quiet, save for the hum of guards patrolling below. My feet carried me toward the east wing, where the healer’s quarters were.

Every step I took was silent but purposeful. I could feel my pulse in my throat, my instincts screaming that I was walking straight into the heart of the storm.

The healer’s door was slightly ajar. Candlelight flickered from within. I pressed closer, listening.

Laura’s voice drifted out. “She’s recovering faster than expected. Are you sure the poison is still active?”

My stomach dropped.

The healer replied, his tone low and annoyed. “It should be. Unless… unless her wolf rejected it. The enchantment was ancient, tied to the moon’s cycle. If she’s regained her power, it’s only a matter of time before she starts remembering everything.”

Laura cursed under her breath. “Then we need to move faster. Matt is already suspicious. If he connects the dots...”

“He won’t,” the healer interrupted sharply. “He’s blinded by guilt. Keep him close, make him trust you. I’ll find another way to suppress her power.”

I gripped the wall, fury clawing its way up my chest. My vision flickered silver. My wolf’s rage surged, demanding blood.

They poisoned us, Lyra snarled. They plotted to kill us.

I swallowed hard, forcing myself to stay silent. Not yet. I needed more.

Laura spoke again, her voice colder this time. “And what if he doesn’t stay blind? What if he finds out we planned...”

“He won’t,” the healer said firmly. “Because by the time he does, it’ll be too late. He’ll be too broken to fight back.”

I’d heard enough. My body trembled, but not from fear. From control. From holding back the storm building inside me.

I stepped back quietly, retreating down the hall before they could notice. My mind spun fragments of conversations, glimpses of Laura’s smirks, the healer’s hands, the strange taste in my old tonics, all came together like shards of a shattered mirror.

They had been poisoning me. Slowly. Magically. With an enchanted toxin designed to keep me weak, docile, dying.

And Matt… they were using his guilt to blind him.

I stopped by the grand staircase, gripping the railing as I let the moonlight bathe my face.

No more.

No more weakness. No more silence.

The pain they caused had forged something new inside me. Something powerful.

I closed my eyes and reached deep within, into the bond that connected me to Matt. It pulsed faintly but was real. He was still awake. I could feel his restless energy, his torment.

“Soon, Matt,” I whispered. “You’ll know the truth. And when you do, I’ll be ready.”

Lyra stirred, her growl low and full of promise. We’ll burn them all.

I smiled faintly. “No. Not yet. We’ll make them confess first.”

The moonlight shifted, the flickering, almost dimming for a moment, as though the goddess herself was listening.

But before I could move, a whisper drifted from the corner of the hall.

Laura.

She was standing there, half-shadowed, her expression unreadable. “You shouldn’t wander at night, Luna,” she said, her tone deceptively sweet. “It’s dangerous… especially when your enemies might be closer than you think.”

I held her gaze. “Are you threatening me, Laura?”

She smiled. “Merely advising you. Rest well. You’ll need your strength for what’s coming.”

And with that, she walked away calm, poised, confident.

But I could see it in her eyes. She knew I’d heard.

As soon as she vanished down the corridor, I turned and went straight to my room. I sat by the fire until the embers burned low, my thoughts a storm of fury and resolve.

Matt had to know. But if I told him now, Laura and the healer would vanish or worse, strike first.

No, I needed proof. I required them to expose themselves.

So I waited, planning, every heartbeat a reminder that I was no longer the fragile Luna they thought they’d destroyed.

The moon hung high above the castle, glowing red through the mist.

Lyra’s voice echoed softly in my head. The game has changed.

I nodded slowly, staring into the flames. “No,” I whispered, “the game has only just begun.”

And somewhere beyond the walls, I could feel Matt’s power flare his fury, his confusion, his need for vengeance.

The moonlight trembled again.

The bond was awakening.

The war had begun.