Chapter 481: Before the Sky Goes Dark.

Chapter 481: Before the Sky Goes Dark.


(Third person's POV)

The library smelled like crushed leaves and old parchment, the kind of quiet that felt heavy on the tongue. Taylor sat cross-legged on the floor, surrounded by open books, loose papers, and bowls of half-crushed herbs. Her fingers were stained green and black from grinding roots, but she didn’t seem to notice. Her mind was elsewhere—on eclipses, on ancient magic, on the way the moon could bend wolves and gods alike.

Stella knelt beside her, flipping through a thick, leather-bound tome that looked older than the mansion itself. Brian hovered nearby, leaning against the table with a mug of coffee that had long gone cold. Theresa paced, boots scuffing against the wooden floor, her impatience practically vibrating through the room.

“This is driving me insane,” Theresa muttered. “We have a possessed Alpha planning a war during a celestial event, and we’re here arguing over plant dust.”

“It’s not plant dust,” Stella replied, not looking up. “It’s a sedative compound with binding properties. There’s a difference.”

Taylor closed the book in her lap slowly, her expression distant. “It’s not just about the powder.”

All three of them looked at her.

Brian straightened. “Then about what?”

She took a breath. “Marcus. The eclipse. The timing. The intention.”

Theresa stopped pacing. “Go on.”

Taylor shifted, resting her elbows on her knees. “The possessed spirit will probably chose to attack during the eclipse coming up in a few days. During a solar eclipse, the Moon Goddess’s influence is… distorted. Ancient texts say eclipses weaken divine oversight but amplify primal power.”

Stella’s eyes widened slightly. “You think Marcus will be stronger during it.”

“I don’t think,” Taylor said quietly. “I’m sure.”

Brian frowned. “That doesn’t make sense. If the goddess’s influence weakens, wouldn’t that weaken him too? He’s using divine runes, right?”

“Not divine,” Stella corrected. “Arcane. The runes come from old earth magic, not directly from the Moon Goddess. If anything, an eclipse would weaken her control while strengthening him.”

Taylor nodded. “Exactly. The possessed spirit isn’t relying on her anymore. He’s exploiting the imbalance.”

Theresa cursed under her breath. “So if we wait until the eclipse, we’re walking into a trap where he’s at his peak.”

“Yes,” Taylor said simply.

Silence fell over them.

Brian ran a hand through his hair. “Then we hit him before it happens.”

“That’s what I’ve been saying,” Theresa snapped.

Taylor shook her head slightly. “Not just hit him. We need to neutralize him before he can fully prepare. The eclipse is in three days. That’s our window.”

Stella exhaled slowly and pushed the book aside. “Then the powder has to work.”

Taylor’s gaze dropped to the small ceramic bowls between them. Inside lay fine, pale gray powder, almost like ash. She picked up a vial, swirling it slightly, watching how the grains clung to the glass.

“This is it,” she murmured.

Brian walked closer, peering at it skeptically. “Hard to believe that something so small could decide whether Marcus comes back to us or is lost forever.”

“It’s not deciding,” Stella said. “It’s giving him a chance. A deep sleep, forced separation of consciousness. If Marcus’s will is strong enough, he wakes up as himself. If not…” She trailed off.

Theresa folded her arms. “Then the spirit keeps the body.”

Taylor’s fingers tightened around the vial. “Fifty-fifty.”

Brian tried to lighten the mood. “Better odds than most of our plans lately.”

No one laughed. Stella began carefully transferring the powder into two identical small bottles, her movements precise. “Two doses. In case one fails, or in case we have to split up.”

“Or in case someone gets captured,” Theresa added quietly.

Taylor met her eyes. They both knew she meant Dylan. Odette. Anyone who might turn their own plans against them.

Stella corked the bottles and handed one to Taylor. “Keep this on you at all times.”

Taylor nodded and slipped it into the inner pocket of her jacket.

Footsteps echoed down the hallway, and moments later, Killian stepped into the library. His movements were still stiff from the silver wound, but he carried himself like nothing could slow him down. Alec followed behind him, arms crossed, expression thoughtful.

“Stella mindlinked me,” Killian said, his voice low. “You figured something out.”

Taylor stood, dusting off her hands. “Marcus will be strongest during the eclipse. We can’t wait.”

Killian’s jaw tightened. “So we move before it.”

“Yes,” Brian said. “We have three days.”

Alec leaned against the doorframe. “We should assume Marcus knows we’ll try this. If he’s as strategic as you’ve described, he’ll be expecting an early strike.”

Taylor nodded. “Which is why we can’t make it obvious.”

Theresa scoffed. “Define obvious.”

Killian stepped closer, his eyes on Taylor. “You’re thinking infiltration.”

“Yes,” she admitted. “A direct attack will alert him. He’ll retreat, or worse, trigger the eclipse ritual early. We need to get close enough to use the powder.”

“And if he senses it?” Alec asked.

Stella answered, “He won’t. The powder is inert until inhaled. No magical signature, no aura.”

Killian exhaled slowly. “Good.”

He glanced around the room, taking in their tired faces, the scattered books, the quiet determination.

“Then we prepare,” he said. “Training, supplies, routes, contingencies. We assume everything can go wrong.”

Brian raised his mug in mock salute. “My favorite kind of plan.”

Taylor walked over to the table, spreading out a map Alec had brought earlier—the rough sketch of the underground cave system where Marcus had been spotted.

“This is where Alec saw them,” she said, tapping the map. “Deep underground. There are limited entrances and narrow tunnels.”

Theresa leaned over her shoulder. “Perfect place for an ambush.”