Chapter 52 Marking the Enemy
Amanda's words had died on her tongue, but the vision did not let go. The taste of blood and smoke lingered at the back of her throat as Derek steadied her beneath the oak canopy.
Around them, the Sacred Grove hummed with uneasy energy. Wolves murmuring. Elders whispering. Warriors watching like coiled springs.
Moira's hand closed over Derek's forearm. Her knuckles white. "Take her home." No argument. No ceremony. The council was broken. Stunned into motion.
The journey back to Nightfang Estate was silent.
Amanda stayed pressed against Derek's side on the horse. Her breathing still uneven. Derek kept one arm around her. Refusing to let her slip even an inch. Cassius followed behind them on foot. Walking with the calm patience of someone who had seen too much darkness to be shaken by more.
But Derek? He was shaken.
The vision had ripped something open inside Amanda. He could still feel her tremors through his clothes. Every few seconds he glanced down at her. Checking the color of her skin. The tightness of her grip. The fear she was trying to hide.
"Amanda." He murmured at one point. "I've got you."
She nodded against his chest but didn't speak.
When Nightfang Estate finally rose ahead, stone walls, silver banners, torchlight burning even in daylight, the pack stood ready at the gates. Warriors. Healers. Elders. All staring at Derek and Amanda. All sensing something had gone terribly wrong.
Owen stepped forward first. His brows slammed together. "What happened out there?"
Derek swung off the horse and lifted Amanda down gently. "Inside." His voice low. "We talk inside."
Owen didn't question him. He simply moved.
The war room buzzed with frantic energy. Maps covered the table. Marked with red stones. Pack warriors trained so loudly outside that the ground vibrated faintly with every strike.
Victor stood at one end of the table. Leaning heavily on his cane. His face was pale, but his eyes were sharp.
"You returned faster than expected. What happened?"
Derek didn't waste time.
"Konstantin was possessed by something old. Ancient. The Nightbringer." The words scraped out of him like gravel. "It killed him from the inside."
Shock spiraled through the room. Gasps. Curses. A few wolves backed up as if distance could protect them.
Cassius stepped forward. His long coat brushing the floor. "Its seal is nearly broken. And it is already moving in the shadows."
Victor gripped the table. "Then war is not coming. It has already begun."
Derek's gaze flicked to Amanda. She stood beside him. Her fingers pressed against her birthmark as if trying to soothe its lingering burn. Riley slipped in beside her. Touching her arm gently.
"You alright?" Riley whispered.
Amanda nodded weakly. "The vision... it wasn't just a warning. It felt like a mark. Like it wanted me to hear it."
Derek stiffened. "You didn't tell me that."
"I didn't want to say it in front of everyone," she whispered back.
He reached for her hand under the table. Clasping it tightly. "You tell me everything. Especially now."
Cassius cleared his throat. "Your bond is exactly what the Nightbringer seeks to destroy. It feeds on cracked alliances. Broken trust. Doubt. Anything that weakens unity."
Victor pointed his cane toward them. "The creature will attack your most vulnerable places. Your pack. Your alliances. Your love."
Derek's jaw tightened. "Let it try."
But even as he said it, a strange heaviness pressed against the room. A feeling like something unseen was listening.
Hours later, the sun dipped low. The estate hummed with restless movement.
Owen's training yard was full. Wolves sparring. Shifting. Launching into drills with relentless focus. Sweat soaked the air. Muscles strained. Grunts and impacts rang out like war drums.
Owen barked instructions. Pushing them harder.
"We are training for our lives. Not a ceremony. Again!"
Amanda stood on the edge of the yard. Watching them. Riley handed her a pair of practice blades.
"You're joining." Riley said it firmly. "Gift or not, you need to fight."
Amanda swallowed. "I've never fought like this."
"Then it's time."
Riley stepped behind her. Adjusting Amanda's grip. "Elbows in. Shoulders loose. Let your body move before fear freezes it."
Amanda exhaled slowly and nodded.
She began striking at a practice dummy. Her movements were shaky at first. But with every swing, something inside her steadied. Her breath evened out. The world narrowed to the rhythm of her strikes.
Derek watched from across the yard. His eyes darkened. Not with fear, but with pride. With a fierce protectiveness that burned deeper each second.
He approached silently. Slipping behind her. His hands covered hers. Correcting her stance.
"You hold the blade too tight." He murmured. "Loosen your grip or you'll tire in minutes."
Amanda shivered at his closeness. "The Nightbringer won't care if I'm tired."
"No." Derek turned her gently to face him. "But I care."
Their eyes locked.
For a moment, the chaos of Nightfang faded.
Just them. Just the bond tying them together.
Until a shout rang across the yard.
"Alpha! We... we have a problem!"
A young warrior sprinted toward Derek. "Something strange is happening with the patrol team. They're fighting each other."
Derek froze. "Why?"
"They don't know. A small argument turned into a full brawl. For no reason."
Cassius stepped beside Derek. Face grave. "It has begun. The influence."
Amanda's heart lurched. "The Nightbringer?"
Cassius nodded. "Its corruption spreads like smoke. Silent. Unseen. Slipping into cracks already present. Every doubt. Every jealousy. Every fear. It pushes them until bonds snap."
Riley exhaled sharply. "So it can turn our own pack against us?"
"If you let your unity break, yes."
Derek didn't hesitate. "Amanda. Can you sense it?"
She swallowed hard. "I can try."
He took her hand. "Show me."
They found the patrol team in the forest edge. Two wolves bleeding. Three pinned down. All snarling in wild, confused rage.
Amanda stepped forward. Her heartbeat thundering in her ears.
"I can feel something," she murmured.
The air twisted. Thin, dark threads clinging to the wolves like smoke curling around their shoulders. No one else could see them, but Amanda could. The curse tugged at instincts. Fanning anger into violence.
She lifted her hands.
Her birthmark glowed brightly. Light rippling across her skin. Heat flickered through her palm. She placed her hand over the nearest wolf's chest.
The dark threads burned away.
The wolf collapsed to his knees. Gasping. Confusion clearing from his eyes. "Luna... what happened?"
"You were touched by something. It wasn't your fault."
She moved to the next wolf. Then the next.
Each time, her power flared. Cleansing the corruption. But with every wolf she healed, the strain grew worse. Her breathing turned ragged. Sweat dampened her forehead. Her knees trembled.
Derek stepped forward. Grabbing her elbow. "Enough."
"No." Amanda panted. "They need me."
"You're shaking." His voice hardened. "You burn yourself out now, and we lose before the war even begins."
Cassius nodded. "He is right. You cannot cleanse the entire territory alone. This is only the beginning."
Amanda sagged against Derek. "Then we're already losing ground."
Derek cupped her face. "Then we make more."
That night, strategy overtook the estate.
Clay maps covered the war table. Messengers ran in and out. Fires burned at every wall post.
Derek sent wolves to every allied pack he trusted.
"Tell them everything. Tell them unity is the only chance we have left."
Some responded with immediate pledges of aid.
Others sent back curt refusals.
Others... nothing at all.
"Well, that's reassuring," Riley muttered.
Cassius tapped the table. His expression cold. "The entity is building its own army. Not just wolves. Rogues. Outcasts. Dark practitioners. Anyone hungry for power or revenge."
Victor leaned heavily on his cane. "Nightbringer doesn't just break wolves. It seduces them."
At the mention of revenge, Amanda caught Derek's glance. His jaw flexed.
"Elias Hale." Amanda whispered. "He's still out there."
Cassius didn't react with surprise. "Banished wolves are always the first prey to darkness. If he is approached... he will be offered everything he ever wanted."
Derek exhaled through his teeth. "All the more reason to move fast."
But fast wasn't enough.
The enemy was moving faster.
Hours later, as the moon rose over Nightfang, a horn blared from the front gate.
A guard's panicked voice echoed through the halls. "Alpha! Someone's here! He... he's barely alive!"
Derek and Amanda rushed outside. Cassius following.
Two warriors dragged a blood-soaked messenger toward them. His clothes were scorched. His arm hung at an unnatural angle. His breathing rattled.
He lifted his head when he saw Derek.
"Alpha..." He choked it out. "I... I came as fast as I could..."
"Get him a healer!" Derek barked. Dropping to his knees.
The messenger's hand shot out. Gripping Derek's wrist with desperate strength.
"No time," he gasped.
Blood trickled from his mouth.
His eyes locked on Derek and Amanda.
"Emberfang... has fallen."
The world stopped.
Amanda's breath caught. Derek's heart slammed painfully in his chest.
A cold wind swept through the courtyard. As if the shadows themselves had followed him.
The messenger coughed. Wheezing the final words.
"Lucian is dead... the shadow army is real... and it's moving this way.”