Chapter 50 Rumors
Sebastian POV
It happened in an instant. Barely any of us had time to react before the rogue wolves lunged. Eight snarling shadows burst from the underbrush like the forest had spat them out. Their eyes glowed faintly, unnatural and calculating. Every movement felt wrong. Too deliberate. And way too synchronized.
The little light there was only made them look worse. Ragged fur, scars, and dark stains around their mouths. What in Goddess creation are these things? Even the forest seemed to shrink back curiously, as if it knew something was wrong.
Sybil’s voice cut through the chaos. “Whatever you do.. Don’t get bitten by them! Something is seriously wrong with them!”
But no one had time to process. Claws tore through air, fur, and dirt. Luther barely rolled aside as a wolf lunged at him. Edgar jumped back, narrowly avoiding a strike aimed at his face. The air vibrated with snarls and snapping teeth, the scent of wet fur and forest soil thick in the air.
I felt it before I even saw it.. my body was erupting, tearing itself apart, and reshaping into my Lycan form. Massive, imposing, controlled. Muscle thickened, claws extended, and canines gleamed. The corrupted rogues hesitated. Every instinct screamed that they had underestimated the predator they attacked.
I dove forward, claws slicing, canines bared. One staggered, but then.. it seemed to recover unnaturally fast. Wounds knitting together in moments. Especially fast for being slashed by a Lycan. A shiver ran down my spine. Something dark was controlling them. Something powerful.
The team moved as one. Aven dropped low, forcing one wolf under his paw, holding it down long enough to stop it from moving. Luther slammed another into a tree, but it only staggered and got back up. Every strike I made, I expected it to falter, but it fought back harder than any wolf rogue I’d faced before.
Then something shifted. Edgar struggled under a wolf leaping on his back. In the scuffle, the collar around its neck cracked, freeing it. The wolf collapsed, limp.
“Collars!” Sybil barked. “That’s how they’re bound!”
I ripped the collar from my attacker, yanking it off. With one push, I sent it tumbling into a tree. Its body went still. A sharp thud echoed through the clearing.
“Keep moving! Don’t get distracted!” Sybil shouted, but adrenaline had taken over. There were no distractions, I only saw my targets.
I pushed through another pair, shoving them aside. Luther and Aven flanked, striking as the rogues faltered at my size. Edgar huffed in excitement, snapping at the air as his claws found hold. Sybil guided her magic, small bursts of fire lighting up the shadows, forcing a rogue wolf back and using her magic to bring a vine down and wrap around the rogue's neck.
One tried to circle behind me, but I pivoted, redirecting it. Another faltered as Aven managed to remove its collar. The wolf gave a strangled whine and went still.
I could feel my heart hammering, senses screaming. The forest wasn’t just watching.. it was enjoying the show. Every branch, every shadow seemed to lean closer, as if waiting to see who would fall first.
The collars.. someone is using them to control these.. rogues?
The fight didn’t last long, but it felt endless. Muscle and fur clashed against teeth and magic. We moved with the unspoken coordination that only comes from years of training together. Luther slammed, I pushed, Aven restrained, Edgar pressed, and Sybil’s magic flared to keep us safe.
Then came silence.
The forest seemed to exhale. Bodies lay still, collars broken, the leaves stirred lightly in the breeze. We were panting, hair tousled, clothes torn.. but goddess.. we’re alive. For a moment, no one moved. Every one of us was shaking, adrenaline still pulsing. I shifted back behind a tree. My muscles shrank and my bones settled, the fur receding into skin.
I walked back into the clearing just as everyone else did.
“Thank Goddess we brought spare clothes,” Edgar muttered, tugging his tunic into place.
“What.. what were those things?” Aven asked, eyes wide, hands still trembling. It’s crazy how some rogues could have lycans feeling this way. But they weren’t just any rogues. They were far stronger, far deadlier. They were hard to put down.
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “But something.. or someone.. made them that way.” Everyone seemed to agree with their nods.
“I will say, that was pretty bada! I’ve never fought a rogue wolf before.” Edgar said with a bright smile showing on his face. I couldn’t help but shake my head and laugh.
“Only you’d get a kick out of nearly dying.”
I met Sybil’s eyes as they flicked toward the deeper shadows of the forest. The artifact. I didn’t need her words. Her subtle tilt of the head said it all.
“There it is,” she said, voice low, nodding toward a stone table at the center of the clearing. I hadn’t even noticed it before in all of the chaos. Was it really right there this whole time?
The stone surface glimmered faintly in the filtered light, carved with runes that pulsed with an ancient rhythm. Around us seemed to get foggy the closer we got. Darker too.
“I’m guessing the rogues were guarding it, in case anyone got past the stone sirens?” Aven asked, wiping at her nose.
“I’m not entirely sure on that,” Sybil said with a sigh. “But we just dismantled the first layer of defense. And I’m hoping my brother spent all his magic on those rogues.. and that the other artifacts aren’t as heavily guarded.. but a witch can only dream.”
The clearing was quiet now, but the air felt heavy, like something was waiting for us to make the next move. I stepped closer, instincts alert, claws still flexing despite being human again. Each step toward the stone table made me feel almost lighter.
I’m coming, Amara.
The runes carved into the table glimmered faintly as if sensing our approach. Sybil held her hands just above it, magic humming at her fingertips, her fingers twitching as if she could already feel the artifact’s pulse. A strange energy rolled through the clearing, sharp and intoxicating.
I looked around at everyone. Luther brushing leaves from his hair, Aven steadying herself, Edgar kneeling slightly as his chest heaved. Everyone was on edge, but alive. That knowledge gave me strength. We can do this.
The artifact seemed to hum with a power that I’d never felt before. Old and powerful. My instincts screamed that this artifact is of great importance somehow.
Sybil finally spoke, her voice carrying the weight of certainty. “This is not an artifact to be taken lightly. It is a shard from the first king’s crown. But I have removed its link. So now, there’s just the last two artifacts left.”
I nodded, her words not fully registering.
“A shard from the first king's crown.. got it.” I furrowed my brows as the realization hit me. “A shard.. from the first..King's crown..”
My eyes shot to meet Sybil’s who only closed her eyes and nodded.
How is this possible? And why would anyone use something like this.. just leaving it out for anyone to grab? Especially with the rumors..