Chapter 49

Twila's POV

I sat in front of the Elder's house, staring over the horizon. The Shadow slayers and their army remained there, watching us.

I sighed tiredly. They haven't moved since they appeared. What if no one survives this time?

I felt someone come behind me.

“Hey Luna.” Zackfronth said.

“Hey.” I replied without sparing him a glance.

“Are you good?” He asked and continued. “Cause you don't look fine.”

“How can I be good when those slayers are up there, waiting to destroy everyone in this Kingdom?” I said, my voice cracked.

“Hey hey, it's all good. Don't worry, we've got this.” He tried to cheer me up.

“Why do you sound so okay.. just this morning, all of the food had rotted and the water had dried up. How would we survive this?”

“I'm not okay, heck I'm scared. But my people have hope in me, I can't afford to show any form of weakness.” He explained. “Also, I have the prophecy and I found you and along with you came the support of the Northern and Southern Kingdoms. If anything, I'd say we have more chances of bringing a change.”

“But that's what scares me the most. What if I fail? I mean, everyone's got big hopes for me, what if I can't do it?

“Don't put too much pressure on yourself. I don't expect you to do this alone. I'm here with you, to fight together. You chose to help me and for that, I'm grateful.” He smiled, leaned in and pecked my forehead.

“Come in and eat something.” He said and I nodded.

“In a bit.” I replied and he nodded before going in.

As I watched the Shadow slayers, I couldn't help but feel weaker. It was like watching a young girl get assaulted but being unable to help her. I felt weak, helpless. It was just like the time my family was killed.

Things are different now, I'm not that vulnerable non-shifting wolf I was. I had powers now, great powers and if the Elven queen was right, I'm yet to unlock my full potential.

“You can do this!” I motivated myself.

“That's good, cause you'll need all the motivation you can get if you're going against the Shadow slayers.” The elder said from behind me. I faced him with a frown.

“Why do you have to sound so negative.. you're an elder in this Kingdom, shouldn't you be fighting for the people's survival?” I asked and he laughed.

“Little girl, my title as elder barely means anything. This Kingdom is nothing like the ones you're used to.” He said.

“What happened to the remaining elders?” I asked.

“Dead.. either from the slayers, starvation or old age. Either way, I'm the last man standing.” He finished with a sad smile. “You know, the Shadow slayers didn't begin when Marshall betrayed the Kingdom. They had always existed.” He began.

“What does that mean?”

“Well, long ago, even before the days of Lord Zarin, the Eastern Kingdom was ruled by a ruthless Alpha—Alpha Damien. One time, during his rule, a family was taken for breaking one of his laws and burnt to death in the Kingdom's square. It is said that before her death, the mother of that family cursed this Kingdom and a week after their deaths, the Shadow slayers appeared. Rumors have it that the leaders of the Shadow army are the three sons of the family that was killed.”

“Is that true?”

“No one knows.. just rumors, but not dismissible.” He paused to look at me. “Then, the moon goddess decided to bless Alpha Zarin with the Moonstone which brought peace and prosperity to all four kingdoms. The Shadow slayers were shut out and they never appeared until we lost our Moonstone.” He finished.

“And you think the only thing that can help is the Moonstone?”

“No child, I'm saying if you want to stand a chance, you must have powers as great as the Moonstone.”

I went quiet. I wasn't sure if I was as strong as the Moonstone. The Elven queen did say my power was something strong and ancient, but never had this world seen anything more powerful than the Moonstone.

“Come on in child, even worse things await us tomorrow.” The elder said as he made his way inside and I followed suit.

Orion's POV

I was just about going outside to check on Twila when I saw her come in with the elder.

“Twila.” I called and she came to me. “Is something wrong?” I asked and she sighed before narrating to me all that the elder had told her.

“So you think you need a Moonstone?” I asked and she shaked her head.

“I'm just scared my powers might not be as great as that of the moonstone.” She explained.

“Twila, stop worrying. Believe me when I say this, you're enough, just perfect.” I assured her. “Don't think too much about it. I'll be here with you.”

She smiled. “Thanks, Orion.”

I watched her for a moment. Even in the dim light, with the air heavy from days of tension, she still looked like a flame refusing to be snuffed out.

“You shouldn’t carry this alone,” I said gently. “I know you think you have to be strong for everyone, but strength doesn’t mean silence, Twila.”

She tilted her head slightly. “It’s not that I want to be silent. It’s that I don’t know what to say. How do I tell them that I’m scared too? That I don’t have all the answers?”

“You don’t need all the answers,” I replied. “You just need to keep going. That’s more than enough. You’re already doing more than anyone could ask.”

She dropped her gaze, but I could see her throat bob slightly. She was holding something in. I stepped forward and gently took her hand.

“When I lost my parents as a little kid, I thought I had nothing left. No reason to keep fighting,” I said, my voice low. “But then the people around me remained supportive—Thane, Natalia, Azrael and you also came along. Suddenly, there was something again—someone—worth believing in.”

Her eyes snapped up to mine. “Orion…”

“I’m not just saying this to make you feel better. I mean it. You’ve brought all of us together. Alphas who should be tearing each other apart—we’re working together because of you.”

She laughed softly, almost bitterly. “That, or we’re all desperate.”

“Desperation doesn’t forge loyalty, Twila. Only respect does. And you’ve earned every drop of it.”

For a few seconds, she was silent, and then she took a deep breath. “Do you ever feel like everything’s closing in? Like… no matter how hard you fight, there’s just more darkness coming?”

“All the time,” I admitted. “But I also remember this: the darker it gets, the more you can see the stars.”

She let out a small huff of air that was almost a laugh. “That was… poetic.”

I smirked. “What can I say? I have layers.”

“Like a wolf onion?”

“Exactly like a wolf onion,” I said, chuckling. “But seriously—no matter how bad it gets out there, I’m staying right here. With you.”

We stood like that for a while, just quietly holding on to the silence before something broke it again. Outside, a gust of cold wind howled through the cracks in the wooden house, rattling loose boards. Twila flinched slightly and stepped closer to me without thinking.

She was still trembling.

I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her into my chest, resting my chin on her head. “You're not alone,” I whispered. “Not anymore.”

Her fingers gripped the fabric of my shirt, and I felt her nod against me.

“I keep thinking about what the elder said,” she murmured. “About the history. The curse. The three brothers… If there’s any truth to it, how do we fight something born from vengeance so ancient and deep?”

“With everything we have,” I said. “With the bonds we’ve made. With the lives we still want to protect. They’re coming with hatred, but we—we have something stronger.”

She looked up. “What’s stronger than hatred?”

I smiled. “Love. Hope. And you.”

For a moment, there was only silence between us again, but this time, it felt less suffocating. Less hopeless. She wasn’t completely okay—but she wasn’t falling apart either.

That was enough for now.