Will lay still on the bed. His skin was pale, but beneath the surface, it glowed faintly—as if something ancient still whispered through his blood.

  I sat beside him, one hand resting over his. Hours had passed since he transformed. Since he fought as Vaelmark. Since he fell.

  No one knew what he was now.

  Not even he did.

  When his eyes suddenly opened, I flinched. They were no longer just dark. A shimmer remained in his iris—silver, almost like starlight.

  "Will?" I whispered.

  He blinked slowly, as if returning from a place he hadn't chosen to be.

  "What happened?" His voice was low, raspy.

  "You... changed," I replied. "You became something bigger. Something more."

  He tried to rise, but I held him back. "You need to rest."

  "I felt it," he whispered. "Something... awoke. And it wasn't me. Not entirely."

  I nodded. "Vaelmark."

  He breathed in sharply. "It was like... he saw through me. Spoke through me. And yet... I still felt you."

  I gripped his hand tighter. "Because I was there. And I will always be there."

  His gaze searched mine. "It won't let go of me, Tracy. That darkness. That strength. I'm afraid it will take over."

  "It won't," I said softly. "Because you carry the light too. And I remind you of it."

  He fell silent. Then, almost whispering, "Vaelmark said you were the light."

  "And you are the power," I replied. "But only together are you whole."

  Will closed his eyes again—but this time in rest, not fear.

  I watched his shoulders relax. His breath grew steadier.

  He still held my hand. Tight.

  And I knew: He would learn to control it. Not because he had to—but because he had me.

  Outside, the wind howled. The snow fell softly against the rooftops. The forest lay still, as if waiting.

  I stayed, my thoughts spinning. Vaelmark's words echoed within me:

  "A heart that remembers. A soul that chooses. A power that binds—never breaks."

  Now I understood. This wasn't a battle to break free from the curse—it was about reshaping it. Turning it into something new.

  Will had become Vaelmark. Not as a victim. But as a bridge between two worlds. Between human and wolf. Between light and darkness.

  And I... I was the link that kept him grounded.

  Together, we wouldn't just survive.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  We would change everything.

  Will had fallen asleep from exhaustion, and I quietly slipped out of the hut. His breathing was deep and even, but there was something in the air that still trembled from what had happened. He had succeeded—driven away the dark wolves. And while their shock lingered like a trace on the ground, Rex had seized the chance to free Amelia and the children. Together, we had helped carry Will back to the camp.

  As soon as we returned, Rex set off again to retrieve Niva and Sac. Gus and Sate followed him, despite Rex's initial objection. But the guys insisted—it was safer that way, and in the end, he agreed.

  Amelia sat silently by the fire. Her gaze was empty, fixed on the flames. She hadn't said much since we came back.

  "Amelia," I said softly, walking up to her. She looked up, met my gaze for a moment, but then looked back at the fire, indifferent.

  "How are you?"

  She simply shook her head.

  "Tracy," she whispered after a while, "I saw her die. I saw it with my own eyes. How can you say she's still alive? It's impossible..."

  I crouched down next to her. My voice was soft but firm.

  "She chose the darkness, Amelia. That's what keeps her here now. That's why she's still alive—but it's not the same life. Not the same body. She carries something else now."

  Amelia shook her head violently. Her eyes filled with tears as she turned toward me.

  "You don't understand!" she cried out. "She was like a mother to me. She was good, wise... she loved you! How can you say this about her? How can you turn against her?" Her voice broke. "It's Will we should be worried about. He changed into... something. Something big and terrifying. Didn't you feel the darkness radiating from him? How do you know it was really Vaelmark—and not something pretending to be him?"

  Her words struck me like blows. I didn't know how to answer. She would never understand how it felt—when Vaelmark touched my mind, how his words echoed in me with an ancient truth. And she would never understand the dream, how the darkness crawled up my spine when I saw Sacra swept into her new form.

  "You're upset, Amelia. I understand," I said quietly. "But I would never say this if I wasn't sure. I am. Very sure."

  I stood and walked away, not waiting for a response.

  The children in the village had already begun to return to their routines. They laughed and played as if everything that had happened had been nothing but a bad dream. But the dream was not over. Not yet.

  Sacra lived—hidden in the shadows.

  And she was more dangerous than ever.

  I heard voices as I neared the edge of the camp. Movements among the trees. Feet on the ground. Someone was running—but not in panic, rather with purpose. I turned just in time to see Rex return, and behind him, two shadows moved through the gloom.

  It was Niva. And Sac.

  I froze. Everything in me tensed, though I didn't know why. Something in the air shifted as they drew closer. Niva was dirty, exhausted—but her eyes still held that same strength. Sac, on the other hand... her gaze went right through me. Empty yet intense.

  "Tracy," Niva said and hugged me quickly. I felt her heartbeat against my chest, but she pulled away almost immediately, casting a glance back at Sac.

  Sac smiled faintly, but it wasn't the warmth it used to be. Something was hidden there, behind her eyes.

  "We heard what happened," Niva said, breathless. "Rex told us about Will. And the children."

  I nodded. "He saved us. But... he carries something within him now. Something we don't fully understand."

  Sac stepped closer. Her voice was soft, almost a whisper. "Vaelmark."

  I met his gaze. It didn't scare me, but a cold shiver ran down my spine, as if something invisible was creeping along my skin.

  "Yes," I replied softly. "He's awakened."

  "It was meant to be," said Sac, without blinking. "The old always wakes when the world is on the brink of its fall."

  Niva looked at him, confused. "What do you mean?"

  Sac stepped closer, his voice low, like a calm, threatening whisper. "He is the balance. A heart that remembers. A soul that chooses. A power that binds—not breaks."

  I froze. The words... they echoed from Vaelmark.

  "You... how do you know that?" I asked slowly, my voice trembling with uncertainty.

  Sac smiled, but it was a smile without warmth. "Because you hear everything when you live in the dark."

  I took a step back, trying to hide my unease. Niva looked from me to Sac, as if she was just now realizing something wasn't right.

  What does he mean? Is it Sacra's darkness he's talking about? Or is it something else?

  "It's not just Will who's changed," I whispered, the memory of the dream creeping back into my mind. "We have to be careful."

  But it was already too late. Sac knew. And I... somewhere deep inside, I knew too—that he was no longer who we thought.