Chapter 529: The Witch Beneath the Hill

One Month Before

Tobias’s lips twitched at that. Her voice was calm and perhaps to some she would appear inviting, but her stance was nothing of the sort.

"We’ve been sent by the Luna," Barry said to her.

The woman stared at him for a moment. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Then she scoffed.

"Yeah?" she said. "Well you can go fuck yourself then. Maybe use a middle finger too while you’re at it."

Several of the warriors behind Tobias shifted slightly.

The woman continued speaking as if she hadn’t just insulted them.

"We don’t care about the Luna here," she said firmly. "She already took my cousin, so what more do you want from us?"

More figures began stepping out from the houses behind her. Men and women. The wolves that had been in the trees made themselves known, growling as they moved forward.

The woman’s voice grew colder.

"The Silver Creek Pack will not answer to the Luna and her injustice," the woman said firmly.

Tobias’s eyes widened in shock. He turned his head slightly and gave her a look.

"The Silver Creek Pack?" he asked her.

The name slipped from his mouth before he could stop it.

The woman’s eyes immediately snapped toward him.

"I do not see how that is any of your business, but yes, this is the Silver Creek Pack," she told him, then tilted her head. "What? Your Luna didn’t tell you the name of the pack she was sending you to?"

Her gaze traveled over his armor.

"You a new recruit or something?" she asked him.

Barry suddenly burst into laughter, not giving Tobias the chance to even reply to her.

"Well," he said with a grin, "aren’t you mouthy."

The woman’s expression darkened as she turned to him.

Barry moved closer.

"I’d like to see if you can stay that mouthy when I’m finished with y—"

A flash of silver cut through the air.

The dagger struck Barry directly in the shoulder.

Barry screamed in pain, and the group immediately tensed.

A man stepped forward from the gathered villagers.

He looked older than the others.

His dark hair was streaked with grey, and his face carried the deep lines of someone who had lived through many hard winters.

Something about him reminded Tobias of Caspian.

The older wolf’s gaze was calm.

But his voice was anything but gentle.

"You should watch how you speak to our Alpha."

Barry groaned in pain, still clutching his bleeding shoulder.

Tobias frowned.

Alpha?

He looked back at the blonde woman.

From everything Tobias knew, the Silver Creek Pack had always been led by a male Alpha.

So why... why was a woman standing in that position now?

His mind raced through possibilities.

But he kept silent.

Barry finally managed to rip the dagger free from his shoulder with a furious snarl.

Blood poured down his arm.

"Kill them!" he shouted. "Attack!"

Tobias’s eyes widened.

"Wait—!"

But it was too late.

The warriors behind him had already moved.

They leapt from their mounts, drawing weapons as they charged forward.

Tobias’s eyes widened. His suspicions were right. This was never intended to be a diplomatic visit. He should have known when Victoria had told him that she wanted him to get their Alpha and the members.

Arrows suddenly flew from the tree line. Two of the warriors dropped instantly.

The Silver Creek Pack moved with frightening coordination. They were prepared.

More people emerged from the forest, their bodies shifting mid-stride as they rushed toward the invaders.

Steel clashed against steel.

A man screamed as claws tore into his arm.

Barry roared in fury as he charged forward, sword raised.

Villagers shifted, as did the warriors too. Wolves clashed with each other as they fought.

A massive grey wolf slammed into one of the warriors, sending both of them crashing to the ground.

Another arrow whistled past Tobias’s head.

He ducked instinctively.

Then he heard a growl. He looked up and noticed the blonde woman shifting, her eyes locked on Barry.

Bones snapped and reshaped.

Her form collapsed forward as golden fur burst across her skin.

A large wheat-colored wolf took the woman’s place.

Tobias exhaled slowly and immediately ran toward the woman as she ran toward Barry.

---

At The Same Time

The manor on the hill looked abandoned... as usual.

Its ochre stone walls had long since faded beneath wind and dust, and the black lacquered shutters covering the windows remained tightly closed as they always were. No light shone from the upper floors. No voices echoed through the halls.

To anyone passing through the western hills, the structure would appear forgotten.

Left to rot beneath the slow creep of time.

But the silence above was only a disguise.

Victoria stepped through the heavy front doors without hesitation.

Her robe was gone now.

In its place was a gown that seemed to swallow the candlelight itself. The fabric was black, but not the dull black of ordinary cloth. It shimmered faintly as she moved, like dark water rippling beneath moonlight.

The gown clung to her frame, the long sleeves trailing softly as she walked.

It made her look less like a ruler and more like something carved from shadow.

Her heels clicked softly against the marble floor as she moved down the corridor. Bangles lined her wrists, along with rings on each finger.

The manor’s interior was just as quiet as its exterior. The air smelled faintly of dust and cold stone.

At the far end of the corridor stood a wide archway.

Beneath it waited the spiral staircase.

Victoria descended without slowing.

The deeper she went, the colder the air became.

The scent changed as well.

Dust and stone slowly gave way to something heavier.

By the time she reached the bottom of the stairs, the air had grown thick enough that each breath carried a metallic taste.

The corridor stretched before her, carved directly into the ground itself.

Ancient symbols had been etched into the stone walls long ago. Serpents twisted around circles. Watching eyes stared from the carved lines. Suns with jagged rays spread across the stone like silent warnings.

Victoria walked past them without even glancing up.

She stopped only when she reached the enormous stone door at the end of the hall.

The carvings covering its surface were older than the ones along the walls.

The moment she stepped close, the door slowly opened on its own.

A low grinding sound echoed through the corridor as the heavy stone slid aside.

She walked into the chamber without waiting for anyone to tell her to do so.

Torch brackets lined the circular walls, filling the chamber with light.

Smoke from the torches curled lazily toward the high ceiling.

The smell of incense drifted through the air.

Along the walls stood shelves filled with glass jars, bone containers, and bundles of dried herbs tied together with black thread. Strange tools covered several long stone tables nearby.

Ritual knives.

Mortars filled with crushed powders.

Bowls carved from bone.

And in the center of the chamber stood a wide ritual table.

Selith was there.