Jaxon's POV

It was barely the rise of the sun over Silver Moon territory, the golden rays from the sunlight descending over the entire pack. The entire pack had gathered again, gathering for Elder Clatus to be judged and sentenced to death. The weight of the decision was heavy on the crowd, forming a strange stillness across the room. Today was a day I'd never witnessed in my life—a day when I would pass a cruel judgment on an elder of our pack. Elder Clatus had betrayed us, putting his loyalty to dark forces above the safety and well-being of the pack. I'd warned him several times, but his loyalty to Morgath had made all he had been planning for exposed. He had become a threat, a dangerous one that could no longer be ignored. I stood at the center of the room, my gaze steady as I looked over the faces of my pack members. They watched me in silence, the evidence of their loyalty showed in their eyes.This decision affected all of us. Elder Marcus, who stood by my side, gave me a supporting nod. I knew he understood how difficult this moment was for me. Two warriors brought Clatus forward, his hands tied up, his face didn't show any signs of remorse. He was still trying to defend himself. Even now, he held his head high, unwilling to show any remorse. I suppressed the flash of anger that rose in me at the sight of him—someone who'd once held wisdom and respect in our pack, now turned out to be a traitor. 'Elder Clatus," I began, my voice firm and steady. 'You stand here, accused of betrayal. Not only did you ally with Morgath, but you betrayed every member of this pack. You broke the sacred bond of trust." He scoffed, his voice filled with bitterness. 'Trust? Trust is for the foolish, Jaxon. Power is what matters. Morgath has proved that to me." I stepped closer, my eyes narrowing. 'Power built on the backs of the innocent? That's not power, Clatus. That's foolishness." He sneered, his gaze never leaving mine. 'You'll see, Jaxon. Morgath's strength is real. He'll come for you, and this pack won't be able to withstand him." Elder Marcus stepped forward, his voice calm but cold. 'Enough, Clatus. You've shown us all where your loyalty lies. But know this: your power ends here." Clatus didn't show any sign of remorse either, but there was a flicker of something in his eyes—a hint of fear, perhaps, as he realized there was no escaping his fate. With a deep breath, I gave my final judgement. 'Elder Clatus, because you've betrayed this pack, you will remain in the dungeons of the pack until your last breath. I cannot risk allowing you to walk free, knowing the danger you pose to us all. If by chance you managed to escape, you would go back to Morgath, or worse, lead other dark forces against us." The room was silent, each member of the pack digesting the weight of the sentence. Clatus's expression finally shifted, a trace of fear slipping past his mask of defiance. I held his gaze, letting him see the anger in my eyes. He was a threat, and for the safety of my pack, that threat would be neutralized. The guards grabbed him, ready to take him to the dungeon. As they turned, he looked back at me one last time, a dark promise in his eyes. 'This isn't over, Jaxon. Morgath will come for you. And when he does, you'll wish you'd listened to me." I watched him as the guards dragged him away, his words lingering in the cold morning air. I knew this wouldn't be the last challenge we'd face, but as I looked out over the pack, I felt the strength of our unity, our shared loyalty. With Liora by my side and the pack standing together, I knew we could overcome whatever darkness that would come our way. Rhys' POV Elder Clatus might have formed an alliance with Morgath, but his power ended here. We were ready for whatever that would come next.. The night was heavy, thick with a kind of silence I hadn't felt before. My footsteps echoed as I walked through the empty corridors of the packhouse, each step weighed down with a sense of dread. Shadows seemed to cling to every corner, and a chill in the air prickled my skin. Something was wrong, terribly wrong, and I knew it was only a matter of time before I would face it. The seer's words played over in my mind, her voice filled with warning and veiled in mystery. She'd told me, warned me, that interfering in Jaxon and Liora's journey would have consequences for the Night Howlers. But due to my pride, I hadn't listened. I'd thought I could bend fate to my will, that my purpose was worth any price. Now, standing in the consequences of my decisions, that price was more than I could bear. Suddenly, a warrior burst into the room, his face pale and stricken. 'Alpha Rhys," he gasped, his voice tight with panic, 'it's the pack lands. There's—there's something... something attacking us." My heart clenched, a cold sweat breaking out along my spine. I ran out of the packhouse, following the sounds of chaos in the distance. My warriors were scattered, some battling shadowed figures, others lying motionless on the ground. The air was thick with the scent of blood, fear, and something far darker. As I went close to the center of the turmoil, I felt a sudden wave of energy—a dark, crushing force that seemed to press down on my chest, squeezing the very breath from my lungs. It was as if some malevolent power had taken hold of my pack, ripping through it like a storm. And then, through the chaos, I saw the spirit—a twisted, haunting figure shrouded in darkness. It was a specter, something ancient and vengeful, with hollow, glowing eyes that bore into me. I stepped back, wondering with a mix of fear what this was: the spirit of the fallen that had guarded the first artifact Jaxon and Liora sought. The very thing I had tried to prevent them from reaching was now haunting my own lands. 'No…" I whispered, my voice barely audible. 'This… this can't be happening." The words of the seer echoed in my mind once more, this time sharper, clearer, like an accusation. 'Interfere, and the wrath of the guardians will fall upon you and your pack. Fate cannot be thwarted without a price, Alpha Rhys." I had ignored her. I had refused to believe that anyone could hold power over me. Now, that arrogance was tearing my pack apart, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. The Night Howlers were paying for my sins, and I was powerless to save them. A strangled cry tore from my throat as I watched the spirit tear through another group of warriors, their faces twisted in fear and agony as they fell. I felt hollow, broken, knowing that every life lost tonight was because of my arrogance, my fault. I had brought this upon them, because of envy and pride. And now, as I stood amid the ruin of my pack, I felt the weight of that guilt crushing me. One of my lieutenants stumbled over to me, blood running down his face, his eyes wide with desperation. 'Alpha, we… we can't hold them off. The spirit… It's too powerful. What do we do?" My voice felt weak, my confidence shattered. 'I… I don't know," I whispered, the admission tearing at my pride. For the first time, I had no plan, no scheme, no tricks to play. I was at the mercy of forces I had looked down on and my pack was paying the price. In that moment, standing among the broken remnants of my warriors and the twisted, haunted spirit that seemed to destroy everything in its way, I felt a crushing regret like nothing I had ever known. This wasn't just a defeat. It was my failure, a punishment I'd brought upon myself, and upon everyone I was meant to protect. As I watched my pack fall around me, my heart shattered. All the power, all the ambition—none of it mattered now. My pride had destroyed the very thing I had sought to defend, and there was no one left to blame but myself. The weight of the night settled like lead around me, suffocating in its darkness. The destruction of the Night Howlers pack lingered in the air, a heavy reminder of my own arrogance. I dropped to my knees, my hands clawing at the ground as if it could somehow absolve me of the burden I carried. Then, as if the very heavens themselves had heard my cry, a blinding light broke through the shadows, illuminating the desolate land around me. I raised my eyes slowly, squinting against the brilliance, and there she was—the Moon Goddess herself, radiant and fierce, her eyes cold as the light of the full moon. "Alpha Rhys," she spoke, her voice echoing with an ethereal power that made my bones tremble. "You have defied fate, and now, the very balance of the realms lies in ruins because of your pride." I tried to speak, but my voice faltered, a lump forming in my throat. Desperation flooded my chest, and I managed to stammer, "Please… I didn't mean for this to happen. I only… I only wanted what was rightfully mine." She looked down at me, her expression didn't change, a storm forming at the back of her icy gaze. "You thought yourself beyond consequence, Alpha. You tried to control forces greater than yourself, because of jealousy and hunger for power. Now, that darkness has claimed your pack, and it will claim you as well." A chill swept over me, far colder than anything I had ever known. "No," I gasped, "please, Moon Goddess, I beg of you—show mercy. Tell me what I must do to make this right." Her gaze softened, but only barely. "You will bear a curse, Rhys. You will be the first cursed Alpha of the Night Howlers, bound in shadow and darkness, a constant reminder of your betrayal. Your power will wane, and with it, the strength of your pack. No allegiance will bind you, no loyalty will remain, until the curse is broken." A weight pressed down on my chest, as if invisible chains were binding me in place, and I could feel a dark energy wrapping around me, suffusing my very essence. My wolf howled within me, trapped in a torment of its own. I clenched my fists, panic flooding through me. This was worse than death—it was a slow decay, a life steeped in suffering. "But there must be a way," I whispered, my voice barely audible. "A way to break this curse." The Moon Goddess's gaze paused on me, as if weighing my soul, and then she spoke, her tone as unyielding as stone. "There is a way, but it comes with a cost. Only on the night of a full moon, under its purest light, may the curse be broken. You must offer a sacrifice—the blood of a true Alpha's heir, freely given, and the heart of a soul untouched by darkness." Her words sank in, the requirements resonating with a grim finality. The blood of a true Alpha's heir… the heart of an innocent. My stomach churned, dread creeping through me. How could I possibly meet such demands? True heirs were rare, and to find a pure soul in these times was a task beyond even my wildest reach. This wasn't an ordinary sacrifice; it was an impossible test, a gauntlet that fate had thrown down at my feet. As if sensing my despair, she turned to leave, her form shimmering like mist in the moonlight. Desperation seized me, and I called out, "Please… Moon Goddess, I swear I will make this right. I will do whatever it takes." But she only glanced back, her expression full of sadness and justice. "Until the day you fulfill the sacrifice, you shall remain as the Cursed Alpha, Rhys. May your suffering remind others of the consequences of defying fate." With that, she vanished, leaving me alone in the darkness, cursed and bound to a fate of my own making. The pack's suffering was now my burden, an unending reminder of what I'd lost through my own blindness. And in the silence that followed, I knew I was truly alone, haunted by the weight of a curse that seemed destined to last forever.