Seraphina’s POV

The very moment I got the news from my secret informant, a wicked smile formed at one corner of my lips. Jaxon and Rhys, just the two Alphas that I desired to clash together. I have been planning on how to make them disagree on a matter until it crossed my mind to use Liora. Now is the appropriate time, as both of them are at each other's throats over Liora. Their petty rivalry over a woman was the exact distraction we desired to strike. This is our opportunity, and we must make use of it. I rushed back to the cave immediately, right to Morgath's lair, eager to pass on the information for action to be taken. 'Morgath," I called on entering the dark cave. He was standing at the center of the cavern, doing incantations. His figure towering tall and surrounded and engulfed by the ominous air. Darius was by his side, getting fortified for the mission ahead. 'What happened?" Morgath asked, as he raised his head to look at me. 'I've just received reliable information, and I think this is the best moment to strike. Jaxon and Rhys, as we have planned, are in a serious conflict. They're both lost in an affectionate fight over the insignificant Omega, Liora," I said, unable to contain my excitement. 'This is the right moment to strike. Jaxon is distracted in pursuing affection, and so is the pack that he's ruling. They are busy celebrating Liora and wishing to make her their Luna." A dark grin that I haven't seen before appeared on Morgath's face, the type that speaks nothing but evil. 'Those two shouldn't be Alphas in the first place. How the mighty have fallen, all because of a woman?" He chuckled excitedly. 'How lucky we are." 'They won't notice anything until they are right in the middle," I added as I moved closer to look at what they were doing. 'They won't have space to organize their defenses, and before they know it, all of them will be weak." Morgath spurned around, and facing me, his eyes gleamed. 'You've done a fantastic job, Seraphina. Now, we strike immediately." He raised his both hands, and I observed as he opened another round of incantations. This time, it wasn't for reinforcement, it was the release of dark illusion. The swirling tendrils of magic which he had summoned began gathering around him. I regarded as they gathered and within seconds, his body started emitting smoke. Spells filled everywhere, strong to weaken anyone. I felt it but my fortification immune me against it. 'Jaxon's pack, Silver Moon Pack, will not remain the same tonight," Morgath said, his voice low and dangerous. 'With their leader disorganized, the black magic will penetrate every corner of their land, seeping them dry, and if they refuse to surrender, they would all perish." I stepped back as Morgath, the strong sorcerer, worked his magic, meticulously weaving different spells and sending them on errands to the heart of Silver Moon's territory. The ground shook and trembled like a great earthquake. Liora's POV A sudden, strange chill stormed over my pack, Silver Moon Pack. I could tell it's natural, the suffocation was too much, as though something was hovering on the land in the air. I got alerted immediately I stepped outside as the air was thick and dark. Likewise, I could feel a veil of darkness everywhere, like we would soon be on a web. I couldn't place my hand on what was going on, but I knew things weren't the same again. Then I listened, and I heard it. The howls, a growl of desperation and pain, I could hear it echoing throughout the pack's territory. Every wolf, both young and old, every breathing wolf living in the Silver Moon Pack, was affected badly by whatever had descended upon us. I could taste it. Yes, I know the feeling. It was part of the training we undergo as warriors, to fortify ourselves against dark magic, yes, shadowy magic seems to have taken the whole territory. "Mira!" I called out immediately, as I ran as fast as my legs could carry me into the pack house. Mira met me halfway to the pack house with her heart beating as high as mine. I could sense the fear in her eyes. 'Liora… something very dangerous is happening in our pack, I can perceive it," she said with a cracked voice. 'It's like… something is seeping into my strength. I could sense it, my vitality levels are not the same again." I clenched my jaw, my teeth touching each other as I tried to resist the pull of the dark magic. "I know what you are talking about. I can feel the draining of spirit too. This didn't just happen naturally. It's definitely an attack." I listened further, and I heard more cries, cries for help, as the full pack vibrated in pain. Wolves continued shifting into their forms. They were trying everything possible to fight back. Maybe one wouldn't be affected if in wolf form, so they kept shifting, with the aim of attacking from the inside. But even with that, my pack mates kept collapsing one after the other. The spell that had invaded our pack had penetrated deeply. I looked up, and beholding the sky, only I could see were shades of black clouds, with it swirling as if they were alive. A cold, a shiver that I had no knowledge of where it was coming from, settled in my bones, and fear creeping in gradually. This was it, yes, that's dark magic, and it came out compelling and ancient. The attack seemed too precise. They didn't miss targets; therefore, it wasn't a random attack; it has been calculated meticulously. And, of course, I knew who was behind it. 'Morgath, the sorcerer," I whispered to myself with my breath seizing. He targeted us too well and had struck in our vulnerability. I may have had a hand in this. I was taking my time to decide, and see where it had landed us. I had kept two great Alphas engaged with my affairs. They were distracted far too much to have noticed major changes. Jaxon and Rhys had been in personal wars, but bad enough, the entire pack is suffering it now. Mira reached for my arm. Grabbing tightly, she pushed on for an explanation, panic evident in her eyes. 'Liora, what do you think would be the solution? Something needs to be done, and obviously, we may not have the capacity to fight this!" I felt my wolf growling inside me, she had always cared for the pack, the pack that we were rejected, and now, she's ready again to protect the pack, but noticed that she was struggling to keep strong against the dark magic as well. I took a deep breath, focusing on my inner strength to know if there was something for the pack. 'We can't do this alone. We need to call for help immediately. Jaxon should be informed as soon as possible. He'll have to invite other warriors as ours are weakened already, the healers should be here also from different packs, anyone at all who can do something to fight off this curse." As we were still discussing, more wolves collapsed around us. Their cries weren't ordinary, they were agonized howls. The pace with which the magic was spreading was too fast, and even though I was immune against such spells, I could still sense it seeping my strength. 'I'll go get him to this place," I said, clenching my fist, ready to punch if that's needed. 'Mira, stay here with the others and monitor them. Ensure to update on the situation here from time to time. If anyone has the power to give an order on what to do, it'll be Jaxon, the Alpha." Mira nodded, unable to talk, her expression grave like someone who's mourning, and I took off, cutting off the woods in my track to the pack house, something needs to be done, and the earlier, the better. Much may go down if we waste time. Jaxon's POV I felt it, but I ignored it, then I saw it—a cloud of obscurity descending on the pack, throughout the entire Silver Moon Pack, and I knew at that instant that it had to come to destroy, it had come to stay. My wolf tried communicating the impending danger, but I wasn't paying attention. I was too distracted to have observed, and now, he stirred restlessly within me, and guilt eating me up. Had I listened, we would have averted this gloom, it wouldn't have had any effect on us. My heart sank into my chest on stepping outside the pack house, and all I could see were fallen wolves, my pack was under a calculated attack, it was too precise that the ones not killed were moving sluggishly, the pain was too much to bear. Their strength was being drained out of them. Only a few could still stand. 'Morgath," I muttered, "this isn't over, I said to myself. Of course, he had to target our vulnerability to strike. He didn't want us to fight back. He would expect a surrender already, but that will never happen. The spell was a dark magic, and it was spreading so fast like a virus, pulling with it as many plagues as possible. Surrendering to him isn't an option. 'Kelsey!" I called my right-hand man. He moved over to where I was standing and observed the pack, his face not having any dramatic interpretation which has been his normal self, but an expression of concern and confusion spread on his face. 'What's happening, Alpha? The pack is in pain." 'Who else if not Morgath," I replied. 'He's unleashed spells on us, spells from his dark magic on the whole territory." Kelsey widened his eyes in disbelief. 'We need to find a solution to this before it gets late. As fast as possible." Before I could reply, I heard my name from a distance, the voice felt familiar but with two tones. Could it be Liora or Seraphina? "Jaxon, Jaxon!" I heard again.