KELLY THOMPSON'S POV
The laughter snaked through the shadows, a sinister caress against my skin. "Ah, the mighty Luna Queen has come to play in my garden," crooned a voice as ancient as the darkness itself. There was a rustle, a shift in the air, and then she stood before us, the witch of the Forbidden Glade.
"Your trespass here will cost you dearly," she hissed, her eyes glowing with a malevolent light. "The Black Faes do not take kindly to interlopers, and your little investigation" — her lips twisted into a cruel smile — "it has already sealed your fate."
I felt the anger boil within me, not just for Paul but for every soul that had ever suffered under these vile creatures' hands. "You speak of fate as if it's something you can weave and cut at your whim," I countered fiercely. "But you forget, witch, that we are not mere threads to be toyed with. And you will answer for what you've done to Paul Biansky."
Her laughter erupted anew, a cacophony of scorn. "Demand all you want, Queen Kelly. But remember, justice in the Glade is as fleeting as the morning mist. You will find no solace here, only despair."
"Then let despair be the mantle I wear as I dismantle The Black Faes' reign, starting with you." My voice was steel, my resolve the unyielding rock beneath the storm. "Now tell me how you ensnared him, or so help me, I will rain such fury upon you and your masters that this forest will remember it for eternity."
The witch's grin spread wider, baring teeth sharp as daggers. Her allegiance to the darkness was clear; she reveled in its chaos. But I am the Luna Queen, and I do not bend to shadows. For Paul, for my pack, I would confront whatever horrors lay ahead.
The witch's cackling faded into a silence more terrifying than her taunts, and I felt the shift in the air before the spell even took hold. Gamma Thorne, my stalwart ally, his eyes once filled with the calm of a seasoned warrior, now blazed with the feral madness the witch conjured.
"Thorne!" I called out, reaching for him, but he was beyond my grasp—beyond reason. His form blurred, muscles bulging and twisting grotesquely as the curse ravaged his mind, turning friend to foe.
"Subdue him! But harm him not!" My command was swift, cutting through the bewitched haze that threatened to engulf us all. Elara stepped forth with an incantation on her lips, her fingers weaving signs of binding, yet the magic that danced at her fingertips faltered against the witch's vile enchantment.
Eden, ever my son and protector, moved with a grace born of countless hours of training. His scepter in hand, he unleashed tendrils of light, not to injure but to entangle, to restrain the beast that our beloved Gamma had become.
"Kelly," Eden's voice reached me, laced with strain from battling the magic that sought to undo us all, "we must be quick!"
"Indeed," I murmured, feeling the weight of leadership heavy upon my shoulders. With every ounce of strength lent by my Luna Queen heritage, I joined the fray. My own hands glowed with a silver luminescence, a remnant of ancient power gifted to those of royal blood.
Together, we formed a circle around Thorne, our powers converging to form a barrier of wills against his frenzied onslaught. It was a dance as old as time, the push and pull between harmony and chaos, and we swayed to its rhythm with desperate determination.
"Thorne, please," I pleaded, reaching out to the mind trapped within the turmoil. "Fight this! You are stronger than her spells."
His snarls tore through the darkness of the chamber, a primal sound that spoke of the internal battle waging within. And then, through sheer force of will, our combined efforts began to turn the tide. Slowly, the madness in Thorne's eyes dimmed, the fury abating like a storm passing over the horizon.
"Bind him!" Elara's voice cut sharp as a blade, and finally, her enchantments found purchase. Ethereal chains wrapped around Thorne's limbs, pulling tight enough to hold, gentle enough not to break.
"Rest now, brave one," I whispered, as the curse's grip loosened, and Thorne's body slackened, falling into an uneasy slumber.
We stood there, panting, hearts racing, surrounded by the oppressive gloom of the Forbidden Glade. The witch's laughter still echoed faintly, a reminder of the peril we faced, but for now, our pack remained unbroken. We would endure, we would fight, and we would prevail—for Thorne, for Paul, for all that we held dear.
The silence in the wake of Thorne's collapse was as suffocating as the darkness that enveloped us. I stood, my chest heaving with exertion and a fury that scorched my veins hotter than any witch's curse could hope to burn.
"Enough games," I growled into the void, my voice echoing off unseen walls. "Reverse your vile enchantments and speak plainly, crone. Why was Paul taken from us?"
The witch's laughter slithered through the shadows once more, a sound both mocking and chilling. "Oh, dear Luna Queen, so bold yet so blind," she crooned, her voice twisting around us like ivy. "Paul's loyalty to you, his unwavering devotion to the South pack—it unsettled the balance."
"Balance?" I spat the word out like poison. "There is no balance in cowardly acts of ensnarement!"
"Balance, power, it is all one and the same to The Black Faes," she replied, her tone dripping with malice. "Your prosperity under moonlight's reign has not gone unnoticed, and envy festers in the hearts of those who dwell in eternal twilight."
"Speak clearly!" I demanded, my hands clenching into fists at my sides. "What has Paul's loyalty cost him?"
"His life, his freedom—it was a warning," she hissed, and the air around us grew colder still. "A demonstration that the reach of The Black Faes extends far beyond the shadows of this glade. They wanted you to know the price of defiance."
Defiance. The word resonated within me, a clarion call to the part of my soul that would never bow to such darkness. Paul had been ensnared because of our strength, because of our unity. It was a ploy born of fear—fear of the light we brought to this world.
"Then tell them this," I spoke with a calm that belied the storm raging inside me, "we will not be cowed by warnings or threats. We will find a way to sever the bonds they've woven, and there will be retribution."
Her chuckle was low and mirthless. "Brave words, Luna Queen. But remember, the night has many eyes, and The Black Faes are always watching."
"Let them watch," I retorted. "For when the dawn comes, it is the night that fades away."
With a final, derisive laugh, the presence of the witch receded, leaving us alone with the oppressive silence of the Forbidden Glade, the weight of our task heavier than ever upon our shoulders.
I strode through the twisted undergrowth, leading my allies out of the Forbidden Glade's suffocating embrace. The trees seemed to lean in, whispering secrets of the night that clawed at the edges of my determination. Yet within me, a flame burned brighter with every step—the flame of vengeance for Paul, the beacon of justice for my pack.
"Come," I urged Elara, Gamma Thorne, and Eden, the shadows clinging to their forms like mourning veils. "We must not linger here. The witch's words are poison, but they will not sway us from our purpose."
The forest receded reluctantly, as though its grasp was loath to release potential victims. But we were not victims. We were warriors of the South pack, bound by blood and moonlight, unyielding in the face of darkness.
"Kelly," Eden's voice cut through the silence, a sliver of concern amid the sea of stoicism he had learned to navigate. "Are you certain we can challenge The Black Faes? They are ancient, powerful..."
"Power is not their sole province," I said, casting a glance back at my son whose eyes reflected the moon's pale luminescence. "We have something they lack—heart, unity, and the will to protect our own. They have taken one of us, and for that, they will answer."
Our pace quickened, the urgency propelling us forward, away from the dense canopy into the open where the stars could witness our resolve. Each breath of the night air was laced with the scent of pine and a hint of frost—a reminder of the encroaching threat that awaited us beyond the safety of our palace walls.
"Thorne," I addressed our Gamma who walked with his head bowed, still fighting the remnants of the spell that had turned him against us moments before. "You are strong. Do not let the witch's curse taint your spirit. You are more than her malice."
He nodded, a silent vow etched into the set of his jaw. He would not falter again; none of us would. We were united by an unspoken oath, a pact sealed by loyalty and the shared pain of loss.
As the first light of dawn tinged the horizon with a promise of a new day, the royal palace came into view—a bastion of strength and hope. Our home. Our sanctuary. A place where the heartbeats of my people thrummed in harmony with my own.
"Mother," Eden spoke again, his voice firmer now. "What will you do?"
"Whatever it takes," I replied, the image of Paul's fall flashing before my eyes, igniting a fierce sorrow within. "We will honor him. We will forge our path through this darkness, and The Black Faes will learn that the Luna Queen does not merely avenge—she conquers."
My wolves rallied behind me, their spirits undeterred by the night's trials. We entered the palace gates, our silhouettes a testament to the resilience of our kind. The Forbidden Glade was behind us, but the war it heralded was just beginning. And I, Kelly Thompson, would lead the charge.