Chapter 290

[ 1,331 words ]

~Samantha~

I shoved both twins behind me before my brain even caught up with my body.

The shadow wolf blocking our path was huge. Easily twice if not thrice the size of a normal wolf. Purple eyes glowing so bright they left afterimages when I blinked.

But it was the marking on its shoulder that made my blood freeze.

A totem. Carved into the fur like a brand. Three claws in a triangle pattern.

I’d seen that mark before.

“Dominic.” I muttered. “That totem.”

“I see it.” His whole body had gone rigid beside me. “That’s from the attack. The one where my father disappeared.”

The night Dominic’s father vanished was pack legend. A battle so brutal that half the warriors who’d survived it refused to talk about it afterward. Giant shadow wolves had torn through their defenses like paper. And then Dominic’s father had charged into the forest after them and never came back.

They’d found pieces of his clothes. Blood. But no body.

Just those three-claw marks burned into trees where the wolves had passed.

The same marks now branded into this wolf’s shoulder.

“They were there.” I couldn’t look away from the totem. “These wolves were part of the pack that took your father.”

“Which means they’re old.” Dominic’s hands were shaking. “These things have been alive and hunting for at least fifteen years.”

“Or longer.” Silas had backed up to stand with us, forming a protective circle around the twins. “Shadow corruption doesn’t age things normally. These could be decades old. Centuries, even.”

The wolf’s lips pulled back, showing teeth that were too long.

More wolves emerged from the trees. All with those purple eyes. All bearing the same three-claw totem.

We were surrounded.

“Killian.” I didn’t take my eyes off the wolves. “How many can you count?”

No answer.

“Killian?”

I risked a glance back and my stomach dropped.

Killian was on his knees. Both hands pressed against his head. His whole body shaking like he was fighting something from the inside.

“Dominic, look at his eyes!” I grabbed my husband’s arm. “Look!”

Killian’s eyes had started glowing. That same sick purple as the shadow wolves. Faint but getting brighter by the second.

“No.” Killian’s voice was barely recognizable. “No, get away from me. I can’t hold it…”

“The curse.” Silas moved toward him but Killian snarled, the sound more wolf than human.

“Don’t!” Killian’s hand shot out, stopping Silas mid-step. “Don’t come closer. The shadow is trying to take control. Trying to make me attack you.”

“You’re stronger than shadow magic. Fight it.”

“I’m trying!” Killian’s pupils were almost entirely purple now. “But it knows you’re here. It knows you found the map. It wants…” He cut off with a scream, clawing at his own arm.

The wound. The one that had been bleeding purple-black blood.

It was spreading. Black veins crawling up toward his shoulder. Toward his heart.

“The corruption is accelerating.” Silas pulled out a vial from his jacket. “I have something that might slow it but…”

“No time.” Killian reached behind his neck with his free hand and pulled out something I’d never seen before.

A silver needle. Long and thin. With runes carved along its length.

“What is that?” I asked.

“Emergency measure.” Killian’s hand was shaking so bad he could barely hold the needle steady. “For if the curse ever got too strong. It’ll buy you maybe ten minutes before…”

He didn’t finish. Just drove the needle into the base of his skull.

The effect was instant. The purple glow in his eyes flickered. Faded. His body went stiff and then collapsed.

But the wolves didn’t wait.

The largest one struck.

Straight at Diana.

I moved without thinking. Threw myself in front of her. Felt claws rake across my arm as I knocked the wolf off course.

Pain exploded white-hot but I didn’t let go of Diana. Pulled her tighter against me as Dominic engaged the wolf with his bare hands, shifting partially to meet it with claws and teeth of his own.

“Mom!” Devon’s voice was high. Scared. “There’s too many!”

He was right. More wolves were closing in. Six. Eight. Ten. All converging on our position.

“The pendant!” Diana was digging in my jacket pocket. “Mom, where’s the pendant you picked up?”

“What?” I was trying to watch three wolves at once. “Diana, not now.”

“The silver wolf pendant!” She found it and yanked it out. “Devon, take it!”

She threw it to her brother and Devon caught it on instinct.

The nearest wolf chose that moment to leap at him.

Devon didn’t scream. Didn’t run. Just held up the pendant like a shield and pressed it against the wolf’s forehead as it came down.

The wolf froze mid-air.

Its purple eyes flickered. Started fading to normal amber. The shadow corruption visible in its veins began retreating.

“It’s working!” Devon kept the pendant pressed firm even though his whole arm was shaking from holding up the wolf’s weight. “The shadow is going away!”

“How?” Dominic had pinned his wolf and was staring at Devon. “That shouldn’t be possible.”

But I was staring at the pendant. At the way it was glowing now with that same silver light as the twins’ purification power.

And I remembered.

Five years ago. When I’d left. When I’d packed my bag in the middle of the night while Dominic slept, tears streaming down my face, one hand on my still-flat stomach.

I’d found something in my suitcase later. After I’d already driven hours away. After there was no going back.

A pendant. Silver. With a wolf carved into its surface.

Dominic had hidden it there. While I was packing. A silent goodbye gift from a husband who’d been too proud and stupid to tell his wife he actually loved her.

I’d kept it all those years. Even when I hated him. Even when I told myself I never wanted to see him again.

I’d kept it.

And now its pair was saving our son’s life.

“They’re matched.” My voice cracked. “The pendants. They’re a matched pair. One for each mate. Ancient magic that recognizes soul bonds.”

“Soul bond magic is the strongest purification there is.” Silas had moved to help Devon hold the wolf. “It can burn out any shadow corruption because it’s based on love. True love.”

The wolf Devon was holding suddenly gasped. Its eyes cleared completely. Shifted from purple to warm amber. The corruption drained away until it was just a normal wolf.

Devon lowered the pendant and the wolf collapsed, panting.

Then it looked at Devon with something like gratitude in its eyes. Bowed its head once. And bolted into the forest.

“Did that just happen?” Diana stared after it. “Did we just cure a shadow wolf?”

“You did.” I pulled her into a hug. “You absolutely did.”

But there were still nine other wolves closing in.

And we had one pendant between us.

“How many can we cure before they overwhelm us?” Dominic had released his wolf, which was also running off into the trees, cured. “Two? Three?”

“As many as we need to.” Devon’s voice was braver now. “We have to try.”

“The boy’s right.” Killian’s voice was weak but he was conscious. Sitting up despite the needle still in his neck. “Use the pendant. Cure as many as you can. I’ll hold off the rest.”

“You can barely stand.” I moved toward him. “You’re not fighting anything.”

“Watch me.” He pulled the needle out with a hiss of pain and staggered to his feet. “The silver bought me time. Not much. But enough.”

The wolves attacked as a pack.

What followed was chaos.

Dominic and Silas engaging wolves hand-to-hand. Killian fighting despite the curse trying to drag him down. Me protecting the twins while they worked together to touch as many wolves as possible with the pendant.

Each one they cured bolted. Running from the corruption that had held them for years. For decades. For centuries.

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