Chapter 4 Shadows Unveiled

The darkness in the apothecary shop was absolute, a suffocating blanket that pressed down on Aria like the weight of the storm outside. The shattered lantern lay in pieces on the wooden floor, its glass shards glinting faintly in the dim light filtering through the rain-streaked windows. The air reeked of sulfur, sharp and acrid, like something had crawled up from the depths of hell and breathed its last in the room. Aria’s heart hammered in her chest, her wolf senses on high alert, ears straining for any sound beyond the relentless patter of rain on the roof.

“Kael!” she cried out, her voice echoing strangely in the pitch black. She fumbled forward, hands outstretched, until her fingers brushed against his trembling form. He was still on his knees, convulsing, but the alien red shimmer in his eyes had faded, leaving only his familiar blue, wide with terror.

Ronan’s growl cut through the void. “Aria, back up! Light find light!”

She scrambled to the counter, knocking over jars in her haste. Her fingers closed around a matchbox, and with shaking hands, she struck one, the flame flaring to life. She lit a candle, its weak glow pushing back the shadows just enough to reveal the chaos. Kael slumped against the wall, sweat beading on his forehead, blood from his temple trickling down his cheek. Ronan stood guard, his golden eyes scanning the room, body tensed like a coiled spring.

“What the hell was that?” Aria demanded, her voice sharper than she intended. She knelt beside Kael again, pressing a cloth to his wound. “You said ‘they’re coming for you.’ Who? And what was in your eyes that red light?”

Kael groaned, his head lolling back. “I… don’t know. It felt like something inside me, clawing to get out. The curse it’s getting stronger. Flashes… memories coming back in pieces.” He clutched her hand, his grip desperate. “Thorne. I saw him in the ceremony. Not just standing there he was whispering something, a chant. His hand on my shoulder, and then… nothing. The rejection it wasn’t me, Aria. He made me say it.”

Aria’s breath caught. Thorne? The beta she’d always seen as Kael’s shadow, loyal to a fault? “That doesn’t make sense. Why would he? You’ve been like brothers since you were pups.”

Kael clutched her hand tighter, his fingers cold despite the fever burning in his skin. “Jealousy? Power? I don’t know. But in the dreams, it’s clear now. He wants the pack. Wants… everything. I remember now the way he looked at me when I became Alpha. Like I stole something from him. And the ceremony… he was there, Aria. His scar twitching as he murmured words I couldn’t hear then, but now they echo. ‘Forget her. She is nothing.’ It’s his voice in my head.”

The candle flame flickered, casting dancing shadows on the walls, making the room feel alive with threats. Aria’s mind raced back to that night in the clearing, the moon’s silver light, the pack’s howls. Thorne had been right there, his hand on Kael’s shoulder, ushering him away after the rejection. Had she missed the glee in his eyes? The satisfaction?

Ronan snorted from across the room, kicking a shard of glass aside with a crunch. “Sounds like classic betrayal. I’ve seen it before. Alphas fall, betas rise. But this curse it’s not just wolf politics. It’s dark magic, the kind that leaves scars on the soul. The kind that spreads like poison in the blood.”

Aria turned to him, the candle flame dancing in his golden eyes. “You keep saying that. What do you know, Ronan? Really know. You’ve hinted at being a guardian or something spill it. No more secrets. If we’re in this together, I need the truth.”

He hesitated, leaning against the counter, his auburn hair still damp from the storm. The sulfur stench clung to him too, making the small shop feel even more claustrophobic. He ran a hand through his hair, sighing deeply, as if the weight of years was pressing down on him. “Fine. No more hints. I was part of the Lorekeepers an ancient order of wolves who guard forbidden artifacts. We protected things like the Memory Eater, relics from the old wars between packs and witches. My pack was small, hidden in the northern mountains, dedicated to keeping the balance. I was young, ambitious. Thought I could use one of those artifacts to save my family from a rival curse that was wiping us out. It was a stone, the Echo Stone, supposed to amplify memories to heal bonds. Instead, it amplified the curse. Wiped out half my family in a night of madness wolves turning on each other, forgetting who they were. I was exiled for my arrogance, labeled a danger. Been wandering ever since, fixing messes like this when I can. That’s why I found you that night, Aria. I sensed the magic on you, the broken bond. It’s like a beacon to those who know what to look for. And now, with Kael… this Memory Eater amulet? If Thorne has it, he’s playing with fire that could burn the whole forest down. I’ve chased rumors of it for years it’s not just memory thief; it feeds on loyalties, twists them to the wielder’s will.”

Aria listened, her mind whirling with the weight of his story. The Lorekeepers she’d heard whispers of them in pack lore, myths of guardians who kept the old magics locked away. Ronan’s eyes held a haunted look, the golden glow dimmed by memory. She felt a pang for him, this lone wolf who’d lost everything trying to save his own. It mirrored her own loss, the orphan taken in by the pack, always on the edge. But the bond with Kael pulled at her too, a constant reminder of what she’d lost and what might be reclaimed.

Kael pushed himself up, wincing as he did. His face was pale, the blood dried to a crust on his temple. “The Memory Eater… that name. It echoes in my head. Steals bonds, twists loyalties. If it’s real, we need to find it. Destroy it. Thorne if he’s behind this, I’ll tear him apart myself.”

Aria helped him to the couch, her touch lingering on his arm a moment longer than necessary. The bond flared, warm and insistent, making her cheeks flush. “Easy. You’re still weak. We can’t rush into this blind. Ronan, how do we find this amulet? What does it look like?”

Ronan paced the small space, his boots thudding softly on the floorboards. “It’s obsidian, black as night, with veins of silver that pulse like a heartbeat. Legends say it was forged in the blood moon’s light, by a witch who lost her mate to war. She wanted to forget the pain, but it consumed her instead. To find it, we follow the magic those runes, the claw marks. Whatever Thorne summoned, it’s tied to it.”

The hours until dawn dragged like chains. They cleaned up the shop in silence at first, sweeping glass and righting shelves. But conversation trickled back, human and raw, filling the void. As they worked, Aria found herself opening up, the tension easing slightly in the shared labor.

“You think I’m weak?” Aria snapped at Ronan as he tried to take a heavy jar from her hands, his protective instinct kicking in. “I’ve survived a year alone, blending herbs, hiding my scent, living among humans who would hunt me if they knew what I was. I don’t need protecting like some pup.”

He set the jar down, hands raised in surrender, a wry smile tugging at his lips. “Never said you were weak, Aria. Far from it. You’re the strongest wolf I’ve met surviving rejection, building a life from nothing. But this curse… it’s turning him into a monster.” He glanced at Kael, who was bandaging his head with a strip of cloth. “And if it spreads to you, what then? I’ve lost too much to magic to see it take another.”

Kael looked up, his blue eyes meeting Aria’s, pleading. “He’s right. The curse is turning me into a monster help me fight it. Please. I can feel it crawling under my skin, whispering to let go, to forget everything. But you… you’re the one thing it can’t erase completely. The dreams, they keep you alive in me.”

Aria’s heart ached at his words, the bond pulsing with his desperation. “You didn’t lose me. You threw me away,” she said, but her voice softened, the anger fading into hurt. “That night, the way the pack looked at me like I was broken goods. It nearly killed me. But if this curse made you do it, then we fight it. Together.”

Kael reached for her hand, his touch sending a spark through her. “Together. I promise, Aria. No more rejection. No more forgetting.”

Ronan watched them, his expression a mix of resignation and something deeper jealousy, perhaps, or longing. “Nice sentiment. But magic doesn’t care about promises. We need a plan.”

As the first gray light of dawn seeped through the windows, they stepped out. The storm had eased to a drizzle, the air fresh with petrichor, washing away some of the sulfur stink. Eldridge grew grew sharper, thicker with the scent of pine and earth as they entered the woods. Human lights flickered on in distant houses, but the forest was their domain, a place where wolves ruled.

Ronan led, shifting to his wolf form for better tracking, his golden fur rippling as he sniffed the ground. Aria and Kael followed on foot, her hand brushing his accidentally as they navigated the slippery path, sending sparks up her arm. “Remember the pack runs?” Kael said softly, a flashback pulling him from the present. “You always outpaced me, laughing the whole way. Your wolf form white as snow, fast as the wind. Those moments are coming back to me now, Aria. Bits and pieces, like puzzle pieces falling into place.”

She smiled despite herself, the memory warming her against the chill. “You let me win. Alpha ego and all. But yeah, those runs… they were freedom. Before everything went to hell.”

He squeezed her hand, not accidentally this time. “We’ll have that again. I swear it.”

Deeper in the woods, Ronan shifted back, pointing to a massive oak tree. “Here. Claw marks deep, like from something bigger than a wolf. Not rogue, not pack. Something summoned. And look.” He brushed leaves aside, revealing a rune etched into the bark a swirling symbol glowing faintly purple, pulsing like a vein.

Aria knelt, tracing it with her finger, a jolt of energy shooting through her. “Magic. The Memory Eater? It feels… alive.”

Ronan nodded, his face grave. “A summoning mark. Whoever’s using the amulet called something a shadow beast, maybe. To hunt, to scare, to kill. Thorne’s doing this to cover his tracks.”

The trail led them on a chase through the forest branches snapping underfoot, mud sucking at their boots, the drizzle turning to a light mist. Aria’s wolf itched to shift, but she held back, the suppressing herbs still in her system. Flashbacks hit her in waves: the ceremony’s warmth turning to cold rejection, Kael’s voice echoing “You mean nothing,” the pack’s jeers. But now, with him beside her, it felt different hopeful, if fragile.

They stumbled into a small clearing, the ground scarred with more runes, arranged in a circle. In the center, a torn piece of cloth fluttered, soaked but recognizable part of a Bloodfang cloak, scented with Thorne’s musk.

“This is it,” Ronan said, picking it up. “The amulet’s power lingered here. Thorne was summoning, or controlling something.”

Kael’s face darkened, a growl rumbling in his chest. “That bastard. If he’s using this to take the pack…”

Suspense built as more clues emerged: a dropped vial of dark liquid, reeking of herbs used in dark rituals; a footprint too large for a wolf. Kael had a vision then, clutching his head “I see it. Thorne in the caves, the amulet glowing in his hand. He’s planning to use it on the whole pack.”

Then, a rustle in the bushes. A young pack messenger burst into the clearing, panting, fur matted with mud. “Alpha! From the stronghold. Thorne’s disappeared gone since last night. Borders in chaos, attacks from Shadowclaws. He left a note 'Handle it without me.’”

Kael took the note, reading it quickly. “This is his handwriting. But why run now?”

Aria’s nose twitched, her wolf senses cutting through the mist. Thorne’s scent fresh, not old, lingering on the wind. She whispered to Kael and Ronan, her voice low with dread. “He’s not gone. He’s watching us. Right now.”