Kyran Pov
The forbidden spirit cave was in the mountains behind the pack lands. Nobody went there because the old stories said it was cursed ground where angry spirits lived. Anyone who entered the cave was supposed to be marked by death or madness or both.
But I needed the moonstone, and according to my research, it was hidden somewhere deep in that cave. The moonstone was the only thing powerful enough to trap a spirit like Yolande during the ritual. Without it, I had no chance of saving Rex.
I packed two torches and a silver knife and left the pack house before sunrise. I did not tell anyone where I was going because if they knew, they would try to stop me. The cave entrance was hidden behind thick vines that had grown over it for decades.
I used the knife to cut through the vines. It took almost an hour, but finally I cleared enough space to squeeze through the opening. The inside of the cave was pitch black, so I lit one of the torches and held it up.
The air was freezing cold. My breath came out in white clouds, and I heard whispers echoing off the walls. I could not make out words, but I knew they were not friendly.
"I am not here to cause trouble," I said out loud. "I just need the moonstone, and then I will leave."
The whispers got louder and angrier. They surrounded me from all directions, and I felt something brush against my shoulder. I spun around, but nothing was there.
I kept walking deeper into the cave. The walls were covered in old carvings and symbols I did not recognize. Some of them looked like warnings, others looked like prayers. All of them looked ancient.
That was when I saw the shadow wolf.
It stepped out from behind a rock formation, and I knew immediately it was not a normal wolf. Its body was made of pure shadow and smoke. Its eyes glowed bright red, and its teeth were too long and too sharp. It growled, and the sound made every bone in my body hurt.
"I do not want to fight you," I said and held up the silver knife. "But I will if you force me to."
The shadow wolf did not care. It lunged at me so fast I barely had time to dodge. Its claws caught my shoulder and ripped through my shirt and skin like they were made of paper. Blood poured down my arm, and the pain was instant and sharp.
I swung the knife, and the silver blade cut through the wolf's side. Black smoke poured out of the wound, and the wolf howled. The sound echoed through the entire cave and made my ears ring.
The wolf came at me again, and this time I was ready. I stabbed it in the chest and twisted the blade. More black smoke poured out, and the wolf started dissolving. But before it disappeared completely, it got its teeth into my leg and bit down hard.
I screamed and fell to my knees. The wolf's teeth were like ice and fire at the same time. Then it turned to smoke and vanished completely, leaving just whispers and my own blood on the cave floor.
I wrapped my shirt around my shoulder to try to stop the bleeding. My leg hurt so bad I could barely stand, but I forced myself to keep moving. The moonstone was close. I could feel it now like a pulse in the air.
I found it in the deepest chamber of the cave. The room was so cold I could see ice forming on the walls. The moonstone sat on a stone pedestal in the center, glowing with soft white light. It hummed quietly like it was alive.
I walked over and picked it up carefully. It was warm in my hand despite the freezing air. The humming got louder, and I felt power flowing through it.
"Finally," I said.
That was when I heard her voice.
"Kyran," Yolande said, and her voice echoed off every wall at once. "You think that pretty little stone will save your friend?"
I spun around but saw nothing except shadows. "Show yourself," I said.
"I am everywhere," Yolande said and laughed. "I am in the walls and the floor and the air you breathe, and I am watching everything you do."
"What do you want?" I said.
"I want you to know that you are wasting your time," Yolande said. "If you use that stone on Rex during the ritual, I will make him cut his own throat first.
I will make him bleed out right in front of you while you stand there holding your useless rock."
"You are lying," I said, but my hands started shaking.
"Am I?" Yolande said. "Do you really want to risk it. Try your ritual, Kyran. Use the moonstone and watch your friend die, or do nothing and watch him kill the Alpha. Either way, someone you care about is going to die, and it will be your fault for trying to interfere."
"I will find a way to stop you," I said.
"No, you will not," Yolande said, and her voice started fading. "Because I have already won. The curse is complete, and nothing you do will change that. Enjoy your stone."
Her voice disappeared, and the cave went quiet again. I stood there holding the moonstone and trying to figure out if she was bluffing, but I could not risk it. If she really would make Rex kill himself the second I started the ritual, then I had to be more careful.
My shoulder was still bleeding badly. Blood was soaking through the makeshift bandage and dripping onto the cave floor. I looked at the moonstone in my hand and remembered reading that it had healing properties.
I pressed the stone against the wound on my shoulder. It glowed brighter, and suddenly the bleeding stopped. The pain disappeared, too, like someone had flipped a switch.
I pulled the stone away to look at the wound, and my stomach dropped.
There was a black scar burned into my skin in the exact shape of a screaming face. The mouth was open wide, and the eyes looked terrified. It looked like someone had branded me with a hot iron.
"What did it do to me?" I whispered.