Author's POV
Alderic Blackthorn had barely been Alpha for a season, and already the burden of leadership pressed on him like an iron. A plague had swept through his pack, leaving weaklings and dying cubs in its wake.
They said there was only one who could help- a witch of the Moonveil Coven, whose power was rumored to rival the light of the Moon Goddess herself.
After days of searching, he finally found her at the edge of the forest, where silver mist clung to the trees. Lyanna Moonveil stood there, calm and radiant, her hair like spun moonlight. Her amber eyes met his, and for the first time, Alderic felt a weight lift, like all his problems were about to be solved.
"What is it you are here for?" She asked, voice like wind over water.
"I seek to save my pack," he replied. "If you have the power, I will do whatever you ask."
She studied him, her gaze piercing. "Power comes with a price, Alpha. Are you willing to pay it?"
He nodded. "For my people, for my pack… yes."
Thus began their bond. She healed the sick, whispered charms to protect the cubs, and stood by him in council. Eventually, things took a different turn than expected.
They fell fell in love beneath the blood moon, swearing loyalty, fidelity and heart in secret. The whole pack heard the news when Lyanna became pregnant. But fate had other plans. The elders feared the potential power that Lyanna and Alderic's child would carry, being born of a wolf and witch. It would carry a power no mortal had ever seen, because it broke the natural order. And so, they demanded a tough decision.
Elder Garron, the oldest and most respected, was the first to speak.
"The witch carries your seed, Alderic. Is it true?"
Alderic's throat tightened. "Yes."
"And you did not understand that associating yourself with her would have dire consequences?"
"She is my mate in all but name," Alderic replied. "And she has saved us more times than any of you ever could."
The elders exchanged uneasy glances.
Elder Varya, sharp-eyed and cold, leaned forward. "She has also cursed others in her time. We owe her gratitude — not trust. Her child will not be born wolf nor witch, but something between. Something unnatural."
Alderic's hand slammed against the table. "Unnatural? That woman healed your dying son! She gave this pack its strength back when the plague nearly destroyed us!"
Varya didn't flinch. "And what will she take in return? You think the Moon will bless such a union? No, Alpha. It will bring ruin upon all of us."
The others murmured their agreement. Garron's voice cut through the tension. "You know the laws, Alderic. No half-bloods. No spawn of witchcraft may live among wolves. The child must be destroyed before it draws breath."
The words hung in the air like ash. Alderic's stomach twisted. He looked from face to face — men and women he had fought beside, who had sworn loyalty to his rule.
"You are asking me to kill my blood," he whispered.
Garron's tone softened but his gaze remained hard. "We are asking you to protect your pack. You are an Alpha before you are a man. We have seen omens in the fire — rivers of blood, a red moon that never wanes. If you love your people, you will do what must be done."
Alderic felt his wolf stirring beneath his skin, snarling in denial. "She is my mate," he growled. "My heart."
"And that," Varya hissed, "is your weakness."
Garron stood, placing a scroll before Alderic — the decree of the council, sealed with the mark of the Nightshade.
"You will do it yourself," he said quietly. "Or we will."
After they left, Alderic sank to his knees. His hands trembled as he buried his face in them. The echo of their words rang in his ears.
"You think the Moon will bless such a union? No, Alpha. It will bring ruin upon all of us."
"No half-bloods. No spawn of witchcraft may live among wolves. The child must be destroyed before it draws breath."
He loved Lyanna and his child, but he loved his pack more. So, in the dead of night, he made a choice he would regret for eternity.
***
The time came when Lyanna's water broke, and she was led into a chamber under the pretense of protection, unaware of his plan. Hours of painful labour passed, and when the child was born, Alderic's soldiers seized it. In desperation, Lyanna fought and tried to run with the baby, but the soldiers overpowered her. Her child was killed before her eyes.
Lyanna's scream tore through the forest. Her eyes blazed like twin moons, and every ounce of her grief and fury transformed into power. She carried the dead child to Alderic in his chambers, dropping it to the ground and there, her power manifested.
Silver fire coiled around Alderic, searing his soul but sparing his body — a punishment far crueler than death. He fell to his knees, staring at the woman he had loved, the woman he had destroyed, and the lifeless bundle between them.
Lyanna's tears fell to the blood-soaked floor.
"You swore you would protect us," she whispered. "Now the moon itself shall bear witness to your betrayal."
Alderic reached for her, his fingers closing on nothing but air. "Lyanna, please—"
But she was already gone.
A chill wind swept through the room, snuffing out every torch until only the moonlight remained.
Then came her voice, carried by the wind. It was distant but clear:
"The love you've betrayed will haunt your blood.Every heart that dares to love a Blackthorn shall wither and die before the next full moon!"
And when one who bears my light meets one who bears your shadow, the curse will either end… or consume you all."
Alderic lifted his head, his face streaked with tears.
"No, please!!!"
He had saved his pack.But in doing so, he had damned himself and his entire generation.