The Gate of Shadows

"Oh! I didn’t know you were here. Ah... This is awkward." Layla smiled coyly at Ben, but he shook his head in response.

It allowed Fenris to get her off him. Once she was off, he walked over and sat beside me. Underneath the covers, he held onto my hand, making my heart beat loudly. I didn’t know if he did it to keep me under control or to comfort me from the scene I witnessed.

I didn’t care, though, intertwining my hand with his away from Layla's view. It felt good. He appeared happier touching me than with her.

"Why did you say you were afraid of not seeing Fenris? He’s a capable fighter, you know." Ben asked Layla, who informed what happened in town.

They found a lot of Lycans dead after the attack. It appeared that they went rabid, killing anyone who stood in their way before expiring for an unknown reason soon after. Even though it was early in the investigation, the officers thought the explosions to be distractions.

It was apparent how the attackers targeted the wolves around Silverant during the diversion. They stabbed the victims with knives coated in a weird, radiant purple liquid. They would need more testing before we knew what it was.

However, after hearing what it did to Lycans, I had little doubt about it. My initial fears were correct. It was like Stella’s book said. Whenever witchcraft mixed with that poison, it would radiate purple. However, it had never been that bright before.

The book described it as radiant purple. This was because of the plant itself, but a drawing was always different from reality. It also gave off a solid flowery smell, but I had no time to sniff it. Not that anyone could with all the explosions going off.

Yet it didn't change that wolfsbane was a plant long thought to be extinct. It was deadly to anything that shared Lycan blood, even hybrids. Long ago, vampires used it to submit the wolves to their will, but it quickly backfired. The Lycans went rabid, killing anyone in their path before expiring themselves.

However, back then, it took days before they died. So, something was off. Most of the deaths that happened throughout the night had been because of these out-of-control Lycans. It made me confident of what the unknown substance was.

Or at least something similar to it. Is that even possible? No...

I could never forget something beaten into me, even if it were different. I was missing information. When Layla finished speaking, I held onto Fenris's hand tighter, worrying that he was also a target for their attacks.

If it was the sisters, he indeed was…

"I think—" I spoke, only to be interrupted by Layla.

She turned toward Fenris again before jumping on him, even though he was in my bed. This action pried his hand off mine. I stared at them, stunned by what happened. It never crossed my mind she would do something like this.

An ache in my heart was present.

"It was so scary, Fenris! We should embrace each other before our vows!" she declared.

He blocked her advances with his arm, seemly distressed again.

"Just get off me!" Fenris ordered, growling.

I stood off the bed, trying to calm my annoyance. It would be a mistake to allow myself to be pushed over the edge. I was no longer a child to throw tantrums over rival things. At least she didn’t want to hurt him.

Even so, I...

How dare she take what is yours? A whisper arose within me, sending shivers down my spine.

Ben grabbed me from behind, making me jump.

"What were you saying, Lilith?" he asked curiously.

I turned to him, trying to suppress my envy for Layla. At least this sweet wolf eased my heart. He very much was the father I never had.

"What?" I mumbled.

My mind was too cluttered to focus on one thing.

"You wanted to say something before Layla, you know, did her thing." Ben shook his head, shifting his gaze towards the promising future alphas of the pack.

I didn’t know how he saw them, but he wanted what was best for his baby brother.

"Oh... I think I know what that liquid is." I declared, making a conscious effort to avoid looking towards my bed.

Layla continued to assault Fenris, disregarding his complaints relentlessly. I couldn't help him; any action on my part would doom him.

"Oh? You do?" Ben raised his eyebrows, gazing at me oddly.

I nodded.

"Yes... It has to be wolfsbane." I replied, which caused Layla to snort before bursting into laughter.

It triggered all eyes to fall on her.

"Silly girl, that plant has been extinct longer than we’ve been alive!" Layla countered.

That’s true… but… why do I feel like I’m missing something? Stella… did I hear it from her once? Where did...

A blur of memory flashed through my mind, but nothing else. I turned towards the white wolf, unimpressed by her challenge.  Her demeanor rubbed me off the wrong way.

"I'm sure it’s wolfsbane," I argued, crossing my arms.

Her eyes flickered; it almost felt like she was sizing me up.

Lycans and their pride...

Getting off Fenris, she came towards me, smiling.

"And how would a sheltered witch like you know more than I, a future alpha? I’m telling you that plant’s gone." Layla argued, looking at me like I was nothing compared to her.

The words she uttered were undeniably accurate. I couldn't measure up to her in any way. Even so, I couldn’t back down. Not when Fenris’s well-being was at stake. Though, I was aware no one would believe me. After all, who'd believe something more than a thousand years old still existed?

Yet I knew my grandmother. If there were a way, she'd find it. It was like saying some ancient virus or bacteria resurfaced after being extinct—in this case, a plant that her ancestors had burned. Of course, she would fight it, even if the symptoms were alike.

In their minds, it had to be something else. It could've been, but I was determined to warn them.

"Layla!" Ben and Fenris shouted for her to back down.

I smiled, feeling relieved. I had always wondered how the white wolf felt about me, but there she was, showing her true colors.

So, this is how she feels about me... Figures…

Folder... Feed her to us! A whisper passed through.

The sight made me shake my head in disbelief as I confronted her. Others belittled me despite my efforts to be kind and keep to myself. The world felt exhausting and unwelcoming. Yet the two brothers in the room were my light.

They showed me not all of them were like her.

"Before I lived here, I was with the sisters..." I stopped for a few moments.

Even mentioning them made me recall all the things they did to me.

Tell… we… wolfbane.

The same memory emerged again. There was no way I would’ve ever forgotten a lesson that came from their abuse.

But was it a lesson? Or something else? Why can’t I recall it fully? No… that wasn’t when I read her grimoire. That was… when?

Taking a deep breath, I pushed those thoughts aside. I didn't have time to dwell on them. But I recalled all of Stella's grimoire. Yet that memory...

"When I was with the sisters of Moira, I read about it in one of their contraband books. All those years ago, Lycans burned the plants, making them extinct. But it matches the symptoms exerted by these wolves. Yet… something…" I hesitated, letting my words fade.

I attempted to articulate my thoughts more clearly.

I'm missing something. Stella... What did you do?

However, I felt like I was missing something. That would be the least of my worries, though. When Layla's expression changed, my eyes remained locked on her. The silence filled the room. Her amber eyes glowed brightly, like a sun that had just risen.

Her face warped in ways I had never seen when she suddenly threw herself at me. Luckily, Fenris grabbed her before she could get to me. Ben yanked me towards him before getting in between us.

"You were with the cult that killed my pregnant mother?!" Layla screeched from Fenris’s grip.

Unbeknownst to me, Layla's mother was one guest on Fenris's birthday who had suffered the same fate as many others.

"Layla, she was just a child!" Ben tried to explain the situation, but all Layla saw was red.

Cerberus wasn’t telling anyone where I came from, and I could see why. The pure loathing reflected in her eyes when she heard I belonged to them was unreal. If Fenris hadn't reacted swiftly, she would've severely injured me.

"I don’t care! I’ll rip her throat out and save you the trouble of protecting her." She snarled.

Before anyone else could say anything else,  Fenris slammed her onto the wall hard enough for it to crack. They made it of solid cement, and for it to do that. The force he used was excessive.

The shock of her future alpha doing that to her alone made her breathless. He grabbed onto her face, holding her in place against the wall. His eyes glowed brighter than hers, veins bulging from where he stood.

"You touch a hair on her head, and I’ll rip you apart! Got it?!" he sneered.

Ben grabbed his arm, stopping him from doing something he would regret. He let her go in response to his brother's intervention before grabbing my hand. 

A second later, he yanked me out of that room.

"Fenris... I’m sorry! I didn’t know." I apologized, being ignorant that she was unaware of my origins.

It was a mistake to assume since she was his betrothed, they would’ve told her everything. Yet they hadn’t. Before I knew it, I was in his arms. He clutched me closely to his chest.

"It isn’t your fault, Lily. Don’t worry, Ben will handle it." Fenris shrugged.

His heat emanated from him. I could hear his erratic heart wanting to pump out of his chest. His anger still surged through this wolf, yet his grip on me was gentle.

I hummed, allowing myself to melt into his touch. In the time Ben spoke with Layla inside, my body trembled after seeing her hate me with such passion. She'd never stop hunting me if anyone told her the truth about what happened that day.

The thought of not feeling Fenris ever again was too much to bear. After a few minutes, Ben came out with Layla, who profusely apologized for launching at me.

"I didn’t know you were a victim! I’m so sorry!" she apologized, bowing her head.

Fenris kept her away from me, though. It was hard to know if her apology was genuine or because of Fenris's threat. After that, she retreated, followed by Ben, who went to talk to Ryker about what I deduced from the situation.

From it all, I forgot to tell him where I heard it. It slipped right out of my mind. Not that it mattered. I doubted they would’ve believed me either way. Once we were alone in the room, Fenris went over to a shelf where he took out the bracelet that I had thrown the previous night.

He hid it when Ben came. Coming to me, he leaned into my ear, whispering, “Lily, don’t tell anyone about anything that happened yesterday.”

The wolf placed it back on my wrist, leaving me unsure if this was the right thing to do. The wickedness in the world was starting to make their move. Soon enough, fates would collide once again.

But first, the calm… before the true storm.