Song: Female Vocal Mix by Premium Music HQ

"Turn the music up," I asked. Pride reached forward and cranked the radio up until it was in the twenties. Music blared through the speakers and I sunk deeper into the passenger seat of our black SUV. Resting my feet on the dashboard, I pulled out my journal and prepared myself.

I didn't want to arrive at the Delaware Pack without having everything in line. I wanted to make sure that I could provide Loathes Light with as much information as I could give them.

Uncapping my black pen, I rewrote the Prophecy of Magick and dated the entry. Combing through the cryptic words, I identified each title with the name's Dion had supplied me with. After jotting some questions off to the side, I analyzed the full writing for anything else.

"This'll have to do," I muttered. Pride made a sharp turn and I cursed at the way I jolted to the side. Glaring at him from the corner of my eye, I ate more of the saltines Dion brought me before leaving and sighed. Pride wasn't the best driver and I was almost certain we'd hit something soon.

"We'll be at the Pack's borders in a minute!" Pride shouted over the music. I nodded and turned to a fresh page. On this one I sectioned it into a second part and delved more into the Seven Stars. I wrote our titles, names, Packs, and state's we were all from. I connected with the star we were representing and the message the Moon Goddess had given me in my dream.

My dream that I never finished...

Frowning, I did my best to rewrite what she'd said with the correct stars. Dion and I had a theory that the stars we represented coincided with the reverse order we were mentioned. Pride was mentioned last and was related to the first star. I was mentioned second to last and was connected to the second star. Following that pattern and the dream, it was safe to assume our order was correct.

Not having anything else to add after the third star, I left the remaining four spots empty.

I made a mental note to come back to this page and moved on to Part Three of Connections.

One thing that stood out to me the most was how a lot of us had overlapping storylines. It wasn't until after I had everything mapped out did I realize how many bonds the chosen wolves had with each other.

I'd have to ask Reign and Sky if Rowena was associated with their family in any way. I didn't think it was a coincidence she was a part of Pride's family and was the reason for my birth. Plus, Mother said Rowena never stayed with one Coven for long. For all I knew, she could've made it to all seven Packs and nudged things along like Gamma Fray said she wanted to.

Pride turned the music down and said, "We're here."

The car rolled to a stop outside Taber State Forest as I finished writing in red. Sitting up straighter, I eyed the sparse forest line with piqued interest. "Where are their Warriors? I don't see any border patrol."

"Maybe they're further in," Pride shrugged. "Dion said they were a smaller Pack. They might have their wolves closer to their houses."

"Maybe..." Placing my open notebook beside me, I leaned closer and peered into the forest. The afternoon sunlight pushed through the tall trees, illuminating every leaf and branch. But still, no wolf in sight.

I rolled the window down and stuck my head outside. Taking a deep whiff of the surrounding air, I inhaled the leftover scent of rain and deer. Still, no wolves.

"What's this?" When I looked back Pride was leafing through the three pages with interest.

"Just, something I wanted to put together in case Loathes Light has any questions," I replied. Which I figured they would.

Pride settled on the second page, his long fingers skimming our names. Picking up my discarded pen, he scribbled in his tiny handwriting off to the side. As I leaned closer to look, I realized he was finishing the last four stars and the Moon Goddesses message.

"You had the same dream?"

"Yeah," Pride replied. After dotting the last i, he capped the pen and handed me the journal. "The day you gave me your list. Why didn't you finish it?"

"I didn't have the whole dream." Closing the journal, I took off my seatbelt and stretched. Watching Pride from the corner of my eye, I asked, "Why'd you scream? During the dream, I mean."

"I was scared." Pride shrugged nonchalantly. But I didn't miss the quick flash of tension rippling over his chiseled jaw. The stiffening of his shoulders didn't go unnoticed by me either. I worried about the remaining dream I didn't have.

Was it really that bad?

"Let's go." We exited the car and a heavy feeling immediately settled in my stomach. The only nearby sound was the quick beeping of the car as Pride locked it. The steady breathing he and I emitted were the singular melodies of this little forest. Tucking my journal under my arm, I raised my chin and entered the forest with Pride at my side.

"What are we gonna say?" Pride kicked a stray rock and I watched it bounce five times before scaring a random chipmunk. The startled animal screeched before bolting up a tree.

"Dion said he sent word to all fifty Packs telling them of what's to come," I said. Picking at the holes in my jeans, I sniffed at the stale air and trampled over the green foliage. "He also sent another messenger yesterday to tell them we were coming. They'll be expecting us."

"Then we get in, find Loathes Light, and leave as soon as we can," Pride chimed in. I nodded at his quick thinking in silent agreement. Time was of the essence here. We only had until December to complete the tasks of the second prophecy. And that was without the pressure of putting our people at risk for more attacks.

We were nearing the end of August now.

Pride's large hand hit the front of my stomach and I jumped at the sudden touch. Glancing up, I locked eyes with his alert gaze. His green eyes widened as he pressed a finger to his lips before tapping his nose.

Be quiet and smell.

Swallowing thickly, I chastised myself for not trusting the feeling from earlier. Inhaling deeply, I gagged as the faint smell of iron filled my nostrils. The scent of ash lingered underneath and memories of the attack on my own Pack flashed in my mind.

They could be old.

Our Pack still smells
like that a little.

Maybe.

But we mind link
from here on out.

I agreed with his plan and we moved forward with more care. Sticking my nose to the air, I inhaled every new scent that came with the gentle blowing of the calm breeze. But all I smelled was blood, ash, rain, and deer.

No wolves.

Pressing my lips together, I glared at every twitch of a leaf. Speared every twittering chipmunk with a harsh scowl. Nothing escaped my scalding gaze as we neared what should be the center of the Pack.

Something wasn't right here and I didn't like it one bit.

Can you hear anything?

No.

Nothing?

Nothing.

Pride gripped my wrist in his large hand, pulling me to a stop. Keeping to our vow of silence, he nodded towards our left and I followed his direction. It was a large wooden house. Two stories tall with a wide base.

We were this close and still no sounds or fresh scents greeted us.

No Warriors.

No anything.

Pride's expression hardened into one of cold ice as he shook his head.

I don't like this.

Me neither.

But we have to go.

We have to find
Loathes Light.

We moved forward at a quicker pace as the unsettling feeling grew. My stomach ached with something worse than fear. I couldn't help but think of the worst possibilities the closer we got to the silence.

I saw the sock first.

It was small and white. Probably belonging to a toddler no older than four. And it was stained a dark crimson red. Shaking myself free of Pride's strong hold, I plucked the child's garment off the forest floor. Holding the cloth to my nose, I sniffed the sock and my suspicions were confirmed.

The young pup this sock once belonged to couldn't have been older than three. The smell of his mother's milk still clung to his skin and it was embedded into the fabric.

Drawing my bottom lip between my teeth, I bit hard to prevent myself from breaking and tossed the sock far away. Pride beckoned for my hand and I let him hold it once more. No longer worried about being quiet, we stamped through the Pack's grounds. Our eyes didn't miss the scraps of ripped up and bloodied clothes.

When we emerged into the clearing, that's when we found the bodies. Men, women, and children. All stripped to nothing and covered in maggots. Their gaping wounds played host to various types of insects that'd burrowed into their meals. Bile filled my throat at the putrid scent of decaying bodies and I gripped Pride's hand even tighter.

Tears lined my eyes as I detected no signs of life. No living soul to lend my Luna gift of strength to.

Only death greeted us.

Don't look.

I'm trying.

If it weren't for the slight tremble in Pride's hand, I would've guessed him unaffected. For even though his hand betrayed his emotions, his stony face never wavered. A shaky breath escaped me as I slipped on a young pup's bloody hair. Her once blonde hair clung to my dark boots and I pushed Pride forward to get away from her.

The empty greys of her eyes followed us in silence.

"Holy shit," I murmured. Gasping at the brutality, I covered my mouth with my spare hand. Nothing short of shock lived within me as I gazed upon the mutilated wolf nailed to a tall wooden T.

The man's back was ripped open and ropes were tied into each side of the cut skin. Both sides were pulled taut so that it looked like he had wings. Over his left shoulder was his bloody spine. Over his right shoulder were his lungs that were being pecked at by crows. Dried blood ran down the blond man's naked body. At his feet was the crumpled body of another wolf. This one was still clothed.

Clenching my teeth, I let go of Pride's hand and edged towards the dead pair. My heart plummeted at the sight of the naked man's birthmark that connected him to us. Over his dirty chest, Jack Whitemoon: Loathes Light, was written in dirt and blood.

They'd already gotten to him.

The wolf crumpled at the base of the T laid wide eyed. His mouth was open and something was stuffed within it. Putting my sickness aside I leaned down and retrieved the paper.

He had no tongue.

Something black caught my eye and I lowered the man's blue collar to get a better look at it. Dion's emblem, the outline of his lavish crown, was burned into the pale wolf's neck. This was the messenger he'd sent.

Grief filled my breaking heart and I furiously wiped a stray tear away. The sight of so many of my people dead and humiliated pained me more than anything I'd ever experienced.

"We have to bury them," I stammered. Squeezing my eyes shut, I fought through my climbing misery and forced myself to function. "We can't just leave them like this."

"We can't," Pride hissed. Fury seized me and I whirled on him with anger in my veins. His eyes were wet but not one tear fell.

"They deserve a burial-"

"We do that and they'll know we were here!" Pride's wild eyes flew all around us before he drew closer and said, "Think about it. Dion sent that messenger yesterday and he's dead. Meaning the Witches have been keeping an eye on this Pack for the past three days. We can't risk it."

I knew he was right.

I knew it.

But my heart didn't care. I couldn't just leave them here to rot in the wild as if no one cared about them. "Pride-"

Without warning, Pride lurched forward and snatched my hand into his ironclad grip. My words of protest died as he forced us to the ground and covered me with his body. The earth trembled as something behind us exploded. My ears rang and I screamed at the sight of red tinged fire clinging to Pride's back.

"You're on fire!"

Not even batting an eye, Pride seized my fallen journal and hauled me to my feet. Shoving it back into my arms, he tugged on me as we ran away from Jack's blown up body. Balls of fire trailed after us, missing our scampering forms by inches.

The aroma of decayed herbs invaded my senses and I coughed on the overwhelming scent. I didn't have to see them to know that there were many Witches in pursuit of us.

Forcing myself to run faster, I shared my power with Pride and a silver shield formed around us. My insides were singed with heat as my gift worked overtime to repel the blasts of heat.

I didn't dare look back.

At the sight of the parked car in the distance, Pride fumbled with the keys until it beeped once more. A sudden wave of heat rolled over me. It took me a second to realize that it was coming from inside my protective barrier. Turning to glance at Pride, I yelped at the blue fire clinging to his large body. He shoved the keys into my hands and pushed me forward, breaking his connection to my shield.

Run ahead and
start the car!

But-

Now!

I can't control it
for long!

Strikes of lightning jumped from his chest and I gulped at the sight. It was like he was self-destructing.

I bolted ahead and ran. Fire continued to rain down on me, burning the surrounding wildlife in the process. Emerging from the forest, I sped towards the car and forced the sleek door open. I jammed the keys into the ignition, a short spell of relief filling me as it roared to life. Slamming the door shut, I threw the car into reverse and did a 180° turn. Shifting back into drive, I peered over the back of the seat and gulped.

At least fifty figures shrouded in black smoke were chasing Pride.

Pride, who was covered in blue fire from head to toe. Bolts of lightning jumping from his chest. There wasn't anything to him besides waves of blue heat and flashes of white. Not even his green eyes could be found.

"Come on!" I screamed. Anxiety gnawed at me as I watched them get closer to him. Stupidity struck me as I shifted to reverse and prepared to plow through every fucking Witch I could.

And that's when Pride exploded.

Blue fire raged against the weaker magick and enveloped everything in sight. A wall of blue claimed the forest as strikes of white brought every tree crumbling down. The car shot forward with the power of Pride's magick and I winced at the cracking of the back window.

"Go!" Pride's half naked body fell into our damaged car. Smoke filled the air and without a moment's hesitation, I floored it. Leaving nothing but devastation and death in our wake.

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QOTD: How do you think they'll fair on their journey now that the Witches have killed Jack?