Chapter 7
The mention of that day still twisted my heart in pain. I let out a sigh before smiling bitterly. At the very least, Balthar knew he couldn’t deny the fact that Balto had died. Even if he could it wouldn’t be too long before he had to face the truth.
Yuriel was Balthar‘ s most trusted Beta. He was professional in his work and would never have the slightest intent to betray Balthar or Night Howl.
“What?” I heard Balthar‘ s voice after a long silence.
“You’ve got your answer now. If you‘ d excuse me, I’d like to have my peace,
I said mockingly over the mind link. “I’m about to reach Night Howl’s border. Looking forward to you exiling me from the pack, Balthar.”
With that, I cut off the mind link and settled into the leather couch of the passanger seat.
In all honesty, my only priority was to escape Night Howl, though I wasn’t entirely sure where I’d end up.
I instructed the driver to drop me off on the road between Night Howl and Blue Moon territory. Why? Because my funds were limited and I could only afford the fare halfway to the latter‘ s border. As risky as it was, I felt an undeniable sense of relief knowing Night Howl was behind me. Now, I just had to keep moving forward, hoping the rumors about the Blue Moon Pack being welcoming to newcomers were true.
Night had fallen by the time I made a slight detour to a nearby camping ground. As I prepared a small bonfire and cleaned the fish I’d caught, the stillness was broken by a familiar howl. Before I could react, a blur of brown fur came charging toward me.
“What do you want, Nayra?” I asked, grabbing a sturdy branch from the fire and pointing it at her, wary of her intentions.
My heart sank when a figure emerged from the shadows behind her–a man covered in tattoos, wearing a sleeveless hoodie. The insignia inked on his arm–a broken moon–instantly caught my eye. It was the mark of the Calamity Cult, the sworn enemies of the pack alliances for What was Nayra doing with someone from the Calamity?
years.
Nayra shifted back into her human form, the hooded man standing just behind her, watching. “Hello, sister. How thoughtful of you to isolate yourself from the main road,” Nayra‘ s voice dripped with mockery. She extended her hand, palm up, a wicked grin on her face. “Now, hand over the Lunar Crystalis.”
I froze. So that’s what this was about? Nayra had been after the sacred stone all along.
“And what makes you think I’ll just give it to you?” I asked, keeping my voice steady despite the panic rising inside me.
Nayra‘ s grin faltered, replaced by a patronizing sigh. “Oh, sister. Why do you insist on being so stubborn?” She shook her head as if I wasn’t supposed to disappoint her. “Don‘ t you realize you‘ re in no position to refuse?”
I took a cautious step back, my eyes never leaving hers–or the hooded man standing ominously behind her.Content © NôvelDrama.Org 2024.
“Honestly, I thought you‘ d have given up after your son’s death. Maybe even killed yourself,” she added with a dismissive wave, as if Balto Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. She spoke as if she had expected him to die. “What do
s death was nothing more than an inconvenience. mean by that?”
Nayra laughed, a cruel sound that echoed through the quiet night. “Oh, dear sister, you really trusted
you those healers, didn’t you? The ones who came to ‘help? They were working for me. We shared a common goal, so it was easy to strike a deal.” She tilted her head toward the hooded man behind her. “That’s how I found them–through my new friend here.”
I could barely breathe. My heart raced, and the ground felt like it was slipping from under me. “Balthar… he let this happen?”