LUNAR RECKONING
img img LUNAR RECKONING img Chapter 4 The Witch's Threat
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Chapter 6 The Betrayal img
Chapter 7 The Choice img
Chapter 8 The Capture img
Chapter 9 The Final Showdown img
Chapter 10 The Rebirth img
Chapter 11 A Fragile Alliance img
Chapter 12 The Underlying Tension img
Chapter 13 The Breaking Point img
Chapter 14 The Hidden Betrayal img
Chapter 15 The Reckoning img
Chapter 16 Eve's First Test as Leader img
Chapter 17 Unraveling the Betrayal img
Chapter 18 The Weight of Leadership img
Chapter 19 Power and Consequence img
Chapter 20 A Leader's Resolve img
Chapter 21 Building Trust img
Chapter 22 The Arrival of Selena img
Chapter 23 Doubts and Desires img
Chapter 24 Selena's Challenge img
Chapter 25 The Breaking Point img
Chapter 26 Emotional Turmoil img
Chapter 27 The Call of the Forest img
Chapter 28 Shadows of the Past img
Chapter 29 A Gift and a Curse img
Chapter 30 The Awakening img
Chapter 31 Selena's Intrigue img
Chapter 32 The Seeds of Betrayal img
Chapter 33 Grayson's Dilemma img
Chapter 34 The Divide Deepens img
Chapter 35 The Betrayal Revealed img
Chapter 36 The Growing Threat img
Chapter 37 The Enemy at the Gate img
Chapter 38 The Coming War img
Chapter 39 The Final Stand img
Chapter 40 A New Era img
Chapter 41 The Whisper of Shadows img
Chapter 42 Unseen Enemies img
Chapter 43 The Alpha of the Void img
Chapter 44 The Shadow's Reach img
Chapter 45 A Line in the Sand img
Chapter 46 The Whispered Legend img
Chapter 47 The Journey into the Unknown img
Chapter 48 The Trials of the Moonstone img
Chapter 49 The Shadow's Interference img
Chapter 50 A Choice That Cannot Be Undone img
Chapter 51 Into the Wild img
Chapter 52 The First Trial img
Chapter 53 Fractured Bonds img
Chapter 54 The Wolf Guardian img
Chapter 55 The Choice to Continue img
Chapter 56 The Forest of Illusions img
Chapter 57 The First Sacrifice img
Chapter 58 The Weight of Loss img
Chapter 59 The Final Trial img
Chapter 60 The Moonstone's Chamber img
Chapter 61 The Betrayer's Return img
Chapter 62 The Duel of the Past img
Chapter 63 The Truth About Grayson img
Chapter 64 The Future We Cannot Change img
Chapter 65 A War of Destiny img
Chapter 66 Eve's Decision img
Chapter 67 The Burden of Leadership img
Chapter 68 The Power Consumes img
Chapter 69 A Fractured Pack img
Chapter 70 The End of the Beginning img
Chapter 71 Knives in the Dark img
Chapter 72 The Traitor Among Us img
Chapter 73 The Weight of Doubt img
Chapter 74 The Breaking Point img
Chapter 75 Knives in the Dark img
Chapter 76 Unchained img
Chapter 77 Lines Drawn in Blood img
Chapter 78 Reflections of the Fallen img
Chapter 79 Blood Bound img
Chapter 80 Unleashed img
Chapter 81 The Game Unveiled img
Chapter 82 The Choice That Changes Everything img
Chapter 83 The Shadow in My Mind img
Chapter 84 The Face Behind the Darkness img
Chapter 85 Blood of the Void img
Chapter 86 The Lies We Tell Ourselves img
Chapter 87 No Right Choice img
Chapter 88 The Line Between Loyalty and Survival img
Chapter 89 The Cost of Power img
Chapter 90 The Choice That Breaks Everything img
Chapter 91 The Prophecy That Will Break Me img
Chapter 92 The Chains We Can't See img
Chapter 93 What Grayson Saw img
Chapter 94 The Lie Between Us img
Chapter 95 The Scars That Never Heal img
Chapter 96 The Future I Can't Escape img
Chapter 97 The Edge of Myself img
Chapter 98 The Truth in the Bond img
Chapter 99 The Choice That Breaks Me img
Chapter 100 The Fate I Choose img
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Chapter 4 The Witch's Threat

The first time I met Lady Morgana Frost, it seemed like the air around me had unexpectedly thickened, similar to each breath I took was bound with a spell, a commitment. She remained there, in the shadow of the trees right outside the limit of the pack's property, like she'd constantly been there. Her dull eyes shined, and despite the fact that she grinned, there was a chilly thing behind it - a grin that didn't contact her eyes.

I froze the moment I saw her, my instincts on high alert. All that about her felt off-base, similar to a string pulled excessively close.

"Are you Evelyn Hawke?" she asked, her voice delicate, like velvet-but edged with something dangerous.

"Who's asking?" I replied, my voice harsher than I intended.

Her lips quirked up at the corners, a small, knowing smile. "I'm someone who can help you understand what you really are."

A shiver ran down my spine. The last few weeks had been a whirlwind, my body, my mind, constantly shifting, reeling from the power I had no control over. If she could help me, part of me wanted to hear her out. But another part screamed to run.

"I'm not interested in your help," I said, taking a step back, eyes darting to the trees around me, half expecting Grayson to come charging in.

Morgana tilted her head, as if considering my words. "Oh, but you are," she said, her gaze sharpening. "You will be."

Something in the way she said it, a thread of certainty, made my stomach tighten.

"I know about your bloodline, Evelyn. Your true lineage. I can help you unlock your power, help you control it before it controls you."

Control. That word echoed in my head, bouncing around like an unwelcome guest. "I don't need control. I need answers."

She stepped forward, her eyes flicking to the trees, then back to me. "The answers are buried deep, hidden from you, and only I can show you where they lie. Let me help you, Evelyn. I'm offering you something no one else can."

Her words were a spell, each syllable wrapping around me, pulling me in like the tide. I felt it in my bones, that strange, magnetic pull. I could almost taste the power she was offering-like honey laced with something darker, more intoxicating.

But I remembered the last time something had felt this way-the rogue werewolf in the forest, the darkness closing in. And Grayson's voice, low and commanding: *Stay away from her.*

"I'll think about it," I said, my voice barely a whisper, but I didn't wait for her response before I turned and walked quickly back to the house.

I barely slept that night. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her-Lady Morgana-her eyes locked onto mine, her promise whispering through my mind like a song I couldn't forget. I fought the temptation, my thoughts tugging in all directions. I didn't know who or what she was, but something told me she was more dangerous than I could ever understand.

In the morning, Grayson's usual presence was heavy. His silence, as always, felt like a looming storm.

"You've been talking to her," he said without preamble, his voice tight, his eyes narrowing at me.

I tried to keep my voice steady, but the guilt still prickled. "I ran into her. She said she could help me."

"She's dangerous," Grayson said flatly. His words felt like ice, freezing any further thoughts I might have had about Morgana. "She has her own agenda. And you're just another piece in her game."

I took a breath, trying to clear the swirl of conflicting emotions. "I need help, Grayson. I can't control what's happening to me. What if she's the only one who can show me how to stop it?"

Grayson's jaw clenched, and for a moment, he looked like he wanted to say something, but he held it back. His fists balled at his sides, but when he spoke again, his tone was much softer. "There's nothing Morgana can give you that we can't."

"I'm not so sure about that," I muttered, almost under my breath. The thought of Morgana's power, her certainty about what I could become-it had planted a seed I couldn't shake.

Liam found me later, sitting by the fireplace, my thoughts still tangled in Morgana's promises.

"You're quiet today," Liam remarked as he sat down next to me. His gaze was kind, always kind, and it made the confusion in my chest feel like something I could share, if only I knew how.

"I met Morgana Frost," I said, the words tumbling out before I could stop them.

Liam looked thoughtful, his fingers tracing the edge of his glass, his brow furrowing. "I've heard of her," he said. "She's... complicated. Powerful, dangerous, and not someone to trust lightly."

"I know." I clenched my hands, trying to still the tremor in my fingers. "But she said she could help me-help me control my powers. I don't know if I can trust her, but I feel like... like maybe I should."

Liam's voice softened. "You don't have to do this alone, Eve. The pack-me-we can help you. You don't need her to understand your bloodline. You have us."

His words were comforting, but there was an edge to them now, a quiet warning. He wasn't wrong. But Morgana's promises of power... they had a pull I couldn't ignore.

"I don't know what to believe anymore," I whispered. "I just want answers."

That night, Talon visited again, his shadowy figure appearing out of the dark just as I was about to turn in.

"You've been meeting with her, haven't you?" His voice, always teasing, was now low, serious.

"You always show up at the wrong time," I muttered, the knot of confusion in my stomach twisting tighter.

"Not at all. I'm here because I'm not the only one who's been watching you." His eyes, dark and wild, flicked toward the trees. "Morgana is playing you, Evelyn. She doesn't care about you, about your bloodline-she's using you."

I turned away from him, refusing to look into his eyes. I didn't need his opinion. "You don't understand. She knows things. Things I need to know."

"You think she's helping you?" Talon's laugh was harsh. "She's toying with you, just like she's toying with everyone else. Morgana manipulates people, Eve. She pulls on your weaknesses, makes you think you need her, makes you believe you're destined for something greater. But at what cost?"

I hesitated. His words struck deeper than I wanted to admit. "She showed me something," I said, voice barely above a whisper. "A vision. Of the future. She said I could rule over both werewolves and humans."

Talon's eyes narrowed, his lips curling into a frown. "That's what she promised you? A throne?"

"It was more than that," I replied, the memory of the vision washing over me. "I saw myself, standing on top of the world, powerful, unstoppable. She said that's who I could become."

Talon was silent for a long moment before he spoke, his voice low and serious. "And you believe her?"

"I don't know," I confessed, my voice shaking. "It feels... right, but it also feels wrong. Like I'm being pulled into something I can't control."

Talon reached out, his fingers brushing lightly against my arm. "You're better than this, Evelyn. You can make your own path. You don't need Morgana, and you don't need the pack to decide your future for you. Only you can do that."

I looked up at him, his gaze full of something unreadable. "I don't know who to trust anymore," I admitted, my voice barely a whisper.

The days that followed were filled with tension, a constant back-and-forth that left me feeling like I was caught in the middle of a storm. I couldn't get Morgana's offer out of my mind, but Grayson's warnings echoed in my ears, and Liam's steady presence felt like a lifeline. And then there was Talon, who refused to let me forget that I had a choice, even if it meant walking away from everyone who claimed to know what was best for me.

I continued to ponder the vision Morgana had shown me - the picture of myself, standing before a world that bowed to my will, feeling more remarkable than I had at any point envisioned. It consumed to me like a fire I was unable to quench, and each time I assumed I had shaken it, it sneaked back in, advising me that my power was undiscovered, ready to be opened.

Be that as it may, at what cost?

It wasn't until I found myself standing in front of Morgana again, the heaviness of her commitment weighty in the air between us, that I understood exactly the way in which profound her impact ran.

"Are you prepared to see everything, Evelyn?" she asked, her voice velvet-smooth, as though she could recognize the disturbance clearly and was appreciating it.

I delayed the slightest bit, then, at that point, gestured. "Show me."

Her lips twisted into a grin, however it wasn't the grin of somebody who needed to help. It was the grin of somebody who had proactively won.

The vision came to me once more - this time, it was more clear. The power flooded inside me, a fire that consumed my veins. Also, at that time, I understood what she was offering was genuine. But, the cost... it was excessively high.

"You can't have me," I murmured, stepping back, as the vision blurred.

Be that as it may, I definitely knew -it was too late. Morgana had already planted the seed.

            
            

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