Chapter 4 The Whispering Darkness

"The Whispering Darkness"

Darkness swallowed the room.

The torches had flickered out, leaving only the cold, suffocating void. A whisper slithered through the air, coiling around Astrid like an unseen predator.

"Found you."

The voice wasn't human. It wasn't wolf. It was something else. Something ancient.

Kieran tensed beside her, his controlled breathing steady but charged with anticipation. His wolf surged forward, an instinctive response to danger. His golden eyes flickered, scanning the hall for a threat unseen.

Astrid's heartbeat pounded against her ribs, her instincts screaming at her to run, but she forced herself to stay still. The darkness wasn't just a veil-it was alive. It was watching.

And it wanted fear.

A whisper curled around her ear, like icy fingers brushing her skin.

"You smell like her."

Astrid's breath hitched.

Who?

Before she could react, the shadows at the edge of the hall shifted, crawling unnaturally against the stone walls. The flickering remnants of dying torchlight revealed a figure-twisted and elongated, its hollow eyes absorbing all the light around it. Its mouth stretched into something that wasn't quite a smile but a cruel mockery of one.

A Nyxfiend.

But this one was different.

The one before had attacked without hesitation, driven by pure, rabid hunger. This one... it was waiting. Watching. Studying.

Kieran took a step forward, his frame coiled like a beast ready to strike. "Who sent you?"

The creature tilted its head, its movements jerky, unnatural. Then it spoke.

"The past never stays buried."

Astrid's stomach twisted.

It wasn't speaking to Kieran. It was speaking to her.

She felt the weight of Kieran's sharp gaze snap to her, but there was no time to question it.

Because the Nyxfiend lunged.

Kieran moved first-a blur of raw power. His claws extended, his wolf bursting forth with a ferocity that made the air vibrate with energy. He slashed, his speed inhuman, but the Nyxfiend twisted unnaturally, dodging at the last second.

It screeched, its voice warping into a dozen overlapping whispers, like the murmurs of the dead trapped beneath the earth.

Astrid didn't hesitate.

She reached for the dagger at her thigh-the same rune-marked weapon she'd used before. The moment her fingers closed around it, the engraved runes ignited, glowing a pale, eerie blue.

The Nyxfiend hissed. It recognized the weapon.

Good.

Astrid threw the dagger, aiming for its heart.

But the creature vanished.

One second, it was there-the next, it dissolved into shadow and mist, reforming behind Kieran in an instant. Its clawed fingers shot out, reaching for his back-

"Kieran, move!"

Kieran twisted just in time, the creature's claws barely grazing his ribs. But the cold that came with its touch made him stumble-a numbing, consuming chill.

With a snarl, he grabbed its arm and ripped it clean off.

The Nyxfiend shrieked, but there was no blood-only black mist, pouring from the wound like something not entirely of this world.

Astrid sprinted forward, retrieving her dagger from the ground. She didn't wait for the creature to reform. With one fluid motion, she slashed downward, aiming for its throat.

The blade connected.

A sound like shattered glass filled the air.

The Nyxfiend convulsed, its form breaking apart as though something was tearing it from the inside out. For a moment, it fought to hold itself together-its hollow eyes locking onto Astrid's one final time.

Then, with a last, rasping whisper, it disintegrated into nothing.

Silence.

The air was thick with tension, the scent of something unnatural lingering like burnt smoke.

Kieran stood in place, his chest rising and falling with deep, controlled breaths. His hands were still clawed, his wolf barely restrained beneath his skin.

Astrid gripped her dagger tighter, watching as the blue glow slowly faded.

Then-

Kieran turned to her.

And this time, his eyes burned with something far more dangerous than suspicion.

"You knew what that thing was," Kieran said, his voice deadly quiet.

Astrid's pulse stuttered. "I-"

"Don't lie to me."

The command in his tone sent a primal shiver through her.

Kieran wasn't just speaking as himself. He was speaking as an Alpha. As a predator demanding the truth from someone he had no reason to trust.

Astrid could feel the weight of Kieran's warriors standing at the edge of the hall, watching, waiting. If she didn't handle this carefully, this could turn against her fast.

She took a slow, measured breath. Choose your words wisely, Astrid.

"I've encountered them before," she admitted. "But not like this."

Kieran's jaw ticked. "Where?"

Astrid hesitated.

She couldn't tell him. Not yet.

"I can't say," she finally answered.

Wrong choice.

Kieran's golden eyes darkened, a silent warning flashing through them. "You don't get to keep secrets, Astrid. Not when my pack is at risk."

Astrid's fingers curled into fists. "I don't trust you."

The words slipped out before she could stop them.

A muscle in Kieran's jaw twitched. "You don't trust me?" His voice was dangerously soft. "You're the one with a past full of secrets, running from gods know what. You expect me to trust you?"

Astrid met his gaze, unflinching. "Trust is earned."

Kieran exhaled sharply, running a hand through his dark hair. "You're impossible."

Astrid smirked despite the tension. "You're not the first to say that."

Kieran stared at her for a long moment. Then, finally, he shook his head. "We're not done."

He turned, barking orders to his warriors.

"Double the patrols. No one enters or leaves the estate without my permission."

Astrid released a slow breath.

She had bought herself a little more time.

But not much.

Because one thing was certain-

The Nyxfiends weren't finished.

And neither was Kieran.

---

Far beyond the estate, nestled within the shadows of an ancient ruin, something stirred.

The air in the cavernous space was thick with whispers-not of the living, but of those long forgotten.

Varian Thornveil stood at the edge of a stone altar, his fingers tracing symbols etched in blood. His mouth curled into a slow, knowing smile.

"It's begun," he murmured.

From the darkness, hollow eyes blinked open.

And the night shivered in response.