Chapter 4 Warlocks and Wolves

"We don't have much time," Damon growled through his now elongated canines, his golden eyes gleaming with predatory focus.

Without another word, the beast snarled, low and menacing, its eyes flicking between Damon and Tessa. It was calculating. It was ready.

Tessa's instincts flared. Her wolf stirred deep within, the pull to fight, to defend, to survive surging through her veins. She wasn't slow to respond. The change came naturally, as it always did. Fur rippled over her skin, and her senses sharpened to a level so acute it felt as though the entire world was alive electric and pulsing with energy.

The battle began with a violent explosion of force. Damon lunged forward, his wolf form a blur of muscle and fury. Tessa followed, her claws outstretched toward the beast's throat. But the creature was fast too fast. It ducked under her swipe, retaliating with a vicious strike that caught Tessa across the midsection, sending her reeling back.

The fight was brutal. The beast, faster and stronger than anything they had faced, swiped at them with terrifying precision. Tessa's mind raced. This was no ordinary shifter, no ordinary beast. This thing was something darker, something beyond comprehension. It didn't belong here. It wasn't natural.

With a ferocious growl, Damon surged forward again, tackling the beast with the full force of his wolf form. The creature twisted violently, throwing them both off balance. Tessa scrambled to regain her footing, her heart racing with adrenaline.

But then, just as quickly as it had begun, the beast vanished into the darkness, retreating into the shadows with a low, echoing roar that reverberated through the trees. The forest fell silent again, the only sound the ragged breaths of Damon and Tessa.

"What the hell was that?" Damon's voice was hoarse, his golden eyes scanning the forest, untrusting of the stillness. His body was taut, every muscle on edge.

Tessa's wolf form hummed with exhilaration, but her chest heaved with the effort of the battle. She didn't know what they had just faced, but she knew one thing it wasn't finished. The darkness was only growing.

Before she could speak, a figure staggered out of the shadows, gasping for breath. A young scout, pale and bloodied, his clothes torn to shreds. His wide, terrified eyes locked onto Tessa, and his legs gave way, collapsing into her arms.

"Warren!" Tessa cried, her wolf instincts rushing to the surface. She knelt beside him, her hands shaking as she tried to help him. "What happened?"

Warren's breath was shallow, a thin stream of blood trickling from his mouth. "It... it's Mario Anderson," he gasped, his voice breaking. "He's leading this... the Destroyer... it's part of what he's doing... You have to stop him... before it's too late..."

His body went slack, and with one final, desperate breath, Warren died in her arms.

Tessa stood over him, her heart heavy with the weight of his last words. Mario Anderson. The name resonated in her chest, like a drumbeat she couldn't ignore. The supreme warlock, the mastermind behind all the chaos, was connected to this abomination. The Destroyer. The beast. It was all part of his plan.

Her mind reeled as she processed the implications. The warlock had set something in motion, something that could tear apart everything they held dear.

Damon's wolf form receded, his body rippling back into his human shape. He moved closer, his face taut with tension. "We need answers. Now."

Tessa nodded, her mind already racing ahead, considering the path they had to take. This was far from over. The weight of their task pressed on her, each passing moment growing heavier.

Back at Crimson Hold, the council room was thick with silence, broken only by the howling wind outside, battering the old stone walls. Tessa sat at the long table, her fingers tracing the edges of the weathered wood. Her thoughts were consumed by the events of the night, by the name that now haunted her: Mario Anderson.

Alpha John Morraine, her father, sat at the head of the table, his face grim and unreadable. The other pack leaders were silent, their expressions neutral but heavy with unspoken tension. Tessa could feel the uncertainty in the air no one knew where to begin, what to do next. The council had convened for an emergency meeting, and yet it felt as if they were all waiting for the inevitable.

The door creaked open, and a cloaked messenger entered. His face was veiled in shadow, his movements swift and calculated. He bowed deeply to her father and then set a parchment on the table.

"This came for you, Alpha," the messenger's voice was low, laced with discomfort.

John Morraine took the parchment with a sharp glance, his eyes scanning the page rapidly. As he read, his face tightened, his brow furrowing as the weight of the message settled over him. The room became dead silent. Tessa leaned forward, her heart racing as she tried to catch a glimpse of the note.

Her father passed it to her wordlessly. "Look at it."

Tessa's fingers trembled as she unrolled the parchment, the cold words glaring up at her. The message was vague, its meaning cryptic, but it chilled her to the bone.

"The blood of the one marked is the only one that breaks the curse. The secret lies within the old rites. Only those who know the truth will break through. The one with power from the lineage must decide whether to fall into shade or remain in the light. The conclusion is near; the balance teeters. Watch the ones who claim to be allies."

Tessa's breath caught in her throat. "The bloodline..." she whispered, her heart sinking.

She looked up to meet her father's gaze, a thousand questions swirling in her mind. The marked one. Who was it? Her mind stilled as she processed the implications of the message.

"This anonymous note speaks of breaking the curse," her father's voice was low, filled with an edge of uncertainty. "But it's too vague, too mysterious. And who sent it? It feels like a warning."

Tessa nodded slowly. It was a warning, but from whom? And why now?

As Damon and Tessa descended further into the Vale, the night air grew colder, more oppressive. The message weighed heavily on her mind, each step they took drawing them deeper into the unknown. They were close closer than ever to unraveling the truth. But the questions lingered like an insidious shadow, following them at every turn.

They arrived at the ceremonial site just before dawn. The old stones rose from the earth, silent sentinels watching over the Vale for centuries. The air here hummed with an ancient power, like something long forgotten was awakening. Tessa's boots crunched over the dry earth as she stepped carefully around the sacred stones.

"What is this place?" Damon asked, his voice low as he surveyed the site, his eyes sharp with suspicion.

Tessa traced one of the sigils with her finger, the ancient runes worn with age but still imbued with an undeniable power. "This is where it all began. The curse. The bloodlines. Everything."

Damon's eyes narrowed, his jaw tightening as he studied the markings. "Then we're standing on the brink of something that could wipe us all out."

Tessa felt a shiver run down her spine. The answers they sought were here, hidden in plain sight. But something else was here, too. Something watching them. She felt it, deep in her bones.

As the darkness around them deepened, Tessa knew they were being watched. The curse was no longer just a myth. It was alive, and it was waiting.

And they were the ones meant to face it.