Serena’s heart raced against her ribs, her breathfrozen in her throat. Itwas so surreal that her mind struggled to comprehend what stood before her. she couldn’t look away from. Herself, facingher now —Isolde.

Shelooke so different yet so familiar, Isolde’s hair was wild, unkempt black curls, her eyes shining withsin and defiance. But something was off. Her mother was no longerthe person she once knew. She looked like shewas under a spell or something. And the Isolde in front ofher now felt like a stranger.

“ Mum?” Serena’s voice cracked. She was baffled at what washappening. She found out that thesame woman, who came to her side all those years later, and elusive told a few truths in her favour, was turned against her.

Isolde looked at her, and then she smiled, justa little, which might have been wistful. “You’ve changed… you’re more like your father,” shesaid, her voice flat, distant, but there was a glimmer of something else shining in her eyes — regret?” Guilt? Serena couldn’t tell.

As he stood beside Serena, Lucian stiffened, his body frozen with an almost unseentension. His keen eyes darted back and forth between Isolde and the rogue wolves, who darted slow, predatory circles around them, each movement deliberate and measured, with cutthroat, almost premeditated malice, asif they were playing a waiting game and wanted to wait for an opening to pounce on their prey.”

“What are you doing here,Isolde?” His voice was gravelly,low, but the hint of anger and suspicion was unmistakable.

" What do you think? I came to retrievemy daughter. You’ve helped medo what I never could do.”

You must have lost your mind Isolde to believe you could sneak intoour pack for a second time." Lucian said through clenched teethangrily.

“It’s been twice, butit’s not only twice. She glanced up asthough recalling the actual hours.

Serena moved forward, herhead spinning. What was this? She had hundreds of questions — why did hermother vanish? Why had sheleft her and her father, without a word? But she couldn’t ask any of them —at least not yet. She had so many emotions in her that hermind was just so, so up and down.

It was Lucian that snuffed out hertrain of thought with a growl. “You can’t comeback, she is no longer your daughter. he said. His protective instincts kicked in, and therebeside her, she felt him bristle.

“I’m not going to justify myself,” Isolde said, the tonecoming out of her suddenly cutting, sharp with the air. “I came here, becausethere’s something at stake here. Something you’re all already embroiled in.” She looked through Serena, surveying the groupof rogue wolves that had surrounded them, moving with methodical slowness. “And thecrazy part is that you don’t even know it.”

" What do you mean?" ‘Yes they are,’ Serena asked in aslow voice.

“ She is now blessed with the powerof the Luna and the Onyx wolf. You just puta huge target on her back by making her your Luna. Isolde spat out.

Serena felt her Onyx wolf stirring inside of her, restless, agitated, picking up on the danger cloaking theair. She felt its appetite, itspredatory instincts howling at her to get out of the way. She coiled, a familiar rush of power strokingher veins.

But even as Serena feltsomething change inside her, there was a quiet chorus way in the back, deep in her chest. Was she actually ready for whateverthis was? Would the wolf inside hersave her? Or would it lead herfarther from the people she loved?

Lucian’s voicesliced through her uncertainties. “Iknow what you think you’re here for, Isolde,” he said, quiet, steady. “But you are notdragging Serena into nothing.”

The expressionon Isolde’s face hardened, her lips pinching into a thin line. “I’m not here for you,” she snapped, but there was a glimmer of something else in her, though, something like regret,or maybe fear. “I’m here becausethe war has already begun, like it or not.” Her gaze shot to the rogues,who were closing fast, cruelty glimmering in their slanted eyes.

We areaware of that, you did not have to come tell us.

What the prophecy says… I have tomake sure it never comes true. Isolde sneered.

Her mother’s wordshad settled like lead in Serena’s throat.

You just need to come with me, do youthink Lucian care about you? He does, he’s just as bad as the rest of us,he’s just after the power.”

Serena's eyes flickered between hermum and Lucian, both of them battling it out in her mind.

“Serena she’s just tryingto turn us against one another don’t listen to her. Lucianpleaded with her, trying to persuade.

Serenawas still standing there trying to collect her thoughts when the rogue wolves sprang before she could even speak. They barked the sounds in unison, and the night was filled with snarls and the loudthumping of paws on the ground. The air vibrated with thepulse of combat, and Serena went feral.

She had no time to think. The Onyx wolfwas already in control, telling her where to go before her mind could even find its bearings. She spun on her heels, cutting high and lowthrough the air. Her talons raked diagonally down a rogue’schest, and he staggered backward with a howl. But there wasno time to celebrate the victory. Another rogue attacked, fangs bared, eyesaglow with rage.

Lucian stood next to her, moving just as fast and as deadly, but Serena didn’t need protection fromhim anymore. The versionof her was not the same she’d previously been. The wolf within her raged and her hair felt like it was standing on edge, her bone marrow burning with the heat of all the fierce, raging wind of night,but now it was her turn.

It was a fury on thebattlefield, and all at once, everything Serena sensed invaded her. She was top heavy with the strength bred from the Onyxwolf, yet this was a little too off, even for her. Hermother’s ghosts, the renegade wolves — something bigger was out there in the dark and she could feel it.

The clearing fell silent before the final rogue thudded tothe ground. Her mother haddisappeared again without a trace. Serena shiftedback to her human form.

Whatever the case may have been, it was obvious that whatever business shehad, will not be done, for it felt as though whatever there was still was not completed, still hung on and lingered as a task undone, a process that still needed to be become terminated.