A Luna for Alpha Kieran-Chapter 20: Crow and the chalice

Selene stepped back into the heart of her dark, twisted woods, the gnarled trees bowing inward as if welcoming their mistress home.

The air buzzed with unnatural energy, and the sky above the canopy seemed to pulse with anticipation. Her laughter echoed through the blackened trunks,like a cold, spine curling sound that split the silence. It was the triumphant laugh of someone who had waited centuries for the stars to align.

With a casual flick of her wrist, she conjured a crow from swirling black smoke. The creature emerged mid caw and perched obediently on one of the crooked branches.

"Fly," she commanded. "Fly to the Blackmoon pack... Watch. Listen. Bring me everything."

The crow took off in a violent flutter of wings. Selene watched it disappear through the trees, then ran her fingers down her neck with slow pleasure. Her eyes fluttered shut, murmuring something only the forest could hear.

When she opened them again, the madness had returned along with a hungry glint in her eyes.

Suddenly, she spun on her heels and began rifling through a chaotic heap of relics and remnants....bones, broken mirrors, rusted blades, torn books, dolls with missing eyes.

Her hands trembled as they tossed item after item until she froze.

"My... my..." she whispered, pulling out a dust covered chalice. It was etched with symbols long lost to men and still stained with something dark around the rim. "Where have you been? I thought you were another wasted promise... but it seems you have borne fruit after all."

She walked reverently to a stone altar. Which was still slick with blood that had never dried, and placed the chalice at its center. Then she closed her eyes and began to chant.

The sky churned above her, turning black as ink. Wind tore through the clearing as her body rose off the ground, suspended by invisible strings. A single bolt of lightning split the sky, striking the chalice with a shriek of energy.

Selene opened her eyes and sliced a shallow cut across her palm. A drop of her blood fell into the cup and the chalice drank it up.

The liquid inside swirled to life, bubbling, changing color, until finally it settled into a mirror like surface. And then the images began.

They formed slowly, like smoke twisting into meaning. A man and a woman ran through the woods...panting, desperate, clutching each other.

Their eyes screamed with fear. Something massive, unseen, chased them, closing in fast. The woman stumbled...the man turned to shield her, only to be struck down by a flash of metal.

Selene leaned closer, eyes wide in delight.

"Faster!" the man snarled, gripping her wrist. "They are gaining!"

The woman stumbled, her ankle twisting, but he yanked her forward, refusing to let her fall. Behind them, the forest roared not with wind, but with the sound of pursuit. Snarls. Laughter. The snapping of jaws.

An arrow.

It struck the man in the back, sending him crashing to his knees. The woman screamed, reaching for him, but a second arrow grazed her shoulder, spinning her around. Shadows closed in...men, wolves, monsters wearing human faces.

The largest of them stepped forward, his grin a slash of white in the dark. "Well, well... look what we caught."

The man on the ground growled, his fingers clawing at the dirt as he tried to rise. "Run..." he rasped to the woman. "Run...!"

A boot slammed into his ribs, flipping him onto his back. Ropes coiled around his wrists, his ankles, yanking him taut. The woman shrieked, lunging for him, but another man caught her by the hair, wrenching her head back.

"No!" the bound man roared, his voice raw. "Don’t you touch her...!"

The leader laughed, crouching beside him. "Oh, I am not just gonna touch her." He reached out, gripping the woman’s tunic and ripped.

Fabric tore. Skin bared. The woman gasped, her hands flying to cover herself, but the man holding her twisted her arms behind her back, forcing her to arch, to expose.

The bound man howled, his body jerking against the ropes, veins bulging in his neck. "I WILL KILL YOU!"

The leader ignored him, trailing a finger down the woman’s stomach, his grin widening at her whimper. "Beg," he murmured. "I like it when they beg."

She spat in his face.

His smile vanished. He backhanded her so hard she crumpled to the ground, her lip splitting. The bound man thrashed, his teeth bared, his eyes wild but wolfsbane laced chains kept him from shifting, from breaking free.

"Hold her down," the leader ordered.

Hands grabbed her. Pinned her. Spread her.

The bound man’s screams were primal, as the leader unbuckled his belt. The woman thrashed, her cries tearing through the night...

"NO!PLEASE!"

The leader didn’t stop.

He didn’t stop when she sobbed.

He didn’t stop when she went limp.

He didn’t stop when the bound man’s voice broke from screaming her name.

And when he was done, he gestured to the others.

" Your turn! "

The vision shifted again....this time the bound man was beaten, restrained by more wolfsbane chains that hissed against his skin. He thrashed, roared, tried to shift but the poison burned him from within even more.

The woman cried out one last time before passing out and the man...helpless...screamed her name again and again, his anguish reverberating through the vision.

Selene watched with fascination, her fingers twitching as if she could feel the pain echoing through time.

Their breaths were ragged, their bodies battered. The bound man was tall, broad, his golden eyes burning with fury and fear.Definitely a Beta if not an Alpha in rank!

The woman was smaller, her dark hair matted with sweat, her legs trembling with exhaustion, laying there bare.

And then the vision shattered.

As the images flickered and faded, the chalice’s surface went still.

Selene smiled.

"Perfect," she whispered. "Pain... the purest fuel of all."

She threw her head back and laughed...a sound so dark, so delighted, it sent the crows scattering from the trees.

And then the scene shifted back to the crow piercing the air with a sharp caw as it cut across the darkening skies like a black arrow.

Its wings sliced through the clouds, each beat resonating with dark purpose. Below, the Blackmoon territory unfolded.It was calm, unaware.

But the crow had no need for roads or doors. It flew until it reached the edge of the infirmary, perching silently on the crooked branch of a leafless tree just outside the tall glass window.

Its head tilted once, twice...sharp and deliberate...before it locked its gaze on the room beyond the glass.

Inside, Kieran lay unmoving on a sterile white cot. His shirt was torn open, his chest bound with fresh bandages, a faint sheen of sweat on his brow. Beads of blood still clung to the edges of his lips. The room smelled of iron and herbs.

Bent over him was Mango, her face unusually still, her brows drawn together in quiet concentration. Her hands worked deftly, wiping Kieran’s face with a damp cloth, her thumb lingering just a moment too long on his cheekbone.

"He is burning up again," she murmured softly, almost to herself. "Damn it, Kieran. Why won’t you heal?"

Beside the bed sat Autumn, her hands trembling as she clutched Kieran’s limp one between hers. Her eyes, red for some reason, searched his face for any sign of movement.

"You and I still have unfinished business, big guy," Autumn whispered, her voice cracking.

The crow let out a low caw, almost mocking, and tilted its head again. Because it was no longer the crow that watched them. It was Selene, her eyes glowing like twin moons as she peered into the infirmary through the crow’s sight.

Her breath hitched as she saw Autumn leaning in, brushing a stray curl from Kieran’s forehead.

"That hand," Selene muttered, her voice dripping venom, "does not belong on his skin."

Her fingers twitched. The forest around her pulsed with her anger, the trees seeming to groan in response. She leaned closer into the vision.

But then...Mango looked up.

The crow stiffened as Mango’s gaze met its own through the glass. Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly, holding the crow’s stare with a quiet, measured intensity.

Selene inhaled sharply on the other side of the vision. Something in Mango’s expression was unsettlingly calm. Too calm.

"She sees me?" Selene whispered, her words now a breathless hiss. "How?"

For a heartbeat, everything paused. The wind, the trees, even Selene herself. Her fingers curled in hesitation, her magic momentarily recoiling like a wave pulling back.

The crow blinked. Looked away.

Inside, Mango broke the silence. "Autumn," she said gently, turning back . "Could you... fetch the sage tincture? It’s in the herb room. Second shelf, blue bottle with a silver thread around the neck."

Autumn hesitated. "But...what if..."

"I will stay right here," Mango assured her with a kind smile. "Go on. He will be alright."

Autumn reluctantly stood, brushing Kieran’s hand one last time. "I will be fast," she whispered, and left the room with hurried steps.

As soon as the door clicked shut, Mango’s face changed. The softness melted away into something unreadable...calculating, careful.

She reached into the pocket of her cloak and withdrew the tiny vial.

Selene leaned closer."There you are! "

Mango muttered something, uncorking the vial with a pop.

She slipped one arm under Kieran’s head, lifting it gently. Then, with the other hand, she tipped the contents of the vial past his lips.

Kieran twitched once, then stilled again.

Selene smiled.

A cruel, knowing smile that stretched across her face like a wound.

"Good girl," she purred, her fingers dancing in the air. "Just like we practiced."

She waved her hand once.

The crow let out a final caw and took flight, wings slicing through the night once more. The vision vanished.

Selene opened her eyes, laughter curling in her throat. "Now," she whispered, "let’s see what happens when the spell takes root."

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