Page 8 of Alpha's Heir

My heart sank like a stone in my chest. The guilt I had been carrying from the previous day weighed on me, threatening to crush me. I had known about the attack by the Unseen Pack, and I hadn't told Cora. I had kept it from her, thinking that maybe it had been a one-time incident. But now, hearing Damian and Winnifred's words, I knew I had been wrong.

Cora turned to me, her eyes searching mine. "Weston, do you know anything about this?"

I swallowed hard, my guilt clawing at me. "I... I found out about something yesterday. The Unseen Pack, they attacked me, Sarah, and Luke. But I thought maybe it was just a one-time thing."

Cora's expression hardened, and I could see the mix of emotions in her eyes - anger, betrayal, and hurt. "You should've told me."

I nodded, acknowledging the truth in her words. "I should have. I'm sorry."

Damian spoke up again, breaking the tension in the room. "Regardless of what's happening, we need to investigate these shadows. They shouldn't be in the forest, and we can't afford to ignore it."

"I don't understand," Cora murmured, her voice laced with frustration. "The curse was lifted. There shouldn't be any remnants of the Unseen Pack's magic."

Winnifred, who had once been part of the Unseen Pack and understood their abilities better than any of us, stepped forward. She extended her hand, and for a brief, chilling moment, her fingertips seemed to dissolve into ethereal wisps of smoke before solidifying once more.

"We thought the same thing," Winnifred admitted, her eyes troubled. "But the magic... it's strong, and it's spreading."

The gravity of the situation settled over us like a suffocating fog. We couldn't ignore this, not with the safety of our pack at stake.

I glanced at Cora, my heart heavy with the weight of my secret. She was right; I should have told her about the attack, about the danger that still lurked in the shadows.

"This... this is what's been bothering you?" Cora asked, her eyes searching mine.

I nodded, my jaw set with determination. "Yes, this and what happened to Luke. I couldn't keep it from you any longer."

Cora's worry deepened, and she took a step closer, her fingers brushing against my arm. "Weston, promise me you'll be careful. We don't know what we're dealing with."

I reached for her, pulling her into a tight embrace. "I promise, Cora. I won't take any unnecessary risks."

She clung to me for a moment, her concern palpable. "Just come back to me, okay?"

I kissed her, tasting the mix of fear and love on her lips. "I will. I promise. And we'll figure this out together."

With one last lingering kiss, I reluctantly pulled away and turned to Damian and Winnifred, who had been silently observing our exchange.

"Take me to the forest," I said, my voice resolute. "Show me what you saw."

Cora stood in the doorway, watching us with a mixture of worry and determination. "Be careful, all of you," she said one final time, her voice tinged with an unspoken fear.

As we left the safety of our home and ventured into the mysterious depths of the forest, the gravity of the situation weighed heavily on my shoulders. The shadows were stirring, and we had no choice but to confront them. For the sake of our pack, our future, and the love I held for Cora, I would stop at nothing to uncover the truth and protect what was ours.

Chapter five

Cora

Thenewsofshadowwolves in our once-cursed forest had shaken us to the core. I couldn't sit idly by, waiting for Weston to return. I needed to do something, to be proactive, to protect our pack.

I left our home with a sense of determination, my steps purposeful but weighed down by a growing sense of dread. The forest, once a place of solace and tranquility, now harbored shadows that defied explanation.

My first stop was the medic's house. I needed to check on Luke, to see if he had any information about what had transpired, and if he could offer any insight into the eerie happenings in the woods.

I approached the medic's door, my knuckles rapping on the weathered wood. But there was no answer, only an eerie silence that seemed to seep out from the very walls of the house. My heart quickened with worry, and I knocked again, harder this time.

"Luke?" I called out, my voice tinged with concern. "It's Cora. Is everything okay in there?"

Still, there was no response. The unsettling feeling in the pit of my stomach grew stronger. I knew Luke well enough to understand that he wouldn't simply ignore my presence. Something was wrong.

I glanced around, the forest seeming to close in on me, the shadows lengthening and stretching like grasping fingers. I couldn't shake the feeling that we were being watched, that danger lurked just out of sight.

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