Chapter 121: Ancient Foes
ARIA POV
"Thank you, Moon Alpha," it hissed, its voice now crackling with stolen power. "We have been so hungry."
"Aria, what’s happening?" Mira shouted from behind our fallen log.
I couldn’t answer. Through the Moon Alpha network, I felt Elena’s terror as she watched the same thing happen to the Forgotten Ones attacking her land. Every time we used our strength against them, we made them stronger.
"You still don’t understand what we are," the thing said, standing taller now. "We are not just your enemies. We are your enemy. Where you make, we consume. Where you heal, we drain. And where you shine with moon magic..." It pointed to its burning eyes. "We devour it."
The horrible truth hit me like a punch to the stomach. "You’re not trying to kill us for payback. You’re farming us."
"Finally, she begins to see," another Forgotten One said as it emerged from the shadows. This one looked different—older, with marks cut into its gray skin. "We are the Devourers, the first beings made to balance the werewolves. When your Moon Goddess made your kind, the universe required balance. We were born from that need."
"But the Shadow Lords promised to help you get revenge," I said, trying to understand.
The marked Devourer laughed. "The Shadow Lords are fools. They think they can control us. They offered us werewolf magic in exchange for destroying your packs. What they don’t know is that we plan to eat them too, once we’re strong enough."
My blood ran cold. These weren’t just enemies—they were apex animals, and we were their prey.
"How many packs have you already attacked?" I asked.