Chapter 45: The Sacred Grove Revealed
Caleb POV
The Shadow Wolf’s claws dug into my shoulder as it dragged me toward the old stone circle.
"Move faster, scholar," it snarled, pushing me forward so hard I stumbled and hit the ground.
My hands scraped against something that made my skin burn. Looking down, I saw symbols carved into the dirt - but they were all wrong. These weren’t the protective marks I’d studied in the old pack books. Someone had changed them.
"Get up!" Another Shadow Wolf kicked me in the ribs.
I gasped and rolled away, but my mind was racing even through the pain. The Sacred Grove had been our pack’s most holy place for hundreds of years. The stone circle was supposed to protect us, not hurt us. What had they done?
As they hauled me to my feet, I got my first real look at what used to be our refuge. My heart sank.
Every single protective symbol had been changed. Where there should have been marks for healing and safety, now there were twisted lines that seemed to pulse with dark energy. The stones themselves looked sick, covered in some kind of black moss that hadn’t been there before.
And in the middle of it all, Lily hung suspended in chains of shadow, unconscious but glowing with that terrible light.
"Beautiful work, isn’t it?" The biggest Shadow Wolf stepped forward. This one was different from the others - it could talk properly instead of just growling. "Your precious grove now serves a much better purpose."
"You destroyed it," I said, anger making me forget to be scared.