Chapter 91: Caleb’s Dedication
Caleb POV
As lightning-fast pain shot through my head, the old book fell from my hands. I pressed my hands together against my temples to fight the feeling of dizziness that was about to knock me over. It was my third headache in two days, and each one was getting worse.
Thought to myself, "Focus, Caleb," and picked up the old book again. "The pack needs answers."
For forty-eight hours straight, I had been living in the library on coffee and resolve. There were old books, maps, and notes in my messy handwriting on every table. The other people in my pack thought I was crazy for doing study all day instead of helping clean up after the battle.
They didn’t get it, though. The Void Walkers were giving me the creeps. The way they moved, the way they picked their targets, the way they seemed to know things they shouldn’t know. It was like solving a puzzle with missing pieces, and I couldn’t rest until I found them.
My phone buzzed with another text from Aiden: "Dad wants you at the emergency meeting. NOW."
I ignored it, just like I’d ignored the last five texts. The Council of Alphas meeting was important, but this study was more important. I had a feeling we were missing something big about these creatures.
The book in my hands was written in old Latin, talking about something called "Umbra Mortis" - Shadow of Death. According to the writing, these creatures had attacked werewolf packs hundreds of years ago. They fed on pack bonds, getting stronger with each wolf they possessed.
"But why now?" I asked the empty library. "Why are they back after all these years?" I flipped through more pages, my eyes burning from reading by lamplight. Then I found it - a line that made my blood run cold. " The Umbra Mortis return when the Great Severance weakens the walls between worlds. They seek the one who did the ancient ritual, for her power can either destroy them completely or make them unstoppable."
My hands shook as I read the words again. Lily. They were coming for Lily.
I grabbed my phone and called her number. It went straight to voicemail. I tried again. Same thing.