The morning sunlight lingered warmly in the kitchen, but Eila's mind was far from her cozy home. Despite the laughter of her siblings and the gentle teasing from Lukas during breakfast, the image from her dream still haunted her—the red-haired man, the swirling black portal, the bone key, and the haunting emergence of Varium.
After breakfast, she gently excused herself, her tone quiet but firm. She needed answers.
She turned to Lukas as they stood by the door. "Can you ask Zois to meet me at the library? I need to talk to both of you."
Lukas raised an eyebrow but nodded, sensing her urgency.
Through the mind link, she reached out to Leonard. Can you meet me at the library? It's important.
His answer was immediate. I'll be there.
An hour later, the great stone structure of Moon Treasure's central library loomed before her—ancient and quiet, tucked behind the main hall of the pack's educational wing. Eila stepped inside with Lukas at her side. The scent of parchment, ink, and history filled the air like a silent song of secrets waiting to be uncovered.
She spotted Leonard and Zois already waiting in a secluded alcove, seated on either side of a long wooden table in the farthest corner. Their eyes locked onto hers as she approached, curiosity etched in their expressions.
Each of them greeted her with a soft kiss to the cheek—Zois's brief and teasing, Leonard's slow and searching.
She didn't waste time.
Settling between them, she leaned forward and spoke in a whisper low enough that even the library walls couldn't overhear. "I had a dream last night… no, not just a dream. A vision. It was real."
She described everything—the red-haired man with the battle-scarred face, the bone key, the way the door had rippled like liquid darkness, and the horrifying moment when the black entity—the Varium—emerged from the portal.
Silence fell over the three men. Lukas and Zois exchanged a startled glance. It was Zois who finally broke the stillness.
"That sounds like—Jeremy Soren," he said slowly, the name dredging up buried memories.
Lukas nodded, the lines of his brow tightening. "He was a hybrid. Half-witch, half-werewolf. But his mother rejected him because he was born without magic. Not even our wolf senses."
Eila blinked, absorbing the information.
Leonard leaned back in his chair, folding his arms as if recalling a report. "He became a rogue after his father died. Joined a hunter guild, didn't he?"
Lukas nodded grimly. "Yeah. No one thought he'd go far. But if what you saw is true… he must've found something—or someone—willing to give him power."
Eila's hands clenched around the folds of her dress. "He opened the Veil. I saw it."
A chill passed through the room. For a moment, even the ancient library seemed to hold its breath.
Leonard's voice was quiet but full of purpose. "The Veil is older than any known pack or guild. It's a boundary placed by the Moon Goddess herself to separate our world from the deep chaos realm. If it's been breached…" He trailed off, eyes narrowing. "We'll need answers. Fast."
Zois exhaled. "Then we go deeper. The Alpha's personal library."
Eila's head snapped up. "That exists?"
Lukas smirked. "Not on paper. But it's real. Only Alpha Magnus, Luna Priscilla, and a few trusted heirs have access. But we're their sons—we can get you in."
Leonard added, "It won't be easy. Priscilla guards that place like a dragon with a hoard."
Zois stood. "Then we plan it well. We go after hours. Midnight."
Eila nodded slowly, her heart pounding with anticipation. "If there's something in that library… I want to find it. I have to."
She looked at each of them, her voice steady. "The Veil is weakening. Something's coming. I can feel it. And if we don't figure this out now… it won't matter how many targets I can hit or how many golems I knock down."
Leonard reached over, placing a hand on her back. "Then we'll go tonight."
The library's quiet echoed around them, but the tension had shifted. It wasn't fear—it was a growing resolve. The kind that binds warriors together before the storm.