Kyran Pov
I locked my bedroom door and made sure the curtains were closed so nobody could see inside. Then I got down on my knees next to my bed and felt along the floor until I found the loose floorboard.
I pulled it up carefully and reached into the dark hole underneath. My fingers touched the black cloth, and I pulled it out slowly. The moonstone was wrapped inside, and I could feel it humming even through the fabric.
I unwrapped it and held it in my palm. It still glowed with that soft white light that made my whole hand tingle with power. The stone was warm like it had its own heartbeat.
I had spent the entire day reading forbidden scrolls in the old archives. Most pack members did not even know the archives existed. They were hidden in the basement of the library behind a locked door that only elders and healers were supposed to have keys to.
But I had stolen a key years ago when I first started studying spirit magic. I had known even then that someday I might need access to information that the pack wanted to keep hidden.
The scrolls were old and fragile. Some of them fell apart when I touched them, but I found what I was looking for. A ritual for trapping vengeful spirits without killing the person they possessed.
The ritual required three specific things. First was moonlight blood from the possessed person. That meant I needed Rex's blood, and it had to be taken while he was standing under moonlight. Second was a tear from the wronged Luna. That meant I needed one of Freda's tears. Third was a lock of hair from the cursed Alpha, which meant I needed some of Urdon's hair.
With all three things combined with the moonstone, I could trap Yolande's spirit and pull it out of Rex without destroying his soul. At least that was what the scroll said. There was no guarantee it would actually work.
Getting these three things without anyone knowing what I was doing was going to be extremely difficult. But I did not have a choice. The new moon was in three days. That was the only time the ritual would work. If I missed it, I would have to wait another month, and by then it would be too late.
I decided to start by testing whether the moonstone was actually connected to Yolande. If it were, then I could use that connection to my advantage during the ritual.
I took the moonstone outside to the back garden, where nobody would see me. It was late at night, and the moon was up, almost completely full now. Just a few more days until it goes dark for the new moon.
I held the moonstone up so the moonlight hit it directly. The white glow got brighter and started pulsing. Then I pulled out the small knife I kept in my boot.
I pressed the blade against my finger and cut deep enough to draw blood. Three drops fell onto the surface of the moonstone and were absorbed instantly. The white glow turned dark red and started pulsing faster like a heartbeat.
Then I heard her voice coming from inside the stone.
"Kyran," Yolande whispered. Her voice sounded distant but clear. "You think you are so clever. Using my own power against me. Using the moonstone to trap me."
I almost dropped the stone in shock. "You are connected to it."
"Of course I am connected to it, you foolish boy," Yolande said and laughed. "I have been connected to it since the moment you took it from that cave. I let you take it. I wanted you to have it."
"Why would you want me to have it?" I asked.
"Because the moonstone is not a trap for me," Yolande said. "It is a trap for you. Every time you use it, the stone binds you more tightly to the spirit realm. Eventually, the binding will be complete, and you will be pulled into the realm forever. Your body will be left behind as an empty shell, and I will take it for myself."
My blood went cold. "You are lying."
"Am I?" Yolande said. "Then explain the mark on your shoulder. That screaming face scar that keeps growing. That is the mark of the trapped Kyran. Every time you use the moonstone, the mark spreads. Soon it will cover your entire body, and then you will belong to me completely."
"I will find another way to save Rex," I said.
"There is no other way," Yolande said, and her voice got colder. "You can try your pathetic little ritual on the new moon if you want. But the second you activate the moonstone to trap me, I will make Rex cut his own throat. He will bleed out right in front of you while you stand there holding your useless stone. Then I will take your body as payment for interfering with my revenge. You lose either way, Kyran. The only question is how many people die before you accept that."
Her voice faded away, and the stone went back to glowing white. I stood there in the dark garden staring at it and trying to figure out if she was telling the truth or just trying to scare me into giving up.
I looked down at my shoulder, where the screaming face scar was. I pulled my shirt aside to see it better in the moonlight. The scar was definitely darker than it had been before. The edges looked like they were spreading slowly across my skin toward my chest.
"She could be bluffing," I said quietly to myself. "She wants me too scared to try the ritual."
But what if she was not bluffing? What if using the moonstone during the ritual really would kill Rex and trap me? Then everything I had done would be for nothing. Everyone I was trying to save would end up dead or worse.