Chapter 36: The First Convergence
The Alpha estate burned behind them as they raced through the forest. Smoke stained the night sky, blotting out stars. "Keep moving!" Kael ordered, leading their small group deeper into Shadowfang country. They had escaped the attack with minutes to spare, taking only essentials: weapons, the map, and Thorne's journals. Half their warriors stayed behind to guard the pack while the rest scattered to safe houses. Liana's lungs burned as she ran.
Beside her, Talia clutched the bag holding their precious findings. Jace moved like a ghost through the trees, silver light pulsing at his fingers. Rowan brought up the back, watching for followers. When they finally stopped in a small opening, Kael spread the map on a fallen log. "Celeste hit the estate to distract us," he growled. "She's already moving on the convergence points." Jace nodded, pointing to the eastern spot on the map. "She's here. I can feel her darkness gathering." "The Sacred Falls," Elder Mira whispered. "The first place the Moon Goddess blessed our kind." "Why start there?" Talia asked, catching her breath. "Water amplifies magic," Rowan stated. "If she activates that point first..." "The other four will be easier to corrupt," Liana finished. Kael's face hardened with purpose. "Then we stop her now. Before the process is complete." Jace studied the map, silver light reflected in his eyes. "The journal said each point needs a key to trigger. Celeste must have found the water key." "We have two choices," Kael said, looking at his pack. "Gather the other keys before she finds them, or stop her at each point." "We don't know where the keys are," Rowan pointed out. Liana touched the map, tracing the line from the falls to the next point. "We need to do both. Split up." A tense silence fell over the group. Splitting up was scary, but necessary. "Jace and I will track Celeste to the falls," Kael decided. "Rowan, take Liana and find the second key. It should be somewhere in the eastern mountains." "What about me?" Talia asked. "Stay with Elder Mira," Liana told her friend. "Search Thorne's journals for more information about the keys." As they prepared to part, Liana pulled the brothers into a tight circle, her golden light mingling with their warmth. "Be careful," she whispered, heart hurting at the thought of separation. "We'll meet at the old hunting cabin by dawn," Kael promised, his lips brushing her forehead.
The Sacred Falls thundered ahead, a sheet of silver in the moonlight. Kael and Jace crouched behind massive boulders, watching the scene below. Celeste stood on a rock platform in the middle of the falls, her white dress flowing around her. Twenty shadow-warriors made a circle at the water's edge, chanting in an ancient language. Black energy pulsed between them like a living thing. "There!" Jace pointed to a small object in Celeste's hand. "The water key!" It was a crystal the size of her hand, glowing with blue light that seemed to pull water droplets upward against gravity. "We're too late," Kael growled. "The ritual has started." "Not too late to stop it," Jace replied, the silver light in his veins getting brighter. "The energy hasn't fully connected yet." They signaled their warriors—ten of Shadowfang's best who had tracked silently behind them. The plan was easy but dangerous: create chaos, grab the key, destroy the ritual circle. "Now!" Kael ordered. Warriors burst from the trees, charging the outer circle of shadow-fighters. Chaos exploded around the falls as Jace and Kael charged toward Celeste. She spotted them instantly, her smile never faltering. "Right on time." With a flick of her hand, hidden shadows peeled away from the rocks, forming into monstrous shapes. "It's a trap!" Jace shouted as dark beasts lunged from all sides. Kael barely dodged razor claws, rolling behind a rock. "Get to Celeste! I'll handle these!" Jace nodded, silver light bursting from his hands as he fought through the shadow creatures. Every one he touched screamed and dissolved into smoke.
Meanwhile, Celeste raised the water key higher. The falls began to change color, blue going to purple then black. Water moved upward instead of down, defying nature itself. "Just a few more moments," she called, her voice eerily calm amid the fight. "Then the first seal breaks!" Miles away, Rowan fell to his knees, pain shooting through his chest. Liana rushed to him, golden light already flowing to her fingers. "What's wrong?" she asked, looking for injuries. "The curse," he gasped, gripping his heart. "I can feel it waking up." Liana put her hands on his chest, pushing healing light into him. "That's impossible. I cleaned you with my blood." Rowan's eyes flashed between normal blue and a dangerous red. "Celeste... she's doing something... tapping into the old magic." His body shook violently. "Go," he begged. "Find the key without me." "I'm not leaving you!" Liana urged, pushing more power into him. "You have to," he groaned. "The key... it's calling to me. Eastern cave... follow the red moss." Torn, Liana looked between Rowan and the mountain road ahead. Each minute the curse grew stronger. Each minute brought Celeste closer to victory. "I'll be back," she promised, pressing her lips to his temples before running toward the caves.
Alone, Rowan fought the heat in his blood, the voice whispering dark thoughts. The curse had been silent since Liana healed him, so why now? The answer came like ice in his veins: Celeste was using the convergence point to awaken all dormant magic in the area. Including his curse. At the falls, Jace finally reached the center platform. His silver light clashed with Celeste's darkness, causing sparks where they met. "You can't stop what's already in motion," she taunted. The water key pulsed in her hand, nearly complete in its corruption. "Watch me," Jace growled, lunging for her. She dodged with unnatural speed, laughing. "Your new power? It came from me. My blood made you what you are now." "Your blood nearly destroyed me," he snarled. "It opened your eyes," she replied. "You see the truth now, don't you? About Liana's blood? About what your father was planning?" For a split second, Jace paused. That moment was all Celeste needed. She slammed her palm into his chest, dark energy sending him flying backward into the falls. The cold water shocked him as he dove deep. Above, distorted through the black water, he saw Celeste raise the key proudly. The falls changed totally, flowing upward in a column of darkness that shot into the night sky. The first convergence point had activated. Liana found the eastern cave exactly where Rowan explained. Red moss glowed softly, lighting her way deeper into the mountain. Her golden light pulsed in her palm, showing ancient drawings on the walls—wolves running beneath five moons. The tunnel finished at a small chamber. In its middle stood a stone pedestal, and on it, a red crystal key that seemed to beat like a heart. "The fire key," she whispered, reaching for it. The moment her fingers touched it, visions filled her mind: fires burning, packs running, five crystals joining to open a door between worlds. And through that door, something old and terrible waited. She gasped, holding the key to her chest. Now she understood why Celeste needed all five.
Together, they would call the Ancient Ones—the first werewolves who had become more monster than wolf. A scream echoed through the cave, snapping her back to reality. "Rowan!" she cried, running back toward the door. Rowan wasn't alone when Liana found him. Celeste stood before him, water key sparkling at her throat. Behind her, shadow-warriors held a bleeding Kael. "Where's Jace?" Liana ordered, hiding the fire key behind her back. "Swimming with the fishes," Celeste smirked. "Don't worry, he'll live—if he's strong enough." Rowan knelt on the ground, his body shaking furiously. Veins of red pulsed beneath his skin, matching the beat of the curse taking hold. "The first convergence awakened all dormant magic," Celeste explained casually. "Including his lovely curse. Within hours, he'll be a full rogue—mindless, angry, lost forever." "Unless?" Liana asked, knowing there was more. "Unless he accepts what he is," Celeste stepped closer to Rowan, touching his hair like he was a pet. "The threat isn't a mistake. It's a gift from my ancestors to his family." Rowan growled, his eyes flashing red. "I'll never... join you." "You don't understand." Celeste knelt beside him. "I'm offering freedom. True freedom from the pain. Your father knew the curse couldn't be broken—only accepted." She pressed the water key to his face. Where it touched, his veins calmed from angry red to a steady purple beat. "Feel that?" she whispered. "Peace. Control. Power. All yours if you help me finish the convergence." Rowan's pain-filled eyes found Liana's.
For the first time since she'd known him, she saw something terrifying in his eyes. Temptation. "Don't listen to her," Liana begged. "Why suffer?" Celeste continued. "Join me. Help me bring the Ancient Ones back. The first one through the door can have your body, ending your curse forever." "And what happens to me?" Rowan asked, his voice strained. Celeste smiled. "Your consciousness joins the spirit world. No more pain. No more job. No more living in your brothers' shadows." For a long moment, no one moved. Then slowly, Rowan's hand reached up toward the key at Celeste's throat. "No!" Liana cried. Rowan's fingers closed around the crystal, his eyes meeting Celeste's triumphant gaze. "I have your answer," he said softly. His eyes flashed—not red, but blue—as he yanked the key from her neck.