The Shadow Witch, Alpha's Cruel Sacrifice

I am a Shadow Weaver from the Elder Wilds, a witch who commands the spirits of the forest. I was the one who saved Alaric Blackwood, the wounded Alpha of the Obsidian Pack, when his enemies left him for dead.

He looked into my eyes and promised me the world. He said he loved me and that I would be his Luna, the queen of his pack.

I was foolish enough to believe him.

My entire clan used our dark magic and spectral wraiths to help him win his war. We tore through his rivals until he became the most powerful Alpha in the North.

When Alaric finally took the throne, I became his Luna, just as he promised. I thought our hardships were over and our happiness was finally beginning.

But three years later, his new mistress, Sienna, claimed she had a vision. She said she saw Alaric's late first love, Seraphina, crying in the afterlife because she had no child.

That cruel woman stole my newborn son, who was only a month old. She buried his tiny body under the ancient Rowan tree in the courtyard!

When Alaric arrived, his words were colder than a winter blizzard.

"Elara, if you hadn't used your dark spirits to scare Seraphina into losing her pup years ago, you would never have been Luna."

"This is the debt you owe her!"

"Sienna is Seraphina's sister. Consider this child a sacrifice for your sins!"

Sienna wasn't finished. She whimpered to Alaric, "Alpha, my sister always hated those creepy spirits. As long as your Luna's clan is alive, Seraphina will never find peace in the Spirit Realm!"

Because of that one sentence, Alaric sent his warriors to slaughter every Shadow Weaver who had once helped him. Their blood stained the roots of the Rowan trees deep crimson.

The sight of that blood reflected in Alaric's cold eyes. It drowned every ounce of love I ever felt for him.

I dug through the dirt with my bare hands to find the seventy-two bodies of my kin.

Now, as the Night of the Howling Moon approaches, I am taking my family home.

1.

My maid, Cora, sobbed as she helped me dig through the frozen earth. "Luna, how could the Alpha be so heartless? Seventy-two lives... gone in a single night."

"And the young prince! He was the Alpha's own flesh and blood. How could he let Sienna commit such a crime without any punishment?!"

My tears had long since dried up. I felt nothing but a hollow numbness as I pulled the dirt away. "It seems seventy-two lives are worth nothing compared to the memory of a dead woman."

Cora's voice was thick with anger. "Luna, you didn't cause Seraphina to lose that baby. She hated the Alpha! She took her own life to join her dead lover. Why didn't you tell him the truth?!"

I didn't have the heart to tell Cora that I had told him.

He simply didn't believe me. He was convinced I was making up lies to protect myself.

He had threatened to kill my entire clan if I ever mentioned it again. I had stayed silent to save them.

I never imagined it would end like this anyway.

Memories of our past flashed through my mind like jagged shards of glass. Cora saw that I didn't want to talk, so she simply dug alongside me in silence.

Suddenly, the forest lit up with torches. A sharp, annoying voice cut through the dark.

"Luna, the Alpha has ordered you to stop. Lady Sienna is pregnant again, and he doesn't want your morbid digging to bring her bad luck."

Silas, the Alpha's Beta, waved his hand. Several warriors stepped forward to seize the bodies of my family.

I threw myself over the mangled remains, shielding them with my own body. I was ready to die right there.

Silas didn't look bothered at all. He just sighed. "The Alpha also said that if you don't cooperate, he will burn this entire forest to ash."

"Luna, I know your people believe in a proper burial. Whether they turn to smoke or return to the earth is entirely up to you."

Cora tried to argue, but I grabbed her arm.

The Alpha's rage was a force no one could survive. I had to play the part of the broken woman and wait for my moment.

I pushed the bodies back into the shallow pits. My voice was eerily calm. "I understand. I won't disobey the Alpha's command."

Cora whispered, "Luna, this is too much..."

"Bury them," I commanded harshly.

I had no choice. The Night of the Howling Moon was my only chance to escape this golden cage.

Until then, I had to swallow my pride and protect my kin's remains. I wouldn't let them be trapped in this cursed pack territory forever.

Silas nodded, looking satisfied. "Oh, and one more thing. The Alpha has announced to the pack that the young prince died of a blood-parasite from your lineage."

"You don't need to worry about the boy's body either."

"The Alpha has arranged for prayers to be said for him every year. He's already moved on."

I thought my heart couldn't break any further, but Silas's words proved me wrong.

My son wasn't Alaric's first child, but he was the only one he had once claimed to love.

During my pregnancy, Alaric had been so attentive. He brewed my tonics himself and worried over every little kick.

I used to tease him, saying he didn't look like a fearsome Alpha at all.

He would press his face against my stomach and whisper to the life inside. "To the world, I am an Alpha. But to you, I am just a father."

"All I want is for my mate and my child to be safe."

Those sweet promises still echoed in my ears. But the man who said them was gone, replaced by a monster.

The stress of the massacre and the labor I had recently endured finally took its toll. Blood began to seep through my skirts, staining the snow beneath me.

Cora panicked and begged Silas to call a healer.

Silas hesitated for a long time. "The Alpha said Lady Sienna is feeling unwell tonight. Every healer in the pack is currently at her bedside."

Cora screamed in frustration. "Is Sienna's mood more important than the Luna's life?!"

Silas looked away, then sighed. "I'll go tell the Alpha. Try to hold on, Luna."

2.

The pain from the hemorrhage was so intense that my vision began to blur into darkness.

In my daze, I saw Silas returning with a young boy who looked like a stable hand.

For a split second, I hoped Alaric had remembered our old love. But then I heard the sound of a glass shattering against the floor.

"Does the Alpha really want my Lady dead?!" Cora's voice was a shriek.

Silas tried to stay calm. "Cora, watch your tongue! The Alpha provided a healer, didn't he? This boy says he's studied medicine for two years."

Cora was crying now. "Six master healers for Sienna, and the Luna gets a boy who cleans horse stalls?!"

"This is an insult! He wants her to die!"

Silas looked uncomfortable, but he had his orders.

"Cora, don't be stubborn. The Alpha said if the Luna wants her clan's bodies to remain untouched, she should accept whatever help is given."

The pain was so sharp I actually laughed. I looked at the boy and gestured for him to stay.

"It's fine, Cora. Survival is what matters now."

I had to live. I had to get my people home.

Years ago, when I decided to help Alaric, my grandfather warned me. He said Alalphas are heartless and cannot be trusted.

But back then, Alaric was different. He didn't care that my magic was dark or that my spirits were strange. He stayed by my side through every sleepless night.

I believed he was my soulmate. I convinced my clan to leave the safety of the Elder Wilds to fight his war.

My people were peaceful. They only fought because I asked them to. They gave everything for him.

Now, they were rotting in the dirt of his backyard. I couldn't afford to be proud. I had to endure any humiliation to fix my mistake.

I pulled back the covers, exposing my blood-stained legs.

The boy healer immediately looked away. He reached out and gently covered me back up.

"To be honest, Luna, I don't know how to treat this kind of bleeding."

Cora gasped. "Then why did you tell the Beta you were a healer?!"

The boy lowered his voice to a whisper. "I wanted to help the Luna escape."

I blinked, confused. "Why would you risk your life for me?"

The boy dropped to his knees and bowed his head low. "Because the Shadow Weavers saved my sister during the famine. I owe you everything."

I didn't ask for details. I chose to trust him. However, I didn't take the poison he offered for a fake death. I asked for something else.

"High on the cliffs of the Silver Peak, there is a Silver-Blood Root. It can give a dying person the strength of ten men for a short time. Can you get it for me?"

The boy looked worried. "Luna, the only way out of this fortress is in a coffin."

I shook my head firmly. "I won't leave alone."

"I will live long enough to take my family with me."

As soon as the boy left, Silas returned once more.

He looked like he had more bad news. I gave him a weary smile. "Just say it, Silas."

He forced a polite grin. "Lady Sienna had a nightmare. The pack shaman says she's being haunted by spirits. He says she needs someone with a strong, cursed aura to stand guard while she sleeps."

"The Alpha knows you deal with spirits. He thinks you are the perfect person to keep the ghosts away from her."

Cora let out a bitter laugh. "A strong aura? You mean you want to treat her like a servant! She's bleeding out, Silas!"

"Tell the Alpha she can't move. If she goes there tonight, she will die."

"Ask him to have a shred of mercy for the woman who put the crown on his head!"

Silas looked conflicted. He didn't want to be the one to kill me.

I placed my hand on Cora's arm to quiet her.

"Forgive her, Silas. She's just tired. Don't take it to heart."

Silas whispered, "Should I tell him you're too sick?"

I shook my head. My expression was blank. "No."

"I'll go."

3.

Inside the luxurious Rose Suite, Alaric was lounging on the bed, holding Sienna in his arms. They were laughing together.

The moment I entered, Alaric's face soured.

He pointed at the blood on my skirt with a look of pure disgust. "You are the Luna of the Obsidian Pack. Have you no shame appearing like this?!"

"Go change into something that doesn't smell like a slaughterhouse."

I leaned heavily on Cora, struggling to even stay upright. I bowed my head. "Alpha, I have already changed."

"I am unwell. I cannot control the bleeding. I ask for your understanding."

Alaric froze. He stared at me for a long time, his eyes unreadable.

Sienna noticed his gaze and let out a soft, dramatic whimper. "Alpha... she's here, and I suddenly feel so much better. The shadows are moving away..."

Alaric snapped out of his trance. He grabbed his heavy cloak from a chair and threw it at me. "Put it on. You're an eyesore."

I wrapped the cloak around myself. "Thank you for your kindness, Alpha."

My lack of emotion seemed to irritate him. He pointed to a small wooden stool by the bed. "Sit there. Guard her until she falls asleep. Then you may leave."

To torment me, Sienna stayed awake for hours.

She curled into Alaric's chest, her voice like honeyed poison. "Alpha, shouldn't the Luna be a noble-born werewolf? A lady of high status?"

I could feel Alaric's eyes on me in the dark.

"I gave her my word," he said shortly. "An Alpha's word is law."

Sienna wouldn't let it go. "But what if Seraphina were still here? Would your promise have changed?"

Alaric didn't even hesitate. "If Seraphina were alive, I never would have looked at another woman, let alone made a promise to one."

Sienna pretended to be hurt. "I am her sister. Can't you make an exception for me?"

"No."

He seemed to realize he was being too blunt. He added, "I don't love the Luna, but the marriage is a political reality. I cannot simply undo it."

Every word was a stake through my heart.

When Alaric was a nobody, I had married him in a tiny village in the Wilds. The ceremony was simple, but I had been the happiest woman alive.

He had held my hand in front of my clan and sworn to live and die with me.

The mountains and the streams had heard him say he loved me.

Now, he dismissed it all as if it were a chore he was forced to perform.

I swallowed the bitterness in my throat. "If the Alpha wishes to appoint a new Luna, I will step down willingly."

"Silence!"

The roar was followed by a sharp slap that sent me sprawling to the floor.

Alaric looked at his hand, a flash of regret crossing his face. "I told you, you will always be my Luna. That will not change."

"Don't let me hear such nonsense again."

That night, the two of them slept soundly in each other's arms.

I didn't close my eyes once. I watched the shadows on the wall and remembered every lie he ever told me.

I told myself that when the sun rose, the memories would fade. When the blood stopped flowing, the tears would stop too.

But I had no idea just how many tears I had left for a man like him.

The next day, I slept until midnight.

When I woke up, Silas was standing there with an empty ceramic bowl. He was talking to Cora.

"Lady Sienna is still having palpitations."

"The shaman found a cure, but he needs a very specific ingredient from the Luna."

Cora was instantly on guard. "What ingredient?"

Silas sighed heavily. "The bone and blood of someone with her specific spiritual aura."

"The Alpha said that since the young prince carried the Luna's blood, he counts as a source."

"He ordered me to... dig him up before the body rots completely."

4.

"I will never allow it!"

I forced myself up, my voice shaking with fury.

Silas looked at me with pity. "It doesn't matter what you allow, Luna. The Alpha has spoken."

"The fact that he sent me to tell you is a courtesy. Just stay here and let it happen."

Before I could move, several warriors carried a tiny wooden casket into the yard. They urged Silas to hurry.

Silas hesitated, then used a blade to take a small piece of bone from my son's leg. He walked over and handed it to me.

"Luna, I know this is a sin. But I have no choice."

"You won't see the boy again after tonight. Keep this to remember him by."

I ignored the pain in my body. I ran out into the snow, barefoot, chasing them all the way to the Rose Suite. The guards blocked the door.

"I beg you, Alpha! By the memory of the love we once had, give me back my son's remains!"

I knelt on the frozen stone and banged my head against the ground until I was dizzy. I begged for two hours, but Alaric never opened the door.

Finally, a maid walked past with a steaming pot of soup.

I saw the bits of bone and pale meat floating in the broth. My soul finally went cold.

My grandfather was right. Alphas are heartless.

I leaned against Cora, my voice a broken whisper. "Let's go back."

I hadn't gone three steps when a ceramic bowl shattered at my feet. Hot liquid splashed against my legs.

Sienna's voice drifted from the balcony. "This tastes disgusting! How am I supposed to drink this?!"

The healers and shamans bowed their heads, terrified.

Alaric didn't scold her. He just coaxed her gently. "Sweetheart, you have to drink it to get better."

"It's a dead person's bone, Alpha! It's bad luck! I'd rather die than drink this filth!"

Alaric sighed. He turned to the shaman. "Is there an alternative?"

"Yes! Living flesh is much more potent. We only need a small piece, about the size of a palm. But..."

Alaric grew impatient. "But what?!"

"The only person left with that aura is the Luna. Asking her to cut her own flesh... might be difficult."

Alaric didn't even pause. "It's fine. It's just a piece of skin. It's not a big deal."

"Besides, she owes Sienna's family a life for what happened to Seraphina."

"Guards! Bring the Luna in here!"

Silas whispered, "She's right outside, Alpha."

I walked into the room. Everyone was staring at me.

I knew I had no way out. I looked Alaric in the eye. "Where do you want it?"

Alaric looked at the shaman, who stammered, "Anywhere is fine, Luna."

I took the dagger from Silas's belt. As I raised it, Alaric suddenly spoke. "Wait for the healer to bring bandages before you cut."

"No need."

Without a second thought, I sliced a deep chunk from my forearm. Blood sprayed across the floor.

Alaric's voice trembled slightly. "Take her back to her room. Treat the wound immediately."

I pushed the healers away. I looked at Alaric one last time. "Alpha, I am too weak to attend the ancestor ceremony tomorrow. Please excuse my absence."

Alaric nodded quickly. "Fine. Sienna will go with me. Rest, Elara. When I return, I will spend the evening with you..."

Spend time with me? No, Alaric. You'll never get the chance.

Tomorrow is the Night of the Howling Moon. I am leaving.

I am leaving you, and I am leaving the woman I used to be.

"Luna, the boy brought the Silver-Blood Root," Cora whispered later that night. "But he said the effects only last for two weeks. After that... there is no saving you."

"It's enough."

I ignored Cora's protests and swallowed the bitter root.

While Alaric and his pack were away at the ancestral graves, I spent the day digging up the seventy-two Shadow Weavers.

At midnight, the spiritual gates opened.

Everyone in the fortress stayed inside, terrified of the legends of the Howling Moon.

That night, a few brave souls looked out their windows and saw a line of shadows moving through the mist.

They thought they saw ghosts.

They didn't realize it was a Shadow Weaver using her final strength to lead her people home.