“Do you really have to go?” Sybil murmured, her voice thick with longing as she burrowed deeper under the sheets, only her eyes peeking out at Collin.

“I’ll be back before you know it, love. There’ve been some... unsettling signs around the pack’s borders,” Collin explained, his gaze filled with regret. He didn’t want to leave her, not tonight, but his duty was an unbreakable bond.

“You always say that, but then you’re gone for days... weeks even,” Sybil scoffed, her voice sharp with a bitterness she tried to swallow. She knew how this went: he’d leave, and she’d wait, not knowing when he’d return.

Collin moved closer, his face inches from hers, eyes filled with both warmth and unspoken apologies. He reached for her, his fingers brushing her cheek, feeling her slight tremble.

“How could I stay away, knowing those eyes are waiting for me?” he murmured, his voice uttered in low tone, promise that tightened her chest.

“Stop,” she whispered, unable to look away, her voice softening against her will. “Go on, if you must. But stop making me miss you even more.”

He chuckled, a sound full of both affection and sorrow. “You’re too lovely for your own good, cupcake,” he teased gently, watching her cheeks flush.

“Just go,” she muttered, disappearing further under the sheets, hiding her smile and her worry.

Collin sighed, bending down to press a lingering kiss to the top of her head. “I’ll be back before you know it. And I’ll make it up to you, I swear.” But as she lowered the sheets, eyes searching the room, he was already gone.

The day dragged on endlessly. She busied herself with small tasks—anything to avoid thinking about the quiet emptiness Collin had left behind.

Late in the evening, as heavy rain poured down outside, she found herself staring out the window, the lightning casting strange shadows across the room.

“He better be safe out there,” she whispered to herself, shivering at the rumbling thunder.

A knock shattered the silence, her heart jolting in her chest as she whipped around toward the door. Before she could move, her maid opened it.

“Who is it, Maya?” Sybil asked, forcing a calm smile.

Maya looked back, her face pale. “I… I think she’s a witch.”

Another flash of lightning illuminated the figure in the doorway—Hagatha. Her presence exuded an ominous energy, her dark eyes glinting, with a crow perched eerily on her shoulder.

“A witch?” Sybil murmured, unease prickling down her spine. She stepped forward. “Can I help you?”

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“Hello, dear. I’m Hagatha Redwood,” the witch said, her voice dripping with malice. Sybil’s breath hitched.

“Oh… you’re soaked. Please, come inside to warm yourself,” Sybil replied, her voice steady but her forced smile betraying her nerves.

“Thank you for the hospitality,” Hagatha sneered, stepping inside. Sybil caught Maya’s warning glance, but she gently squeezed the maid’s arm to silence her.

“Would you like something to drink? Perhaps something warm?” Sybil asked, her mind racing as she strategized. They’d all heard the warnings about Hagatha, about the darkness she harbored.

“Tea would be perfect,” Hagatha replied, her gaze never leaving Sybil, as though dissecting her very thoughts.

“Of course,” Sybil said, guiding Maya to the kitchen. As soon as they were out of earshot, Maya whispered fiercely, “Luna, she’s dangerous. She could kill us!”

“I know, Maya, but if we let on that we’re afraid or call for help too soon, she’ll be onto us,” Sybil replied, her mind churning with possibilities. “I’ll distract her. You go—find Collin or anyone who can send word to Warbite Pack. We need help, now.”

“But… but what about you?” Maya’s voice wavered.

Sybil gripped her shoulders. “We don’t have a choice. I’ll hold her here as long as I can.”

With one last glance, she opened the back door and urged Maya to escape. But as the maid slipped out into the night, Hagatha’s crow flew after her, its talons extended with a murderous gleam in its eyes.

Oblivious to Maya’s fate, Sybil returned with a tray, placing a cup and kettle before Hagatha. She sent urgent mind links to Collin, her heart pounding as each one went unanswered.

“Your name is Sybil, isn’t it?” Hagatha asked, her tone low and mocking.

“Yes…” Sybil replied, holding herself steady, her nerves taut.

Hagatha set her tea aside with a smirk. “Sybil, darling… planning to kill your guest is hardly polite.”

Sybil’s blood ran cold. She forced herself to laugh, a hollow sound. “I’m afraid I don’t understand.”

“You do.” Hagatha’s smile twisted, predatory. “You’re quite clever. Already planning to alert the pack. I wonder… what skills does a Luna like you possess? Or are you just as powerless as you look?”

“What do you want?” Sybil demanded, fear igniting into anger.

Hagatha’s chuckle was cold. “I was once like you. Weak. Despised. Until the Devil Mother showed me another path. She taught me magic. She made me powerful.” She glanced at a portrait of Sybil and Collin, the same one Ashlee had seen earlier.

Sybil clenched her fists. “Then why betray her?”

“Betray?” Hagatha scoffed. “She’s delusional, thinking wolves, humans, and other creatures can coexist in harmony. I want to restore our kind to its rightful place as rulers, not equals.” She raised a hand, sending a vase flying from Sybil’s reach with a flick of her fingers.

With her other hand, she seized Sybil by the throat, her grip cold and unyielding as Sybil struggled to breathe.

“What do you want with us?!” Sybil gasped, choking as her vision began to blur.

“To cleanse this world of all who stand in our way,” Hagatha growled. “I’ll start with you… and end with that so-called ‘strongest’ wolf, Kyle. Your kind thinks he’s invincible? Just wait until I tear him apart.”

Hagatha’s crow cawed, signaling that the pack had arrived, and the witch cursed under her breath before releasing Sybil. In an instant, she vanished, her figure dissolving into the shadows.

“Sybil!” Collin’s voice shattered the silence as he rushed into the room. He fell to his knees, gathering her in his arms as blood trickled from her mouth, her lips moving in a faint whisper.

“Save… Kyle,” she murmured, too weak to say more.

“Stay with me,” he begged, his voice breaking as he looked desperately at Zoe.

She shook her head, helpless. There was nothing she could do.

“What, my love?” Collin whispered frantically. “What is it?”

“Kyle…” she whispered, her voice trailing off as she took her last breath.