Sera's POV
The moon shone dimly in the night sky, casting an ethereal glow across the narrow road that led me back to Silverwood. As I stepped off the rickety old carriage and onto the uneven cobblestones of Silverwood, I was greeted with the natural scent of pine and damp ground.
As I approached the familiar town entrances, my pulse pounded with both anticipation and apprehension. I had left this enigmatic village ten long years ago. My memories of this strange place hadn't faded in ten years of exile, nor had it quenched the intense need to see what had pushed me away, but the memories came flooding back with unsettling clarity.
The whispering trees seemed to sense my arrival, their quivering leaves saying "hi." I was really looking forward to seeing the curious looks and silent comments that followed me as I cleared my route through the intriguing roads.
Although the villagers were aware of me, their demeanour changed from cautious curiosity to complete scepticism. I couldn't hold them responsible; after all, I was going back in unusual circumstances to hunt for solutions that had long eluded me.
There was a lot of otherworldly tale surrounding Silverwood, where the cool night air was mixed with werewolf murmuring. And I, Seraphina Nightshade, was no longer a stranger to such tales.
Upon reaching the well-known wrought iron doors of my childhood house, a shiver ran down my spine. “The ancient mansion was enveloped in a spectral glow from the moon, with its shadows shifting like ghosts from the past.”
The sight of the strange picture carved into the wood, a sickle moon interlaced with thistles, excited my heart as I approached the porch. My breath caught in my throat as I saw the picture.
It served as a warning and a sign of bad things to come. I was quite disappointed to find out that this picture, this foreboding omen, was just the beginning of a complex web of privileged insights and dangers waiting for me at Silverwood.
Besides, with a foreboding message like that, who would ever dare check my house? The doorway parted before I could think any more and revealed my older brother Liam.
His usual expression of emotionlessness momentarily broke as his golden eyes widened in disbelief at seeing me. He breathed in, "Sera," barely raising his voice above a whisper. "You're back." I gestured, gazing once again into the picture.
"Liam, what does this mean? What kind of stamp did someone use on our doorstep?" Liam tensed his jaw and wrinkled his temples in worry.
"We'll converse inside.” You really should be aware of a lot of things.
Questions raced through my mind as he led me into the dimly illuminated foyer. What secrets were kept hidden in Silverwood? What part did I play in the unfolding haziness, by the way?
A cracking fire showered the room in a warm brilliance, and while Liam drove me to the review, the dimly illuminated passageways of my childhood home echoed with torturous murmuring.
With my eyes fixated on Liam's agonised expression, I settled onto the plush rocker. With my voice hardly audible above a whisper, I urged Liam, "Let me know everything." With a passionate murmur, he looked at the picture that was etched in the doorway.
"Sera, it's not easy to understand. However, you have the right to be aware of the truth." Liam described the events of that fateful night ten years ago, the night I was supposed to form a bond with Gabriel Blackwood, the Alpha of the Blackwood Pack, and take on the role of Luna in their pack, with heartbreaking grief.
Whatever the case, fate had other ideas. Liam stated, "Gabe dismissed the bond," in a tone that hinted at harshness. "He guaranteed it was for your own safety, that a dark curse undermined your life assuming both of you were to be joined together."
A torment pierced my heart as memories of that night surged back, the shock, the humiliation, and the crushing weight of being written off.
Years of trying to push those memories under the surface were now tearing their way to the surface, raw and painful. With trembling palms, I muttered, "I remember that."
But why would they suddenly mark our doorstep? What is the meaning of this? Liam shook his head, his attitude unsettling. "The abomination, Sera. It is more than just a myth. It is true and rooted in an ancient prophecy that foretells catastrophe in the unlikely event that certain conditions are satisfied."
As Liam's words clicked, a shiver went down my spine. Under what circumstances? How should the curse be broken?
"Liam admitted, quite obviously disappointed, "We don't have the foggiest idea yet." Nevertheless, we're not alone in this. While we look for answers, Evie and Astrid are conducting an investigation."
As darkness fell over Silverwood, I was unable to sleep, plagued by vivid nightmares of impending peril. My dreams were filled with eerie voices that repeated like a choir of doom.
They spoke of obscure indications and impending danger. When the first light appeared, I arose, sheets drenched in sweat clinging to my skin.
I had awful dreams that seemed too real, too foretelling. And, more importantly, I see that my return to Silverwood had evoked more than memories; it has unleashed forces that, as far as I could know, would never be altered.
But before I could pontificate any longer about the horrible dreams, a spine-tingling cry broke the silence of the early morning. A sound that discussed danger lurking in Silverwood's shadows was something I hadn't heard in a long time.
My pulse raced with anxiety as I peered through the window. Something told me that my past, present, and future were going to collide in ways I couldn't even begin to imagine as the werewolves of Silverwood mixed.
