<h4>Chapter 628: Four Centuries Ago (I)</h4>


    <strong>Evaline:</strong>


    No one interrupted Morwen. No one even breathed too loudly.


    The pavilion had be so quiet that the crackling of the fire sounded almost intrusive. Even the forest around us seemed to hold its breath.


    Morwen sat with her hands folded in herp, her gaze lowered for a moment as if gathering the strength to continue.


    When she finally spoke again, her voice carried something heavier than before. "This story," she began slowly, "starts with a legend."


    Her eyes lifted. And for a brief moment, they settled on me. Something in that look made the air in my lungs still.


    Because it wasn’t curiosity... it was recognition.


    "Many of you might have heard of the legendary Silver Wolf bloodline," she continued.


    But her gaze lingered on me a second longer than necessary, as if silently acknowledging something unspoken between us.


    I didn’t react. Not outwardly. I simply held her gaze, calm and steady, refusing to break eye contact.


    If she knew... or suspected... anything about my bloodline, I wasn’t going to confirm or deny it.


    She studied me quietly for a second.


    Then, almost imperceptibly, something like approval flickered in her eyes... and she looked away.


    "The Silver Wolf bloodline," she said to the circle, "is one of the oldest and strongest werewolf bloodlines to have ever existed."


    A few witches shifted slightly at the mention of it.


    The name carried weight.


    History.


    Power.


    "And with that bloodline came a legend that spread far beyond wolf territories." Morwen sped her hands together a little tighter. "The legend of divine healers."


    River’s presence beside me grew sharper. And I also felt Kieran’s attention lock onto Morwen just as intensely.


    "These healers," Morwen continued, "were said to be blessed by the Moon Goddess herself."


    Her voice had softened slightly now, almost reverent. "They were no ordinary healers. They carried divine power within their souls - power capable of restoring life, healing fatal wounds, even stabilizing souls that had been damaged by darkness."


    A faint murmur moved through the witches.


    Morwen continued before anyone could interrupt. "For centuries, only the Silver Wolf bloodline produced such healers."


    Her gaze flicked toward me again, briefly. "And because such power existed, it inevitably attracted attention."


    Her fingers curled slightly against her palm. "When the world learned of it, many desired to control it."


    She paused. And the hesitation that followed felt heavy... almost painful.


    Her next words came slower. "Four centuries ago... witches were among those who became tempted."


    A subtle ripple moved through the circle. Some witches looked ufortable. Others stared at Morwen in stunned silence.


    However, she didn’t look at them. Her eyes were fixed on the fire now.


    "Some of our ancestors believed that if they could harness the divine healing power of the Silver Wolf bloodline," she continued quietly, "they could change the bnce of magic in the world."


    My stomach twisted slightly. Even though part of me had already suspected something like this... hearing it said aloud felt different. Darker.


    "Healers like that were incredibly rare," Morwen went on. "And extremely protected within their pack."


    She lowered her voice, "But four centuries ago..." She lifted her gaze again, "...they seeded in capturing one."


    The words struck me like ice water. For a moment, I couldn’t move. My mind stalled.


    Because of all the things I had expected to hear tonight... this wasn’t one of them.


    They captured a divine healer.


    My fingers curled slowly against my knee.


    And suddenly, everything about the secrecy surrounding the divine healers and their power made even more sense.


    The Alphas and elders of Silver Wolf Pack had always been extremely strict about hiding divine healers from the world.


    But until this moment, I had never fully understood how far others might go to obtain that power.


    Now I did.


    Beside me, River’s energy sharpened noticeably. And Kieran shifted slightly on his chair.


    Through our bonds, I could feel the tension building in both of them.


    They had always known my abilities had to remain hidden.


    But hearing this...


    Hearing what had happened before...


    It made the threat feel real in a way it never had before.


    Oblivious to our thoughts, Morwen continued, "Our ancestors captured the divine healer of the Silver Wolf Pack," she said quietly. "They brought him to the vige that once stood where Silver Moon Academy is now."


    Her gaze lifted again, meeting mine. "And they imprisoned him in the underground chamber you discovered."


    I didn’t know how to feel at the confirmation.


    "They believed that if they could persuade him to cooperate willingly," Morwen said, "they could study and replicate his healing power with spells or runes."


    She pressed her lips together. "At first, they attempted negotiation."


    She shook her head faintly. "They tried to convince him to leave his pack and stay among witches. They promised him knowledge, protection, partnership."


    She looked down at her hands.


    "But he refused."


    I wasn’t surprised.


    A divine healer abandoning his pack would be unthinkable.


    "So our ancestors chose a darker path," Morwen said quietly. "They decided to extract his power by force."


    The pavilion felt colder.


    "The ritual they prepared was designed to pull the divine healing magic from his body." Her gaze moved toward the printed pages I had brought."But during the ritual... something changed."


    She inhaled slowly before continuing, "One of the elder witches overseeing the ritual realized a problem... the healer’s power wasn’t separate from him. It was bound to his soul."


    I felt a chill crawl down my spine. It was alling to the same realization I had reached while studying the rune.


    "That elder understood something the others had not," Morwen said. "If they wanted the divine power... they would need the soul that carried it."


    The fire crackled loudly in the silence.


    "But she also knew the others might refuse if they understood what that meant." Her voice hardened slightly. "So she made a decision... and altered the ritual."


    The other witches stared at her now with growing horror.


    "She changed the runes."


    If I had to guess... it was the severance rune.


    "She didn’t inform the rest of the coven," Morwen continued quietly. "She believed that once the ritual had begun, it would be toote for them to stop it."


    River’s jaw tightened beside me.


    "And she was right. By the time the others realized the runes had been altered..." she paused for a second, "...the ritual was already underway."


    Her voice dropped lower as guilt overtook. "And the healer’s soul was forcefully separated from his body."


    A heavy silence fell.


    "But things didn’t go as nned."


    This time her eyes flickered with something like grief.


    "The moment his soul was torn free..." she exhaled slowly, "...his body died."


    The younger witches stared at her in stunned disbelief, and so did I.


    "The soul should have remained bound within the ritual circle," she continued, "but divine power is not easily controlled."


    The firelight flickered across her face.


    "The soul became unstable. Wild. And before the witches could contain it... it escaped."


    My stomach dropped as the pieces starteding to ces in my head.


    "It fled," Morwen said quietly, her eyes filled with deep regret. "It got twisted by the ritual... and it was no longer whole. And in its broken state..."


    She swallowed softly.


    "...it began feeding."


    I held my breath as she confirmed what I had already realized seconds before.


    "It sought out other wolves." Her gaze met River’s this time. "And it tore their wolves away."


    A chill spread through my entire body.


    "And that," she said quietly, "was how the first soul death cases began."