<h4>Chapter 428: Chapter 428 The Witch’s Shadow</h4>


    Author’s pov


    During the acrobatic performance, Cecilia felt uneasy.


    Something was wrong tonight. She kept looking around the room, watching every face for danger.


    Then she saw Alpha Xavier and Alpha Gavining back into the hall. They walked over and sat at a table close to where Cecilia and Alpha Sebastian were seated.


    Jessica and Xenia followed behind them like quiet shadows.


    Xenia caught Cecilia’s attention. Something about her seemed different tonight.


    Now that they were nearby, Cecilia could observe them more clearly.


    As the acrobats did a dangerous flip, Xenia started humming softly.


    The tune was quiet but strange.


    It sounded like an old nursery rhyme, but twisted.


    Wrong for this fancy party.


    Cecilia put her hand over her stomach protectively.


    The moment she heard Xenia’s humming, her baby moved violently inside her.


    The feeling was so sudden and strong she almost cried out.


    "Are you okay?" Alpha Sebastian whispered. His hand covered hers immediately. His touch felt warm and safe.


    "The baby," Cecilia whispered back, leaning closer to him. "It’s never moved like this before. It started right when Xenia began humming."


    Alpha Sebastian’s eyes narrowed as he looked toward Maggie’s daughter.


    In the dim lighting, Cecilia noticed something creepy. Everyone else’s shadow looked normal on the floor.


    But Xenia’s shadow moved wrong. It twisted and bent in ways that didn’t match how she was standing. Like something else was casting it.


    "Sebastian," she whispered urgently, "look at her shadow."


    He followed her gaze and tensed up beside her.


    "That’s not possible," he said so quietly she barely heard him.


    "There’s something wrong with Xenia," Cecilia said once they were alone. "The way she moves, that humming, her shadow. And every time she looks at me, the baby goes crazy."


    Alpha Sebastian’s face got more serious as she spoke.


    His fingers tightened around hers. Not enough to hurt, but enough to show how tense he was.


    "Three hundred years ago," he said in a whisper, "my pack trapped an evil spirit. A witch who could take over people’s bodies and stay alive by eating their souls."


    He looked straight into Cecilia’s eyes. "She loved targeting unborn babies from powerful packs. Kids who would make strong hosts."


    Cecilia felt her blood turn cold. "Are you saying..."


    "I’m saying everything makes sense now," Alpha Sebastian replied, staring at Xenia. "Remember when she moved faster than Alpha Xavier in the garden that night?"


    Cecilia nodded, her voice sharp and confident. "And she’s a young woman we all know well. She’s close to Maggie. She actspletely obsessed every time she sees you. And because everyone thinks she’s just some harmless fool, none of us ever saw her as a threat."


    Just then, Cassian walked over to them. He looked worried. "I’ve been checking the Moonveil Ascendancy’s records,"


    He said quietly. "They im to be new, but I found references going back centuries. Always the same symbol, always hiding in the shadows."


    "Three hundred and twelve years, to be exact," a child’s voice said.


    They all turned to see Xenia standing there. Her small face had an innocent smile, but her eyes looked cold.


    "What did you say?" Harper asked, moving closer to Cecilia to protect her.


    Xenia blinked. She looked confused, like she didn’t understand what just came out of her mouth. "I... I don’t know. I think I heard my mother talking about it once."


    "No," Alpha Sebastian said, stepping forward. His whole attitude changed, bing dangerous. "How could you possibly know the exact number of years?"


    Xenia’s innocent act cracked. She stepped back, her eyes looking around like a trapped animal. "I don’t know what you mean. I’m just a little girl."


    "Are you?" Alpha Sebastian pressed, moving closer.


    The air between them felt electric with tension.


    Cecilia watched as something changed in Xenia.


    It wasn’t a physical change. No dramatic shifting or sudden growth.


    But the way she carried herselfpletely transformed. Her back straightened. Her shoulders squared.


    The childish softness disappeared from her face, reced by something old and cunning.


    "Three hundred years," the thing in Xenia’s body said. Her voice was now deeper and more mature than any child’s should be. "Three hundred years I’ve waited for the perfect host, the perfect moment."


    Her eyes now glowed with an evil light as she stared at Cecilia’s stomach. "A child of Alpha blood and Locke heritage. The ultimate vessel."


    "Belinda," Cecilia said, understanding hitting her like a punch. "It was you all along."


    The witch smiled with Xenia’s small mouth, but it looked wrong and twisted.


    "Smart girl. Maggie was useful, though not very bright. She thought she was using me for revenge, but I’ve been ying a much bigger game."


    Alpha Sebastian moved between Cecilia and the witch.


    "You won’t touch her or our child," he growled.


    "Don’t be so dramatic," Belinda said dismissively. "I’ve already won. Tonight’s party isn’t just for fun. It’s a ritual. And you all walked right into my trap."


    Right on cue, several Moonveil members moved to surround them.


    Their faces looked nk and empty. Like robots following orders.


    Cecilia realized with horror that they weren’t thinking for themselves.


    The witch was controlling them.


    "Your Alpha blood and her Locke heritage will create a perfect body for me," Belinda continued. Xenia’s child face was twisted into a victory smile. "A vessel that will never age, never weaken. I’ll be unstoppable."


    She didn’t get to finish before Alpha Sebastian lost control. He let his wolf Soren take overpletely.


    The change was fast and shocking.His body started to shift and grow.


    Bones cracked as his human form stretchedrger. His expensive suit ripped apart as thick ck fur covered his skin.


    His face changed into a wolf’s head with sharp white fangs. His eyes turned bright gold and seemed to glow with power.


    In seconds, a huge ck wolf stood where Alpha Sebastian had been.


    The wolf was massive, bigger than any normal wolf. His fur was dark as night and his muscles were strong and powerful.


    Soren let out a deep, threatening growl. The sound was so loud it made the whole hall shake.


    The witch’s dark energy rose to meet him, ck magic tentacles shing with pure Alpha strength.


    All hell broke loose.


    Alpha Xavier, Alpha Gavin, and Cassian immediately formed a fighting triangle, covering each other’s backs as Moonveil extremists closed in.


    Tang and Beta Sawyer moved quickly to shield Cecilia, Harper, and Yvonne from the chaos.