Anika’s P.O.V
My heart sank to my stomach as I watched the blackened ends of the thread that was supposed to be red.
Oh no. This is bad.
As the urgency of the situation weighed heavily on me, I reached out to my grandmother through our mental connection.
It was a link forged by wolf blood and magic, allowing us to communicate without words. In the midst of our search, I focused my thoughts on conveying our predicament to her.
Grandmother, I thought urgently, the demon is after us. We're searching for the dagger while there's still time. But Silas’s thread is turning black! You need to get to the location as soon as possible.
A brief pause followed, during which I imagined her considering the gravity of our situation.
Soon, her voice echoed in my mind, her thoughts intermingling with mine.
Anika, listen carefully. You need to hurry up; you don't have much time. Find the dagger as soon as you can, then head to Ezra's old house. That's where the demon was raised.
Ezra's old house.
The very place that seemed to hold an inexplicable pull over Zoya, a place riddled with the shadows of the past.
My heart raced as I absorbed my grandmother's guidance, her words like a lifeline in the midst of uncertainty.
As we pressed on with our search, the moonlight painted a silvery path ahead, illuminating the terrain and guiding our way. It felt like the Moon Goddess was with us too, providing us with her guidance as best as she could.
We moved with urgency, driven by a shared determination that had transcended our personal struggles.
The forest seemed to whisper its secrets to us, and we left neither stone nor leaf unturned, desperately searching for that goddamn dagger.
"Where is it?" I hissed under my breath. "Silas, are you sure we're in the right place?"
As I was speaking, I turned from the ground that I was searching back to him.
And…
Oh lord…
My heart raced with dread as Silas held out the dagger, swathed in a dark cloth.
Moonlight danced upon the blade, casting an eerie gleam that sent shivers down my spine.
Something was wrong.
What was going on?
Shaking my head, the urgency of our mission pressed against me, and I urged him to act quickly. "You found it! Let's go. We need to move."
Yet, his gaze remained locked on the dagger, and he seemed almost entranced by it.
Something was definitely wrong.
I stepped closer, my concern deepening as I noted his unresponsive demeanor. "Silas, what's going on?" I questioned, reaching out to touch his arm gently.
By now my instincts were on high alert. And they were all telling me to run.
Silas didn't respond, his fingers unwrapping the cloth from the blade in slow, deliberate motions.
As the fabric fell away, my eyes widened at the sight before me.
The once gleaming dagger had transformed into a shadowy, obsidian-black weapon, as if it had absorbed the very darkness that plagued us.
My breath caught in my throat, a wave of awe and unease washing over me.
"Silas, the dagger..." I began, my voice trailing off as I glanced at the thread encircling his wrist.
Its once vibrant hue had dulled, a sickly blackness spreading through the fibers.
If the red hue had been dominant before, now it was completely dominated by the dark.
Shit.
I’m in the middle of nowhere with a powerful Alpha who is possibly going to be possessed by a violent demon.
Shit! I’m in trouble!
Every lupine instinct in me screamed to flee, to leave behind the ominous blade that seemed to have absorbed the curse's malevolent energy.
But I knew that time was of the essence, and that we couldn't afford to hesitate any longer.
"Silas, we have to go," I stated firmly, my fingers curling around his hand.
I pulled him toward me, and when he turned to face me, my mouth turned dry.
My heart pounded like a frantic drum as I registered the sinister change in Silas.
His once familiar gaze was now tainted by a malevolent red hue, and a foreboding aura swirled around him like a living shadow.
Panic gripped me, and I stumbled back a step, a gasp escaping my lips.
"Silas, what's happening to you?" I stammered, my voice wavering with fear and disbelief.
Before I could comprehend his transformation, he tore the blackened thread from his wrist in a violent motion. A guttural sound, like a mix of frustration and anguish, emanated from him.
My eyes widened as he lunged toward me, the obsidian dagger gleaming ominously in the moonlight. Instinct and fear melded into action, propelling me backward with an urgency I had never felt before.
The blade missed me by a hair's breadth, its cold edge grazing the fabric of my clothing.
My breaths came in ragged bursts as I stumbled, my heart racing as if trying to escape my chest.
As I regained my footing, I turned my gaze to Silas, who now held the cursed dagger with a grip that seemed unnaturally strong.
The man I had once known was unrecognizable, replaced by a force driven by darkness.
"Silas, please! Snap out of it!" I pleaded, my voice desperate.
But my words fell on deaf ears.