Serena followed the priestess, glancing one more time at Darius before he looked away from her gaze.
She exhaled sharply, dragging her fingers along the smooth stone wall as she trailed behind the Moonseeker.
Serena gasped once she stepped into the secluded room. Her eyes lifted to the ceiling, which was painted midnight blue, like the night sky itself. It was speckled with stars, and in the center sat the moon.
Her gaze swept across the walls, each adorned with murals depicting Lunara in different forms.
One showed her clad in armor, sword pointed at an unseen enemy. Another portrayed Lunara in tenderness, cradling a pregnant belly, looking down lovingly.
At the farthest end, Lunara sat with wolves and human-like creatures gathered around her, as though receiving a lesson.
But it was the final mural that made Serena pause. It showed Lunara wiping the tears from someone’s face.
Each of these grand murals was accompanied by smaller ones, telling their own unique stories.
"Sit," came the layered voice, and Serena obeyed.
"You said you wanted to see me," Serena said.
The Moonseeker nodded, settling on the floor across from her. "I did. I want to help you."
Serena bit the inside of her cheek and sighed, shaking her head. "Is it true?"
The priestess’s lips curled slightly. "Is what true? You must speak as clearly as your heart."
"Elder Evelyn said you were told I was blessed by Lunara," Serena’s voice was quieter now."I’d like to know if that was true."
The priestess chuckled, her fingers curling around the black amulet at her neck. She closed her eyes briefly before looking at Serena.
"It is true," she replied.
Serena held her breath for a few seconds before speaking again. "Then tell me why... why are these things happening to me?"
She was careful not to reveal too much. This was different from dealing with Darius, Annamarie, or the other wolves.
The Moonseeker’s face betrayed nothing. Even if she seemed neutral, she still had loyalties to Ironshade. And even if she didn’t, Serena wasn’t about to say anything that might anger the goddess.
"Serena," the Moonseeker said with a smile. "I am not all-knowing. I am simply a vessel through which Lunara speaks directly and swiftly to her people."
"So... you have no answers?"
The Moonseeker shook her head. "I only have messages to give."
Serena’s shoulders fell in disappointment. Her mind had conjured this grand moment, here she would be told it was a test, an illusion, that the status of her blessing had to be earned.
That had to be why Silverstone had happened.
The anger from earlier resurfaced, rearing its ugly head. Serena clenched her fists and stared at the floor.
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The Moonseeker rose, her jewellery jangling as she walked slow, deliberate circles around her.
"You have grief and anger buried in your heart. It is rotting your soul, this is not normal."
"I am fine," she snapped before quickly lowering her head. "I am sorry."
"I understand, child," the priestess said evenly. She crouched to Serena’s level, lifting her chin with fingers that were firm yet gentle.
"It is normal to grieve, to cry, to feel that boil in your veins. But this is not normal."
Serena raised a brow, unsure of what the woman meant.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"Here." The priestess pressed her palm against Serena’s chest. "Your soul is wounded, yes, but has also been poisoned. And grief has only made the poison more potent."
Serena tried to process the words.
No one had ever, she wasn’t even sure that was possible. Was this spiritual gibberish?
"I have not been poisoned." Serena said flatly.
"How would a dying moose know it’s been poisoned until it sees the wolf trailing it?" The Moonseeker chuckled.
She rose, chanting words Serena couldn’t quite make out.
"You did not come here by mistake, Serena," the Moonseeker said with a sigh. "You will understand in due time."
Serena heard that as another way of saying I’m not entirely sure or I do not know.
She recognized that tone, her mother had the same one when it came to defending her outdated healing practices.
Serena opened her mouth to speak, but the Moonseeker held up a hand to silence her.
"The message I have from the goddess is this: I am by your side."
Serena nearly scoffed but turned her head away instead, biting her lip.
Every pursuit of an answer always ended in a dead end, or something so vague that it might as well not have been said at all.
The priestess nodded.
"I can help you heal your soul, but that is all I can do- help. The rest will be up to you," the Moonseeker said.
At this moment, Serena was truly frustrated. Cryptic words, empty riddles. Nothing made sense. It all seemed like a waste of time.
"Your wolf has been subdued."
"It wasn’t poison... I lost-" Serena caught herself, stopping before she said too much. Before she admitted she had a fated mate who had died.
The Moonseeker chuckled, shaking her head.
"I am not all-knowing, but do not treat me like you treat the other wolves."
Serena stilled, as if cold water had been splashed over her.
Did the Moonseeker know? And if she did, how much?
"This pack is my own," she continued. "But I see more than anyone can. I am blind, Serena, but I have never seen more clearly."
"But... you knew where I was..." Serena trailed off.
"I can smell you. Feel your energy. I have no need for sight. The goddess knew it would hinder me."
Serena kept her gaze on the ground, biting her lip.
"A severed mate bond wouldn’t keep your wolf weak for this long."
Serena’s head snapped up.
The Moonseeker was smiling, not at her, but at the painting of Lunara wiping away someone’s tears.
"Darius helped her resurface briefly," she continued. "But you know the light is flickering. And nothing of substance can be done... until it is fixed."