EPISODE 17:
The air was thick with tension, and my heart pounded in my chest as I stood beside Syrus. We shared a glance.
“Stay close, Syrus muttered, his voice low and filled with urgency.
I nodded, following him as we moved swiftly through the crowd. People were gathered in a tight cluster, murmuring amongst themselves. Their voices were a mixture of horror and disbelief.
When we finally pushed through, | froze.
There, on the ground, lay the mangled body of Deanne. My breath caught in my throat, and my stomach churned. It wasn’t the same as that night, the night when I had been torn apart and left for dead, but the scene before me was not unfamiliar.
Deanne’s body was unrecognizable in parts, her flesh torn away, and some limbs were missing entirely. But her face,I could still make out her features. Her wide, vacant eyes stared into the sky, unmoving. The stillness of her expression was the worst part
I looked away quickly, my gaze flicking to Syrus. His jaw was clenched, his eyes narrowed. His protective stance never wavered, though the look on his face mirrored my own unease.
The murmurs around us grew louder. One voice spoke out, a tinge of shock in their tone.
“That’s a brutal way to die. Look at her eyes, she must’ve been attacked while alive last night.”
Another voice chimed.in, “How could that happen? Wild animals don’t come near wolf packs. Territory and all that ” There was a pause before someone else spoke, the suggestion hanging in the air like a dark omen. “What if someone contracted them? Made a deal?”
I felt a chill creep down my spine, but I didn’t have time to process it. My focus shifted back to the scene before me, the warriors surrounding Deanne’s body. They were methodically checking the remains, their faces grim.
And then I saw him.X
Seram stood near Deanne’s body, holding Lucas tightly in his arms. The child’s face was a mess of tears, his small body trembling as he reached for Deanne. But Seram’s hold on him was so tight that Lucas could barely move.
I could see the pain in the child’s eyes. He wanted to reach out, to touch the woman he had known as a mother, but his father’s grip was unyielding.!
One of the warriors, a gruff man with a scar running down his cheek, stepped forward.
“Alpha Seram, where were you last night? And who do you think could’ve done this to Deanne?”%
Seram didn’t answer right away. He merely stared down at the body, his expression unreadable. When he spoke, it was in a low, steady voice.
“I left the tent early after our argument yesterday. Many saw me leave, and I didn’t return until morning. I was around the
markets.”
Many supported his claim, saying that some of them even chatted with Seram until dawn.
The warrior didn’t seem satisfied with Seram’s answer, his eyes scanning the crowd. “And what about who did this?” Seram’s eyes narrowed as he turned, looking at the faces around him. And then, his gaze locked onto mine!!
I didn’t know what to expect, but the accusation that followed sent a shock to me.
“It was her,” Seram said, pointing directly at me. “Marian, She killed Deanne.”
A collective gasp rose from the crowd. My heart skipped a beat as all eyes turned to me. The weight of their stares felt suffocating, and I instinctively took a step back, my hand gripping Syrus’s arm
Syrus’s response was immediate. He stepped forward, his broad frame blocking me from view. “How could Marian have killed Deanne? I can attest, and my subordinates, that Marian is with me all the time.
Seram’s expression didn’t change, but there was a flicker of something in his eyes. “Are you sure? But I saw her in the wilderness, close to the thicket. Several people saw her too.”
Syrus’s voice was sharp, but calm. “You can’t just accuse her without proof. Why would Marian target Deanne? If anyone. has a grudge, it’s Deanne who has it against Marian.”
Seram’s laugh was sharp, almost manic. The sound sent a shiver through me. “It’s not about the fight yesterday. It’s about five years ago.”
I felt the blood drain from my face. It seemed that Deanne’s death, being similar to mine, was not a coincidence. Syrus also thought so. I had just confided in him last night about my death and the cause of my rebirth, and Syrus had been feeling about asking it.
Still, he pretended not to know anything, acting ignorant. Syrus’s brow furrowed in confusion. “What incident?“%
Seram didn’t give us a chance to process it. “It’s because she’s been reborn. The Moon Goddess marked her. She has the
Arazcent mann inn her bank inner lika thara whaun return
crescent moon on her back, just like those who’ve returned“!
I shook my head, the words almost too absurd to believe. “That’s impossible. Why would I be reborn?”
Syrus scoffed, supporting me while looking at Seram with undisguised scom. “You can’t possibly believe that. Marian is not reborn.“3
Seram ignored Syrus and turned his gaze back to me, his eyes intense, his voice cold.
“Then prove it.” He stepped forward, his expression challenging. “Let me see your back. If you’re the Marian I know, then you’ll have that mark. If not… well, then I’ll take the punishment for what I’ve done. But if you do have it, I’ll take you away myself.”
I felt the world tilt. The crowd was sileht now, the weight of Seram’s words pressing in on me like a vice All eyes were on me, waiting for me to either reveal or deny the truth. The choice seemed simple, but deep down, I knew it wasn’t
I wanted to say no, I wanted to scream, to refuse, to tell him that he was insane, but the truth lingered in the back of my mind like a storm on the horizon X
I remembered, the first time I gave Caleb a bath, I noticed a crescent moon mark on his back. And Caleb, who had leamed to talk and walk later, also said that I had a crescent moon mark on my back… the mark of being reborn.”
