Chapter 171

Ava

When I finally straightened up from my bout of sickness, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, I turned to face Chris with wide eyes. He was utterly frozen, his face a mask of abject horror.

“I don’t understand,” he muttered, clutching the moonstone around his neck. “The moonstone is back. This shouldn’t be happening. The blight shouldn’t be spreading.”

I placed a hand on his arm, trying to offer comfort even as my own stomach churned. “Maybe it just needs more time?” I asked, accepting the bottle of water that Leonard offered me.

Before Chris could respond, the chief scientist approached us. The plastic sheet covering his face behind the hazmat suit did nothing to hide the worry in his expression. “Alpha, Luna,” he greeted us, his voice muffled. “I’m afraid we need to evacuate the Packhouse immediately.”

Chris’s head snapped up. “Evacuate? Is it that serious?”

The scientist nodded gravely. “I’m afraid so. We need to contain this outbreak before it spreads further into town. We’ll be deploying the GMO fungus to combat the blight, but we can’t risk anyone being exposed to the spores in the meantime.”

I felt my heart sink. “How long will the evacuation last?”

“It’s hard to say,” the scientist replied. “We’re hoping that it’s just a fluke and that the blight will be eradicated soon. But we need to be cautious.”

Chris squared his shoulders, slipping into his Alpha role despite the worry evident in his eyes. “Alright. I’ll organize the evacuation. Where should we relocate everyone?”

“We’ve prepared temporary housing in the eastern part of the territory for those who don’t have anywhere else to go,” the scientist explained. “Only those who live close to the Packhouse need to move.”

With a nod, Chris began issuing orders to the pack members gathering around us. I turned to the scientist. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

He hesitated for a moment. “Actually, Luna, if you could assist with calming the pack members, especially the children, that would be appreciated. Many are frightened, and your presence might help.”

I nodded, pushing aside my own fears for the sake of my pack. “Of course. I’ll do what I can.”

The next few hours passed in a blur of activity. I moved among the pack members, offering reassurances and helping to organize belongings. The fear and uncertainty were palpable in the air, but I did my best to project calmness.

As night fell, the Packhouse stood empty and silent, surrounded by a perimeter of warning tape and surveillance equipment. Chris, Leonard, Ophelia, and I retreated to my cottage, all of us exhausted and on edge.

I busied myself in the kitchen, preparing a simple dinner for us while Leonard and Chris talked in the backyard. Ophelia joined me, her face uncharacteristically drawn with worry.

“How are you holding up, darling?” she asked softly, helping me chop vegetables.

I sighed, glancing towards the patio where Chris sat, staring out at the horizon. “Honestly? I’m fucking terrified,” I admitted. “And I’ve never seen Chris like this, either.”

Ophelia nodded, following my gaze. “Poor Leonard is worried too. He’s trying not to show it, but I can tell.”

We worked in silence for a little while before I could no longer hold it in. “What if the blight doesn’t stop spreading, Ophelia?” I asked, setting my spoon down and turning to face her. “Will we need to evacuate the entire pack?”

Ophelia’s knife paused mid-chop. “I... I don’t know. Where would we even go?”

I shook my head, feeling helpless. “I have no idea. And what about the other packs? If this spreads beyond our territory…”

We both fell silent, the weight of the possibilities heavy in the air. This was new territory, something that we had never had to deal with before. And it was utterly terrifying.

When dinner was ready, we carried the plates out to the patio. Chris barely touched his food throughout the entire meal, instead reaching for his wine glass and draining it in one long gulp before immediately refilling it to the brim.

“Do you have more bottles in the cellar?” he asked, draining the last drop from the bottle.

“Chris,” I said gently, “you should eat something first.”

He shook his head, already gulping down more wine. “I’m not hungry.”

Leonard cleared his throat. “We need to discuss our next steps. If the GMO fungus doesn’t work—”

“It has to work,” Chris interrupted, his voice sharp. “We don’t have any other options.”

I placed my hand over his—even his fingers were tense and cold. “We’ll figure something out, Chris. We always do.”

He blinked at me for a moment in disbelief. “How? The moonstone is back, Ava,” he said, pulling the pendant out from beneath his shirt and holding it up in the light. “It should have fixed everything. Why the hell isn’t it working?”

I couldn’t help but flinch at his tone. I wished I had an answer for him, but the truth was, I was just as confused and frightened as he was. How was it possible that the moonstone had been returned to the rightful Alpha and yet the blight was still spreading like wildfire?

“Well… Perhaps there is something we’re missing,” Ophelia suggested as she picked up Princess and placed her in her lap—something that seemed to calm both the little dog and Ophelia. “Some piece of the puzzle we haven’t figured out yet.”

Leonard nodded. “It’s possible. The legends about the moonstone are old and sometimes vague. There could be something we’ve overlooked.”

Chris drained his second glass of wine, his movements already becoming slightly unsteady. He rose, swaying a bit, and began walking toward the entrance of my wine cellar. “We’ve been over everything a hundred times. What else could there be?”

I watched him walk away with growing concern. It wasn’t like Chris to drink so heavily or to sound so defeated. I needed to do something, to say something to pull him out of this spiral. Sighing, I quickly excused myself and followed him downstairs to the wine cellar.

When I found him amongst the rows of barrels and the musty scent of earth, he had already uncorked another bottle and was drinking straight from it, sitting on top of a low shelf. I paused a few paces away, watching him intently for a few moments. He just shot me a glance before taking another swig, then held the bottle out to me.

With another sigh, I took the bottle and took a big gulp.

“Chris,” I said, wiping my mouth and handing the bottle back, “we will find a way through this. The pack is strong, and we have each other. Whatever comes, we’ll face it together.”

He looked at me, a flicker of his usual strength returning to his eyes. “You’re right. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be wallowing like this.”

I hopped up onto the spot beside him. “You’re allowed to be worried, Chris. We all are. But we can’t just give up.”

As Chris nodded, the moonstone around his neck caught the dim light of the cellar, momentarily drawing my attention. I leaned closer, something about its appearance nagging at the back of my mind.

“Chris,” I said slowly, “can I see the moonstone for a moment?”

He looked surprised but unclasped the chain, handing it to me. “Sure, but why?”

I held the stone up, letting the light play across its surface. There was something... off about it. The way it caught the light seemed different somehow, not quite right.

Almost like it was made of… plastic.