RISE OF THE HEALER LUNA

4

LIAM:

I stopped walking abruptly, and for a moment, the world felt too quiet. Then I turned slowly, my jaw tight, my hands clenched.

“What the f**k are you talking about, Serena?” I asked.

She stood there like she owned the night. Snow fell softly around her, her lips curved in a way that made you feel like she knew something you didn’t know. It was a reminder of when that smile was mine alone, used to guide me when I misstepped in public. But now it was annoying.

“I’m talking about the silver poison,” she said gently. “And the cure.”

“Don’t joke with me,” I growled.

“I’m not joking.”

The closer I got, the more aware I became of everything—her scent, her warmth, the way her eyes held mine like she knew exactly what she was doing to me. It was suffocating… and addictive.

“Serena, you disappeared for three years. You came back out of nowhere, and now you’re telling me you’re some kind of healer?”

She tilted her head.

“Not some kind. I’m the one.”

I scoffed.

“Bullshit.”

Her smile didn’t fade as she reached into her bag and pulled out something small and metallic. She held it up between us.

It was a tag… a healer tag!

My eyes narrowed.

“That can be fake,” I said quickly.

“Of course,” she replied calmly. “So let me show you something else.”

She took out her phone, her fingers moving smoothly on the screen, and for a ridiculous second, my fingers twitched at my side like they remembered the feeling of hers.

I clenched my jaw, forcing my eyes to stay on the screen, to ignore what being close to her was doing to me.

I saw videos of people lying on beds, skin pale, lips cracked, bodies shaking. I recognized the signs. I’d seen that sickness too many times.

The silver poison…

Then I watched Serena in the videos—not the Serena I remembered.

She stood calm and focused, her hands steady as she injected them with something. Minutes later, their bodies stopped shaking, their eyes opened, and they sat up.

My throat went dry.

“It could be a deepfake.” Even to my own ears, the words sounded weaker than I wanted them to.

She shrugged lightly.

“If that makes you sleep better, fine.”

Then she stepped closer, her eyes locking on mine. It was close enough that I could see every detail of her face. Close enough that my body still wanted her, despite everything.

“Organize your people tomorrow,” she said softly. “I’ll prove it.”

Before I could reply, footsteps came from behind me… annoying footsteps.

I turned to see Cassandra.

She walked out with that perfect smile on her lips, her hair shiny, her makeup flawless, like always. She moved straight to me and wrapped her arms around mine like I was her trophy.

“Serena!” she said sweetly. “Oh my God, welcome back!”

Her voice was sugar, and her eyes were poisonous.

Serena smiled back just as sweet.

“Thank you,” Serena said politely.

I felt Cassandra press closer to me. It annoyed me, but I didn’t push her away. Her touch has always felt wrong, but I cannot let Serena see me break. I cannot let her know how much I wish she were Cassandra.

“So sad you came back under such… dramatic circumstances,” Cassandra added lightly. “But you’re always welcome, right, Liam?”

Her fingers tightened around my arm, and I nodded stiffly.

“Tomorrow,” I said to Serena, “you’ll prove whatever nonsense you’re claiming.”

I made sure my voice was loud enough for anyone nearby to hear. It was my way of reclaiming my power.

Serena bowed her head slightly.

“I’ll be there.”

Cassandra smiled, and I took her hand.

“Come on, everyone is waiting,” I said, pulling her back inside, my eyes on Serena until the door cut her out of sight and took that unbearable pull with it.

That night, I couldn’t sleep.

I turned on the bed… then turned again, but my mind wouldn’t shut up—thoughts of Serena. Her face. Her voice. Her confidence. And worse… Adrian Blackwood!

Damn him…

I stared at the ceiling.

How the hell did she come back like this?

Three years ago, she looked fragile, quiet, and easy to ignore.

Now?

She was glowing. Strong. Beautiful.

Her presence tonight was intoxicating and impossible to forget.

And Adrian…

I clenched my jaw.

The bastard looked like he walked out of a war movie—so calm and dangerous. Built like he could crush mountains with his hands. I have always been the strongest, standing out in every crowd, but beside him, I felt like a joke, and I hated that feeling.

Worse than his strength was the way he held her, and how she willingly leaned into him like her body f*****g belonged to him. It took willpower not to do something drastic in front of them.

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her again. She had crawled inside my skin and refused to leave. And every time I pictured her, it wasn’t just her face—it was the memory of how she used to feel beneath my hands.

The door opened quietly, but I didn’t turn as Cassandra walked in. I wished she would just go away. If there is anything I hated more than Serena with another man, it was Cassandra.

“You’re still awake?” she asked. Her voice sounded tired but sharp.

I didn’t answer immediately, and she climbed onto the bed and lay beside me.

“You’ve been restless,” she said. “Let me guess… Serena?”

I exhaled slowly.

“She’s back,” I said.

“I know,” Cassandra replied lightly. “The whole pack knows. Hard to miss her dramatic entrance. And?”

“And what?”

“She said something strange,” I said quietly.

Cassandra turned to face me.

“What?”

“She said she’s the one behind the cure for silver poison.”

Cassandra burst into laughter.

I frowned.

“What?”

“Liam, seriously?” she said, still laughing. “Serena? A healer? Come on.”

“She showed me videos.”

“Videos?” Cassandra scoffed. “Do you know how easy it is to fake videos these days?”

I didn’t reply.

“She’s bluffing,” Cassandra said confidently. “She wants attention, and she wants you to feel something.”

I did feel something, and I hated myself for it. I should be strong, but this woman is clearly my own undoing. Only she had the power to make me feel this way, and that is why I needed her to fail tomorrow.

I stared at the ceiling again and forced myself to think clearly. Then I decided to send people to secretly observe her tonight. She must verify her claims.

I took out my phone, placing a call to the chief of security.

“I want you to keep an eye on Serena and report any shady events.”

Morning came too fast, and I woke up early.

I got dressed quickly and stepped outside, walking a few steps before stopping.

Across the pack house, near the visitors’ estate, I saw her.

Serena.

She stood on the porch, holding a cup of coffee, and Adrian stood beside her.

They were talking and laughing. Adrian leaned slightly toward her as he spoke. Serena smiled—and that smile grated on my nerves. Because she was f*****g laughing with him.

Something twisted inside my chest, and I quickly pushed it back. I couldn’t be jealous, and this madness had to stop. I tried to remind myself I was the Alpha of the strongest pack to exist.

I turned away at once and walked back inside, finding Emmett in the hallway.

“Emmett,” I called.

He turned.

“Alpha.”

“Come with me.”

We entered my office, and I shut the door.

“She claims she has a cure for silver poison,” I said immediately.

Emmett raised his brows.

“Serena?”

“Yes.”

Emmett paused.

“And?”

“I don’t trust her,” I said. “I think she might have planned this. She could bribe some people to act sick and pretend to be cured.”

I was forcing myself to believe those words, because my Serena would always need my help—not stand over me and challenge me.

Emmett nodded slowly.

“I want two people with silver poison,” I continued. “Real ones… near death.”

Emmett’s expression turned serious.

“I’ll pick them myself,” I added firmly. “She won’t get a chance to manipulate anything.”

“Yes, Alpha,” Emmett said.

“I will also be sending for backup healers—the ones who can stabilize the victims in case she fails. This pack will not be ridiculed.”

“I trust you, Alpha.”

By noon, the pack hall was full, everyone gathered. Whispers filled the air with curiosity, fear, and hope.

I sat on the throne, and Cassandra sat beside me, her hand resting lightly on my arm.

Serena stood in the center of the hall, calm and unbothered. Adrian stood a little behind her, his arms crossed, and I hated how relaxed he looked—like he knew she would win.

Emmett brought in two men I had chosen. They looked terrible… their skin pale, their bodies weak, and they could barely stand. Some pack members looked away, and others stared with pity. Perfect—because if Serena failed, everyone would see her lie.

Serena stepped forward. She placed a small med kit on the table. She opened it slowly. Inside were small vials filled with a strange liquid… clear and colorless.

I sniffed the air, but there was no smell… that was strange. Even with my heightened senses, I smelled nothing.

Serena took out two syringes.

“It’ll hurt a little,” she said softly.

The men nodded weakly as she injected the first man and then the second.

Everyone held their breath, and I leaned forward slightly.

Minutes passed… nothing happened, and I felt a small relief. I wanted her to fail and admit she needed me. But I also wanted to save my pack.

But then…

The first man gasped, his body jerked, and the hall froze.

The second man coughed violently, and people stepped back.

My heart began to pound. Then something unbelievable happened.

The first man straightened, and his eyes cleared. He looked around like he had just woken from a nightmare.

“I…” he whispered. “I feel… fine.”

The second man grabbed his chest, then stood up completely.

Gasps exploded across the hall. Someone screamed. Someone cried.

And the two men stood there—alive, strong, and healthy.

My grip tightened on the armrest of the throne, the wood creaking under the pressure of the crushing realization that she had just done the impossible… without me.

People suddenly rushed forward.

“Please! Help me!”

“My brother is sick!”

“My child is dying!”

“Save them!”

Some fell to their knees in front of Serena. Some cried. Some begged.

And just like that, the attention shifted to her.

Serena stepped back slightly, her face calm but firm.

My eyes met hers. She smiled like she had expected this all along. That smile gutted me, because it wasn’t for me anymore, and I hated how much I wanted it back.

There was no hesitation in her eyes. No need for my approval. And that… that stung more than being proven wrong.

My stomach dropped as a cold realization hit me hard.

The life of my pack… was now in her hands.

The same woman we had ignored… the same woman we had mocked… the same woman I had pushed away three years ago.

I was f****d, but mentally, I began to plan how to reach a pact with her. That was the only logical way to bring her closer to me. Because beyond caring for the pack, I needed her. I needed my Luna, no matter how much I would hate to admit it to uphold my ego.