bChapter /bb253 /b

    Caleb’s P.O.V

    I turned to Caroline, my brows furrowing, trying to understand. The truth was, hearing Caroline say it out loud made the unease in my gut grow tenfold. I swallowed hard, trying to keep my thoughts from spiraling. “It’s possible,” I said, trying to sound more confident than I felt. “Maybe it’s because we’re both feeling it. Maybe it means we’re getting close to where Aurora is.”

    “I really hope so, Caleb.” Caroline nodded, an involuntary shiver coursing through her form, as she clutched her arms around herself. “This ce just…it gives me the creeps.”

    Damien came near her that instant, wrapping an arm around her to keep her warm. And despite the relief I felt at him treating Caroline right, I couldn’t help but envy them in that moment.

    “I know.” I looked towards Silvia, the girl had decided to stick close to me and Caroline for some reason. “You alright? Are you cold?” I asked her, just to make sure.

    But Silvia shook her head, her eyes tainted on the woods in front of us with fierce determination.

    Just then, I noticed the sky overhead. The bright daylight was slowly dimming, almost imperceptibly at first, but then the change became undeniable. The sun was being swallowed up by the moon, and the first shadows of the eclipse began to creep across the sky. I felt my heart skip a beat as the temperature around us seemed to drop. My throat tightened, and without thinking, I turned to my father.

    “We need to hurry,” I said, my voice urgent now, the fear creeping in like an uncontroble tide. “The eclipse… It’s starting. We can’t afford to wait any longer.”

    But before my father could respond, a sharp gasp broke the air. We all turned toward the sound. Silvia, standing a few paces away, was staring ahead with wide eyes. Her face was pale, and her hands were trembling at her sides.

    “What is it?” I asked, my heart racing.

    She swallowed hard, her breath shaky. “I… I don’t know.” Her voice quivered as she looked around, as if the very air itself had turned against her. “I just… I felt it. Something’s wrong. Something’s happening to my family,”

    I stood towards Silvia, who was standing next to Caroline, her arms around the tiny girl as she trembled. “What’s wrong? Why do you look so scared?” Caroline asked her.

    Silvia’s face was pale, her lips trembling bas /bshe nced up at the sky. “The eclipse,” she murmured, barely above a whisper. “It’s a bad sign. My parents always told me… that only bad witches do magic during a sr eclipse.”

    The words hung in the air, thick with the weight of something ancient and unsettling. I could feel the

    3:24 pm

    tension growing in the room as Caroline’s eyes widened, her hand instinctively reaching out to Silvia’s arm. “But… but that doesn’t make sense. Isn’t the eclipse just a special event for witches?”

    Silvia shook her head, the fear in her eyes deepening. “No, Caroline. I’m talking about isr /ieclipses. Not lunar ones. Lunar eclipses are a good sign for the coven–times when our powers can grow stronger, when the energies of the moon are aligned with us. But sr eclipses? It’s different. With the sun shielded from view, only dark witches can ess their magic fully.”

    I felt a chill run down my spine. Alpha Jackson, who had been quiet up until now, stepped forward. His tone was measured, though I could hear the edge in it. “Is that really true?” he asked, his voice carrying across the group. “I heard the Chrone say that the eclipse was a good thing… that it could strengthen their

    powers.”

    Silvia’s gaze snapped to Alpha Jackson, her expression hardening as though the very thought of what he had just said irritated her. “She didn’t mean Sr eclipse, Alpha. I’m talking about what I know… what I’ve been told. Sr eclipses aren’t just some celestial event. They’re a moment of darkness, a time when witches who draw their power from shadow can use it to its fullest extent. The rest of us… we’re

    vulnerable.”

    The silence that followed was suffocating, heavy with the realization of what this meant. The air around us seemed to shift, thick with uncertainty. A low murmur ran through the group, a ripple of unease spreading like wildfire. I could feel the tension building, the sense that something was about to unfold that none of us were prepared for.

    Alpha Jackson’s voice broke through the stillness, his usual calm demeanor now reced with a sharp urgency. “We need to get to the packhouse,” he said, his eyes flicking between Silvia and the rest of the group. “If this is true, we need to act fast.”

    The words snapped us all into motion. Everyone surged forward, their faces a mix of fear and determination. I joined the rush, my heart pounding in my chest, a sense of dread curling deep in my gut. As we raced toward the abandoned packhouse, I could feel it–the weight of something dangerous creeping closer, something we weren’t prepared for.

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