CHAPTER 109: THE VISION IN THE DUST.

Killian’s fingers, still trembling from the fight, worked the rusted lock of the old abandoned classroom with a bent paperclip. Cassian wedged a splintered chair leg under the handle for good measure. Rafe eased Bella down against the wall. Luca stayed by the door, ear pressed to the wood, listening for any footsteps.

Outside, the morning bell for first period rang across the entire school. Inside, the world narrowed to the five of them and the lingering smell of blood.

Bella sat with her knees drawn up, arms wrapped around them as if holding herself together. The white marks once only visible in wolf form, now traced pale, lightning-bolt paths across her human skin: from collarbone to wrist, from temple to jaw. They didn’t glow anymore, but they caught the light. Every breath she took seemed to cost her.

Rafe crouched beside her, careful not to disturb the claw marks on his own chest. "You’re shaking."

"I’m not cold," she said. Her voice was raw. "I’m... remembering."

Cassian lowered himself to the floor opposite her. He winced as pain shot through sliced ribs. "Remembering what? The cave? The fight?"

Bella shook her head. A strand of silver-streaked hair fell across her eyes. "No. Something that happened while I was out. A vision. It wasn’t a dream, it felt too real like I was living someone else’s life inside my own skin."

Killian dropped into a desk, spun it to face her, and sat backward on the chair. "Start from the beginning. Don’t leave anything out. We need to know what’s happening with you."

Bella closed her eyes. When she spoke, her words came slow at first, then faster as she progressed.

"It starts in a forest at night. Not the one we came from, this one is older, the trees are taller. There’s a clearing ringed by standing stones, and in the center is an altar carved with a spiral that glows green. The light pulses like a heartbeat."

She opened her eyes, and for a moment the green reflection of that altar shimmered in her irises.

"Angela Rivers is there. She’s bleeding from her arm, three long claw marks, fresh and bright. She’s clutching a leather-bound journal to her chest like it’s the only thing keeping her alive. And Maren—"

Luca’s breath hissed between his teeth. "Maren. Again."

"Listen," Bella said softly. "In the vision, Maren is very much alive. She’s shifted, bigger than any wolf I’ve ever seen, black fur swallowing the moonlight. Her eyes are molten silver, and she’s laughing, this low, triumphant laughter that sounds like she’s gotten everything she ever wanted."

Rafe’s hand found Bella’s, lacing their fingers. She squeezed once, grounding herself, and kept going.

"Angela screams. Maren’s claws come down, but before they connect, a howl splits the night. It’s me—I mean, it’s a version of me. I crash into Maren from the side, knock her off balance. I’m fully shifted, silver fur, no hesitation. My claws find flesh in her flank and sink in deep, and I feel the heat of her blood, the resistance of muscle and bone."

Cassian leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees. "You said you were unconscious. How could you—"

"I don’t know," Bella cut in. "But I felt every second of it. The shift was effortless, like the power had always been waiting for permission. Maren roars, tries to throw me off, but I’m faster. I dodge, I counter, I fight like I’ve been training for years."

Killian’s voice was hushed. "Moonblood instinct?"

"More than instinct. Mastery." Bella’s gaze drifted to the cracked window, where students laughed and shouted on their way to class, oblivious. "There are others with me, Moonbloods too. Marcus is there, gray fur matted with blood. A pale gray male, a deep brown female. We move like a pack that’s hunted together for decades. The altar’s light flares brighter with every strike, and the air gets colder, like the spirit realm is leaning in to watch."

She paused, swallowing hard. The next part came out in a rush.

"Jonathan, my... my dad, he’s standing at the edge of the clearing. In his human form. He’s got this leather pouch, and he’s muttering, ’This isn’t possible. The powder should have kept her dormant.’ He throws a handful of glittering dust at me. Most of it misses, but a few grains land. They should burn, should weaken me, but they don’t. My power just... swallows it."

Luca’s fists clenched. "He tried to suppress you again."

Bella nodded. "He chose Maren. Over Mom. Over me. Over our family."

Thick silence stretched. The weight of betrayal settled like dust on their shoulders.

"Then the fight turns," Bella continued. "I feint left, strike right. My claws sink into Maren’s chest. She staggers, the spirit realm’s energy pouring through the wounds like green fire. The Moonbloods pile on, Marcus at her throat, the others pinning her limbs. She shifts back to human as she falls, blood pooling around her. She gasps, ’This isn’t over. The clan will come.’"

Rafe’s voice was rough. "And you—"

"I end it." Bella’s eyes met his, sFor a moment, no one spoke. The classroom’s shadows seemed to retreat, as if even the ghosts of pashe goes still. The altar’s light dies. The pressure lifts."

For a moment, no one spoke.

"But it doesn’t end there," Bella continued quietly. "Angela tries to reach me, but the altar flares again, brighter and blinding. Green light swallows her. She’s pulled away, transported. She wakes up on her kitchen floor, claw marks bleeding, journal in her hand. Everything seems normal... except it isn’t."

Cassian rubbed a hand over his jaw. "Something happens again?"

"Carla," Bella whispered. "My mom. Protecting her human sister. But then—"

She stopped, breath catching. The white marks on her arms flared, just for a second, like moonlight under her skin.

"Then the journal moves on its own. Pages flip. Green light pours out, and Angela sees another vision inside the first. Maren, standing in a shadowed grove. Her body is whole, no wounds, no blood. Around her, werewolf warriors gather. Dozens. Hundreds, maybe. Their eyes reflect torchlight, and they’re armed with claws and teeth."

Killian’s chair creaked as he leaned back. "Resurrection?"

"Or illusion," Cassian countered, but his tone lacked conviction.

Bella shook her head. "It felt real. Maren looks straight into Angela’s eyes, straight through the vision, like she knows she’s being watched. She says, ’The Moonblood will drown in our fury.’ Then the warriors howl, and the sound—" Bella’s voice cracked. "It shakes the grove. It shakes me. Even here, in this room, I can still hear it."

Luca stood abruptly, pacing the length of the blackened wall. Dust puffed under his boots. "If Maren can come back—"

"She’s not just coming back," Bella said. "She’s bringing an army. And Angela’s out there, human, with claw marks and a journal full of proof no one will believe. She’s going to try to find Marcus, rally the Moonbloods. But if Maren strikes first—"

"We strike first," Rafe finished. His tone left no room for argument.

Killian spun the desk chair, facing the group fully. "We need a plan. Angela’s our link to the outside world. If she’s got evidence, photos, recordings, whatever, we can use it."

Cassian’s mind was already mapping logistics. "Marcus and the others will be in hiding after the Sanctuary fight. We need a way to contact them without Maren intercepting. And we need to do it from inside the school, where she’s watching every move."

Bella pushed herself to her feet, swaying slightly. Luca was at her side in an instant, steadying her. "There’s more," she said. "In the vision, Angela dials Marcus’s number. She’s going to call him. If we can intercept that call—"

"Or beat her to it," Luca said. "We know Marcus. We know the Moonbloods. We don’t need to wait for a human to play messenger."

Rafe’s eyes narrowed. "But Angela’s the only one with hard proof. If Maren’s clan is mobilizing, we need everything we can get, supernatural and mundane."

Bella nodded. "Then we split focus. One team finds Angela, gets the journal, secures the evidence. The other team links up with Marcus, warns the Moonbloods, starts building defenses."

Cassian held up a hand. "We’re five people. Four, if Bella’s still recovering. We can’t split into teams."

"We don’t have to," Killian said, a slow grin spreading despite the pain. "We use the school. Maren’s territory, sure, but it’s also full of blind spots. Secret passages and all. We’ve got three days until the next full moon, plenty of time to move unseen."

Bella’s gaze drifted to the window again. "There’s something else," she said softly. "In the vision, Angela’s countdown, three months until my eighteenth birthday. It’s down to weeks now. Whatever Maren’s planning, it’s tied to that date. The True Silver awakening fully, maybe. Or something worse."

Luca’s jaw tightened. "Then we don’t wait for her to set the terms. We take the fight to her."

Rafe stood, wincing as dried blood cracked along his shirt. "First step: find Angela. She’s human, which means she’s vulnerable. If Maren’s watching her—"

"She is," Bella said.

Cassian pulled a crumpled campus map from his backpack, spreading it on the floor. "Angela Rivers. Lives off-campus, right? Town’s twenty minutes by car. We can’t risk shifting in daylight, but the service roads—"

"Too exposed," Killian interrupted. "We take the tunnels. We should be on her doorstep by noon."

As they slipped out of the classroom, they all held one thought. The clock was ticking, the clock of Bella’s eighteenth birthday.