CHAPTER 138: YOUNG LILITH X

*~Young Lilith’s POV~*

The forest swallows us while...My chest burned with every breath, my legs aching from running, yet I didn’t dare stop. Alice had my hand in a death grip, pulling me forward with surprising strength. Normally, she was the quiet one, the timid one. But tonight? She was the reason I was still moving.

The hand on mine felt like a block of lead, dragging me down, yet her hold gave me just enough strength to push forward.

"Do you... Do you know where we are?" I whispered, my voice breaking under the weight of exhaustion and fear.

"No," she admitted breathlessly, "but I think we’re lost."

"Lost?" I echoed, panic rising like bile in my throat.

She didn’t slow. "It’s better to be lost than to be found by them. Goddess knows what they’ll do if they catch us."

Her words made my blood run cold.

That’s when a flash of light pierced the darkness.

Alice spun around so fast she nearly slammed into me, her arm instinctively flinging back to shield me. My heart skipped a beat...not from fear, but from the strange, fierce protectiveness in her movement.

But as the light approached, my fear returned full force.

It wasn’t one person. It was a group. The glow fell across their faces and recognition jolted through me.

"Oh my God—it’s them!" a familiar voice gasped.

The boy from the cave.. Within seconds, shapes emerged from the shadows—boys and girls we had seen in that cursed place, their faces pale but alive.

Alice and I rushed forward, relief crashing over us like a wave.

"They haven’t gotten to you yet," a girl exclaimed, rushing over. "I thought they had. I thought you were..."

"We almost were," Alice panted. "But I got to her before they could."

"Damn," a boy said, running a hand through his hair. "This escalated fast."

"But we need to stick together now," another voice spoke with quiet authority.

The boy from the cave stepped forward, standing straighter than before. His eyes burned...not with fear, but with resolve. "If we want to survive this, we stand together. I’m Jonathan," he said, his gaze sweeping the group.

"I’m Ruby," the girl replied.

"I’m Alice."..." I’m Lilith," I said softly, still catching my breath.

One by one, names echoed through the clearing until thirty voices had been counted. Thirty survivors.

"Good," Jonathan said firmly. "Because the deed is done. They’ve made us into... whatever they call us now. Crescents. But that doesn’t mean we have to be their monsters. We can choose. We can bargain with Alpha Klaus. Or...if we must—we can create our own pack. A new generation. One they can’t control."

His eyes found mine as he spoke, and I quickly looked away, heat rushing to my face for reasons I didn’t understand.

"But what if the Alpha refuses?" Ruby asked hesitantly.

"He won’t," Jonathan replied, though his tone carried an edge. "And if he does... We’ll make him see reason."

"We’re stronger now," Alice said sharply. "We all saw what those two who drank from Dahlia’s bowl could do. If just two could do that, imagine what thirty of us could do."

"But Dahlia won’t stop coming for us," Ruby reminded.

"She’s a witch," Alice said, her voice low, confident. "But so am I. And I’m stronger. With training, we can fight. We can protect ourselves. No one will ever control us again."

Jonathan nodded slowly, then looked at us all. "Then we need a leader. Someone to guide us. Someone who already saved us once."

Every eye turned to him.

Alice’s hand shot up. "I vote Jonathan."

I hesitated—only for a second—then nodded. "I vote for him too."

One by one, the others followed. Thirty voices. Thirty votes.

Wow, it’s... really an honor for you guys to pick me to lead," Jonathan said, rubbing the back of his neck. "To lead this new... organization—"

"We are not an organization," Ruby cut in, her voice sharp, but her eyes shining. "We are now a pack."

Jonathan tilted his head, the faintest smile tugging at his lips. "Thanks for the correction. A pack it is. And as your chosen leader—your Alpha—my first call is this: we focus on training. Only when we’ve unlocked our full potential can we bargain with the Alpha who rules over this land. And if he refuses to accept us... Then we strike."

His words hung in the air like a leader he is.

Alice spoke up next, his tone laced with worry. "But... how can we train? We’re not just wolves anymore. Some of us are witches. Some of us are... Crescents. A mix of everything. Where do we even begin?"

"We start by teaching each other what we know," Jonathan replied without hesitation. "Spells. Tracking. Combat. Transformation. Control. Every piece of knowledge we have, we share. That way, we don’t just become strong individually—we become strong together."

The group murmured their agreement, a ripple of determination running through us.

Ali raised his hand slightly. "I used to be a witch. I know a few spells—basic ones—but enough to start."

Ruby stepped forward beside him, her confidence soft but steady. "I’m also a witch. I can help too."

The witches gathered on one side, a small but formidable cluster, while the wolves began to step forward from the shadows of the group.

Jonathan’s eyes found mine, holding far too long for my comfort. "I’m a wolf," he said, his voice deep and certain. "And I’ll train anyone who needs to learn the instincts of the hunt."

I shifted uneasily, then cleared my throat. "I’m a wolf too."

His gaze softened, and a small smile curved his lips—a smile I refused to return. Why did he keep looking at me like that?

One by one, others revealed what they were—wolf, witch. The group sorted itself into pairs, each Crescent assigned a partner from the opposite side...wolf training witch, witch training wolf, so that we could share skills neither side had mastered.

I was paired with Alice. She gripped my hand lightly, her once timid demeanor replaced by quiet determination. "I’ll teach you everything I know," she whispered, "but you’ll have to do the same."

I nodded..."And I’ll tell you everything you need to know about hunting."

Jonathan turned to face us one last time, his voice steady and sure. "This is the rise of the Crescents."