Page 23 of Howling Holidays

"It's beautiful," Emily whispers, her eyes wide with wonder.

I nod, feeling a sense of intrigue at finally finding this mysterious stone that holds the power of the curse over my pack.

Before I can grab it, Callie reaches out a hand to stop me.

“Wait,” she says. “These symbols here….they’re a warning.” Callie says pointing to the carvings in the stone surrounding the altar where the moonstone lies.

“A warning? What for?” I ask curiously.

“It says here that the stone is guarded. The ancient witches also created guardians to keep the curse in place and prevent anyone from taking the stone.” Callie says, reading the carvings on the cave floor.

“The shadow shifters.” I say, matter-of-factly. “That must be why they’ve been after us. We need to get the stone and leave.”

“And quickly.” Ethan adds. “Let’s get out of here.”

"Be careful," Emily warns as I reach for the stone. "We don't know what might happen when we remove it."

"Trust me, Emily," I say, her blue eyes locked on mine. "I won't let anything happen to you."

I reached out my hand, feeling the warmth of the stone even before my fingers brush against its surface. As I grasp it, I brace myself for the unknown.

"Logan, wait!" Emily calls out, but it’s too late. The moment the moonstone leaves its pedestal, the ground beneath us began to tremble and a bone-deep rumbling shakes the cave walls.

"Everyone, out now!" I shout, clutching the moonstone tightly as the cave walls start to crack and crumble around us. We sprint towards the entrance, dodging falling rocks and debris.

"Emily, stay close to me!" I yell, my heart pounding in my chest. I can feel her fear as she trembles while we race through the collapsing cave.

Panic and fear rising in all of us, we retreat toward the entrance of the chamber when the rumbling and shaking grows stronger. I keep my grip tight on Emily’s hand to steady her and pull her toward safety. We manage to regain our footing, but the walls of the cave system start crumbling toward the floor.

“If we don’t move faster, the cave will collapse, trapping us in here!” Callie shouts while motioning for us to move quickly toward the entrance. Ethan grabs her hand and we make our way back out. Eerie whispers fill the chamber where the moonstone was and grow louder as the rumbling in the cave intensifies. Out of the corner of my eye I can see the shadows that threatened us before start to form again.

“We have to get out, now!” I growl.

I shout for Ethan and Callie to flee while Emily and I guard the rear. We race for the entrance, the angry mountain at our backs threatening collapse. I shield Emily from falling debris without thought, trusting my beta and the witch to lead the way.

"Watch out!" Callie cries as a massive boulder crashes down in our path. We dodge to the side, narrowly avoiding being crushed beneath its weight.

"Logan, we have to go!" Emily yells as the cave's walls tremble around us. Shadow shifters slither and hiss in the darkness, their menacing forms drawing closer with each heartbeat.

"Move! They’re gaining on us!" I command, clutching the moonstone tightly in my hand while glancing back rapidly at the shadows writhing behind.

"Quickly, this way!" Callie calls out, her voice steady despite the chaos that surrounds us. She leads the way through the dimly lit tunnels, her knowledge of the caves proving invaluable in our desperate flight.

"Keep running!" Ethan shouts, forcing his legs to pump faster. Our escape seems impossible, but I refuse to give up hope. We’ve come too far to fail now.

“You will pay for thisssss…” says a voice dauntingly, almost growing into a scream in my ear. Suddenly, I feel a strong force grab my arm and pull me backwards as if to keep me hostage. Emily feels my firm grasp let go of her hand and she turns around in horror.

“Logan!!” she cries. She races back toward me, pulling me firmly by my arm. I somehow break free of the shadows grasp and continue racing toward the exit.

"Almost there!" Emily gasps, her breath ragged with exhaustion and fear.

With one final surge of adrenaline, we stumble out of the cave just as the entrance collapses behind us, sealing off the chamber and the secrets it held within. We take a moment to catch our breaths, our chests heaving from the exertion. The ground is blanketed with fresh snow, now brightly illuminated by the moonlight. We kneel gasping in the pristine snow, giddy with victory.

"Is everyone okay?" I ask, my gaze sweeping over each member of our group, making sure they’re unharmed.

"Fine, thanks to you," Emily replies, her eyes shining with gratitude. "We did it, Logan."

"We did," I agree, holding up the moonstone. It glows softly, a beacon of hope, a promise of a future free from the curse that has plagued us for so long.

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