Corrine and Cassius entered the room, circling Roxanne with awe in their eyes as they showered her with quiet praise.
"I'll be right there if anything goes wrong," Cassius whispered, his voice steady with quiet resolve.
The massive ceremonial gates creaked open, revealing a soft glow spilling into the hall. Roxanne took her first step down the aisle. The ceremony was far smaller than Fiona's grand affair—more intimate, yet thick with unspoken tensions.
As she walked, all eyes followed, each guest harboring a different intent, a hidden truth beneath polite silence.
At the pulpit, her father stepped forward. For a moment, his gaze held hers—not with warmth, but with a weight too heavy for words. He took her hand, kissed it gently, and turned to Vangelis, placing her hand in his with the finality of tradition.
It had been three grueling days in the field, but Phoênix and his crew had uncovered nothing. Frustration clung to the air like mist. Phoênix returned to his tent, exhaustion heavy on his shoulders. As he removed his jacket and hung it over the chair, his eyes shimmered with unshed tears.
"Sapphire… where are you?" he whispered.
He sank into his seat, eyes fluttering shut, when a sudden glow pierced through the darkness. Her locket—the one that had remained dormant for the past month —was glowing.
Startled, Phoênix jumped to his feet and rushed outside. The locket grew brighter with every step, guiding him like a flame in the dark. He followed its light through the trees until he reached an ancient oak. The locket flared—blinding for a moment—then abruptly dimmed
"She's here," he breathed.
Without wasting a second, he summoned his Beta.
"Alpha," said Beta Korran, kneeling to inspect the ground. "It looks like a portal was opened here. The energy is faint, but recent."
Another scout stepped forward, his voice tense. "But if we try to open a new portal, especially one different from the last recorded three months ago, we risk erasing its traces entirely."
Phoênix clenched his fists. "Then we don't open anything. Not yet. Mark it. Guard it. She's close—I can feel it."
"Alpha, Fiona's sister won't die—wherever she sent her," Beta Korran said, his voice edged with tension. "She plans to kill her herself and return. That means she has a connection—someone on our side helping her."
Phoênix narrowed his eyes. "How are we supposed to find her ally? We don't suspect anyone. Only witches or merges can open portals."
"She won't be able to find a witch or a merge ally quickly," Kael replied. "It must be a vampire or a wolf. Which means the portal isn't fully sealed—someone is holding it open from outside."
Phoênix turned sharply. "Then we find the link."
"It'll be invisible," Kael continued. "But it's the key. Whoever's connected to the portal is holding it open without even realizing—or they're doing it on purpose."
Phoênix stepped toward the ancient oak, his hand pressing gently against its bark. A wave of energy pulsed outward. The temperature dropped instantly, frost spreading like wildfire. The air itself began to freeze, yet his soldiers remained unmoved—Redlunar warriors, hardened against such magic.
Then he saw it: a thin, frozen thread, gleaming faintly in the ice-ridden air.
"I've found the link," he said, voice low but certain.
"The thread only responds to the one holding it," one of the merges said. "Tug it, even just slightly, and they'll believe Hazel has arrived. They'll open the portal."
Meanwhile, far from the scene, Corrine's lips curled into a sly smile as the thread materialized around her wrist. Her heart pounded. She excused herself and rushed to the bathroom, locking the door behind her. Her hands trembled as she whispered a forbidden chant, then dragged the thread across her palm, slicing into her skin. The moment it broke, the connection snapped open.
Back at the portal site, the air shifted.
"Nymortix," the soldiers and merges murmured in unison—the name of the ancient gateway now stirring once more.
Phoênix turned to the merge. "Hold the portal until I return."
"We won't be able to hold it for long, Alpha. It's Nymortix. Its power is too great," the merge warned, sweat beading at his brow.
Phoênix nodded, his blue eyes glowing like lightning. "Then I'll make this quick."
And with that, he stepped through.
Both Hazel and Fiona watched as the portal split open with a hiss of light, but neither could move—thick roots from the larva fall held them bound, pulsing with dark energy.
Through the shimmering veil stepped Phoênix, cloaked in a radiant blue aura. His white hair flowed behind him like silk caught in wind, and the very air around him seemed to shudder with raw power.
"Ja-de…" Fiona whispered, her voice breaking as tears streamed down her face.
Hazel's gaze locked onto him, stunned. She didn't understand the feeling tightening in her chest—but it stung, sharp and sudden.
Without a word, Phoênix stormed forward, seizing the larva root binding Fiona and tearing it apart with raw strength. The moment his hands met the cursed vine, the larva fall began to freeze, its molten glow dimming to frost as the entire cavern started to tremble.
He lifted Fiona gently into his arms and turned toward the portal as shards of stone and root fell from above.
Just as they reached the veil, Hazel broke free of her own bindings and sprinted toward them. But fate struck—one of the collapsing stones landed on her leg, and she screamed, agony ringing through the chamber.
Outside, the merges called out, "Alpha, Nymortix is collapsing! Should we close the portal?"
"Please… someone, help me! I don't want to die " Hazel cried, kicking weakly, pain and desperation lacing every syllable.
Phoênix stopped.
In a heartbeat, he turned back, charging through the storm of falling debris. With one swift movement, he lifted the boulder crushing Hazel's leg, blood rushing out as she gasped. He didn't hesitate—he picked her up and dashed through the portal just as the last tremors cracked the gateway behind them.
The moment they emerged, the portal collapsed with a thunderous implosion, taking Nymortix with it.Nymortix was now a history long gone.
Fiona stirred in his arms, her lashes fluttering as she met Phoênix's gaze. He brushed a lock of hair from her face.
"I'm… so cold inside," she whispered. "I can't stop shivering…"
Her fingers trembled as she reached up and pressed her lips to his—soft, brief, but filled with everything she'd been holding back. Then, darkness claimed her again.
The merges and healer rushed to her side as Phoênix held her close, his blue eyes burning brighter than ever, even as the wind of destruction settled around them.
"Where am I?" Hazel whispered, disoriented as the room around her swam into focus. She pushed herself upright, wincing at the pain in her leg, and on her face which was tightly bandaged. Her heart pounded. I have to leave before anyone finds me.
Across the camp, Phoênix rose from the bed, careful not to wake Fiona, still resting. He dressed quickly, his thoughts already racing. Something gnawed at his instincts.
He made his way to the medical tent where Hazel had been placed—but the cot was empty.
"Alpha, there is news," Beta Korran called out as Phoênix stormed in.
"Who was assigned to watch Hazel?" he demanded. "Are you aware she's escaped?"
"We've launched a search, but there's even graver news," the Beta added. "King Vangelis… he's remarrying."
Phoênix froze, his eyes narrowing. "He didn't inform me."
A pulse of anger passed through him.
"Summon the soldiers," he commanded. "Spread word across the territories that Queen Fiona has returned. I'll bring her to the palace myself."
At the royal court, the ceremony had begun.
Vangelis stood tall beside Roxanne, their hands clasped before the altar as vows were exchanged. The air was tense, the room watching every moment. The rings were presented.
But just as Vangelis reached to place the ring on Roxanne's finger, the heavy doors of the hall burst open.
A soldier stumbled in, breathless.
"My Lord," he announced, "Queen Fiona has returned… and she is on her way to the palace with Alpha Phoênix."
Silence.
The room was seized by stillness, every noble frozen in place. Even Valeria, the ever-loyal supporter of Vangelis, remained quiet.
Vangelis dropped the ring.
His heart raced as he turned toward the grand doors, but Roxanne caught his hand.
"Please…" she whispered, tears sliding down her cheeks.
But Vangelis pulled away, his footsteps already echoing down the hall. One by one, the nobles followed him, abandoning the ceremony none of the nobles stood by her they all left the hall not even Valeria.
Roxanne stood motionless, her body too heavy to move, her vision blurring with unshed tears. It's over, she thought. Another disgrace… another abandonment.
Just then, a sleek black car arrived at the palace gates. The crowd parted like waves. Fiona stepped out, radiant with a soft, bright smile. Vangelis ran to her and pulled her into a desperate embrace.
"Sapphire… my dear, where were you?" he choked out.
Before she could answer, her knees gave out, and she collapsed once again.
Roxanne still hadn't moved.
She stood frozen in place, her gaze empty as the celebration erupted outside.
Cassius ascended the altar and gently took her trembling hands in his.
"Let's go, Roxanne," he murmured. "It isn't over yet."
Deep in the jungle, Corrine arrived at the hidden grove where Hazel had been held. She pushed through the foliage and gasped.
Hazel lay unconscious on the blood-soaked grass. Her bandages had unraveled, her wound reopened.
Corrine dropped to her knees, brushing tangled hair from Hazel's face—and screamed.
A jagged, root-shaped scar now marked Hazel's skin, stretching from her left eye to the right side of her cheek. Her face, once untouched by cruelty, now bore the brand of what she'd endured.