"What the fuck, Liora?!"
Sera whisper-screamed from outside the Alpha's door, her voice tight with panic.
"Get out of there ….now! They're coming. And Liora… I saw witches with them!"
Inside, Liora gasped.
Zyra, whose body still trembled from what had just transpired, reached for her robe and hastily covered herself. She didn't speak, didn't even look at Liora. Her expression was unreadable.
Everything had spiraled. Too fast.
Liora's legs moved before her brain did. She dashed for the door, pausing just once to glance at Zyra ….hoping for a flicker of something. A spark. A reaction. Anything.
But the Alpha's face was stone.
"Come on!" Sera hissed, grabbing Liora's arm the moment she slipped out. The two bolted through the shadows, hearts thundering in unison.
Then the alarms sounded.
Howls erupted across the Lunarion grounds. Torches flared to life. Dozens of wolves surged into formation, snarling and forming barricades.
"We're surrounded!" Sera panted, yanking Liora behind a tree. "We need to—"
But she didn't finish.
Celestine emerged, her eyes blazing with fury. Her claws extended, lips curled in rage. "I should ve known this thing would awaken too"
She lunged at Liora with full force.
The guards rushed Sera too.
Liora stepped back instinctively, her hand reaching for one of Sera's side dagger. "We didn't come to fight—!"
But Celestine didn't stop. Her claws swiped. Sera yelled. Liora panicked.
—----------
Sythea stood in the shadows outside Zyra's chamber, her face pale.
She'd felt the bond surge again. That damned Omega had done something.
"This wasn't supposed to happen," she muttered, voice trembling.
She slipped inside the Alpha's room just as Zyra returned, breathing hard, her hands shaking.
"Who are you?" Zyra snapped.
Sythea didn't answer with words.
She raised her palm and muttered a spell under her breath …dark and binding.
A purple mist slithered into Zyra's skin, sinking deep.
Memories flashed and … then dimmed.
The hints and fragments she had gotten before …..
Gone.
All replaced with hate, fog, War.
Zyra's breathing slowed, her anger boiling again…but this time cold and empty.
Exactly as Sythea wanted.
—----
Outside as the chaos continues
Liora is still struggling with Celestine who wanted to kill her there and then….
It all happened so fast , so quick….
Slice.
Steel met flesh.
Liora reflexively pierced Celestine's side. Blood poured instantly. A shocked silence fell between them.
Celestine stumbled back, clutching the wound, eyes wide in disbelief.
"No," Liora whispered. "No, no, no—it was an accident…"
An uproar tore through every wolf …. There was tension and in the heat of the moment
Zyra.
She stood across the courtyard, eyes locked on Liora, having witnessed it all. Her mother ….Zyra's face twisted into pure, savage rage.
"You…" Her voice was hoarse. "You stabbed her?!"
"I didn't mean to!" Liora cried. "She came at me, …"
Zyra didn't wait for excuses.
She shifted partially, her silver eyes glowing fiercely under the moonlight.
Sera grabbed Liora's wrist. "We have to go. Now!!"
Liora hesitated ,just for a second. Then she ran.
The two darted through the same place they had come from , slipping past stunned guards and charging into the dense forest. The path blurred, the air heavy with howls and curses behind them.
—----------
Liora sat on the edge of her bed.
The morning sun filtered in through the curtains, but it did nothing to warm the chill crawling down her spine.
Her door flew open.
Sera marched in and slammed the door behind her.
"I regret making that stupid move with you!!! Sera screamed at her.
Liora didn't move. "You were the one who offered to come with, I didnt beg you to come with me!!"
"Look what has happened, Liora! How the hell do we explain this? We broke the rules. We stepped into their land….Lunarion grounds! Without their knowledge .…you know what that means?"
Liora rubbed her hands together, her voice quiet. "She didn't die."
Sera blinked. "That's your defense? That she didn't die?"
"The dagger barely went in," Liora insisted. "She was overreacting"
"She's the Alpha's mother, Liora! Do you think that matters to Zyra? Even if it was an accident, even if she heals, do you honestly think she'll see it that way?"
Liora stayed quiet.
Sera paced the room, frustrated. "We'll be punished for this. The Elders won't care about what we were trying to do. You broke the Pact. Its just about time before Zyra storms with her warriors outside our walls.
Liora stood, her fists clenched. "What about the witches?"
Sera stopped pacing.
"I saw them, Sera you too saw them. In Lunarion. That's against the pact too. No pack was allowed to summon witches ever again. But they did it."
"That's why we woke up," Liora said. "That's how the bond was broken…. Yes they broke the bond Sera…They used dark magic to mess with everything. That's why Zyra couldn't remember the bond and the unconscious realm. They erased everything." Liora broke down
Sera crossed her arms looking at liora seriously…..What happened in the unconscious realm Liora?
We saw a vision….. Liora slowly narrated.
[Flashback – The Unconscious Realm]
The sky was soft and glowing, like it was made of stars and magic. The grass was warm beneath their feet, and the air felt calm, peaceful
It was like the world had paused just for them.
Liora stood quietly, barefoot, her long white hair dancing in the wind. She wore a white dress that shimmered like moonlight.
Then Zyra….
She looked different, so calm, so free. No hatred in her eyes. Just softness.
Neither of them spoke.
Zyra walked toward her slowly. When their hands touched, it felt like everything stopped. Liora smiled. Zyra did too.
And then… they kissed.
It was slow and sweet, like they had all the time in the world.
They kissed again, and again, until Zyra pulled her close, holding her tightly like she never wanted to let go. They laughed softly, laying down on the grass, tangled together under the glowing sky.
No fights. No war. No packs.
Just them.
Zyra ran her fingers through Liora's hair.
Above them, something strange happened in the sky.
Two glowing trees appeared ...one tall and dark, the other bright and wide. Slowly, their roots wrapped around each other, their branches reaching out, growing together.
They looked at each other, hearts beating slow and full.
Flash bank ends —----
"And what, you think exposing that will magically bring peace?
"How sure are you that it wasnt an illusion Liora?. Forget it, rid yourself of the unconscious whatever , an imagination can't be real, " Sera muttered. "There's no peace. Not with them, kill whatever has grown in you for that Trueblood Alpha!! And brace yourself for what she is about to do".
Liora turned away, she can't deny , the realm had her in for Zyra , she loved that part of her,
Craves for it, she felt powerful and full with her.
—--------
In Lunarion ,
Zyra stood outside the war hall, her eyes cold as steel.
"Ready the warriors," she said. Her voice was quiet but deadly. "Today… Moonveil falls."
Celestine stood beside her, her wound bandaged, but the hatred in her eyes was clear.
Serena leaned against the stone wall, arms crossed. "They broke the pact. And they stabbed your mother. They gave us the reason we needed."
Zyra said nothing.
Just behind them, the witches stood in silence—Sythea, Edris, and Morgath—each wearing a knowing smile.
Celestine smirked. "It was unexpected… but perfect. They've opened the gates for their own destruction and our plans unfolding."
The Gates creaked open as the warriors howled and charged out.