Zyra and her warriors stormed into Moonveil grounds.
It wasn't even hard.
The outer gates were already broken from the rogue attack. Some pack houses still burned from days ago. The land was wounded and so were the people.
The few Moonveil wolves left gasped at the sight of the Lunarion warriors. No one had expected this. No one knew why.
Not yet.
Then Zyra stepped forward, her silver eyes glowing like fire.
"Moonveil! You broke the Pact!" she roared. "And you know what happens when the law is broken!"
Whispers echoed through the gathering wolves. Confusion. Panic. No one understood what was going on.
Liora stepped out from the crowd.
She stared at Zyra. Not with fear. But with raw power and energy.
"Zyra," she said, voice low, "please leave. We don't have the strength to fight you today. And we're not the only ones who broke the pact. I saw witches in your pack"
Gasps filled everywhere.
"What is she saying?" Aldric asked, looking at his daughter.
"Father," Liora said, turning to him slowly. "I .. i..iwent to Lunarion last night."
Aldric's face dropped.
"Who did you tell? Did Sera know about this?" he asked.
Sera, standing beside Liora, looked away, guilt flooding her expression.
Zyra's jaw clenched at their irritating dialogue.
"This is between us," Liora said ..turning back to Zyra and stepping forward. "Your mother attacked me. I didn't stab her on purpose"
" There is nothing between us and I didn't ask if you did," Zyra snapped.
Before anyone could move, a dagger flew through the air.
The same dagger Liora had used on Celestine.
It cut deep across Aldric's side.
"Ahhh!" Aldric cried out, collapsing instantly.
"FATHER!" Liora screamed, rushing to him.
Blood spilled onto the dusty ground as Aldric fell unconscious.
Zyra's voice cut through the silence.
"This is just tit for tat, Liora."
"You monster…How dare you?!" Liora shouted, trembling with fury. "I said it was an accident!"
Tears filled her eyes as she stared at her bleeding father.
She shifted.
A loud crack echoed as her bones transformed, and her white wolf stood tall, snarling with rage.
Without hesitation, she charged.
Zyra shifted too, her massive black wolf barreling forward to meet her.
Claws clashed. Snarls filled the air.
They tore into each other, biting into each other's skin.
Liora's fangs slashed across Zyra's side. Zyra tackled her, pinning her down before Liora twisted free, sinking her teeth into Zyra's shoulder.
But just as Zyra raised her claws, aiming straight for Liora's heart—
She stopped.
Pain exploded in her chest.
She staggered backward, paw trembling, breath stuck in her throat.
A thread. A pull. A pain that wasn't physical.
Zyra shifted back to human form, falling to her knees, one hand clutched to her chest.
Liora, still in her wolf form, bloodied and frozen, staring at her in shock.
Kael rushed forward and grabbed Zyra before she collapsed. "Retreat!" he barked.
The warriors hesitated, confused but followed their Alpha's Beta without question.
Liora stood there, breathing hard, watching the woman she still felt tied to disappear into the trees.
—--------
Back in Lunarion…
Serena searched the camp, her eyes wild.
The witches were gone.
Sythea. Edris. Morgath.
All vanished without a trace.
Kael burst through the healer's tent, carrying Zyra in his arms. Her body was cold, her hand still pressed to her chest.
"She collapsed mid-fight," he said urgently. "Something's wrong."
The healer placed her hand on Zyra's chest, brows furrowed.
"It's still there…" she whispered.
"What?" Kael asked.
"The bond," she said. "It was never broken. The witches lied. They used dark magic to cloud her mind, but the bond is still alive. It's only been suppressed."
She handed Kael a small pouch of herbs. "This will help ease her mind. But only time and truth can bring her back fully."
Kael stared at his Alpha, her body still and sweating.
"They didn't come to help us," the healer added. "They came to ruin us. They had already gotten what they wanted and left.
—-------
Liora didn't shift back.
She was fed up, she felt at fault ,
She felt everything would be better if she didn't exist.
Truly she felt cursed.
Her white wolf sprinted deep into the woods, blood still dripping from her side, but she didn't care. Her paws hit the ground hard, fast, wild; she didn't even glance back at Sera, or her injured father, or anyone else.
She just ran.
She didn't say a word.
Didn't even howl.
All she wanted to do was leave.
To disappear.
To never come back.
Trees blurred past her. Branches scratched her fur. The wind howled in her ears, but it wasn't enough to drown the ache in her chest.
The bond, The fighting, The pain, The guilt.
It was too much.
She leapt over a fallen log, pushing herself harder, faster, deeper into the forest. Past the borders. Past the patrols. Past everything.
Somewhere in her soul, something screamed.
But she didn't stop.
Not when her paws burned. Not when her heart throbbed.
She collapsed by the riverbank, trembling.
She shifted … naked and curled up in the dirt, silent tears slipping from her eyes till she passed out.
She just wanted peace.
Evening fell quietly, the skies painted in sorrowful shades of gold and gray.
The forest rustled ,the air grew colder.
A shadow moved.
From behind the trees, a figure emerged tall, cloaked in darkness. His crimson eyes glowed with hunger and obsession.
He took one step closer, his lips curling into a slow smile.
"Finally…" he whispered, voice laced with ancient power.
"The one I've waited centuries for."
Liora didn't stir. She didn't see him coming.
And that was exactly how he wanted it.