Ciara pushed open the heavy door as quietly as she could.
The hallway was dark. Too dark.
Not the kind of darkness that came with nightfall….but something deeper and magical. As if the sun itself refused to touch this part of the vampire land.
She stepped out, cautious.
Every instinct in her told her to run. Back to her people. Back to her land. Something was wrong and she could feel it in her bones.
"Going somewhere, Alpha?"
Vaelna's voice melted through the shadows like honey mixed with venom.
Ciara stiffened.
She turned slowly to face her. "I just need to check on my pack," she said, trying to sound casual. "Something's not sitting right. I'll come back... I just need to know they're okay."
Vaelna tilted her head. "Then I'm going with you."
"No," Ciara replied instantly. "You're a vampire. If they see you anywhere near Moonveil, it'll be war. You know that, right?" ciara asked looking at her hoping she actually does know….
Vaelna's smile didn't fade. "They won't know I'm a vampire."
Then she called into the dark, her voice soft but commanding. "Selene."
Ciara turned, expecting maybe a servant or a guard.
Instead, a woman stepped out.
Tall. Ethereal. Long black hair that cascades down her back. Eyes like violet fire. Her features were sharp, dangerously beautiful and ancient.
Ciara's wolf snarled in her chest without warning. Why did her mate know someone who looked like that?
"Who the hell is she?" Ciara asked flatly.
Vaelna chuckled. "Jealous already?"
"I'm not jealous," Ciara snapped.
"She's Selene," Vaelna said lazily, as if introducing some myth. "Half vampire. Half witch. A hybrid born of moonlight and darkness. As a vampire , her strength and speed are unmatched. And yes she snacks on blood too".
Ciara couldn't form words for a while
Selene bowed her head slightly. "A pleasure, Alpha. Dont worry, you are not in my menu. And….You look far less rearranged than the last time I saw you... fighting the True Blood Alpha in a tavern, wasn't it?"
Ciara's eyes narrowed. "Was that meant to reassure me? And don't talk to me unless I say you can, and what does she have to do with you tagging along"
Selene smirked. "Relax. I am not your rival…..Vaelna isn't really my type, my type is more of you…
"Ouch… stay in your limits Selene , find your own wolf … and my alpha to answer your question—her energy is strong enough to mask scents and cloak our presence completely and we can just pretend we found you and returned you to your pack." vaelna replied
"Ok but well …..she's not my type either, none of you for a fact" Ciara muttered
Vaelna yellow eyes glowed as she stepped forward, her voice dropping just enough to make Ciara tense. "You sure? Because the last time I touched you, you didn't exactly stop me. Or when you bit me…"
Ciara's face flushed. "That…was an accident. I was just... aroused."
Selene raised a brow. "Noted. But let's cut the mating drama. We've got bigger issues."
Ciara tried to ignore the heat crawling up her neck. "Like what?"
Selene crossed her arms. "I've been sensing shifts in energy. Movements across the border. Something's brewing, and I doubt it's good."
Vaelna's voice grew serious. "We think Veyron is making his move."
Ciara's heart skipped.
"The night I ran off," she said slowly, "there was a rogue attack. They were injured, but they wanted an alliance with Lunarion. And that's when I met you."
Vaelna nodded. "If that alliance held… the Moonveil wolves might still be in enemy territory."
Ciara's chest tightened. Liora…
"Wherever they are," Selene said, voice steady, "we'll find them. But we need to leave now. And I need to cast the spell before we get too close to werewolf lands."
Ciara stared between them ….her vampire mate and a centuries-old hybrid.
She didn't have all the answers. Hell, she wasn't even sure she could trust them entirely.
But something inside her whispered: Go.
She turned away, her fists clenched.
"Let's move,"
—-------------
Zyra sat up slowly, her breath heavy and uneven.
Her silver eyes were blank at first ,but then they began to shift, sharpen, darken.
Memories flickered. The bond. The fight. Her mother. Blood. Liora's voice.
She clutched her chest unconsciously, feeling the tug that had jolted her mid-battle.
Kael sat nearby, tense but quiet, watching her closely.
"You're awake," he said after a long pause.
Zyra didn't look at him.
"I remember," she murmured. "Everything."
Kael leaned in. "Everything?"
She turned to face him slowly, eyes unreadable. "Who let witches into our pack?"
Kael straightened. "It was Serena."
Zyra's stare sharpened.
"She said it was for your sake," Kael continued. "She believed the witches could sever the bond for good... to give you peace and mate with you."
A storm brewed in Zyra's chest. "Peace?" she echoed bitterly. "By messing with my head? By using dark magic? And what made her think I would want anything to do with her?"
"She made the elders believe witches will free you from suffering because of the bond," Kael added. "She acted out of desperation."
Zyra's expression twisted into cold fury. "And what about my mother?"
Kael didn't flinch. "She was with them. It looked like she believed Serena's plan. She… wanted to help you too."
Zyra's fist clenched at her side.
"It was all a setup," she muttered. "She let witches into our sacred ground. They tampered with my mind."
She rose to her feet, her voice hard and commanding.
"Lock Serena up."
Kael's brows drew together. "Zyra…."
"She conspired with witches against her own Alpha. She betrayed Lunarion. I don't care what her reasons were."
Her voice dropped, sharper than a dagger.
"She wanted to be my mate. What a joker, do as I have instructed Kael."
Kael finally nodded. "Understood, Alpha."
Zyra walked to the edge of the room and paused, staring out into the darkened sky and the dim moon.
"She doesn't deserve my mercy," she whispered.
And in her mind, one face remained….burning, fierce, haunting, beautiful.
Liora… she recalled the realm where they hugged each other , where lunarion and moonveil looked blissful and in peace.
—----------
"Mother," Zyra called out as she stepped into the quiet hallway.
Celestine turned, her face unreadable. "Zyra."
Zyra didn't hesitate. "Why did you allow Serena to influence you? Do you even know what the witches accomplished? What if they planted something dangerous in our pack?"
"You don't get to question me," Celestine snapped, her voice sharp. "I did what I thought was right for you."
"You thought betraying our pack was right?" Zyra's tone cut deeper than any blade. "You let witches walk into Lunarion. Do you even understand the consequences? Everything I've built, what this pack stands for nearly shattered because of your blind trust in Serena."
"I can do anything for your safety, Zyra. I'm your mother..."
"No," Zyra interrupted coldly. "You're not. You're just the one who stepped in when my real mother died. She would never let emotions cloud her duty to Lunarion."
Celestine's face faltered.
"Shut up Zyra , she will choose you over duty to lunarion … I imprinted on you in her womb," she said, voice trembling now. "Your mother never truly loved your father. It was me….she loved me. I named you Zyra. I was the one who held you first. I was there when you took your first breath. I raised you."
Zyra blinked, stunned by the words.
"What… are you saying?"
"Yes, the Moon Goddess may have fated your mother and father. But her heart, her soul, her body…they belonged to me, Moonveil's took her away from us" Celestine said, her voice raw. "Everything I've ever done was for you."
Zyra remained silent for a while
"I've said what I needed to," she continued. "It's time we leave the past where it belongs. I'm going to Moonveil. We need to embrace peace. This generational feud will only bring more pain."
"What, did you forget they killed your mother?!" She screamed at her.
"I didn't forget what they did," Zyra said. "They killed my mother. I will never forget. But I refuse to let you, me or anyone else, die because of a war that never ends. There are threats far greater than this feud. And one of them is the witches you brought into my pack."
She turned, "That's all I came to say. I leave at once, mother".
And with that, she walked away.
Leaving Celestine standing alone, her thoughts in chaos.
—----------
The moonlight poured faintly through the cracks in the old stone chamber. Liora lay motionless on the bed, her white hair splayed across the pillow . Her breaths were shallow, her body bruised and still healing.
Veyron stood over her, eyes glowing crimson, his expression unreadable. Slowly, almost reverently, he trailed two fingers across her cheek, his touch cold but oddly gentle.
"So fragile… and yet, so dangerous," he murmured, a cruel smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
From the shadows, Valden emerged.
"You called for me, Lord?"
Veyron didn't take his eyes off Liora. "Summon them."
Valden hesitated. "The witches failed once my lord."
Veyron confirmed darkly. " I am fully aware but their task now is not finished.
"They will induce the Fated Moon Night… and this time, with Zyra's blood, they will sever the tie for good."
He turned toward the window, his cloak billowing softly behind him as he stared out into the night.
"The Night Omega belongs to me."