Chapter 7: Betrayal and Bloodshed
663 Words
The scent of blood and smoke chokes the air.
The Shadowlands are under siege.
The first sign of betrayal came as a whisper—one of the sentries spotted movement at the eastern border, where no outsider should have been. But before Hades could act, the howls began.
Now, his home is a battlefield.
Hades tears through the enemy wolves, his massive black form a blur of fangs and fury. His claws rip into flesh, his golden eyes burning with one singular purpose.
Find Persephone.
She is his mate. His Luna. His.
And someone stole her from him.
The moment he’d heard her scream, something inside him snapped.
His wolf raged, a raw and primal force of destruction.
Now, bodies litter the ground, the scent of blood thick as he rips through Orion’s forces, his growls shaking the trees.
But it isn’t enough.
Because she is gone.
Because someone within his own pack betrayed him.
Hours earlier…
Persephone sat at the edge of the training grounds, her thoughts a whirlwind.
She hadn’t seen Hades since she rejected his mark. Since she’d pushed him away.
And yet, she could still feel him.
His heat, his presence, his pain.
The mate bond was relentless, tightening around her heart like a noose. She could still feel the way his hands had pinned her down, the hunger in his gaze, the way his breath had brushed her throat like a promise.
And she’d told him no.
Now, guilt gnawed at her.
She ran her fingers through her hair, sighing. Maybe she should talk to him. Maybe she should—
A snap of a twig.
Persephone whirled around just as a shadow moved in the trees.
Too late.
A massive form lunged from the darkness, an arm wrapping around her waist as a cloth pressed against her mouth.
Chloroform.
She kicked, thrashed—her wolf howled inside her—but the darkness swallowed her whole.
When she woke, she was somewhere else.
The scent of damp stone. Chains clinking. A cold, unfamiliar place.
And then—a voice.
Smooth, deep, laced with victory.
"Finally, you’re where you belong."
She turned her head—and saw him.
Orion Frost.
Alpha of the Nightbane Pack. Hades’ greatest rival.
And the man who wanted to claim her as his own.
Her blood ran cold.
"You’ve been stolen from me, little Luna," Orion said, stepping closer, his silver eyes gleaming. "But don’t worry. I’m going to fix that."
Her body coiled, muscles tensed for a fight.
But Orion only smirked.
"You still don’t know what you are, do you?" he murmured. His gaze burned into hers, and for the first time, there was something in his expression that sent a different kind of fear through her.
Possession.
"You’re not just any mate, Persephone," he whispered, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "You’re royalty. The last of the Moonborn."
His fingers skimmed her throat, right where Hades had nearly marked her.
"You should have been mine."
Persephone’s wolf snarled, but her heart pounded.
Because deep down, she knew—Orion wasn’t going to let her go.
Not unless Hades ripped her from his grasp.
And knowing him?
That’s exactly what he was going to do.
Back at the Shadowlands…
Hades stood amidst the wreckage. Blood dripped from his claws, his chest heaving, his wolf still teetering on the edge of control.
The battle was won—but the war was just beginning.
His Beta, Lucian, approached, face grim. "We found the traitor."
Hades turned, his voice a lethal growl. "Who?"
Lucian hesitated.
"Callista."
A snarl ripped from Hades' throat.
Callista. A she-wolf from his own pack. Someone he trusted.
And she had handed Persephone to Orion.
Hades clenched his fists, his entire body shaking with rage.
His mate was gone. Stolen. Torn from him.
The mountains shook with the force of his next roar.
The war had just begun.
And he would bring hell to anyone who stood in his way.
- Writer
