Chapter 14
1119 Words
The forest was eerily quiet by dawn.
The smell of blood still lingered in the air, coppery and heavy, but the fighting was over. The rogues had withdrawn, leaving behind nothing but bodies, claw marks, and broken trees as a testament to what had happened under the moonlight.
Darius stood at the northern border, his broad shoulders tense, his golden eyes scanning the trees as if sheer willpower could force Lucien to reappear.
Seraphina approached quietly, her arm wrapped in fresh bandages. Her shoulder still ached, but she refused to let the pain slow her. There were too many tasks left undone. Too many wolves who needed her.
“You’ve been out here since the last patrol,” she said softly.
He didn’t look at her, but she felt his wolf pushing at the edges of his control.
“They were here,” he growled. “Lucien was here. I had him, Seraphina. I had him.”
She reached out and laid her hand on his forearm, grounding him. “And you will again. But we have to be smart about this.”
Darius’s jaw clenched. “He said Kaelen’s been taken beyond our borders. That means he’s not with the rogues we fought tonight.”
“Then he’s somewhere worse,” she said grimly.
He turned to her then, and the hard, furious Alpha melted just enough for her to see the man beneath. His hand came up to cup her cheek, his thumb brushing over her skin as if reassuring himself she was still here.
“You fought like a wolf born for battle,” he said hoarsely. “I don’t know if I’ve ever hated and loved someone so fiercely in the same night.”
Her throat tightened. “Darius…”
He kissed her then—quick, fierce, the kind of kiss that tasted of blood, sweat, and desperation.
When he pulled back, his forehead pressed to hers, he whispered, “We’re going to get him back. Even if I have to burn through every territory between here and the Wastes.”
Seraphina nodded once. “Then we start preparing now.”
By midday, the pack had gathered in the central clearing. Wolves and humans alike stood in a wide circle around the fallen.
Seven bodies lay before them, each draped in cloth marked with the pack’s sigil.
The silence was absolute as Darius stepped forward, his expression carved from stone.
“They died protecting our home,” he said, his Alpha voice carrying across the clearing. “Protecting each other. We honor them not with grief alone but with the promise that this fight will not be in vain.”
The pack lowered their heads as the funeral pyres were lit. Flames roared to life, sending sparks into the sky.
Seraphina stood beside him, her heart heavy. She had seen death before, but never like this. Never where each loss felt so personal.
When it was done, the pack dispersed in silence. Only a few remained—Rowan, Nadia, and an older woman Seraphina hadn’t seen before, her silver hair braided back, her eyes sharp despite her age.
“Alpha,” she said, bowing her head slightly.
Darius nodded. “Eira.”
Seraphina blinked. “You know her?”
“She’s the pack seer,” Darius said quietly.
Eira’s gaze landed on Seraphina, unflinching. “The mate who carries magic in her blood,” she said, her voice low and strange. “I’ve seen you in my dreams, child.”
Seraphina stiffened. “Then you know why we’re here.”
Eira nodded slowly. “The Black Moon draws near. Its shadow grows heavier with each passing night.”
“What is the Black Moon?” Darius demanded. “Lucien said something about it—about Kaelen becoming his when the veil thins.”
Eira’s expression darkened. “The Black Moon comes once every hundred years. On that night, the spirit world and the mortal one draw close enough to touch. It is a night of power—of transformation, of claiming. Whatever ritual Lucien plans… it will bind Kaelen to him in ways that may not be undone.”
Seraphina’s stomach twisted. “How long do we have?”
“Two weeks,” Eira said grimly. “No more.”
Darius’s hand tightened into a fist. “Then we hunt him down before then. We end this before the eclipse.”
Eira’s gaze was steady. “You will have one chance. And the path will be dangerous. Lucien has taken Kaelen beyond the borderlands, into the Shadow Vale. The land itself will fight you.”
Seraphina met Darius’s gaze. She could see the storm brewing there—the weight of leadership, the grief, the fury—but beneath it all was resolve.
“We’ll go,” she said. “We’ll face whatever’s waiting for us.”
Eira’s mouth curved into something like a smile. “Then I will guide you. But understand this, Alpha and mate—when the Black Moon rises, blood will be spilled. You must decide now if you are willing to pay that price.”
Darius didn’t hesitate. “For my son? For this pack? Whatever it takes.”
Seraphina’s fingers found his, lacing together. “Whatever it takes,” she echoed.
Eira’s silver eyes glinted in the firelight. “Then the hunt begins.”
Later, as the pack prepared for the coming journey, Seraphina found herself standing at the edge of the river, washing the last of the battle’s blood from her hands.
Darius came up behind her, silent until he was close enough to rest his hands on her hips.
“You should be resting,” he murmured.
She shook her head. “I can’t. Not yet.”
His arms came around her, pulling her back against his chest. “You’ve changed,” he said quietly. “Since the night we met. You were fire then—wild, untamed. You still are, but now you’re…”
“Burning for something bigger?” she offered, a faint smile tugging at her lips.
“Exactly.” He kissed the curve of her neck, his breath hot against her skin.
For a moment, the war, the fear, the blood—they all fell away.
And all that was left was them.
But the night wouldn’t stay quiet for long.
A scout raced into the camp just as the moon rose, breathless and wide-eyed.
“Alpha! There’s movement on the western ridge—strange movement. You need to see this.”
Darius and Seraphina exchanged a sharp look.
Whatever peace they’d found by the river was already gone.
The war was coming for them again—faster than either of them had hoped.
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