Blood Oaths
684 Words
The Alpha Hall fell silent.
No one moved.
No one even breathed.
“The Iron Fang Pack…” Ronan repeated, his voice low. “Attacked our own people?”
The scout nodded, his body trembling.
“They crossed the eastern border before dawn.”
“They burned three villages.”
“They killed everyone who resisted.”
A heavy fist slammed against the council table.
“They’ve betrayed the alliance!”
“They’ve declared civil war!”
Ronan stared at the bloodstained map spread before him.
First, someone had betrayed his mission.
Now another werewolf pack had attacked innocent wolves.
None of it made sense.
Someone wanted the werewolves divided.
Miles away…
Inside the obsidian palace of House Vale…
Lord Lucien stood before a floor-to-ceiling window overlooking Nocthaven.
The city glittered beneath the rain.
A shadow stepped from the darkness.
“They’ve taken the bait.”
Lucien didn’t turn around.
“And the Alpha?”
“He returned to Moonridge.”
Lucien smiled faintly.
“Good.”
“And Lady Seraphina?”
The smile disappeared.
“What about her?”
“She visited the prison twice.”
Lucien remained silent.
“Should we intervene?”
“No.”
His crimson eyes reflected the city lights.
“Feelings are easier to manipulate than loyalty.”
Seraphina couldn’t sleep.
Every time she closed her eyes…
She saw Ronan standing between her and Gareth’s claws.
Why?
He had every reason to hate her.
She belonged to the family that had tortured him.
Yet…
He had protected her.
A soft knock interrupted her thoughts.
“Come in.”
Her maid entered carrying another box from the royal archives.
“My Lady…”
“We found more records.”
Seraphina hurried to the table.
Inside were dozens of ancient journals.
One caught her attention immediately.
Its leather cover bore the crest of the High Witches.
How had a witch’s journal ended up inside the vampire palace?
She carefully opened it.
Most pages had rotted away.
Only one sentence remained readable.
“The lovers were betrayed before the ceremony began…”
The next page had been torn out.
Moonridge…
Night had fallen.
Ronan stood alone on the palace balcony overlooking the sleeping city.
His shoulder still burned where Gareth’s claws had struck him.
He replayed the prison over and over.
Seraphina’s voice.
Her eyes.
The way she had challenged her own father.
A knock sounded behind him.
“You’ve been avoiding us.”
Gareth stepped onto the balcony.
“You protected her.”
“I know.”
“Do you regret it?”
Ronan stared at the moon.
“…I don’t know.”
That answer frightened him more than anything.
Without warning…
A howl echoed through Moonridge.
Not one.
Hundreds.
The alarm howl.
Every wolf in the city froze.
Another scout raced across the courtyard.
“Alpha!”
Ronan spun around.
“What now?”
The scout dropped to one knee.
“The Iron Fang Pack wasn’t acting alone.”
“Who was with them?”
The scout swallowed.
“We found vampire bodies on the battlefield.”
The council erupted in disbelief.
“Werewolves and vampires… fighting together?”
“Impossible!”
“They’ve hated each other for a thousand years!”
Ronan’s expression hardened.
“No…”
He looked at the bloodstained map again.
“This is bigger than a clan war.”
Someone wasn’t trying to start a war.
Someone was trying to erase the truth.
At that same moment…
Deep beneath Elderglen…
High Witch Morgana opened a hidden chamber that had remained sealed for centuries.
At its center stood a crystal coffin.
Inside lay the body of a young woman with silver hair.
She looked as though she had merely fallen asleep.
One of the younger witches gasped.
“Who is she?”
Morgana closed her eyes.
“The only witness who saw who murdered Cassian and Lyssandra.”
The young witch’s face turned pale.
“She’s still alive?”
Morgana whispered,
“Not for much longer.”
Far away, hidden in the shadows, a pair of crimson eyes slowly opened.
Someone had heard every word.
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