The room smelled of old wood and smoldering rage. Shadows twisted along the cracked stone walls, only one candle flickered in the room.
Celestine stood by the window, arms crossed, her whole body stiff with rage. Outside, from somewhere near the training fields, came a sound of laughter—bright, unburdened, the kind of laughter that didn't belong here.
Moonveil wolves.
Enemies.
Breathing their air, Infecting their home.
Her jaw clenched until her teeth ached.
Her child was lying helplessly .
Celestine listened to the night sounds, for a moment she was somewhere else,
A memory tugged at the edge of her mind.
Zyra, no older than 4, laughing as she chased fireflies. And beside her... her mother—the late luna
Strong, wild, beautiful.
Celestine had loved her more than herself, but she had failed her like an enemy.
"Protect her," the late luna had begged with her dying breath, blood staining her teeth, eyes wide with terror for the little girl she'd left behind.
"Whatever it takes."
Celestine had promised. Sworn on her soul. she would protect their daughter, their Zyra.
Now... this cursed bond. This Omega from Moonveil. A threat wrapped in a fated mate's
skin.
The door creaked.
Celestine didn't turn.
Only one person dared enter when she was angry.
"Mother Celestine?" The voice was soft, almost apologetic. Serena. Always so careful. So... perfect.
Serena's voice cut through the memory like a knife.
"I found a way to call the witches."
Celestine let the silence stretch before she finally turned. Her gaze swept over the Omega: the wide brown eyes, the delicate frame, the silk-soft voice designed to please.
Everything a mate should be.
Everything the moonveil dog wasn't and could never be.
"What?" Celestine snapped.
Serena stepped closer, a glint in her eye. "I found a way," she breathed. "To summon them."
Celestine's fingers twitched at her sides.
"Really"
Serena's lips curled into a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Yes ," she whispered. "My mother knew them, she told me about a debt They owe her , and they have to do whatever she wants ,before she died , she told me how to summon them. It's in a book I had lost but now I found it." She revealed an old mini book.
The candlelight trembled, as if recoiling, as if it were telling them of the mistake to come.
Celestine's heart thudded heavily against her ribs. The witches. Dangerous, unpredictable, treacherous witches—but powerful.
"With their help," Serena said, voice like poison, "we can sever the bond. Cut her free."
She took another step forward, her hand brushing Celestine's sleeve. "Zyra deserves someone better. Someone... worthy."
The word worthy dripped like honey between them, sweet and seductive.
Celestine's throat burned. Her mind flashed to Zyra—the way she laid on bed lifeless, tied by Something meaningless.
Serena leaned in, her voice a dagger against Celestine's ear.
"Let me help you, help us, help the pack " she whispered desperately as she took deep breaths.
The candle's flame twitched violently.
For a long, shuddering moment, Celestine said nothing. Then, finally, she let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding.
"Do it," she rasped.
"We will wait for the next full moon its a bit long, lets tolerate their scent and torture them, we dont get this opportunity every day," Serena added.
In the half-light, two shadows shook thier heads smirking in victory —while another shadow smiled in the dark.
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A shriek tore through the tented clearing.
"Ahhh!" Sera cried out, jerking her hand back as boiling water splashed across her skin, turning it red and sore.
She hissed through her teeth, blinking back tears.
The pot was placed on a burning pile of wood and sticks , steam curling into the evening air. The cold gnawed at her bones, but it was Liora who needed the warmth—the Omega lay there, wrapped in a patchwork of tattered blankets, looking more spirit than flesh.
Sera shoved sticks deep into the frozen earth, fashioning a frame to hang the blanket like a thin wall around them. It was a pathetic excuse for a bathroom, but it would have to do.
Around them, the Lunarion children laughed and tumbled across the barren ground, their games untouched by the bitterness hanging over the adults.
The world was collapsing, and yet children still found reasons to giggle.
"You're freezing," Sera whispered, brushing wet strands of white hair from Liora's face. "You will be fine."
She took off Liora's dress and covered her legs to her waist with a blanket.
She dipped a cloth into the steaming bowl, wrung it out, and pressed it gently against Liora's shoulder.
She worked slowly, carefully. Washing down her arms, her neck, her chest. Every movement was gentle, almost reverent, as if afraid Liora might shatter beneath her fingers.
She blew on the small cloth so it won't bee too hot and burn her skin.
Even in this fragile state, Liora was heartbreakingly beautiful—moonlight skin, high cheekbones, lips slightly parted in unconsciousness. Her body, usually coiled with strength, now lay limp, vulnerable.
Sera's chest twisted painfully.
"This is what the bond has cost you," she whispered under her breath, fury burning bright behind her emerald green eyes.
She dipped the cloth again, sliding it down Liora's spine, until the sound of heavy boots crunching outside the tent snapped her head up but didn't turn back.
A shadow.
Sera's heart clenched.
She didn't need to turn to know who it was.
Kael.
The scent of iron and cedar clung to him, sharp and unwelcome.
He stepped past the tent Sera had enclosed them with …forcefully…., like he owned the ground she knelt on….. Well its lunarion grounds after all.
Immediately, she yanked a blanket higher, shielding Liora's naked body from view, and whipped around to face him.
"Would you give a lady her privacy, you disgusting mutt?" she snapped, the words slicing through the cold like a blade.
Kael's lip curled into a snarl. "Shut up," he barked. His golden eyes gleamed with open disdain. "I don't appreciate you tying this—this curtain." He gestured with disgust at the blankets and sticks. "I want to see what you're doing. Can't have you plotting to slit our throats in the night."
Sera rose to her full height, shoulders squared, the sting of her burned hands forgotten.
"You're an idiot," she spat. "The only thing I care about is my Omega—and making sure we're strong enough to survive the rogues. Your pack, Your shrewdness and Your pathetic pride". She laughed, a sharp, bitter sound. "None of it is my damn business. So mind you own damn business and give us our privacy."
For a heartbeat, they stared each other down—two wolves ready to tear into each other.
Then Kael turned sharply, his boots crunching against the frozen dirt.
He didn't look back.
"Training begins at dawn," he growled over his shoulder.
And then he was gone, swallowed by the bitter night, leaving Sera alone with her fury, her burned hands, and the unconscious girl she would fight the world to protect.