Chapter 166: The Performance

Vespera's POV

Damien hoisted Seraphine's limp body over his shoulder, her head lolling to one side, arms dangling like broken wings. The silver collar gleamed against her throat, still smoking faintly where it had seared into her skin.

"Stick to the plan," he said, voice flat and cold. "Don't fuck this up."

I watched him adjust his grip on her. Business-like. Efficient. Like she was cargo, not a person.

"I know what to do," I said.

He turned to look at me. Just for a second. His eyes were empty—no guilt, no hesitation. Just calculation.

"Make it convincing." He shifted Seraphine's weight. "Lucian's no fool. If he suspects—"

"He won't."

Damien nodded once. Then he was gone, melting into the shadows between the trees. His footsteps faded fast. Too fast for someone carrying a body.

I stood there alone with Orion's corpse.

The clearing was quiet now. Just wind through branches and my own ragged breathing. My leg throbbed where Orion had bitten me, blood soaking through my pants. I looked down at his body. He lay on his side, eyes still open. Staring at nothing. The wound in his chest was massive—ribs cracked open, organs exposed. The message carved into his back was precise. Deliberate.

For Kaelen.

My hands started shaking.

Stop it. You don't get to feel guilty now.

But I couldn't look away from his face. Even in death, there was something almost peaceful about his expression. Like he'd accepted it. Like dying for her had been worth it. Fucking idiot.

I heard voices. Distant but getting closer. Lucian's deep baritone cutting through the night, barking orders. Move. Now.

I dropped to my knees beside Orion's body. My fingers found the edges of the chest wound, still warm. I smeared blood across my palms, then dragged my hands down my face and neck.

Not enough.

I yanked off my cloak and threw it aside. Grabbed my shirt and tore it—ripped the fabric until it hung in shreds. My pants were already soaked with blood from the leg wound, but I made it worse, pressing hard on the bite until fresh blood welled up.

The voices were louder now. Closer.

I rolled in the dirt and leaves, grinding them into my clothes and hair. Grabbed handfuls of soil and rubbed it across my arms and face. My nails scraped against my own skin, leaving raw red lines. Make it real. Make them believe. I crawled back to Orion's body. Dipped my fingers in the pooled blood around his chest and painted it across my forehead, my cheeks. Let it drip down my neck.

My breathing came faster. Shorter. I could hear footsteps now—boots pounding against earth.

One more thing.

I took a deep breath and let it out slow. Thought about Kaelen. About watching him choose Seraphine over me. About eight years of waiting, hoping, pretending. Tears came easy after that. I collapsed beside Orion's body and covered my face with my bloody hands. Let out a sob that wasn't entirely fake.

"Help!" My voice cracked. Perfect. "Someone—please—"

The footsteps thundered closer. I heard Lucian's voice: "Over there! Move!"

I made myself shake. Made the sobs come harder. They're almost here. Hold it together.

Lucian burst through the trees first, four guards right behind him. His eyes swept the clearing—locked on me, then shifted immediately to Orion's body. His face went white.

"No." The word came out strangled. He broke into a run.

I stayed where I was, hands pressed to my face, shoulders heaving with manufactured grief.

"Vespera?" One of the guards approached cautiously. "What happened? Where's—"

"Luna," I choked out. "They took her. They took—" My voice dissolved into sobs.

Lucian dropped to his knees beside Orion. His hands hovered over the body, shaking. Like he wanted to touch but couldn't bring himself to do it.

"Orion." His voice was barely a whisper. "No—"

I watched through my fingers as he finally made contact. Pressed two fingers to Orion's throat. Checking for a pulse he had to know wasn't there. The guards fanned out around us. Weapons drawn. Scanning the trees for threats.

"Vespera." Lucian's voice cut through my crying. Sharp. Commanding. "Report. Now."

I let my hands drop. Looked up at him with tear-streaked face and wide, terrified eyes.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. "I tried—I couldn't stop them—"

"Where is Luna Seraphine?"

The Beta authority in his voice made my wolf want to submit. I pushed through it.

"They took her. Someone—I don't know who—multiple wolves—they took her."

Lucian's jaw clenched. "How many?"

"At least six. Maybe more." I gestured wildly at the clearing. "They came out of nowhere. We didn't have a chance—"

His gaze dropped to the words carved into Orion's back. I watched his expression freeze. Watched understanding dawn in his eyes. His whole body went rigid.

"Damien..." The name came out like broken glass. "Impossible..."

He looked up at the sky and let out a roar that shook the trees. Pure rage. Pure grief. The sound tore through the night, raw and devastating.

The guards shifted uncomfortably. None of them spoke.

Lucian's head snapped toward me. His eyes were different now. Cold. Calculating. Suspicious.

"How did this happen?"

I flinched. Let my lower lip tremble.

"I don't—I don't know. We were walking back from the stream. Seraphine wanted to—" I broke off, sobbing again. "They came out of nowhere. So fast. Orion tried to fight them but there were too many—"

"Where were you?" Lucian's voice dropped lower. Dangerous. "When Orion was being murdered, where the fuck were you?"

I gestured to my torn clothes, my bloody face, the bite wound on my leg. "I tried to help! One of them bit me—threw me against a tree—I hit my head and everything went black for a moment—"

"Convenient."

The word landed like a slap. I stared at him, eyes wide with shock and hurt.

"What?"

Lucian rose to his feet. Took a step toward me. His presence was overwhelming.

"You were supposed to stay in your home. Luna Seraphine was under our protection." His eyes bored into mine. "So I'll ask you one more time. What. Were. You. Doing. Here?"