Chapter 148
Chapter 148
Orion's POV
After finishing the matter about Ivar, I gave Lyra a rough account of the intelligence Lilith had provided—about that hidden chamber, and Kaelum's monthly cycle of weakness.
"If what she said is true," I said, "the next lunar eclipse will be our best opportunity to strike."
Lyra listened in silence for a long moment.
When she finally looked up at me again, her eyes carried a weight of deliberation she couldn't quite suppress.
"What if she's lying to you? She works for Kaelum, and she's drugged you before… She could easily be buying him time."
"I've considered that possibility," I admitted, "which is why I plan to verify it myself. I'll take a few trusted men and scout Kaelum's stronghold to see if that chamber actually exists."
"I'm coming with you."
Her tone was flat when she said it, but each word landed with absolute certainty.
I hesitated for a second, then nodded.
The Blood Moon Cult had slaughtered too many from the Silver Moon Pack—her people, her mother—she had every right to personally uncover the secrets buried deepest within the cult.
"Stay close to me when we get there," I said. "Don't act on your own."
She nodded, giving me an unusually solemn assurance.
Within half an hour of sending word, several of my old subordinates had assembled at the manor. In the darkness they stood in a line, most of them veterans who had served the Blackwood family since my father's time. Their loyalty required no repeated confirmation.
But behind one of them stood a figure I'd never seen on any action roster.
"Silas," I frowned, "what do you mean bringing your daughter to an operation like this?"
Silas gave an awkward laugh, one hand resting on Maeve's shoulder, his tone carrying an unnatural lightness.
"Alpha, Maeve wanted to contribute to the family's cause. She's always admired you, and when she heard about this operation, she insisted on coming along."
I let out a short laugh, finding the excuse absurd. This operation wasn't about having more people—our enemy was Kaelum, and one inexperienced person meant one more vulnerability to be exploited. Besides, Maeve's name wasn't anywhere on the action roster.
I was about to reprimand Silas for his presumption when Darian came striding quickly from the side corridor. He carried a freshly planned route map, which he unfolded before me.
"Alpha, the route has been confirmed. Circling around from the east side of the back mountain, we can infiltrate the stronghold's perimeter before dawn. The reconnaissance team is already in position and ready to provide support at any time."
I took the route map and scanned it, confirming that every marker was exactly where it should be. Then I turned to Silas.
"Keep your people in line. If anything goes wrong, it's entirely on you."
---
The convoy passed through the darkness behind the mountain, cutting the headlights nearly a kilometer from the stronghold and proceeding on foot. Kaelum's stronghold was hidden deep within an abandoned mining district. The stone walls were covered with dead vines, the entrance bore no lights, and the air was thick with a damp, moldy smell of places that had seen no daylight for years. The entire building was unnaturally quiet—no sound of patrolling guards' footsteps, no static from radios, even the wind seemed to take a detour around this place.
Kaelum wasn't here now. I could sense that much.
I had the old subordinates stay downstairs, then brought Lyra into the building. Following Lilith's description of the location, I found the unremarkable side door at the end of the corridor. The door was fitted with an old-fashioned combination lock, its brass dial gleaming coldly in the dim light.
I pressed my ear close to the lock body, fingers gently turning the dial. First rotation, second rotation—the subtle sounds of gears engaging and releasing inside were amplified to the limits of my hearing. When the correct number fell into place, the bolt would emit an extremely faint "click," like the sound of bone settling back into place.
I tried repeatedly until I heard that telltale click. When the door pushed open, a mixture of medicinal and dusty smells rushed out to meet us.
The chamber wasn't large, with no windows, only a forgotten wall lamp in the corner casting a dim yellow glow. By this faint light, I could make out the walls. Photographs covered every surface, densely packed from floor to ceiling. Some of the faces had been marked with large red X's—those were the ones already hunted. The rest, I didn't need to guess, were Kaelum's next targets.
I drew a breath. The Blood Moon Cult's appetite was larger than I had imagined.
"Orion."
Just as I was studying those photographs, Lyra's voice came from beside me, kept very low but unable to suppress the horror rising from deep in her throat. She pointed at the neatly arranged vials on the table by the wall—the glass bottles bore no labels, but that distinctive deep purple liquid, I had seen before.
"Nightfall?" she said.
I walked over and picked up one of the bottles for closer examination. After learning that Lyra had been poisoned with this substance by Kael, I had specifically studied Nightfall's composition and appearance. The contents of this bottle were identical to Nightfall in both color and texture.
But one thing didn't add up. Kaelum relied on whatever was in this chamber to maintain his power, and Nightfall only suppressed wolf spirits—this was completely contrary to the effects Lilith had described.
"This probably isn't Nightfall," I said, returning the bottle to its place. "At least not the ordinary kind."
Lyra recovered from her initial shock, her gaze sweeping across those bottles as she suggested, "Perhaps we should bring some back for analysis. Ian has always enjoyed studying strange things—if he can analyze the composition, we'll know exactly what Kaelum is using to sustain himself."
I nodded, taking out a small sealed bag from my pack. Then I unscrewed the cap of one bottle and carefully poured a few milliliters inside. The liquid sloshed in the bag, giving off an ominous deep purple sheen.
Just then, the communicator vibrated. A subordinate's voice came through, kept extremely low: "Alpha, suspected Blood Moon Cult members have been detected below the stronghold, moving toward the entrance. Should we intercept?"
"Don't alert them," I lowered my voice. "We're pulling out now."
After ending the communication, I quickly returned the vial to its original position, making sure I'd left no trace behind. The timing wasn't right—we weren't here for a direct confrontation. Tonight's purpose was only to verify the intelligence.
And we had the intelligence we came for.
---
We had just reached the rendezvous point when a figure rushed toward me. Maeve, her eyes red-rimmed, voice trembling, as if she'd just broken free from some terrible fright.
"Alpha! There were so many Blood Moon Cult members downstairs just now, they almost discovered me, I really thought we were going to be exposed."
As she spoke, she moved to lean into my embrace. I pushed her away with one hand, my tone calm, without any unnecessary embellishment: "If you're scared, don't come and cause trouble."
Then I turned to Silas. He stood a few steps away, looking in this direction. When our eyes met, he visibly flinched.
The corner of my mouth lifted slightly, though it carried no real smile, my voice dropping very low: "Silas, is this why you brought your daughter on this operation? To have her pretend to be frightened and throw herself at me?"
Beside us, the other subordinates immediately withdrew their curious glances, worried I might redirect my anger toward them.
Silas lowered his head, his lips moving. Then he closed his eyes, as if abandoning his last shred of struggle.
"Alpha," he said, "this was Lady Isolde's idea."