Chapter 165
Chapter 165
Lyra's POV
"What about the pack's guards?" I frowned instinctively.
Father shook his head, his voice carrying a weariness I knew all too well. "Garrett said they tried to stop them, but those attackers were both vicious and reckless. Combined with the element of surprise, the guards couldn't hold them back."
I drew a deep breath, forcing the turbulent emotions back into the depths of my chest. Today was supposed to be my wedding day. Orion was still waiting for me. But my people were being dragged to the altar, and I couldn't just stand by and watch.
"You should head back. Don't worry about me," I said. "I'll find a way to bring our people home."
Father nodded and turned toward the exit. Under the banquet hall's lights, his retreating figure looked thinner than usual, somehow more fragile.
Orion appeared behind me at some point. I gave him a quick rundown of the situation—the Blood Moon Cult had gone completely insane. They'd kidnapped my people and were likely planning a sacrifice.
"I need to move fast," I said. "I can't let them hurt my pack."
He placed a hand on my shoulder, his eyes darkening. "If they're this desperate, we can't wait any longer either."
"Don't worry. I'll contact the forces from the other three territories. Now that Kaelum is dead, striking early might not be such a bad idea."
I nodded.
My phone suddenly rang. It was Sylvia.
I hesitated for a moment before answering. Her voice came through choked with tears, as if each word was being squeezed from her throat. "Lyra, after Ivar took that 'antidote,' not only did he not wake up, but his condition got even worse. It wasn't the real cure at all—those people deceived me."
After that sentence, she fell silent for a long while. I could hear extremely soft, suppressed sobs on the other end of the line. Sylvia had never been someone who cried easily, which made me realize just how shattered she must be at this moment.
"Stay calm, Sylvia," I said, my voice steadier than I'd expected. "Take care of him. I'll get you the real antidote."
When I hung up, Orion was already contacting people from the other three territories. Shortly after, he put away his communicator, his tone clipped and efficient. "They're ready on their end. We move tonight."
"Orion," I looked into his eyes, "do you remember what you promised me?"
He paused for a moment, then the corner of his mouth lifted slightly—that particular smile I'd only seen in moments when it was just the two of us, a smile that belonged to me alone.
"I never planned to go alone anyway," he said. "This time, we go together."
The night was ink-black.
I changed out of my wedding dress and tucked the necklace Isolde had personally fastened around my neck inside my collar. The pendant rested against my heart, cool and weighted with unspoken significance.
The Northern Territory forces were already waiting outside the estate, their dark combat gear gleaming coldly in the moonlight. Orion stood at the front of the formation, glancing back at me.
I nodded.
He raised his hand and made a brief tactical gesture. The troops dispersed silently, advancing toward the Blood Moon Cult's core stronghold.
Forces from the other three territories had already taken up ambush positions around the perimeter. Corvin's people approached from the east, Thane's sealed off the southern escape route, and the Northern and Eastern Territory forces breached the main entrance simultaneously.
Orion spoke quietly into his communicator: "All units, move."
Even in the dead of night, the Blood Moon Cult's stronghold was brilliantly lit.
I followed close behind the assault team as we burst into the main hall, and when I saw the scene by the altar, my entire heart felt as if it were being crushed by an invisible hand.
My people were bound to stone pillars in front of the altar. Several cultists with crazed expressions gripped silver knives in their hands, closing in on them step by step. They were still muttering under their breath, "There must be true Silver Moon bloodline among these people. If we successfully sacrifice them, we'll gain incomparable power!"
But before they could raise their blades, forces from all four territories poured in through every entrance simultaneously.
The lead cultist's knife hung suspended in midair, his entire body frozen as if turned to ice. Their expressions shifted from fanaticism to shock, then from shock to terror—they clearly hadn't anticipated a coordinated strike from all four territories.
I didn't hesitate. A silver knife flew from my hand.
The blade traced a cold arc through the air and plunged directly into the heart of the cultist presiding over the ritual. He looked down at the wound in his chest where only the knife's hilt remained visible, then collapsed straight down.
When my people saw my figure emerging from the smoke and chaos, someone cried out in joyful disbelief, "The Alpha has come!"
His voice echoed above the altar, and soon the others rallied as well.
I moved forward and cut through the ropes binding them one by one, then handed them over to the Northern Territory guards behind me, instructing them to escort my people safely back to Silver Moon territory.
The purge was over in less than an hour.
The Blood Moon Cult's remaining believers were either killed on the spot or surrendered, dropping their weapons and being led away in succession by guards from the four territories.
Orion, Corvin, and Thane stood in the center of the main hall discussing subsequent matters—the handling of prisoners, the consolidation of intelligence, the withdrawal arrangements for each territory's forces.
I stood before the destroyed altar, watching as the stone platforms that had claimed the lives of countless pack members were smashed into rubble, my heart a tangle of conflicting emotions.
The Blood Moon Cult was finally destroyed.
My mother's vengeance, the Silver Moon pack's vengeance, the vengeance of all those werewolves who'd been drained of blood and discarded in warehouses—all had been answered.
A belated surge of satisfaction flooded through me, making even my fingertips tremble.
But I knew the real purge wasn't over yet.
Sylvia was still waiting for the genuine antidote, and the vampires who held that cure still possessed the power to slaughter my kind at will.
I was about to tell Orion about this when I suddenly heard a familiar voice coming from the adjacent corridor. The voice was low, as if speaking on a phone call.
I lightened my steps and pressed myself against the wall, moving closer to listen carefully.
It was Declan.
"That vampire casino is hiding an absolute treasure," his voice was kept very low, but every word was as clear as if spoken directly into my ear. "Once I unite the power of the other lords and obtain it, all four territories will belong to me completely."