126- The Promise of Darkness
POV Lunara Grimwald:
“Yes, my leader,” said the second wolf.
“Lunara is… special. She managed to catch the attention of that alpha, to mate with him,” continued the Eclipse leader.
“So what are your plans for her?” asked the third wolf. “When she ran away, she promised she’d be the pack’s whore.”
Someone cleared their throat.
“That has changed. As I said, she managed the feat of being marked by the alpha. She has… potential and can be valuable. I’ll perform the ritual to remove the mark, and then I’ll marry her.”
“Is your father in agreement with that?” asked the second wolf.
“My father trusts my judgment. He knows I need a good breeder for my offspring. The alpha saw Lunara’s potential, just as I see it now. She will serve as my incubator and spit out all my heirs.” He laughed. “In the end, she’ll be the one responsible for maintaining the Crepúsculo and Eclipse origins, just as her damned father wanted.”
They laughed, agreeing and congratulating Alessio on his planning for my future.
I would tear out my own uterus before carrying any child of his.
Our bloodlines would never intertwine. Never.
The despair of it struck me, the reality of my situation hitting me hard.
I had been captured. Anton was dead. Thalira was a traitor.
Alessio would try to remove the mark from me, no matter how dangerous it was, no matter if both my life and Edric’s were put at risk. Then he would force me to marry him and bear his heirs. A miserable life, to say the least.
My heart raced, my breathing became erratic.
I tried to keep calm, to disguise my state so they would leave me awake—listening to their plans and acting as a lit beacon leading straight to Edric.
But Anton’s death still hurt so deeply, and reality was far worse than any nightmare.
I trembled, and tears filled my eyes.
“Hey, when did you give her the last injection?” one of the wolves asked. I couldn’t identify which—it felt like my eardrums were buzzing from my racing heartbeat.
“It’s been a few hours. Prepare another dose,” Alessio announced.
No! I wanted to stay awake. I had to stay awake. They were going to kill me with the amount of sedative they kept injecting into me.
I felt someone’s hands on me. They were warm and rough, and then Alessio’s unmistakable scent hit me.
“It’s not time to wake up yet, my love,” he murmured, laying me across his lap. “Soon we’ll be home and you’ll be free.” He paused. “As much as possible.”
If he was trying to calm me, it was going incredibly wrong.
I squirmed, trying to get out of his arms, away from the male I despised most in this world.
I opened my eyes, but my vision was blurry, dotted with black spots. I caught sight of one of his wolves approaching us. I blinked, trying to understand where we were. It looked like a very simple hotel room, confirming my suspicions.
“Here it is. More sedative,” he said.
Alessio’s fingers stroked my hair before tilting my head to the side. He pushed aside the strands covering my neck and then pressed the needle into my skin, injecting another dose of tranquilizer.
The same lethargy as before washed over me, and I slipped back into the world of dreams—where fantasy was a thousand times better than reality.
(...)
POV Edric Eldoria:
I stared at the flames rising before my eyes, feeding on Anton’s body as they released his spirit and carried it to the valley of the dead.
Silence enveloped the village and the forest, as if everyone were mourning the wolf’s death—even nature itself.
The Eldoria runes were carved into the wooden pyre, crafted by Andrei and me, every single piece of it.
I let no one else build Anton’s pyre—I carried out the work myself. Throughout his life, he had been nothing but a good and loyal friend, a male I could trust with my eyes closed. Honoring him in his death was the least I could do.
The scent of burning wood drifted through the air as thick smoke rose, forming a cloud that dissipated above our heads.
Lyris stood at my left, tears streaming from her eyes while Celindra tried, unsuccessfully, to console her. Andrei occupied the chair to my right, his expression hardened, jaw clenched, gaze fixed on the fire offering its final homage to our oldest friend.
The fire warmed my face, in stark contrast to the cold around us.
When the flames began to die down, the pack members walked in silence toward the village center, where the celebration in honor of Anton’s life would take place.
I didn’t rise. I remained motionless before the dying blaze.
I had felt Lunara in the last hours. Not enough to locate her, but enough to know which direction I needed to take.
A small snowstorm formed, frozen specks falling over our heads. Everyone else had already gone, except me, Lyris, Celindra, and Andrei.
No one said anything, not a single word. Nothing spoken would ever be enough—nothing could represent what we felt for Anton.
“Were you able to locate Lunara?” Lyris sniffed after long minutes of sepulchral silence.
I watched the snow melt upon touching the glowing embers. Anton’s body no longer existed, and his soul must have reached the valley where he would spend his days hunting and feeling the purest happiness—but even so, I couldn’t look away. I couldn’t accept his sudden, premature death.
“Only a little,” I whispered. “They’re keeping her drugged. I think the moments I sense her are when the sedative wears off and she wakes up.”
“And now? What are you going to do?” she asked.
I blinked, the sting in my eyes burning from staring at the fire too long.
“I’m going to retrieve her and bring her home.”
Andrei exhaled.
“I’m going with you,” he declared, resolute. “I need to clear my head—and tear a few Eclipse hearts out.”
I nodded, agreeing.
At last, I tore my gaze from the pyre and turned to Lyris.
“I won’t be around—and neither will Andrei. I trust no one except you two. I need you to take care of the pack while I’m gone.”
She wiped her eyes, clearing the fresh tears forming there.
“As long as you promise to bring Lunara home and kill every one of those damned wolves.” Her lips trembled through a sob. “Killing Thalira isn’t enough to avenge Anton’s death.”
I nodded.
“I’ll kill them all, Lyris. Every single one who, in any way, played a part in what happened. And I won’t rest until my hands are covered with the blood of those bastards.”
“What do you plan to do?” Celindra asked.
I glanced at Anton’s pyre—the fire growing weaker with every passing second, with only a little remaining to feed on.
“I’ll assemble a team—some trustworthy men—and we’ll march toward Lunara. I don’t know where Alessio has her now, but I’m almost certain he’ll take her to his pack.”
“We’re going to kill them all?” Andrei hissed.