127- Blood Oaths and Burning Resolve
POV Edric Eldoria:
“All of them,” I confirmed.
He stood abruptly, casting one last look at the pyre before turning to me. The harshness of his expression was something I hadn’t seen in a long time. Andrei was always relaxed, always playful—it was as though a part of him had died with our friend.
“Can I call the men? We can start preparing.”
“Yes. I need you to summon the men you trust the most to accompany us—and assign others to protect the village. I’ll be gone, and we can’t risk being attacked while I’m away.”
He nodded and headed toward the celebration in Anton’s honor. He was determined and thirsty for vengeance—just as I was.
I needed to go after Lunara. The longer I stayed still, the farther she drifted from me. But I had a duty to fulfill to my friend—a final homage.
Lunara was sedated and, for now, unharmed. If Thalira had spoken any truth, Alessio would try to break our bond to reclaim her as his fiancée and future wife.
But I would never—ever—allow that.
She was mine.
She belonged to me.
I looked at Lyris and Celindra.
“I don’t believe anything will happen in my absence, but if you need help, call for Aldren,” I instructed. “Of the Tharnak alphas, he’s the only one I trust, and he won’t hesitate to come to your aid.”
“Will you inform the elders of your departure?” Lyris inquired. I shook my head.
“I don’t need approval for what I’m about to do. With or without their consent, I’m going after Lunara. Informing them would only delay my departure, and I won’t allow that.”
“We’re here to support you, Edric, whatever your decision is,” Celindra declared.
Lyris exhaled shakily.
“Just… please bring Lunara back home.” She swallowed with difficulty. “Our family will never be whole again without Anton, but we can’t lose her too. Her place is here—with us.”
“Lunara will come back to us,” I assured her.
The fire of the pyre died down, ending Anton’s tribute and taking him forever from our lives. I stared at the dark, starless sky, heavy with thick clouds.
And after a very, very long time, I prayed for him. I thanked him for all his years of loyalty and partnership, for his friendship, and for trusting me. I wished him happiness in the afterlife, that he might find peace and eternal joy.
Andrei returned, leading a considerable number of men. They stopped before me in silence, awaiting the orders I had to give.
I knew each one of them—every face watching me with expectation in their eyes. I recognized the thirst for vengeance, the desire to strike back at the Eclipses, to make them lose something just as we did.
I cleared my throat.
“My bonded mate has been kidnapped, taken by her former pack,” I stated, running a hand through my hair, feeling the anguish hit me—the lack of her warmth, which I always sensed in my chest when she was near. There was nothing left there now. “For months, we have faced the cruelty of our enemies. We have suffered painful losses, watched loved ones be torn from us, while our territory was invaded and our safety violated.” My voice echoed through the empty clearing, carried by the wind. “Anton, one of our bravest warriors, one of my most trusted men—my right hand—was the last to fall, thanks to Thalira’s betrayal. I made sure she received a dishonorable death and condemned her soul to wander the forest, never setting foot in the valley of the dead.”
Saying the wolf’s name reignited the rage inside me. I wanted nothing more than to dig her up just to shred her corpse into nothing.
“I will not allow them to take another one of us. I will not allow Anton’s death to be in vain or my mate to suffer. We will bring Lunara home.”
“For Anton!” one of them shouted, and the others followed—mourning cries, screams for justice and vengeance.
“We will gather our strength—not only as wolves but as a family bound by blood and loyalty, as Eldoria. And we will advance against them, annihilating them. For honor, for justice, for Anton, for Lunara, and for all those we lost along the way.”
The winter breeze brushed my face, rustling my hair. I looked up at the sky, watching the owls flying above us, as if nature itself agreed with the massacre we were planning—with our vengeance.
I would deliver justice with my own hands.
“For Eldoria, until our last breath!” their voices reverberated in unison, echoing through the forest and mixing with the low howl of the wind.
With a faint smile, I nodded, satisfied. They shared my sense of justice, my desire to avenge Anton’s death and retrieve my mate.
“Will we leave survivors behind?” one of the wolves asked. I pressed my lips together and slid my hands into my pockets.
“Only females and pups who appear innocent and show hatred toward their pack—just as Lunara always did.”
She never showed anything different and had always agreed with my wish for death to them all, uncaring for their futures.
“And if they show the opposite?” Andrei asked.
I lifted my jaw, clenching my teeth so hard my jaw clicked and a crease formed in my forehead.
“Then kill every last one of them,” I said. “I promised to decimate the pack, to unleash chaos upon the Earth, and I will fulfill my promise. If there are no innocents, then there is no forgiveness. Eclipse and Crepúsculo will cease to exist.”
The lights from the village center were glowing, and the voices of the remaining members, mixed with Anton’s favorite songs, reached us.
“When do we leave?” someone asked. I swept my gaze across them, fixing my stare.
“Now. We have no time to lose.”
They did not contest my orders for a single moment—nor question my reasons. They knew I was going to avenge my best friend but, above all, to rescue my mate. As loyal members, they would follow me blindly.
They dispersed, returning to their homes to gather their belongings and say farewell to their families.
It was war—some of them might never return, yet they would still follow me.
I turned toward the forest and stared at the expanse of trees, gauging the distance we would have to travel. There was nothing at home that interested me anymore—everything I needed was lost somewhere out there.
I turned my head to the side.
“Lyris?” I called.
She stepped toward me.
“I don’t want anyone approaching my room—no one goes near the nest Lunara built. It needs to be exactly the same when she returns, exactly as she left it,” I ordered.
I understood Lunara’s despair now, the deep and absolute pain she felt that had nearly knocked me out. It wasn’t because Alessio had appeared, nor because she was being captured. It was because she saw Anton die—because she witnessed his last breath.