Chapter 31 A FORGOTTEN BOND
Chapter 31:
Dante's POV
The woman they brought in was old, ancient, actually. Bent with age, face mapped with wrinkles, dressed in robes that had seen better decades. But her eyes were sharp, alert, calculating.
"The Twilight Sovereign and her mate," the old woman said, voice surprisingly strong. "Finally together and whole. How touching."
"You have information about my son." Sera didn't waste time on pleasantries. "Speak."
"Direct. I like that." The woman's smile revealed surprisingly good teeth for her age. "Your son is alive. For now. But the one who took him is preparing a ritual...one that will drain his power and use it to break dimensional barriers."
"Who?" I demanded. "Who took him?"
"Someone who believes they have a rightful claim to Lunar Lycan power." The woman tilted her head. "Someone who survived the purge by hiding in plain sight, waiting for the perfect moment to strike."
"A name," Sera growled, power crackling around her. "Give me a name or I'll tear it from your mind."
"Patience, young Queen." The woman raised a gnarled hand. "The one you seek calls herself Mira. She was-"
"My sister." The words fell from my lips like stones. "Mira. My sister who died fifteen years ago."
"Died?" The old woman laughed. "No, Alpha. She was transformed. Corrupted. She survived what should have killed her and emerged... changed. Twisted. Powerful."
"That's impossible." But even as I said it, I knew it wasn't. I'd seen too much impossible become real. "The accident....I saw her body-"
"You saw what they wanted you to see." The woman moved closer, guards tensing. "Mira didn't die in that fire, Alpha Dante. She was taken. Converted. Made into something new by those who seek to resurrect the old Lunar Lycan empire under their control."
"The High Council," Sera breathed. "They're behind this."
"What's left of them, yes. The corrupted remnants who escaped when you dissolved their power." The woman nodded. "They need a Lunar Lycan heir to complete their ritual. A child, powerful and pure, whose essence can be twisted to their purposes."
"Where?" Sera's voice was deadly calm again. "Where is my son?"
"In the old fortress. The one that stood before Aurora was built." The woman pulled a map from her robes, spreading it on the nearest table. "Here. Three days' ride north. Hidden behind wards that make it invisible to normal searching."
"Why tell us this?" I asked suspiciously. "What do you gain?"
"I gain nothing." The woman's expression was unreadable. "I'm simply evening the scales. Paying a debt to someone who helped me long ago. Consider this information a gift."
"Nothing is ever a gift," Sera said. "What's the catch?"
"The catch is that you have four days before the ritual is complete. Four days to reach the fortress, break through its defenses, defeat Mira and her forces, and rescue your son." The woman rolled up the map. "Fail, and the boy dies. Succeed, and...well. We'll see what happens then."
She turned to leave.
"Wait." I grabbed her arm. "If Mira is alive...if she's my sister, then why is she doing this? What does she want?"
The woman looked at me with something like pity. "She wants what was taken from her, Alpha. Her family. Her home. Her life. She blames you for abandoning her to that fire. And now she's going to make you watch as she takes everything you love in return."
"I didn't abandon her-"
"Didn't you?" The woman pulled free. "You moved on. Became Alpha. Built a new life. While she burned and screamed and begged for a brother who never came."
"That's not...I thought she was dead-"
"Intentions matter little to those who suffer." The woman moved toward the door, guards parting reluctantly. "Four days, Alpha. Twilight Sovereign. Four days to save your son from the sister you left behind."
She disappeared before anyone could stop her.
Silence filled the hall.
"It's a trap," Lyssa said finally. "It has to be. Everything about this screams trap."
"Of course it's a trap." Sera stared at the map. "But it's also our only lead. We don't have time to verify or investigate. We move now."
"We need to plan," I said, even though every instinct screamed to run toward my son immediately. "Gather forces, prepare for heavy resistance-"
"We don't have time for a full mobilization." Sera cut me off. "The witch, Mira, wants us to come. She's probably counting on us bringing an army. We'd be playing into her hands."
"So what do you suggest?"
"Small team. Fast moving." She looked at me. "You, me, and our best warriors. We move light, move fast, and hit before she expects us."
"That's suicide," Lyssa protested. "Majesty, you just got back from a nightmare realm. The Alpha has been unconscious for weeks. You're both exhausted-"
"And our son has four days to live." Sera's tone left no room for argument. "We leave within the hour. Lyssa, you're in charge while we're gone. If we don't return-"
"Don't." Lyssa's voice cracked. "Don't give me those orders. You're both coming back. With Asher."
"If we don't return," Sera continued inexorably, "the territories pass to the council's control. No single ruler. Shared governance. Don't let everything we built fall apart."
Lyssa nodded, unable to speak.
"One hour." Sera turned to me. "Gather who you trust most. Warriors who can move fast and fight hard. We're going to get our son back."
"And Mira?" I asked quietly. "If she really is my sister-"
"Then she's made her choice." Sera's expression was stone. "Just like you made yours five years ago. Choices have consequences. And if she's hurt our son-"
She didn't finish. Didn't need to.
We had four days to reach the fortress, defeat a corrupted Lunar Lycan and her forces, and save Asher.
Four days to face the sister I thought was dead and make her answer for taking my son.
Four days to prove that love....messy, complicated, hard-won love, was stronger than revenge and corruption.
Four days.
Starting now.