Chapter 104 Then I’ll Confess
Lira pov
"Who?" I started moving despite exhaustion.
"Elder Selene's grandson." The warrior paled. "He has his whole family in there including Selene."
"No." I broke into a run. "Not Selene."
We reached the house to find it surrounded by warriors. Inside, I could hear muffled crying and shouting.
"Status?" Kael demanded.
"He's possessed completely." A warrior reported. "Threatening to kill them one by one until the guilty bloodlines confess publicly."
"He wants a public confession?" I moved to the door. "Then I'll give him one."
"Lira, don't" Kael grabbed my arm.
"Trust me." I pulled free gently. "This is what they want. Acknowledgment and the truth."
I knocked on the door. "This is Luna Lira Ashborne, kindly me in."
Silence then the locks clicking. The door opened, in front stood Selene's grandson—Marcel barely eighteen—stood there with black eyes and a knife.
"The Moonblood." He smiled coldly. "Come to confess?"
"Come to offer truth." I stepped inside carefully. "In exchange for the hostages."
Behind him, I saw Selene and four other family members bound and terrified.
"What truth?" The curse demanded through Marcel..
"years ago, five alphas murdered hundreds of Silvermoon wolves." I spoke clearly, formally. "Used dark blood magic to steal territory and erase a bloodline, my bloodline."
"Go on."
"They hunted my family for years. Killed my parents, tried to kill me." I continued. "All to hide their crimes and keep what they'd stolen."
"And?" The curse pressed.
"And I survived. I awakened my power, i claimed my heritage. And tonight, I'm taking back what's mine."
"The territory." Marcel breathed.
"Every inch." I confirmed. "I'm breaking your curse and reclaiming Silvermoon's rightful lands. Justice will be served but not through murdering innocents."
"These aren't innocents!" The curse snarled. "They benefit from genocide!"
"They inherited sins they didn't commit." I corrected. "Just like I inherited a legacy I didn't ask for. We're both victims of our ancestors' choices."
The possession wavered, Marcel eyes flickered between black and normal.
"You want justice?" I pressed my advantage. "Then let me give it properly. Through ritual, through acknowledgment, through truth spoken before everyone. Not through more murder."
"The dead are angry." The curse's voices sounded uncertain now. "They want blood."
"The dead deserve peace." I said gently. "And peace doesn't come from creating more dead. It comes from breaking cycles of violence."
"You sound like your mother." Selene spoke up weakly.
"My mother believed in mercy." I didn't look away from Marcel. "Even for those who didn't deserve it, now I am trying to honor that."
"Mercy." The curse spat the word. "Mercy got her killed."
"Love got her killed." I corrected. "Love for me, for my father. For the pack she led. She chose love over vengeance and I'm choosing the same."
Marcel knife lowered slightly, the black veins began receding. "Tonight." The curse whispered. "You face us tonight, in the spirit world. We'll see if your love is stronger than our rage."
"I'll be there." I promised. "And I'll bring truth, justice, and acknowledgment. Everything you're owed."
The possession released Marcel completely. He collapsed, knife clattering away. I caught him before he hit the floor, checking his pulse. He was alive, traumatized but whole.
"Is he" Selene struggled against her bonds.
"He'll survive." I freed her first. "But we need to restrain everyone from guilty bloodlines until I break the curse tonight."
"Restrain them?" She looked horrified. "Like prisoners?"
"Like patients." I corrected gently. "For their safety and everyone else's. The curse is accelerating. By sunset, dozens could be possessed."
"Then we'll need the entire dungeon." Thomas calculated. "And every silver chain we have."
"Do it." Kael ordered. "Humanely comfortable but secure. No one from the five bloodlines stays unrestrained."
"That includes you." I looked at him pointedly. "Magnus's direct heir."
"I'm not leaving you." He crossed his arms. "Especially not tonight."
"Then you wear silver cuffs during the ceremony." I compromised. "Light ones, just enough to suppress potential possession."
"Fine." He agreed reluctantly. "But I'm staying beside you."
We spent the afternoon rounding up everyone at risk. Forty-three wolves total, all descended from the guilty bloodlines. Some went willingly, others fought but one thing was sure all were terrified. By sunset, the dungeon was full of frightened wolves wearing silver restraints.
"This is wrong." A man paced his cell. "We're not criminals."
"You're not." I stopped at his door. "But the curse doesn't care about individual guilt, it just wants the bloodlines to suffer."
"So we suffer by being caged?" He laughed bitterly. "How is that justice?"
"It's not." I admitted. "It's survival. For a few more hours, until I fix this."
"If you fix it." He corrected. "What happens if you fail? If the dead reject your offering?"
"Then the curse spreads." I said honestly. "And everyone dies. Including me."
"Comforting." But fear showed through his bravado. "For what it's worth, I hope you succeed."
"So do I." I moved toward the stairs. "More than you know."
I found Kael waiting at the top, holding my ceremonial robes. "One hour until moonrise." He said quietly. "One hour until you expose everything."
"I know." I took the robes, hands shaking. "I'm terrified."
"You're brave." He pulled me close. "Braver than anyone deserves to be."
"I don't feel brave." I pressed against his chest. "I feel like running."
"Then run with me after." He kissed my forehead. "After you save everyone. We'll run together, just for a day. Let us be like every normal couple ."
"Normal." I almost laughed. "I've never been normal."
"Then be extraordinary." He tilted my chin up. "Like you always are."
The sun sank below the horizon. The moon began rising, pale and full. And I felt the curse stirring, eager for nightfall. Eager for me to fail. Eager for everyone I loved to die screaming.
"Time to go." I stepped back, holding the robes. "Time to tear down every wall and hope I survive it."
"You will." Kael took my hand. "Because I'll be right there at every moment."