Chapter 169: Chapter 169

Ophelia’s POV

Thalia said nothing further, though I felt her reluctance to simply let the matter rest. Or so I thought. ‘My warriors will be watching the treeline.’

I nearly rolled my eyes. ‘Let them watch,’ I replied. ‘But do not follow her too closely. If she thinks she is being tracked by seasoned sentries, she will play the part of the innocent amnesiac. We need her to believe she is entirely unwatched.’

I stood watching Larissa's retreating back until she had shrunk to little more than a dark shape against the tree line, and then vanished entirely.

‘What do you plan to do about her?’ Thalia pressed again. ‘We cannot simply allow her to wander wherever she pleases, Ophelia. Not with what we suspect.’

‘Do not worry,’ I told her. ‘A plan has already taken shape.’

It was not a plan I relished. It meant placing someone I loved dearly into danger, someone who had already lost so much, who deserved nothing but safety, and a boyhood free of blood and fear. And yet he had grown, in the span of mere days, further than most seasoned wolves managed in years. Perhaps, it was all that loss that motivated him now. I could not, in good conscience, waste that growth.

I made my way to the training grounds in search of my oldest son.

I found Damien first, standing with his arms folded as he watched Gareth run drills, his stormy eyes flicking briefly to me as I approached, a silent question passing between us that I answered with only the smallest shake of my head — later.

But there was no sign of Casimir.

“Where is he?” I asked, glancing between the two men.

Gareth opened his mouth to answer, and that was the precise moment I felt it. A flicker of energy. It was careful and quiet, circling wide around my side. Someone was clearly trying very hard not to be sensed.

I waited. Let him draw close enough to believe himself successful. Then I stepped neatly aside.

Casimir, who had clearly expected to catch me with my guard down, stumbled forward ungracefully. There was nothing to break his momentum and he went sprawling face-first into the dirt with an undignified ‘oof’.

Damien bursted out a laugh he did not bother to hide. Gareth's shoulders trembled as he struggled to contain his own amusement and lost. Even I could not totally suppress my chuckle at the sight of my son sprawled in the sand, sputtering.

Casimir sat up, spitting out a mouthful of dirt, his expression a mixture of wounded pride and genuine disappointment. “That is not fair,” he grumbled. “How did you avoid that? You were not even looking, and I did not even make the grass rustle.” Then he glanced over at my mate in annoyance. “Did father warn you?”

“I did not have to,” Damien replied, still laughing.

I crossed to him and offered a hand, pulling him to his feet. “Had it been anyone else, pup, it would have worked beautifully,” I told him honestly, brushing dirt from his shoulder. “But I have been sensing energies far better these past days. It seems you are not the only one who has been improving.”

Thalia, who had followed at a respectful distance, shook her head slowly. “I did not sense him at all,” she admitted, brow furrowed. “Truly, Casimir, your control has grown remarkably.”

“You are only saying that to save me from embarrassment,” the pup mumbled.

Thalia smiled, “do I seem like the sort to do that?”

That made Casimir straighten up in pride. “Nay, you are not.”

“You can certainly be confident in your abilities, Casimir,” I said, my tone turning slightly more serious as I stared at him. “But you must also always be ready for your enemies to sense your presence regardless of how quiet you believe yourself to be. In the wild, if an enemy catches you off guard, you will not simply face-plant into the dirt as you have just done. It could cost you your life.”

Casimir winced, but nodded solemnly, the playfulness leaving his young face. “I understand, Mother. I will work harder to improve.”

My face sobered then, the humor of the moment draining away as swiftly as it had come. “There will be no time for that, I am afraid,” I said quietly. “You shall have to learn it during the mission itself.”

Damien's brow furrowed sharply. “What mission?”

“I have a task for our son,” I said. “A dangerous quest. One that requires the utmost stealth.” I looked directly into Casimir’s eyes, watching the boy's breath hitch. “Are you ready, my son?”

I expected him to jump at the opportunity with the same eagerness he had approached the first opportunity I had given him. But this time he was more subdued. Good, I thought. He would need that levelheadedness for what lay ahead.

I stretched my magic outward in a silent sweep, feeling for any lurking presence, any stray listening ear to make sure we were alone.

We were.

I took a deep breath, folding my arms. “Over the past two days, I have had a long, quiet discussion with Shayla and Sage,” I began, referencing our pack’s historian and our revered seer. “We spoke of the hybrids. We spoke of Noelle’s story, of her clan living in Antarctica, balanced and quiet, existing for generations before Raye ever began her mad experiments.”

Damien’s eyes narrowed. “And what did our history and the stars reveal to you, moonlight?”

“They confirmed what my wolf has been screaming since Noelle first spoke,” I said, my voice dropping to a whisper. “It is biologically, magically, and spiritually impossible for a hybrid clan to have existed naturally.”

Casimir’s brow furrowed. “Pardon? Why, Mother?”

“Think of how our world was built, Casimir,” I explained, looking at him earnestly. “Vampires were born of a curse,” I explained. “A twisting, a corruption laid upon what was once merely mortal. But Lycanthropy... our wolf nature is not a curse. It is a sacred blessing, bestowed upon our ancestors by the Moon Mother herself. It is a divine gift of life, instinct, and family.”

“The Moon Mother’s blessing cannot coexist with a dark, blood-drinking curse,” I continued, my voice tight. “The heavens can not simultaneously bless a soul and curse it to ‌eternal darkness. Therefore, it is impossible for someone blessed by the moon to be cursed. The two forces repel one another. The only way the hybrids we face today exist is through Raye’s twisted, artificial alchemy. It is a violent, modern violation of nature that tears the soul apart. True hybrids could never have spawned naturally in the frozen wilderness, let alone formed a peaceful, ancient clan that existed for winters uncounted.”

“Do you understand what I am telling you, Casimir?”

He was quiet for a long moment. I studied my son, watching the realization dawn on his young face. “Noelle's story… It is a lie. Fabricated to earn our sympathy,” he concluded. He looked devastated. The girl he had grown so fond of, who shared his grief and his nightmares, might not at all be what she claimed to be.

“I must ask you again, Casimir,” I said calmly, with the ancient authority of the Luna of the Crescent Moon. “Knowing what we now suspect... knowing that she may be a piece on a very dangerous chessboard... are you ready for such a task?”