Chapter 230: Loric and Ninnetta’s Oath

Chapter 230: Loric and Ninnetta’s Oath
Loric puffed out his chest, determined to rise to the challenge.
“Because we’re brave! We weren’t scared of the bridge!”
“And because we’re a team!” Ninnetta added eagerly.

Asharyn studied them, her expression unreadable. Then suddenly, she tilted her head and asked in an icy voice:
“And what if I told you that you are not strong enough? That you are only children?”

Ninnetta took a step back, but Loric clenched his fists, his eyes blazing with determination.
“Then I’d say… I’m my brother’s Beta. And I’ll protect my pack, even if I’m small.”

A heavy silence followed his words. Slowly, Asharyn allowed the faintest smile to curve her lips. With a wave of her hand, the runes on the arch lit up.
“Answer accepted,” she declared gravely. “You’ve proven that courage does not wait for age.”

Ninnetta let out a relieved laugh and hugged Loric tightly.
“See? I told you we’re strong!”

“Not bad, little Beta,” Drake murmured from the tree line, watching proudly. “Not bad at all.”

Caleb shared a knowing look with Lya. In his mind, Handres rumbled softly with pride:
“Our little wolf pup already stands like a leader.”

Above the clearing, Caelis conjured small, colorful illusions—tiny dragons dancing in the air, sealing the children’s victory.

The next clearing looked ordinary, but the ground was blanketed with silver leaves that rustled as though whispering to each other. In the center stood a great smooth stone, polished by time, gleaming in the golden rays of the setting sun.

Loric and Ninnetta reached it first, breathless but determined.
“We’re almost there,” Ninnetta whispered, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
“Yeah… I can feel it,” Loric replied, pressing a hand to his chest as though listening to some invisible instinct.

That’s when a soft, playful voice rang out.
“Well done, little adventurers. You’ve reached the end of the path.”

Lina stepped out from behind the stone, a mischievous smile on her lips. In her hands, she held a long, shimmering feather, glinting with bluish reflections. With every movement, it seemed to glow with lunar light.

Ninnetta gasped.
“Is that… a real dragon feather?!”

Lina glanced slyly toward Caelis, who stood a little further away and responded with a theatrical wink.
“They say,” Lina said mysteriously, “that this feather falls only once every hundred years. It chooses those who have proven their courage—and their bond as a team.”

Loric, trembling with emotion, held out his small hands.
“So… it’s for us?”
“Yes,” Lina said, placing the feather gently into his palms. “Take good care of it. It represents your strength—and your bond.”

The feather vibrated softly, glowing golden light as if acknowledging them both.

Ninnetta laughed with delight, grabbing Loric’s hand.
“We did it! We won!”

From a distance, Drake leaned toward Caleb and whispered, amused:
“We’re doomed. These two will be demanding a quest a week.”

Caleb chuckled, though his gaze on Loric was filled with pride.

In the Alpha’s mind, Handres murmured:
“Our little Beta has found his first treasure. And he’s not afraid to carry the title.”

Lya, touched, rested a hand gently on her rounded belly. Kaelan stirred in response, sending a warm ripple of emotion through the family bond—as if to congratulate his big brother.

As the children raised their trophy high, Lina and Caelis exchanged a knowing glance: the legend of the feather had just been born… along with a memory that would last forever.

Loric and Ninnetta ran to Caleb and Lya, clutching the feather between their small hands as if it were priceless. Their flushed cheeks glowed with pride and excitement.
“Dad! Mom! We found it!” Loric cried, his voice trembling with pride.
“The dragon feather!” Ninnetta added, her golden eyes wide with wonder.

Caleb rested a firm but gentle hand on his son’s shoulder, his gaze warm with pride.
“My little Beta… you led your mission with courage.”

Lya, moved, bent slightly toward the children, one hand on her belly for balance. The feather shimmered faintly in their hands, reacting to her presence. She extended her slender fingers and brushed the glowing object.
“It chose you,” she whispered softly. “But I believe it still has one more secret.”

Before their wide eyes, the feather slowly split in two under Lya’s touch. A gentle light enveloped her hands, and when it faded, two identical feathers rested in her palms, glowing as if they held a fragment of the moon.

Ninnetta clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle a squeal of wonder.
“They’re… real!”

“Now you each have one,” Lya said with a tender smile. “Keep them safe. They symbolize your bond—and your courage.”

Loric pressed his feather against his chest.
“I’ll never let it go. I promise.”

Ninnetta nodded vigorously, already convinced it was a sacred talisman.

Behind them, Drake gave a low whistle.
“Fantastic. Two mini‑heroes armed with magical feathers. We’re saved.”

Caleb answered in a mock‑stern tone:
“Drake, if you so much as hint at another mission, I’ll send you to sleep in Sacred Moon’s cellars.”
“What? Me? Never!” the Beta protested with a grin—though his eyes already gleamed with new ideas.

Loric lifted his feather high, eyes shining.
“I, Loric of Sacred Moon, promise to keep this feather for my whole life!”
Beside him, Ninnetta puffed out her chest and copied him proudly.
“And I, Ninnetta of Zeberta, promise the same! Even when I’m old… and wrinkly!”

Laughter rippled through the group, though Lya placed a gentle hand on each child’s shoulder, her expression suddenly serious.
“Then let this promise be sealed. The feathers will keep your hearts united—no matter where your paths lead.”

A blue spark suddenly burst from both feathers, as though the magic itself had heard their words. The children exchanged a wide‑eyed look, then burst out laughing, convinced they had accomplished something grand.

Behind them, Caleb shared a glance with Lya, half‑amused, half‑thoughtful.
“You may have just given them a bond that will last their whole lives,” he murmured through their mental link.
“Maybe it was Kaelan’s wish,” Lya replied, absently caressing her rounded belly.

Drake leaned toward Malick, who had joined them, and whispered with a smirk:
“Well, there you go… two little terrors who’ll wave their feathers every time they get into trouble. We’re doomed.”
“Mm,” Malick grunted, stoic as ever. “Still… I’ll admit, it’s touching.”

Unconcerned, Loric and Ninnetta raised their feathers like trophies, convinced nothing could ever separate them.

As the sun dipped lower, the lycan family prepared to leave Sacred Moon. Ninnetta clutched her feather to her chest as though someone might try to steal it. Loric, however, tugged at Caleb’s sleeve, his face clouded.
“Does she have to leave already, Daddy?” he whispered, his lips trembling.

Caleb crouched down and laid a reassuring hand on his son’s shoulder.
“Yes, little wolf. But you’ll see her again. You have my word.”

Lya, who had been saying farewell to the girl’s parents alongside Soraya and Myrria, came over and gently smoothed Loric’s hair.
“And you have her feather,” she whispered tenderly. “So she’ll never really be far away.”

Refusing to give in to sadness, Ninnetta stepped forward, raising her feather high.
“Promise—I’ll come back! And you don’t forget… we’re a team!”

Loric hugged her tightly for a brief moment before stepping back, his eyes shining.
“A team. Always.”

Drake, leaning casually against a column, added in a mock‑serious voice to lighten the mood:
“So, who’s taking bets? How many days before one of them writes a letter covered in hearts and feather doodles?”
“Drake!” Lya scolded, half amused, half reproachful—prompting Loric to giggle nervously.

The car doors shut softly, and the vehicle rolled away down the tree‑lined drive. Loric stood still, holding his feather high in farewell until the car disappeared around the bend, carrying Ninnetta’s silhouette with it.

In Caleb’s mind, Handres murmured in a strangely tender tone:
“Your little Beta has already found his first ally.”

And Caleb couldn’t help but smile.