Chapter 26

Chapter 26
"I'll come," Alena said, though her body still trembled with exhaustion. "I saw the vision. I know exactly where they are."

Orion looked at her. He still felt the surge of electrical energy from their touch, the undeniable fated bond. But now, that energy felt different. No longer a curse, but... a tool. A way to save his sister.

"You're too weak, Alena," Orion said, a hint of concern in his voice, something very alien to him. "Zara, can you get her ready?"

Zara nodded. "I will do my best, Alpha. But she needs at least a few hours to recover some of her energy."

"A few hours are what we don't have," Alena said, her eyes blazing. "Tonight. Full Moon. They will wait for the peak of the Moon's power."

Orion looked at the sky. The moon had risen higher, casting a faint silver light, growing brighter every minute. A feeling of nausea returned to Alena, this time not from a vision, but from a choking sense of urgency. She had to be fast. Ariel didn't have much time.

"Liam, Lena, assemble the team immediately," Orion commanded. "We will gather at the eastern border in one hour. Alena, Zara will tend to you. Then we will..."

Orion stopped, looking at his still grieving pack. He was an Alpha, and he had just led his pack to defeat and devastation. Yet, he had no time to mourn. Something more important called. Ariel. And the future of his pack, which somehow, was now tied to the Luna he had rejected.

He turned, rushing towards the warriors still guarding the shattered gates, giving quick and efficient orders for the remaining defenses. He left Alena and Zara.

Zara immediately helped Alena to her feet. "We must hurry, Luna," she said, dragging Alena to the makeshift infirmary that had been set up in one of the more intact buildings. "I will give you the fastest healing potion I have."

Inside the dimly lit tent, amidst the groans of wounded warriors, Zara began to work. She poured a bitter liquid down Alena's throat, rubbed herbal-smelling salve on Alena's head wound, and wrapped her in a thick blanket. Alena felt warmth slowly seep into her body, but her depleted strength couldn't recover that quickly.

"What happened to Alpha Kael?" Zara asked, her voice low, her wise eyes fixed on Alena. "I always heard stories, but no one ever knew the truth."

Alena closed her eyes, images from her vision still swirling in her mind. "Draven... he invited Kael to the ancient ruins, where the altar was located. He manipulated Kael into trying to bind ancient power... the same power as mine, the primordial moon power." She opened her eyes. "Kael couldn't control it. His power exploded, destroying him. Draven saw everything. He has learned how. And now, he wants to use Ariel, her pure blood, as a bridge to bind my power to that altar. He wants both powers, mine and the one that killed Kael."

Zara gasped sharply. "That's horrifying," she whispered. "So, Seraphina... who is she?"

Alena shook her head. "I don't know. The vision said it. Draven will bind... Seraphina. Perhaps she is someone Draven plans to sacrifice instead, or someone with the same lineage as me. Or perhaps... she's just part of a larger ritual."

Outside the tent, voices began to be heard. Liam and Lena were calling out warriors' names, preparations for the secret mission underway. Orion returned, his face tense, his eyes on Alena.

"Are you ready?" he asked, his voice cold and controlled, the Alpha back in war mode.

Alena nodded. She wasn't physically ready, but mentally, she was more than ready. She wouldn't let Ariel become Draven's victim, and she wouldn't let her power become a tool of destruction.

Orion turned to Liam. "How many can we take without drawing attention?"

"Only ten, Alpha," Liam replied. "Lena and I will lead five. You, Alena, Zara as a healer for anything unexpected, and two other warriors."

Orion nodded. He looked at Alena again. "We must move quickly and silently. I will lead directly. You, Alena, will be the guide. If anyone sees us, we will be ambushed."

The sun had fully set. The western sky was still adorned with deep purple hues, but the Full Moon already hung high in the east, casting a cold silver light, as if watching them with an expressionless gaze. Its power surged within Alena, demanding to be released, but she held it back, knowing that control was key.

They moved out of the broken pack gates, slipping into the darkness of the night. The cold air stung their skin. Every step was a risk, every shadow a potential threat. Orion walked at the forefront, his aura radiating intense tension. Behind him, Alena, though weak, relied on the memory of her vision. Liam and Lena led the other warriors, forming an efficient formation. Zara, with her healer's bag, followed behind Alena.

They followed a path covered in thick moss, traversing the dense forest that led to the hill on the east side of the Stone River. Alena searched for the signs she had seen in her vision: three-claw scratches, Draven's pack symbol, and then, she saw it—the cracked crescent moon symbol, crudely carved into the bark of an old pine tree.

"Here it is," Alena whispered, pointing to the tree. "The entrance is here."

Orion nodded, his eyes sharply fixed on the darkness ahead. He knew they would face something terrible. Something that would change everything.

They stepped further into the forest, to a place where the trees grew so densely, almost blocking out the moonlight. The air became colder and muggier. The smell of damp earth and moss began to waft. Alena felt the pulse of ancient power emanating from underground, growing stronger with each step.

Finally, they arrived at a small cliff. Below it, a dark fissure gaped between large rocks, perfectly hidden. This was the cave.

Orion signaled his team to stop. He turned to Alena. "Are you sure this is the place?"

Alena nodded, feeling a shiver of horror crawl up her spine. "I'm sure. I can feel its energy. The same aura as Kael's amulet. And the one clinging to Ariel's doll."

"Listen," Liam whispered, his ears twitching. From inside the cave, faint sounds began to emerge—not battle roars, but soft, rhythmic murmurs, sounding like chants or singing. And behind it, a faint whimper of a girl. Ariel.

Orion growled, his eyes blazing. "They've already started the ritual." He looked at Alena. "How can we get in without them knowing?"

Alena closed her eyes, trying to re-visualize the cave from her vision. She saw two agitated shadow warriors, a large stone gate. "There are two guards outside the main gate. They're restless. Maybe we can distract them, or..."

"No time for distractions," Orion said. "We have to go in. Now." He signaled Liam and Lena. "You two, move over there. Alena, Zara, and I will go in from here."

Alena felt her heart pound. She was going into Draven's lair, to the place where his father died, to the place where Ariel would be sacrificed. With Orion by her side.

They crept towards the cave fissure. As they approached, the murmuring sounds became clearer, more terrifying. It was an ancient chant, in a language Alena didn't recognize, but its tone was filled with dark power. And above it all, Draven's cold voice, leading the ritual.

Orion looked at her. There was something in his gaze that transcended command, transcended despair. It was trust. An unspoken, yet deeply felt trust. For the first time, Alena didn't feel like a weapon or a burden. She felt like a partner.

"Ready?" Orion whispered, his voice low.

Alena took a deep breath, gathering her remaining strength, the surging primordial moon energy within her. She nodded.

They slipped into the cave. The smell of moss and damp earth greeted them, mixed with a sweet scent, like blood, and something else—something dark and ancient, pulsing with wrong power.

Ahead of them, at the end of a narrow passage, torchlight flickered, illuminating a large stone gate carved with swirling symbols. Two cloaked warriors stood there, their backs to them, mesmerized by the chant that reverberated through the cave.

Orion signaled Alena to stay silent. He drew a dagger from its sheath.

Suddenly, the chanting inside the cave changed, becoming louder, more urgent. The light beyond the gate flickered, as if the ritual had reached a critical point.

"Quick!" Alena whispered, panicked. "They're about to..."

Orion nodded. He dashed forward, like a shadow, dagger drawn. In an instant, he reached one of the guards. His dagger slashed, quick and deadly. The warrior collapsed silently.

The second guard turned, his eyes wide with surprise. But before he could scream, Lena and Liam emerged from the shadows, moving with equally deadly speed. The warrior fell.

"Alpha!" Liam whispered. "Our time is short!"

Orion nodded, his eyes on the stone gate that now pulsed with a red glow. The chanting within grew louder.

"Alena," Orion whispered, his eyes on the gate, then turning to Alena. "What do we do? What did you see beyond this gate? How many are there? What..."

Suddenly, the stone gate groaned open with a terrifying sound, releasing thick smoke and a pungent smell of sulfur. The chanting reached its climax. From beyond the smoke, Draven emerged, not alone. By his side, stood the wrinkled old woman Alena had seen in her vision, her hand holding a thick leather book, her sunken eyes radiating a terrifying dark power. And between them, bound to a stone pillar, Ariel's tiny body, her eyes closed, and... a gleaming ancient dagger raised high in Draven's hand, its tip pointing directly at Ariel's heart, ready to...