Eira's POV
A dull ache pulsed through my head as I slowly opened my eyes.
White ceiling.
White walls.
The faint scent of antiseptic.
A hospital.
For a moment I simply stared upward, confused.
How had I gotten here?
The last thing I remembered was snow.
White flowers.
A strange feeling pulling me deeper into the forest.
Then...
Nothing.
A shadow moved beside the bed.
"You're awake."
I turned my head.
A doctor stood nearby, relief flashing across his face.
I swallowed.
"What happened?"
"You were brought here unconscious two days ago."
My breath caught.
"Two days?"
The doctor nodded.
"A man found you in the forest and brought you here. You were suffering from exhaustion and dehydration, but thankfully you're perfectly fine."
Perfectly fine.
Then why couldn't I remember anything?
Before I could ask another question, the door burst open.
"Eira!"
Tessy practically launched herself at me.
Her arms wrapped around me so tightly I could barely breathe.
"Tessy..."
Her eyes were red.
As if she hadn't slept properly in days.
"Do you have any idea how worried we were?" she snapped.
"The entire college was searching for you!"
I blinked.
"Searching for me?"
"You disappeared!"
My head throbbed.
Forest.
Snow.
White flowers.
A cold hallway.
A strange feeling.
Then darkness.
The memories slipped away the moment I reached for them.
Like smoke through my fingers.
"What happened?" Tessy asked softly.
I stared down at my hands.
"I don't know."
"What do you remember?"
"The flowers."
"The snow."
"And then..."
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
A strange emptiness settled inside me.
As if an entire piece of my life had simply been erased.
Tessy frowned.
"That's weird."
I looked around the room.
"Where am I?"
"Silverpine Hospital."
My eyes widened.
"Silverpine?"
She nodded.
"The college is leaving today."
Two days.
I had lost two entire days.
Then another thought crossed my mind.
"Where's Jake?"
Tessy's expression softened.
"He went home."
"What?"
"His father isn't well."
"Oh."
I looked away.
For some reason, disappointment settled heavily inside my chest.
Something felt wrong.
Not around me.
Inside me.
Like I had forgotten something important.
Something I was supposed to remember.
But no matter how hard I tried...
There was only darkness.
Adrian's POV
The photographs covered my desk.
Astraevor Palace.
The Celestial Mark.
Princess Lunaria.
I had been staring at them for hours.
Searching.
Comparing.
Looking for something I might have missed.
Anything.
Every answer seemed buried beneath another question.
And at the center of all of it—
Eira.
A knock interrupted my thoughts.
The door opened before I could answer.
Drek stepped inside.
His expression was grim.
"Adrian."
I looked up.
"What happened?"
Drek tossed a photograph onto the desk.
"I think I know what Jake is looking for."
Every instinct inside me sharpened instantly.
I picked up the photograph.
An old man stared back at me.
Grey hair.
Weathered face.
Eyes that seemed far older than they should have been.
"Who is he?"
Drek folded his arms.
"Someone important."
"That's not an answer."
"He was captured by Jake a few days ago."
My eyes narrowed.
"What?"
"The Warden Clan has already been called in."
That immediately got my attention.
The Warden Clan never moved unless something serious was happening.
Very serious.
"What did he do?"
"No one knows."
My eyes returned to the photograph.
"What is Jake searching for?"
Drek was silent for a long moment.
Then he shook his head.
"I don't know."
"But if Jake captured him..."
"This old man must have something which jake needs. "
"But what is that.? "
My jaw tightened.
Princess Lunaria.
The Celestial Mark.
The red glow in Eira's eyes.
This old man.
Everything seems connected.
The problem was...
I still couldn't see how.
Jake's POV
The underground chamber smelled of blood and silver.
Chains rattled.
Screams echoed against the stone walls.
The old man hung from iron restraints.
Bruised.
Broken.
Bleeding.
Yet somehow still defiant.
Jake crouched in front of him.
Calm.
Patient.
Dangerous.
"Tell me about the Selenathyx. "
weakly.
A broken sound.
"I already told you."
"I know nothing."
Jake sighed.
Almost disappointed.
"You keep saying that."
He rose to his feet.
A guard dragged a young boy into the chamber.
The old man's expression shattered instantly.
"No..."
Jake smiled.
Cold.
Cruel.
"You know him?"
The old man's breathing became uneven.
"Leave him out of this."
Without warning—
BANG.
The silver bullet tore through the boy's knee.
A scream ripped through the chamber.
The old man roared against his chains.
"No!"
Jake calmly pointed the gun at the boy's head.
The boy sobbed in terror.
Jake's voice remained terrifyingly calm.
"His wolf hasn't awakened."
The old man's face drained of color.
"If he dies now..."
Jake tilted his head.
"He dies human."
"Please..."
"Then talk."
Silence.
The old man's shoulders trembled.
Then finally—
"The Selenathyx is real."
Jake smiled.
"There it is."
He crouched again.
"Where is it?"
The old man closed his eyes.
As though speaking the truth hurt more than the torture.
Then finally—
"It is inside a girl."
The chamber fell silent.
Jake's smile vanished.
"A girl?"
The old man nodded.
"Yes."
Jake stepped closer.
"Who is she?"
"I don't know."
His fingers tightened around the old man's throat.
"Wrong answer."
The old man coughed violently.
"I'm telling the truth."
"No one knows."
"No one has known for centuries."
Jake slowly released him.
His eyes narrowed.
"Then how do I find her?"
Fear flashed through the old man's eyes.
"The Red Moon."
Jake froze.
The chamber went silent.
"What about it?"
The old man's voice shook.
"The Selenathyx cannot remain hidden beneath the Red Moon."
"It will awaken."
"It will reveal itself."
"It will glow."
A dangerous excitement flickered through Jake's eyes.
"When?"
The old man swallowed.
"The first Red Moon in one thousand and twenty-two years."
Silence.
Heavy.
Ancient.
As though fate itself had just spoken.
Then the old man whispered something else.
Something that made even Jake's smile disappear.
"The Red Moon is coming."
Jake stared at him.
For the first time in years...
He felt as though he was standing at the edge of something enormous.
A girl.
A forgotten legend.
A power buried for centuries.
And somewhere out there...
The key to everything was waiting.