Adrian's POV
Midnight.
The forest was silent.
Too silent.
Moonlight filtered through the towering trees, painting the ground in silver and shadow.
A cold wind moved through the darkness, carrying the scent of pine, earth... and werewolves.
Ahead of us, hidden among the mountains, stood the fortress.
Massive stone walls rose into the night.
Guard towers watched every approach.
Fires burned along the battlements.
Dozens of werewolves patrolled the perimeter.
Alert.
Armed.
Waiting.
Jake hadn't been careless.
He knew the old man was important.
And he knew someone would eventually come for him.
My crimson eyes studied the fortress.
Every entrance.
Every tower.
Every possible weakness.
Behind me stood the strongest vampires in our clan.
Drek.
Mike.
Elisa.
Twenty elite vampires.
"Positions."
Like ghosts, they vanished into the darkness.
Scaling trees.
Crossing rooftops.
Taking positions around the fortress.
Within seconds, the enemy was surrounded.
Drek's voice echoed through the mind-link.
Ready.
Mike answered.
Ready.
Elisa followed.
Ready.
I looked toward the fortress one final time.
Toward the place where all roads seemed to lead.
Toward the old man.
Toward the truth.
Then I lowered my hand.
"Attack."
The night exploded.
Alarms screamed across the fortress.
Warning bells rang.
Torches flared to life.
Werewolves roared.
And the vampires struck.
The first guards died before they understood what was happening.
Dark figures dropped from the walls.
Steel flashed.
Blood painted the stone.
Then chaos consumed everything.
Silver bullets tore through the darkness.
Explosions shook the ground.
Werewolves surged from every entrance.
Claws extended.
Eyes glowing.
Fangs bared.
The fortress transformed into a battlefield.
A massive wolf launched himself toward me.
I moved before he could touch me.
My hand closed around his throat.
The impact of my throw shattered part of the wall behind him.
Stone exploded outward.
Before the dust settled, two more attacked.
Then four.
Then six.
I welcomed them.
A fist connected with my jaw.
I answered by driving my elbow into a warrior's throat.
Bones cracked.
A body hit the ground.
Another wolf lunged.
I caught him midair and hurled him into a group of charging warriors.
The collision sent all of them crashing across the courtyard.
Around me, the battle raged.
Drek tore through enemy lines like a living nightmare.
Mike moved with deadly precision, dropping opponents one after another.
Elisa's crimson eyes glowed in the darkness as she fought beside our warriors.
The air filled with blood.
Screams.
Growls.
The clash of claws and steel.
Every second, more fighters fell.
Every second, the fortress sank deeper into war.
Yet none of it mattered.
Not really.
Because this battle was never about territory.
It was never about revenge.
It was never even about the old man.
It was about the truth.
The truth Jake had spent so long hiding.
And tonight...
I intended to uncover it.
"Find him!"
I shouted.
The vampires immediately split apart.
Room by room.
Hall by hall.
We pushed deeper into the fortress.
The resistance grew stronger with every step.
Jake had placed his best warriors here.
Which meant only one thing.
We were getting close.
Very close.
Then finally—
The dungeon.
I ran.
The underground chamber smelled of blood and silver.
Broken chains rattled against stone walls.
Dead guards lay scattered across the floor.
And at the center of the room—
The old man.
Bruised.
Broken.
Chained.
Still alive.
Relief flashed through me.
Then—
"You really came."
The voice emerged from the darkness.
Calm.
Dangerous.
Everything inside me tightened.
Jake stepped forward.
Moonlight spilled across his face.
Golden eyes.
Cold smile.
Predator.
For several seconds neither of us moved.
Then Jake laughed softly.
"I should've known."
His gaze shifted toward the old man.
"Leave him."
My voice echoed through the chamber.
Jake tilted his head.
Amused.
"No."
Silence.
Then his eyes narrowed.
"Tell me something, Adrian."
His voice dropped.
"Why do you always do this?"
I didn't answer.
Jake took another step forward.
"Why do you always come in my way?"
His smile widened.
"You can't help yourself."
"Always following."
"Always chasing."
"Always sticking your nose where it doesn't belong."
My jaw tightened.
"I know what you want."
For a moment Jake went still.
Then he laughed.
A low, dark sound that echoed through the dungeon.
"Do you?"
His golden eyes locked onto mine.
"Interesting."
I took a step forward.
"It's over, Jake."
The smile never left his face.
"Maybe."
Silence settled between us.
Then Jake tilted his head slightly.
"But that's the difference between us, Adrian."
His voice was calm.
Dangerously calm.
"You know what it is."
His eyes gleamed.
"But I know where it is."
The words hit like a hammer.
Jake saw the reaction in my eyes.
His smile widened.
"Exactly."
He spread his arms slightly.
"As long as nobody knew where it was, none of this mattered."
His gaze sharpened.
"But now I know."
Jake took another step forward.
His golden eyes seemed brighter in the darkness.
"For a very long time, all I had were fragments."
"Rumors."
"Legends."
"Ghosts."
A dark smile touched his lips.
"But not anymore."
His gaze locked onto mine.
"You know what I want."
A silence stretched between us.
Then he laughed again.
Low.
Dangerous.
"But I know where it is."
The dungeon suddenly felt colder.
The confidence in his voice wasn't arrogance.
It wasn't hope.
It was certainty.
The certainty of a predator that had finally found its prey.
Jake's eyes flashed gold.
"And now that I know..."
His smile widened.
"Nothing is going to stop me."
"Not vampires."
"Not fate."
"And definitely not you, Adrian."
Then—
We moved.
No warning.
No hesitation.
The distance between us vanished.
My fist shot toward his face.
Jake caught it.
The shockwave cracked the stone floor beneath our feet.
Before I could react, his other fist slammed into my ribs.
Pain exploded through my side.
I answered with an elbow to his jaw.
The impact snapped his head sideways.
Stone shattered beneath his boots as he slid backward.
Blood appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Jake wiped it away slowly.
Then smiled.
That smile.
The one that always appeared when he was enjoying himself.
"Better."
He lunged again.
Faster this time.
His fist missed my face by inches and destroyed the wall behind me.
Stone erupted everywhere.
I drove my knee into his stomach.
Jake grunted.
The force doubled him over for a brief second.
I immediately followed with a punch across his face.
The impact sent him crashing through a stone pillar.
The entire dungeon shook.
For several moments neither of us moved.
Then Jake rose from the rubble.
Blood ran from his mouth.
A bruise was already forming along his jaw.
His golden eyes gleamed.
Not angry.
Excited.
"Now that's a fight."
Instead of retreating, he charged again.
This time neither of us held back.
A growl rolled through the chamber.
Deep.
Ancient.
Primal.
The sound alone made the walls vibrate.
Bones cracked.
Muscles expanded.
The air itself seemed to recoil.
Jake transformed.
The massive wolf that emerged was terrifying.
Silver-gray fur.
Crimson eyes.
A monster from another age.
The Alpha.
His presence filled the entire dungeon.
His growl shook chains from the ceiling.
The wolf lunged.
A blur of claws and fury.
I released the vampire within me.
Crimson eyes.
Fangs.
Power surged through every vein.
Then we collided.
Wolf against vampire.
Fang against claw.
The impact blasted apart the stone floor beneath us.
Jake crashed into me like a living avalanche.
His claws tore across my shoulder.
I drove my fist into his ribs.
A painful growl escaped the giant wolf.
The force lifted him off the ground and sent him crashing into a stone wall.
The entire wall collapsed around him.
For a moment the Alpha disappeared beneath the rubble.
Then the debris exploded outward.
Jake emerged.
Bleeding.
Breathing harder.
His crimson eyes never left mine.
Predatory.
Determined.
Then—
He stopped.
Suddenly.
His gaze shifted.
Toward the old man.
A cold smile appeared on his face.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
The wolf shifted back into human form.
Calm.
Controlled.
Deadly.
Jake slowly walked toward the old man.
The old man's eyes widened.
Fear filled his face.
I stepped forward.
"Jake."
He ignored me.
A silver knife appeared in his hand.
"Don't even think about it."
Jake glanced at me.
Then smiled.
"You're too late, Adrian."
Before I could reach him—
He drove the blade straight into the old man's chest.
The scream echoed through the dungeon.
Everything froze.
Jake stepped back.
Blood staining the silver knife.
His eyes met mine one final time.
Cold.
Victorious.
As if he'd already won.
Then he turned.
"Retreat."
The remaining werewolves immediately began withdrawing.
Within seconds Jake disappeared into the darkness.
Leaving only destruction behind.
And the dying old man.
I reached him before he collapsed.
Blood covered my hands.
His trembling hand grabbed my wrist.
"There isn't much time."
"The Selenathyx.. "
My entire body stilled.
"It's real."
My jaw clenched.
"Where is it?"
The old man's eyes filled with sorrow.
And fear.
"It was never lost."
"What do you mean?"
"The Moon Goddess protected it."
"Kept it alive."
"Hidden through blood."
I leaned closer.
"Speak clearly."
The old man coughed blood.
Then whispered—
"It lives inside a girl."
The world seemed to stop.
A girl.
The Selenathyx is inside a girl.
I grabbed his shoulder.
"Who is she?"
His gaze drifted toward the moonlight spilling through a crack in the ceiling.
"A child born beneath the Moon Goddess's blessing."
"The chosen bloodline."
"The blessed one."
"Princess Lunaria's daughter carries it."
"The only vessel capable of carrying the Selenathyx. "
A chill ran through me.
"How do I find her?"
His breathing faltered.
"When the Red Moon rises..."
"The Selenathyx will reveal itself."
"It cannot remain hidden."
My grip tightened.
"Where is she?"
"No one knows."
A sad smile touched his lips.
As though he could see someone far away.
Someone precious.
"Protect her..."
His voice cracked.
"They will hunt her."
"The vampires."
"The werewolves."
"Everyone."
His eyes slowly filled with regret.
"She carries both a blessing..."
"And a curse."
For a moment he seemed to struggle with something.
Then he whispered—
"The moon has found her again."
His hand tightened around mine one final time.
Then he spoke his last words.
"So much like her..."
His fingers went limp.
The light vanished from his eyes.
Gone.
Silence filled the chamber.
The old man was dead.
I stared at him.
My mind replaying his words again and again.
The Selenathyx is real.
It lives inside a girl.
A girl blessed by the Moon Goddess.
And when the Red Moon rises—
The world will find her.
For the first time since this began...
I wasn't searching for a relic anymore.
I was searching for a girl.