Adrian's POV
Michel remained silent for a long moment as he stared at the photograph.
Then slowly, he spoke.
"I know this man."
The cave immediately fell silent.
Drek stepped forward.
"You do?"
Michel nodded.
"He was one of Princess Lunaria's most trusted servants."
My eyes narrowed.
"He served her?"
"Only her."
Michel's voice grew darker.
"If anyone still knows the truth about the Selenathyx."
"He does."
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then suddenly everything clicked.
The attacks.
The deaths.
The old man.
Every piece fell into place.
I slowly looked up.
"I understand."
Everyone turned toward me.
Drek frowned.
"What?"
I clenched my jaw.
"Now I understand why that monster returned after centuries."
Silence filled the cave.
"Why Jake risked everything."
"Why he captured this old man."
My eyes fell back to the photograph.
"It was never random."
"It was never about territory."
"It was never about revenge."
Mike stared at me.
Realization slowly appearing on his face.
I continued.
"It's all for the Synlanthyx."
The words echoed through the cave.
"He's searching for it."
Drek folded his arms.
"But why kill our clans one by one?"
I looked toward him.
"To distract us."
Silence.
"He wanted us focused on survival."
"On revenge."
"On protecting our territory."
"He wanted us looking everywhere except where we should have been looking."
I pointed toward the photograph.
"Here."
"The Synlanthyx was always the real objective."
Mike slowly nodded.
Drek folded his arms.
"What do we do?"
I looked at the photograph again.
The old man was the only lead we had.
The only person alive who might know the truth.
"We take him."
Everyone looked at me.
"We find where Jake is holding him."
"We get there first."
"And we destroy the Synlanthyx before anyone can use it."
Michel slowly nodded.
"Good."
"Because if the werewolves obtain it..."
His voice became ice cold.
"The world will burn."
The meeting lasted another hour.
Maps were spread across the stone table.
Possible locations.
Security routes.
Guard rotations.
Escape plans.
Every detail was discussed.
Every possibility calculated.
Finally I stood.
"We move tonight."
Silence.
Then one by one they nodded.
"Midnight."
"Be ready."
The others began leaving.
But as I walked out of the cave, a strange uneasiness settled inside me.
Something felt wrong.
I couldn't explain it.
Couldn't understand it.
Yet the feeling refused to disappear.
And for some reason...
My thoughts drifted toward only one person.
Eira.
I needed to see her.
Just once.
Before midnight.
Before everything changed.
Jake's POV
The smell of herbs filled the cabin.
An elderly healer carefully changed the bandages wrapped around Lila's injure.
lila winced.
"The wound is healing," the healer said.
"Then why does it still hurt?" Lila asked.
The woman's expression softened.
"Because your wolf still hasn't awakened."
Lila lowered her gaze.
"Werewolves heal through their wolf. Until yours awakens, the pain will remain."
Disappointment flashed across Lila's face.
I sat beside her bed.
"Don't worry. You'll be okay."
A weak smile appeared on her lips.
"You always say that."
"Because it's true."
She let out a small breath, calmer now.
I ruffled her hair lightly.
"Rest. You need it."
Minutes later, her breathing slowed. She drifted into sleep.
A knock sounded at the door.
"Alpha."
One of my warriors waited outside.
I followed him into the cold night.
"What is it?"
"Adrian met Michel."
My jaw tightened. Then I laughed bitterly.
"So he found him."
Of course he did.
The moment Adrian found Michel, I knew what it meant.
He was following my trail. Following us.
He knew an old man had been taken.
Maybe not the whole truth.
But enough to start asking dangerous questions.
A growl rumbled in my chest.
"He never knows when to stop."
Adrian wasn't searching for answers anymore.
He was hunting my secrets.
And if he kept digging...
Sooner or later he would uncover everything.
The truth.
The blood.
The past we buried years ago.
And when that happened...
There would be war.
A real war.
The kind that left nothing standing.
The warrior swallowed.
"What if he learns the truth?"
I stared into the darkness.
My eyes flashed gold.
"Then he'll finally understand why some secrets should stay buried."
Before he could respond, my phone vibrated.
Tessy.
I answered immediately.
"Jake! Where have you been?"
"Busy."
"Do you know what happened? We lost Eira."
My heart nearly stopped.
"What?"
"She disappeared in Silverpine. We found her two days later."
Two days.
Fear slammed into me. The kind of fear that made even an Alpha feel helpless.
Something could have happened to her.
And I hadn't been there.
"She's okay now," Tessy said.
Relief hit me so hard it hurt.
After the call ended, I stood alone beneath the night sky.
Eira.
Just hearing her name was enough.
Enough to make my blood run cold.
Enough to remind me how much she mattered.
I clenched my fists.
Anyone who touched her.
Anyone who hurt her.
Anyone who tried to take her from me.
Would die.
Slowly.
Painfully.
And if Adrian uncovered the truth...
If he brought war to my doorstep...
Then so be it.
Because this time there would be no peace.
No compromise.
No second chance.
Only blood.
My wolf growled beneath my skin.
And somewhere deep inside, I already knew.
The storm was coming.
But one thought cut deeper than all of it.
He will get to know what I want.
He will get to know about the Selenathyx.
And when he knows that… he will do everything to destroy it.
But I won't let him.
If he comes in my way… I will kill him.
Nothing can come in my path now.
Not even Adrian.
Not even war.
Adrian's POV
I didn't know why.
But my feet carried me to her room before my mind could stop me.
The hallway was silent. Moonlight spilled across the floor.
I pushed the door open.
Eira was asleep.
But something was wrong.
She was trembling.
Tears slid down her face.
A broken sound escaped her lips—like she was trapped inside something I couldn't see.
My chest tightened.
Without hesitation, I sat beside her.
I lay down beside her carefully.
Pulled her against my chest.
One arm around her waist.
Holding her steady.
Protecting her from something I couldn't reach.
No words. No hesitation.
Just presence.
Her body shook at first… then slowly eased.
Not gone.
But less.
I tightened my hold slightly.
Like my presence alone could keep the darkness away.
And I stayed like that.
Unmoving.
As if the world outside didn't exist.
Eira's POV
"Please..."
The girl's voice trembled as tears streamed down her face.
She stood beneath the moonlight, staring at the man before her.
The man she loved.
The man who had promised her forever.
"Please let me go."
Her voice broke.
"We can leave."
She took a step toward him.
"We can go somewhere far away."
Another tear slipped down her cheek.
"You promised me."
The man remained silent.
The silence hurt more than any blade ever could.
"You said you'd find me."
Her shoulders shook.
"You said we'd stay together."
Nothing.
No answer.
No denial.
No apology.
Only silence.
The girl's eyes slowly filled with despair.
"Was all of it a lie?"
For a moment the man seemed to hesitate.
Hope flickered inside her eyes.
Then died.
A silver blade appeared in his hand.
The world stopped.
"No..."
She shook her head.
Tears fell faster.
"I love you."
The words shattered into the night.
"Please don't do this."
The man lowered his gaze.
Unable to look at her.
Unable to face what he was about to become.
The girl's heart broke.
She understood.
The choice had already been made.
Love had lost.
Fear had won.
"Please..."
One final plea.
One final hope.
Then—
The blade flashed.
Pain exploded through her body.
A scream echoed through the darkness.
And somehow—
I felt it.
Every second of it.
Every heartbeat.
Every tear.
Every fracture of her soul.
"No..."
The word escaped me.
But I couldn't wake.
Couldn't move.
Couldn't escape.
The darkness held me like chains.
Then—
Warm arms wrapped around me.
Cold.
Steady.
Protective.
A hand brushed through my hair.
Gentle.
Careful.
As though afraid I might break.
The pain didn't disappear.
But it became bearable.
The nightmare didn't vanish…
But it stopped swallowing me whole.
A voice reached through the darkness.
Soft.
Low.
Familiar.
"It's okay."
"You don't have to face this alone."
"I won't let anything hurt you again."
And for the first time that night—
I wasn't afraid.
Outside, the moon shone cold and silent.
And somewhere beyond dreams, secrets, and blood…
A war was already beginning.