ARIEL’S POVI got to the Dark Moon palace in almost no time. I had a clear path going through the rooftops of the buildings and soon after, I landed on the verandah at the top of the palace.There was only one door so I knew that was my way into the palace walls. I walked gently, making almost no sound, towards the door.When I got to the door, I pressed the handle down but the door didn’t open. I pressed it down again and shook the door but it still didn’t bulge. I looked under the door handle to see if it had a keyhole but it didn’t.Shit. The door was locked from the inside.It was probably one of those doors that could be locked on only one side of it which actually made sense because this made it impossible for anyone on the verandah to lock themselves out.But this was bad news for me right now. This meant I would have to make a little noise to get into the palace walls.I inhaled and exhaled in preparation for the felony I was about to commit. I muttered a prayer to the goddes
ARIEL’S POV I could guess that if Joharres had completely taken the palace, then Aleksander was probably captured. There was no way Aleksander would have run away. He was too proud and stubborn to do that.I paused as I tried to analyze the situation, this time, I made sure to consider every possibility.If Joharres was in the east wing then that was where Aleksander would be and if I wanted a shot at getting that map, I needed to get him out of there.Saving him would be the only way to gain his trust enough to get the map from him. He couldn't participate anymore now because he didn't even have his kingdom, Joharres had made sure of that.I would have never predicted that this mission would become a rescue mission for the man that also stood against me sitting on the throne.I put my game face on as I headed toward the east wing.As soon as I left the wing where I came in from, it started to seem more like Joharres had successfully overtaken the Dark Moon palace.I saw more of his
ARIEL’S POV Aleksander looked up at Joharres, his eyes brightly lit with determination and courage. He was ready to damn it all, even if it cost him his last breath.As much as I admired the trait in him, I knew it was going to get him killed. Joharres wasn't known to be patient. And I couldn't keep standing there and watch him kill Aleksander either.It was going to end badly, I could already feel the emotions building in my cells. My wolf was on her paws, ready to pounce at the slightest move.“You will never find it. I will die before I hand the map over to you like a scared rat!” Aleksander spat across the floor towards Joharres.“Then you will die. I don’t need you, I will tear down this entire palace and find that map wherever you might have hidden it,” Joharres said as he slowly closed the distance between him and Aleksander.Joharres grabbed Aleksander on the once beautiful regalia and pulled him up effortlessly with one hand.My wolf was on the edge but I held her back. I co
MELVIN’S POVIt felt like I was frozen in a time capsule. Everything happened in slow motion.Ariel's first sentence to me after four years burned in my brain like a curse.How dare she tell me I had fallen off or that she was disappointed? Who did she think she was?Anger surged through me and it wiped my indecisiveness away immediately. The only satisfaction I wanted was to see Ariel lose and suffer.I was about to speed towards her but she sped out of the room with Aleksander in her arms. I jogged to where she previously stood. I stopped and did a 360 looking around the room.“NO!” I screamed into the space of the room, “YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO SAY THAT TO ME!” At this point, I was panting and sweating profusely.They could have gotten anywhere by now.Father’s tiny grunt drew my attention back to him. I had forgotten for a moment that he was buried under rubble.I ran towards him, “Father!”The rubbles had started to come off his body as he struggled to get up himself. I could alread
ARIEL’S POVI found my squad at the clearing in the woods where we had agreed to meet. They were able to save a handful of people from Dark Moon.I looked for Aleksander’s daughter too and she was there. She made it. I was more than relieved when I laid my eyes on her.I immediately mobilized everyone and we started the journey back to Silver Moon in no time. We couldn’t risk getting discovered here by Blood Moon soldiers.Throughout the journey back to Silver Moon, I stayed at the rear of the group, watching our backs. I kept a safe distance but kept a close eye on Aleksander’s daughter.I was yet to tell her about her Father’s death. I couldn’t tell her yet. I wanted to make sure we were all safely out of Joharres’ reach.Beyond that and more honestly, I didn’t know how to break the news to her. I couldn’t think of the best way to tell her.There was no good way to break such sad and devastating news to someone, you just had to do it. I knew that much but I couldn’t help but feel s
ARIEL’S POVThe next morning, I made my way to Fiona’s room. It was time to tell her about her Father’s death. I dragged Ikea along with me for more emotional support.I couldn't possibly do it alone besides providing moral comfort wasn't my strong zone. I took a deep breath and glanced over at Ikea. She nodded encouragingly at me, silently urging me to be strong.Taking a deep breath, I knocked on Fiona's door and waited for a response."Come in," Fiona's tiny voice came from the other side.I pushed the door open and stepped inside, with Ikea following closely behind me. Fiona was sitting on her bed, staring blankly at the wall. She didn't seem to notice us until we approached her."Fiona," I began, my voice shaky, "there's something I need to tell you."She looked up at us, her eyes filled with a mixture of confusion and concern."What is it?" she asked.I took a deep breath before continuing. "Your father, Aleksander, he... he passed away yesterday. At the palace… he …died," I s
ARIEL’S POV We ate mostly in silence, each of us lost in our own thoughts. The world we live in was filled with so many problems. At one point Joharres was taking over packs and my quest for the throne.Now, we had to worry about the Moon crest as well. The good news was, I had possession of the only person in the realm who had a link to it.I stabbed my fork into my plate and packed as much food as I could. I munched, only to fill my stomach with food and not for the taste.The food was good as usual but my tongue couldn't taste anything. I couldn't help but wonder what Joharres’ next move would be.In time, he would figure out that the map to the moon crest was nowhere in the Dark Moon palace and it was safe to assume that he could make a connection of me having it.Then he would surely come for me. My worry wasn't for me but for the people I had offered protection. Joharres was going to destroy all of them if he had the chance.Only the dome protected us now.I looked up at the c
Chapter 87: The Vanished TownMELVIN’S POVFather left Dark Moon and returned to Blood Moon soon after. I was to follow him but I stayed behind in Dark Moon to finish some tactical adjustments.A fraction of the army would remain in Dark Moon to hold down the fort while the others return to Blood Moon to prepare for the next invasion of another pack.We were not going to stop until Blood Moon had absorbed all the other packs and was now the largest pack, way larger than Silver Moon.I made arrangements for the fraction of the army that would be staying behind in Dark Moon. I coordinated and organized their daily operations and strategies to properly safeguard the territory and appointed one of the lieutenants in the army to be the head of the entire setup, reporting directly to me.After I was sure everything was in place, I left Dark Moon. This was a day after Father had left. I told all my squad to return to Blood Moon with Father except Kyle. I had Kyle wait behind in Dark Moon wi