(4) The Ultimate Betrayal

The silence that followed Ronan kneeling before Selene was not ordinary silence; it was the suffocating kind that pressed against every chest in the healer's hall, thick and heavy with consequences that could not be undone.

Across the room, Kaelara lay motionless on the table, her skin pale beneath the blood staining her clothes, her breathing so shallow it barely lifted her chest.

Her trembling hand remained suspended weakly in the air as if even in unconsciousness her wolf still believed Ronan would come to her as he always had, during battles, during storms, during tense council meetings when danger lurked in every word, but today he did not look at her.

Instead, he cradled Selene's face with startling gentleness, his large hands brushing her pale cheeks as worry filled his voice. "Are you injured? Let me see."

Kaelara wasn't surprised but hurt. It's been like that ever since she came into their lives. Everything started falling apart since then.

Selene sagged against Ronan with a fragile shudder, her fingers clutching weakly at his shirt as her lashes fluttered.

"It... it hurts..." she whispered, her voice trembling, barely audible. "I almost died, Ronan... they almost killed me when I wanted to save someone..."

Her words dissolved into uneven breaths, her body trembling as though reliving the moment.

Winston stepped forward immediately, his tone urgent. "She's telling the truth, Alpha. She nearly died out there."

But across the room, Mara suddenly rushed forward despite the way her dented armor dug into her skin, her face streaked with blood and ash. Her entire body trembled, not with weakness, but with fury.

"That's not what happened," she said sharply, her voice cutting through the room.

Darion's gaze snapped to her. "Then speak clearly, Mara. What happened to my daughter?!"

Mara lifted a shaking hand and pointed toward Kaelara's unmoving body. "They weren't after Selene alone," she said, her voice rough but steady with anger. "The enemies came for her, yes, but Luna Kae saw them first. Or maybe Selene knew they were behind her but pretended not to know as always." Mara spat.

She was Kaelara's trusted hand. She was second in command under the Luna. So, seeing her alpha treating her Luna with no care angered her even more. Not to mention the lies of the two evil siblings.

"No offense to you, alpha. I know she's your second mate. But fuck it! Kae was already poisoned with wolfbane at that moment... already bleeding... and she still ran toward the enemies approaching Selene."

A heavy silence fell.

Mara's voice broke slightly, but she pushed on. "She... She... Kae... Luna... she shoved Selene out of the way. Took both blades meant for her. She... she shielded her with her own body." She choked on her words.

The words hit the room like a hammer.

For the first time, Ronan turned fully toward Kaelara and really looked at her.

The blood was soaking into the table beneath her. The unnatural stillness of her body. The way her hand had fallen back limply against the wood... unanswered.

Before he could move, Thorne stepped forward, rage barely restrained in every line of his body.

"You walked past her," Thorne said, his voice low and dangerous. "She just sacrificed herself for your other mate... and you walked past her. She's your fucking damn mate!"

Cassian grabbed his arm instantly. "Thorne..."

But Thorne didn't look away from Ronan. Not for a second. This fucking alpha doesn't deserve their little sister. He wondered why the moon goddess even thought it was sensible to bond the two of them.

Guilt flickered across Ronan's face, confusion and regret warring in his expression as his gaze darted back to Kaelara.

Behind them, Elowen's voice continued in a strained whisper, her hands glowing faintly as her magic flickered over Kaelara's wounds.

"She's fading..." She murmured. "I... I can't hold her much longer... We need to take her to the healing temple."

The Nightbane family felt it and rushed to circle her.

Not just through the family bond, but something deeper and instinctual.

Darion stepped forward, his posture rigid with control. He bowed his head slightly towards Ronan. Because despite e everything he was feeling inside, Ronan was still his alpha.

"My Alpha," he said, his tone formal and cold. "Grant us permission to take our daughter home."

Ronan blinked, almost automatically. "She belongs here," he said. "She's the Luna... she stays in the healer's hall."

Darion's gaze didn't waver. "She is dying," he replied coldly. "And Elowen has already spent everything trying to keep you, your warriors, and every damn pack member alive. She needs help from other healers to save her!"

As if proving his words, Elowen's magic flickered dangerously before dimming.

"She... won't survive another hour here," Elowen admitted softly, tears running down her face. Seeing her baby die was more than any pain.

Ronan's jaw tightened as something sharp and painful pulsed in his chest, the cracked mate bond.

But even still, "No," he said, more firmly now. "She stays..."

"On what grounds?" Cassian's voice cut in, calm but glacial.

Ronan turned to him sharply, but he didn't have any answer to that

"You felt it," Cassian continued, his eyes like ice. "The bond cracked. And you still chose not to look at her first. And now, you are preventing us from saving her? What's your motive alpha?" He said the word 'alpha' sarcastically.

The truth struck deep in Ronan's chest.

Selene shifted weakly in his arms, her voice trembling again. "She pushed me... I never asked her to save me..."

"That's enough!" Lyra snapped suddenly, her voice breaking. "Kaelara is your Luna, and she is bleeding to death! I don't care if you are the alpha's, second mate. But if you fuck with my sister, I will end you myself!"

"LYRA!!!" Ronan roared, pushing his aura onto her specifically.

Lyra gasped, and she nearly knelt in submission. But, even in her weakened state, a small glow flickered from Kaelara's fingers and seemed to have crashed with Ronan's aura, dissipating instantly.

That was one of Kaelara's gifts as a Luna.

Lyra took in deep breaths as everyone turned to Kaelara, whose eyes were still closed. It was as if even her body had a mind of its own to protect her family.

Mara stepped forward again, shaking with anger. "Selene, don't be ungrateful. Kae could have watched you die after all the pain you've caused her. She didn't just get attacked," she said. "You were seconds from dying. The Luna chose to save you!"

Winston frowned. "She didn't have to..."

"That," Darion cut in sharply, his voice like steel, "is exactly who my daughter is."

Ronan's mind reeled as he fought with himself. The attack. The wolfbane poisoning. Kaelara is running despite it. Taking blades meant for someone else.

The mate bond pulsed again, weaker.

Fear crept in for the first time.

"I... didn't know," Ronan said quietly.

Darion's reply was immediate-and devastating. "You did not look."

Thorne surged forward again, fury igniting-but Darion caught him, holding him back with a firm hand.

"We will not disrespect our Alpha," Darion said evenly.

But the promise in his eyes was cold and unfinished.

Lyra moved to Kaelara's side, gently taking her limp hand in hers. "We're taking her home," she said softly.

"She stays," Ronan insisted, though his voice lacked strength now.

Elowen's hands stilled above Kaelara's fragile form.

The soft glow of her healing magic flickered once, then faded completely, leaving the room bathed in an uneasy silence.

"If she stays," Elowen said gently, her voice heavy with certainty, "she will die." She tried her best to keep her emotions locked up for her family's sake.

The words struck the room like a physical blow.

Ronan felt his chest tighten painfully as a wave of regret crashed over him.

Before anyone could respond, Selene suddenly gasped and swayed on her feet.

"Alpha," Winston urged quickly, stepping forward, "she needs you."

Instinct took over before thought could intervene.

Ronan immediately moved to Selene's side, pulling her closer to steady her. His expression softened as concern replaced everything else for a brief moment.

"I'm here," he murmured.

And in that single moment... Everything changed.

The Nightbane family stopped looking shocked.

The disbelief disappeared from their faces, replaced by something far worse. Acceptance and finality.

As though they had finally understood exactly where Kaelara stood in Ronan's priorities.

Thorne let out a humorless laugh that echoed through the room.

Cassian's jaw tightened, his hand curling around the hilt of his blade as he fought to contain his anger.

Lyra's eyes shimmered with unshed tears, heartbreak written plainly across her face.

Darion slowly straightened his shoulders, every inch of him carrying the quiet authority of a father who had reached his limit.

"We are taking our daughter," he said firmly.

No one argued, and no one tried to stop them.

Cassian stepped forward without hesitation. Carefully, as though afraid she might shatter beneath his touch, he slid one arm beneath Kaelara's shoulders and the other beneath her knees before lifting her from the healer's table.

The movement was gentle and protective.

Yet the moment her weight settled into his arms, he froze.

For the briefest second, pain flashed across his face.

"She's... so light and cold," he whispered.

The warmth that should have belonged to a living Luna was fading rapidly.

Kaelara's head rolled weakly against his chest, her black hair spilling over his arm.

Ronan watched from across the room, something twisting painfully inside him.

"Kaelara..." he called softly.

Her lashes fluttered once.

For a heartbeat, hope sparked inside him. But she didn't open her eyes.

Didn't turn toward his voice. Didn't reach for him. Didn't respond at all.

The tiny spark died as quickly as it had appeared.

Darion stepped beside Cassian and placed a steady hand against his back, silently guiding him toward the exit. The rest of the family followed immediately, moving together as one united force.

As they passed Ronan and Selene, it felt as though something invisible fractured within the room. Something that could never be repaired.

Lyra paused only for a moment. Just long enough to meet Ronan's gaze.

The sadness in her eyes cut deeper than any blade.

"If she dies," she said quietly, "you will never forgive yourself. And I will personally drive my sword through your throat!"

The words settled heavily between them. Then she turned away.

Thorne lingered a second longer. Unlike Lyra, there was no sadness in his eyes, only fury, blame, and hatred.

"You already made your choice."

The accusation hung in the air long after he spoke it. Then he followed the others out.

Silence descended over the healer's hall. A hollow, suffocating silence.

Even the air felt heavier.

Slowly, Ronan rose to his feet as he felt the mate bond pulsed deep within him.

It wasn't broken yet. But the connection felt weaker than before.

Like a thread stretched to its breaking point.

Ronan wasn't sure she would ever forgive him.

Even if she survived... Even if fate somehow granted him another chance.

Some wounds ran too deep.

Some betrayals left scars that love could never fully heal.

And far beyond the lands of the mortal world, a dark hole pulsated.

A force older than kingdoms...

Older than bloodlines...

Older than memory itself...

And older than the Moon Goddess herself!

Because fate had begun to shift. The balance had been disturbed.

And when the power of the VOID is wronged, even the Moon Goddess would be implicated!

The VOID never forgets!

Nor does it forgive!!!