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Home / Werewolf / Betrayed Luna: The Alpha's Claim / Kabanata 111 - Kabanata 120

Lahat ng Kabanata ng Betrayed Luna: The Alpha's Claim: Kabanata 111 - Kabanata 120

235 Kabanata

111

Elena pov.Dominic hadn't shut ùp the whole ride. We were supposed to make it to the Northern Range in a day, but cause we didn't expect to meet the witches, now we had to rethink, cause it was going to take us 2days.It was getting dark and we still hadn't found a place to camp. The snow was thicker here and we were close to a mountain. One wrong move could trigger an avalanche. It was best to be careful.Looking over my shoulder, I could see Lykan and Dominic talking. We needed more space. We were now 4 extra people might not seem like a lot, but they are actually a lot, especially cause we have a limited supply. Lykan had ordered some scouts to go hunt while the rest looked for a perfect site to camp.“Hi” I turned to see the youngest witch looking at me eyes wide I turned to see the youngest witch, eyes wide and curious. She had the kind of face that didn’t belong in this frozen wasteland—soft features, delicate nose, and the bluest eyes I’d ever seen. Her long blond hair spille

112

Elena povIt was getting dark fast, the kind of dark that swallowed everything except the crunch of hooves on ice and the soft whistle of the wind. One wrong move, especially near the mountain base, could trigger an avalanche. Lykan had split the scouts—some hunting, some searching for a safe place to camp. Eventually, one found a spot under a rocky ledge with decent cover, and we all made our way there.By the time we arrived, I was exhausted. My legs ached, my head buzzed, and my stomach... felt strange. Again.Scouts quickly set up a rough circle of tents, dug shallow pits for fire, and began cooking whatever small game they'd managed to catch. The flames cast warm orange shadows across the snow, and for a moment, things felt normal.I sat near the fire, hugging my knees, watching the flames dance.Lykan joined me, handing me a portion of roast meat wrapped in cloth. He sat close, his thigh brushing mine, his voice low.“You okay?” he asked, studying my face with a softness he rare

113

Elena’s POVThe morning came too fast.The sky was still dim, painted in soft gray strokes. Cold air wrapped around the camp like a warning, sharp and whispering. I barely slept my mind kept returning to Lykan’s voice calling the baby “a little Elena.” It played over and over again in my head like a lullaby, warm and soft… until the fear crept back in.What if I lost this one too? No, I couldn't be thinking such negative things.I slipped out of the tent before Lykan stirred. I needed to move, breathe, and think. My legs felt restless. My body needed the movement maybe my baby did too.The snow crunched quietly beneath my boots as I walked, arms wrapped tightly around myself. Most of the camp was still quiet. A few scouts were murmuring as they packed weapons, and a few horses snorted softly, steam rising from their breath. It was peaceful… deceptively peaceful.I walked toward the edge of the clearing, further from camp, just past the thinned-out trees near the base of the mountain.

114

Elena pov Hours later…We rode in tense silence for the rest of the journey. The wind howled the closer we got to the summit, and finally—finally—we saw it.The Northern Range Pack.It looked the same as it had years ago.Built into the mountain like a fortress, the pack village sat nestled beneath snow-covered ridges. Wooden rooftops, chimneys billowing smoke, narrow alleys winding between stone homes—it was both humble and imposing.From the hill, I stared at it, my heart caught somewhere between dread and nostalgia.“Nothing’s changed,” I whispered.Lykan glanced at me but didn’t press.We slowed our pace as we approached the border.I turned to Sylvester. “Where are we staying? We’re not exactly subtle right now.”He didn’t answer immediately. Then, “I have someone. Trusted. Quiet. We’ll need to hide the horses soon—or let them go.”Lykan nodded. “Let’s go in on foot. No chances.”We pulled thick cloaks over ourselves, hoods up, faces low. The snow swirled as we entered the villa

115

Elena povLater that evening, with the fire low and the village lights dim outside the curtained windows, we gathered in a tight circle.Everyone’s face was tense, alert. Even Dominic, who was usually sarcastic even in battle, sat upright, chewing on the edge of his glove.“We move at night,” Corra said, voice hushed but firm. “I’ll get you close to the barrier line. But once you cross it... You’re on your own.”“We need a scouting plan,” Sylvester added, tracing something invisible on the floor like a map. “Two teams. One head toward the inner ridge, the other toward the waterway cutting behind the forest cliffs.”Lykan nodded. “We move light. Quiet. No fire. Minimal magic.”“Sounds good,” Aurora said, already threading her fingers through her beads, preparing a charm. “But before we play heroes in the dark... what exactly are we looking for in this place? Like what's the shape or...?"Dominic raised a hand. “Yeah, hi. Sorry to interrupt the council of doom, but I’ve been dying to as

116

Elena pov I sat frozen, the fire’s glow licking at the edge of my vision as Lykan’s hands gently cupped my face.“What did you see?” he whispered again, softer this time. There was worry in his voice but also restraint.He knew me well enough by now to recognize when I wasn’t ready to talk.And I wasn’t.So I looked away and said nothing.Lykan waited a heartbeat… then nodded, accepting my silence.“I won’t press,” he murmured, pulling me closer. His hand rested protectively against the small of my back.“Is it time to scout?” I asked after a pause, my voice steadier than I felt.Lykan nodded once, rising. “Get your cloak.”I pushed off the furs, grabbing my dark cloak from where it lay beside the packs. My fingers were still trembling slightly, but I forced them to be still. I had to be strong now. For myself. For the baby. For whatever Ethereal had stirred in me.We joined the others in the front room. Everyone was geared and waiting.“About time, sleeping beauty,” Dominic said wit

117

Elena pov.I stared at the glowing sigil in the bark, the Starbloom pulsing above it like a slow, magical heartbeat.It felt… important.But something inside me twisted uneasily.“I don’t think this is it,” I said finally, my voice barely louder than the whispering trees.Aurora looked at me, her eyes thoughtful. “You feel it too?”I nodded. “It’s old. Powerful. Sealed. But it feels… wrong." Or maybe too obvious.”“Agreed,” Aurora murmured. “Kairos is clever. He wouldn’t be after something so easily found. Breaking this might just wake something we were never meant to find.”Dominic rubbed the back of his neck. “So, not our magical murder flower?”“Not today,” I muttered.And then I felt her stir.Eira.Her voice slid like cool silk through my mind."Not it," she said firmly. "But close. So close. I can feel it. That flower isn’t feeding from this tree… the roots run deep. They’re anchored somewhere far beneath. Hidden."Buried magic, I realized. Something sleeping deeper than we coul

118

Sophia pov Blood.Again.It stained the silk handkerchief in my hand, the delicate lace at the edges soaked in crimson. I dropped it to the floor, watching it land atop two others already discarded there like shameful secrets.My chest burned. My throat felt like fire and rot. But worst of all My reflection was cracking.I stood in front of the mirror, trembling fingers tracing the faint dark lines that coiled beneath the surface of my skin. Veins black and spidering webbed up my arms like cursed ink. I had tried to cover it. Concealer. Powder. Magic glamours.But it was getting harder.It was spreading.That bastard.“Elena,” I hissed, fury curling deep in my belly like acid. “She knew this would happen.”I dug my nails into the table’s edge until I felt splinters. My lip curled, breath ragged.“She left with him. With Lykan. She stole him, stole the power, stole everything.”I paced, dragging my fingers through my once-flawless hair—hair that no longer gleamed the same way it used

119

James POV It used to be simple. I wanted Elena. Not for politics. Not even for power. I wanted her. The way her eyes lit was like something ancient lived behind them. The way she moved, like she didn’t belong to anyone. Like she didn’t even belong to this world. She was untouchable. And yet, I almost had her. Until Lykan. That mutt stole what was mine. He didn’t deserve her. He never would. He touched her like she was fragile when she was fire. He held her like she needed protecting, when what she needed was someone who could stand in the fire with her—and own it. And now? He walks beside her like some perfect Alpha, like her knight, her sword, her mate. It made me sick. She should’ve bled for leaving me. She should’ve crawled back. Instead, I was left with Sophia. A pale echo. A cracked mirror. A woman made of poison and desperation. I used to enjoy her. The vanity. The hunger. She reminded me of myself once. But now? She was nothing but a vessel. A means to an end. P

120

Elena pov The wind was a bit sharper that night. Even beneath my cloak and layers, I felt it like the forest itself had inhaled and forgotten how to exhale. We stood just at the edge of the northern ridge, the mountains casting long shadows across the snow-blanketed woods. Lykan was a silent figure beside me, tall and unreadable, his eyes fixed toward the east His jaw was tight. His hands were gloved but clenched. Something was wrong. Very wrong. I didn’t need Eira’s whispers to feel it now. The air itself vibrated with tension, like invisible threads were being pulled too tight somewhere far away, and the pull echoed inside my bones. “Kairos is moving,” Lykan said at last, voice low, gravelled. I turned my gaze to him. “You feel it too.” He nodded once. “There was a shift an hour ago. Something old entered the southern courts. Something I haven’t felt in decades.” Alpha Kairos. The name rang in my mind like a warning bell. Not because I feared him. But because I knew h

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