Semua Bab Lycan's Mate : Bab 41 - Bab 50

*Starblood pack — Healer's wing*The halls of the fortress had begun to stir, but the tension in the air was thicker than before. The Lightstorm had faded but it left behind echoes. Unseen ripples. Fear that hadn’t found its voice yet. The fires had been put out, the dead buried, but something in the stones still trembled. The healers whispered of strange dreams. The guards claimed to see shadows flicker even when torches were steady. The fortress was waking but not in peace.Elder Mara moved through the healer’s wing in silence, checking on the children who had been moved there for safety. Their soft breaths filled the space, a fragile rhythm in the stillness. A handful of wolf pups stirred, sensing her presence. One reached out in their sleep, as if chasing something unseen in a dream.She paused beside a cot, tucking the blanket higher over a boy’s shoulder, then moved on. But something caught her attention near the eastern corridor, a faint humming sound. Like magic pulsing aga

*Starblood fortress — Early Morning* Crystal stood at the balcony overlooking the main training grounds, arms wrapped around herself as the early morning wind tangled in her hair. The sky was painted in the pale hues of dawn but her thoughts were far from peaceful. Below, the warriors were already rebuilding…hammering, training, sharpening blades that might never see rest again. She wasn’t part of that world anymore. Not just Luna, not her learning to heal, not even just a mate. Everything had changed. Footsteps approached behind her but she didn’t turn. She already knew it was Ryder. “I thought I was just meant to be the Luna,” she said quietly. “After Amy… after George, I thought that was the worst of it. That I would heal, love again, serve my pack, live in peace.” His silence didn’t press her, only listened. “But fate?” She let out a soft, humorless laugh. “Fate had other plans.” Ryder stepped closer, the warmth of his presence grounding her. “You’re not alone, Crystal.

*The weeping valley*The wind carried no scent, no birdcall, no distant howl, just silence that felt unnatural.Crystal stood at the crest of the hill as dusk swallowed the light from the sun. Behind her, the starblood warriors lined the terrain as they molded into readiness while gripping their weapons. Their faces were hard but it was the tension and the restraint not to look over their shoulders that said everything.The valley sprawled before them like an open wound. Ethan flanked her right, his hand resting on the hilt of his blade. Ryder stood on her left, slightly ahead, scanning the terrain with a precision honed from countless battles. Two scouts crouched at his back, their leathers blending with stone and shadow.“It's quieter than I thought it would be,” Ethan murmured beside her, his voice low.No one answered. Crystal's eyes were drawn to a row of shattered totems half-sunk in the earth

*Weeping Valley* The fog was beginning to lift. It moved slowly from the glyph-marked earth, revealing the damage left behind. Everyone's faces still reeled from the sudden revelation. Crystal stood near the edge of the cliff, watching the way the sun shined through the mist. Her shoulders ached. The mark beneath her skin had stopped burning but she still felt it. Hurried footsteps approached behind her A scout. “Alpha Ryder,” the man said, turning to bow instead toward the campfire where Ryder now stood, hunched over a table with Luca. Ryder barely lifted his head. “Speak.” “There is someone here… a messenger from the Greenwood border. They carry the Old seer’s mark.” That caught Ryder’s attention. Luca frowned. “That’s not possible.” “She’s gone,” Ryder said. “Dead or banished, no one ever knew.” “It is really her mark,” the scout said carefully. *Moments Later — Near The Camp* The messenger waited with a hood drawn over his eyes. Dust clung to his boots. He bore no w

*Greenwood Territory— Moonrise* The night settled over Greenwood. No guards paced. No torches burned. The forest lit itself with soft glows from moss-lined paths and pale crystals embedded in the roots. Crystal sat near the sacred clearing, her back against a thick-barked tree that is older than the packs themselves. Its roots curled around her, dipping into the earth and pressing against her spine. She could feel the hum of the forest, not just around her but within. Her wolf stirred quietly, as if it too recognized this place. Veen had marked the ground with a mixture of ash and water, drawing runes. They pulsed faintly, reacting to Crystal’s presence. Ryder crouched beside her, adjusting the blanket draped across her legs. His armor clinked softly with the movement, but his eyes stayed on hers. “You don’t have to do this,” he murmured, his voice rough with something unsaid. “I do,” she replied. “If I’m the key, then I need to know what I unlock.” His jaw worked, t