All Chapters of Lunar Lake: Chapter 91 - Chapter 93

91 (Tyler’s POV) The ritual circle around the grave was almost finished. Wolfsbane and mountain ash had been mixed with iron filings and spread in a wide perimeter. Salt lines were reinforced with sacred glyphs carved into stone markers at the cardinal points. Celia, shoulder to shoulder with Carson’s witch, muttered a final incantation that made the air buzz and the earth shudder. I stood with Kate just outside the circle, watching the final seal set like concrete hardening in place. Her fingers were laced with mine, but her grip wasn’t strong. It was too light, like she was saving her strength. I didn’t comment there was too much riding on this moment. Camerin paced near the southern line, eyes flicking constantly toward the forest. He trusted the magic as much as any warrior would, which meant not at all. Micah stood guard on the northern line, having the same doubts as Camerin. The witch pressed her palms into the ground. Wind picked up from nowhere. The trees moaned. Then t

93 (Kathryn’s POV) Lena arrived not long after the guards took their posts outside the tent. She didn’t waste time with small talk. “Sit,” she ordered, already rolling up the sleeves of her jacket and digging in the leather pouch slung over her shoulder. I sat on the edge of the cot, arms crossed. “You’re looking for a mark?” “Something like that,” she murmured, pulling out a vial of dark red liquid, a small silver disk etched with runes, and a stick of chalk that smelled faintly of sage. Tyler stood behind her, arms folded, watching like a hawk. Celia lingered near the tent flap, clearly trying to stay out of my line of sight. Lena poured a single drop of the red liquid into her palm and rubbed it between her hands until it shimmered faintly. “Give me your hands.” I hesitated, then extended them. She gripped them firmly, tracing her thumbs over my skin, up my forearms, and then along my jawline. Her touch was clinical, searching for something I couldn’t feel. “Any burning, t