Semua Bab Marked by Moon Fire: Bab 171 - Bab 180

“Where is Lucien?” Nyssa asked immediately as she caught up with Gamma Hume by the pack’s gate. Her voice shook with the intensity she’d been suppressing all day, and despite her attempt to mask it, fear clung stubbornly to every word she spoke.She has been tense from the moment Lucien left the pack with Gamma Hume. Even the Queen’s constant, soft pleas for her to rest fell on deaf ears. Nyssa couldn’t rest. Not when she didn’t know if her mate was safe. She spent the entire day pacing her room back and forth, back and forth, her feet refused to stay still unless Lucien was beside her.Every few minutes she rushed to the window, peeking out with the same desperate hope, praying she’d see him walking confidently through the pack gate as he always did. Alive.But he never appeared.Until she heard the hooves of the horses.The moment she heard the sound of horses approaching, she got up, rushing toward her window. A single rider entered the gates. Only one and it was not Lucien. Her h

The next morning, the sunlight crept lazily into the Alpha’s chamber, spilling beautifully across the sheets. Nyssa stirred gently, her fingers brushed the empty space beside her. The bed was still warm, meaning Lucien hadn’t been gone long, but it was still enough to make her frown slightly. He almost always waited for her to wake first or at least kissed her forehead before slipping out, but this morning, nothing.She blinked sleep from her eyes, slowly pushing herself upright. Where could he have gone this early? She looked around the quiet room again and exhaled. Maybe he was coordinating some matters with the elders.She waited for another few minutes, expecting him to stroll in with that familiar smirk, but he didn’t. So she sighed and forced herself out of bed. After cleaning up and bathing, she dressed in a soft beige gown that complimented her skin and tied her hair loosely behind her back.There was a heaviness in her lower stomach, a strange twisting sensation she couldn’t

Nyssa found herself standing in silence.It was not the quietness of a sleeping castle, nor the familiar hush of the forest that bordered the Moonrage Pack, but something different. It pressed against her ears and settled into her bones. The air was cool and it carried the faint scent of stone and something ancient.She looked around slowly.The walls surrounding her were strange, and were carved by time. They stood high above her head and narrowed further as they stretched farther into darkness. Her heart began to race.“Lucien?” she called, her voice echoed faintly before being swallowed by the cave, but there was no answer.She turned in a slow circle, with her bare feet pressing against the cold ground. Only then did it occur to her that she did not remember arriving here. There was no obvious path behind her, nor memory of walking to this place.One moment she had been in her bed.The next, here. Fear gripped her immediately.She took a step forward, then another, testing the gro

Nyssa did not speak until they were safely back in their chambers.The door had barely closed behind them when she turned on Lucien, her eyes blazing with restrained anger. The calm she had forced upon herself in the corridor shattered the moment they were alone.“You left without telling me,” she said, her voice low but sharp. Lucien sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Nyssa—-”“No,” she cut in. “You don’t get to dismiss this by saying I needed rest. You don’t decide that for me.”He met her gaze steadily, though there was guilt in his eyes. “You were exhausted. You barely slept. I thought—”“You thought you were protecting me,” she finished bitterly. “But what you did was leave me vulnerable. I want to be part of this mission which the moon goddess gave to us. What if something had happened to me?"Lucien stepped closer. “Nothing would have happened to you.”“You don’t know that,” she snapped. “I don’t even know that anymore.”Silence fell between them, Nyssa turned away, pre

They left King Austin’s palace before dawn, with no farewell and no backward glance. Whatever illusion of safety the palace once offered had been shattered beyond repair. Lucien led the way through the forest, his senses remaining sharp, every sound setting his nerves on edge. Nyssa rode close beside him quietly, her hands rested protectively over her stomach like she could shield the life inside her from the dangers of the world.The forest felt different now. By nightfall, they were deep enough into the wilderness. Lucien decided they would stop and rest.“We’ll build a tent here,” he said, scanning the surroundings. “Just for the night.”Nyssa nodded. The trees stood too close together, He gathered some sticks together and set out a little fire close by.Lucien lay beside her, with one arm wrapped around her protectively.“Try to sleep,” he murmured. “I’m right here.”Nyssa closed her eyes, but sleep came in slowly, she opened her eyes and stared at the shadow of the fire just out