บททั้งหมดของ Alpha's Regret: The Forsaken Luna: บทที่ 71 - บทที่ 80

Darius's POVThe war council gathered two days after Nyx returned.Not the full pack—just the people who mattered. Who could actually help. Who wouldn't panic at what we were proposing.Rhiannon sat at the table's head. Still weak. Still recovering. But present. Focused. Her gray eyes tracked everyone who entered.No silver glow. No power radiating from her skin.But she held herself like the Phantom anyway. Like magic was just one weapon in an arsenal she'd built from nothing.Thorne entered first. His one good eye swept the room, lingered on Rhiannon, moved on. He took the seat to her left without asking permission.Cade followed. Then Sera, supporting a limping Nyx whose arm was still splinted from the Archives attack. Marcus came last, moving carefully around ribs that were healing but not healed.My core council. The people I trusted with impossible tasks."Thank you for coming," I said."Like we had a choice." Thorne's voice was flat. "You called a war council. We came.""Not a

Rhiannon's POVI didn't sleep that night.Couldn't.Every time I closed my eyes, I heard his voice. "I thought if I rejected you, you'd leave. You'd be hurt but alive."He'd chosen my life over our love.And I'd spent five years hating him for it.I sat at the window watching dawn break over Crescent Moon. The training yard below was already filling—wolves preparing for the day's drills, weapons being distributed, the organized chaos of a pack at war.Two weeks.Two weeks to get ready. To recover my magic. To become strong enough to infiltrate a vampire fortress and rescue my son.Two weeks that might not be enough.A knock at the door."Come in."Nyx entered carrying a tray. Tea. Bread. Something that smelled like herbs."You should eat," she said."I should train.""You should eat THEN train." She set the tray down. "Your body is still recovering from burnout. You can't rebuild magic reserves on an empty stomach."I took the bread. Forced myself to eat even though it tasted like ash

Darius's POVThe second war council was smaller.Just the five of us who'd actually go on the mission. Rhiannon, me, Nyx, Sera, and Marcus.One week left.The maps were spread across the table again. Same tunnel schematics. Same ward configurations. But this time we were drilling down into details that could mean the difference between success and death."The seal on the tunnel entrance," Sera said, tracing the marking with her finger, "is keyed to recognize vampire magic. It won't let anyone else through.""Can you break it?" I asked."Maybe. If it's degraded enough. Two hundred years is a long time for magic to hold without maintenance." She pulled out notes from the Archives. "The spell structure suggests it was designed to keep humans out—monks who might try to reclaim the monastery. Not to defend against witches or Chimeras.""So there's a weakness," Rhiannon said."There's always a weakness. Question is whether I can find it before Bloodletters find us." Sera looked up. "I'll ne

Rhiannon's POVDay twelve.I woke before dawn. Body aching from yesterday's training. The bond humming quietly in the back of my mind—constant now, no longer flickering.Darius was already awake. I could feel him through the connection. Worried. Determined. Awake in his own quarters thinking about the mission.Three days.I pushed the bond awareness aside. Dressed. Headed to the training yard.Nyx was already there."You're early," she said."Can't sleep.""Neither can half the pack. Word's spread about the rescue." She gestured to the empty yard. "They're giving you space. Watching from windows. Hoping.""No pressure then.""None at all." She smiled slightly. "Show me what you accomplished last night."I closed my eyes. Reached for the wolf.It came easier than before. Like the form was waiting just beneath my skin instead of buried deep.I shifted.Silver wolf. Complete. Whole.Held it for forty-five seconds before exhaustion hit.Shifted back."Better," Nyx said. "But still not eno

Darius's POVDay thirteen.Forty-eight hours until departure.The final war council convened at noon. Everyone looked exhausted. Rhiannon most of all—she'd slept six hours but it wasn't enough. Not after pushing herself to smoke form repeatedly throughout the night.But her eyes were clear. Focused."The letter goes out today," Nyx said, sliding the final draft across the table. "Formal request for negotiation. Offering Rhiannon in exchange for Soren. Arrival time: dawn, day fifteen. Main gate.""While we actually arrive the night before," Sera said. "Eastern slope. Service tunnel. Break the seal while Malachar's forces are positioned for morning arrival.""Timing is critical," Marcus added. "We need at least four hours inside the fortress to find Soren, extract him, and escape before dawn when they expect us at the gate.""Four hours in a vampire fortress," Thorne said. He'd been silent until now. "With nine Bloodletters and who knows what other defenses. You'll be lucky to survive f