“Do it quickly, I can still hold them off!”
Pollux had fully shifted into his wolf form as the vampire lunged at him from the front. His fangs and claws dug into the vampire’s shoulders, fighting with a ferocity that made me want to assist him immediately. But my hands needed to stay where they were, palms open, channeling energy to destroy the blood crystal floating before me.
The sounds of battle around me were a constant distraction. The snarls, the clash of teeth against teeth, and the howls of wolves reverberated through the air. My fists clenched tightly, my jaw locked. But then, a commanding voice rang through the mind link, cutting through my turmoil. It was Alpha Castor’s order.
“Focus, Luna Godiva. That’s the only way.”
I nodded silently, regaining my concentration. With a measured breath, I extended my hands further. The blood crystal in front of me quivered, almost as if resisting the power I was pouring into it.
“With the power of the Moon Goddess, I, Luna Godiva, call upon the Lunas who have sacrificed their blood to rise with me and shatter the darkness before it takes over this realm.”
Suddenly, a warmth coursed from my neck to my head. It felt as though a piece of metal had encircled my forehead. It was light but emanated an undeniable strength. My hair lifted, swept by a sudden gust of wind spiraling around where I stood. I felt my energy multiply, as if a dormant wellspring had been unleashed within me.
“Godiva…”
The voice was soft, filling the space in my mind. “Mother?” I whispered, hardly daring to believe.
“I’m within you. The diadem will help you complete the ritual and fight those vampires. In your wolf form, you’ll be able to confront them, but after this, you’ll lose your life. Are you ready?”
Those words were the truth I had been bracing for. I had suspected that a great sacrifice would be the only way forward. As the strongest Luna and a direct descendant of the Moon Goddess, my destiny has always been clear. With unwavering determination, I nodded slightly and closed my eyes.
“I’m ready, Mother.”
The energy of the Lunas, who had sacrificed their blood to the vampires, began to flow into me. Their voices were faint but heart-wrenching. They whispered, each conveying their pain and suffering before succumbing to darkness. Each murmur broke my heart but also fueled my resolve. Sympathy and sorrow mingled within me, and with it, the power in my hands grew stronger. The blood crystal, once solid, began to crack.
“Just a little more,” I murmured to myself, my voice barely audible above the roar of the wind.
Finally, the cracks spread, and the blood crystal shattered into glittering fragments before dissolving entirely. The dark energy that had oppressed the air dissipated, replaced by a warm light radiating from within me.
I opened my eyes just as Pollux defeated the last vampire. His massive wolf form stood tall, panting heavily but exuding triumph. He glanced at me before shifting back into his human form, his weary smile broad.
“I knew you could do it,” he said, pride lacing his tone.
I offered a faint smile, though my body was drained. We had no time to celebrate this small victory. A greater threat still loomed ahead.
We hurried back to Trionia, where the Moonstone pack and the Alliance were locked in combat. The evening sky provided a dramatic backdrop to their fierce battle. As we arrived, the sounds of howls and the clash of forces filled the air.
Castor greeted us with a determined look. “You did it. Kruglov is at ten o’clock, moving swiftly. Distract him, and I’ll tear his heart out myself.”
I nodded, ready to shift into my wolf form. “I’ll draw him out. He’s eager to kill me.”
The battle in Trionia raged on with ferocity. The wolves of the Moonstone pack fought valiantly, while the Alliance provided support from afar, firing silver-laden weapons. I stood in the thick of it, alongside Castor, Pollux, and Alvise, each of us facing wave after wave of relentless vampire attacks.
I had nearly cornered Kruglov, the right-hand man of the cruel Death Sanguines leader. My final strike drove him to the edge of a towering cliff overlooking the sea. I could feel the tide of victory nearing. Without hesitation, I planted my hind legs firmly, preparing to pounce.
My fangs closed around his neck. The satisfying crackling of bone spurred me to tighten my grip. Ahead of us, Castor approached with measured steps. One powerful paw raised, then swung, landing squarely on Kruglov’s chest, creating a cavity to extract his heart. Castor relished the act, asserting his dominance as the primal predator. When I was sure Kruglov had met his end, I tossed his lifeless body into the fire that the Alliance had prepared for burning vampire corpses.
Something felt wrong. An unease lingered in my mind. Too easy, I thought. I sharpened my senses, seeking any hint of further danger.
And I was right.
A high-pitched laugh pierced the air, breaking my concentration. From the shadows of the trees, two figures emerged. The first was a man with dark, hate-filled eyes-Virgil. But the figure beside him left me stunned.
“Kayleigh?”
Someone I once called my cousin stood there, but not as I remembered her. Her skin was pale, her eyes glowed red, and her smile revealed sharp fangs. I shifted back into my human form to speak to her.
“It’s delightful to see the confusion on your face, Godiva,” she said, her voice cold and mocking. “You think you’ve won? This is only the beginning.”
Virgil laughed, joining Kayleigh’s derision. “What’s your next move, Luna Godiva? Save the world? Or perhaps accept your fate?”
I didn’t respond, too shocked to speak. The single question that dominated my thoughts was the only one I could grasp at that moment: How could Kayleigh have become one of them?
“Everything is going according to my plan. I’ve been waiting for your departure from this world, Godiva, to meet your mother in the afterlife,” Virgil taunted, his grin sharp and his gaze piercing.
“What do you mean?” I asked, my voice hoarse.
His words sank deep. A plan? Was this all a trap?
“You think you’ve won? What makes you believe that destroying us is the end?”
I forced myself to stand firm, ignoring the turmoil in my heart. As I looked at Kayleigh’s hardened expression, mirroring Virgil’s, the harsh truth hit me like a slap.
This was a trap.
They had been waiting for my demise.