I stormed through the Crescent Moon gates like a beast unleashed.
Pack members parted without a word, eyes averted, sensing the tempest rolling off me. My fury was a living thing, crackling beneath my skin like lightning desperate to strike.
Her voice wouldn’t stop echoing in my head.
Says the man who replaced me so easily a few years ago? No, thank you.
I gritted my teeth, my fists clenched so tightly my nails cut into my palms. How dare she speak to me like that? As if I had no right to be angry, to be protective? As if Lucien—some white-knight bastard who just happened to be there when she broke—had earned what I’d lost?
She had no idea. None.
The wind whipped at my coat as I climbed the stone steps toward the Seer’s chamber, fury pushing me forward with every step. If I couldn’t make Felicia listen to me now, I’d find a way to force truth into the open. I needed answers. Not for her approval. Not for my pride.
For justice.
For Orion.
I shoved the heavy door open.
The scent of burning herbs struck me immediately—sweet, cloying, with a bitter edge that settled in my throat. The chamber was dim, lit only by dozens of low-burning candles. Shadows danced across the walls, flickering like spirits.
She was already waiting.
Cross-legged on a raised platform, the Seer sat still as stone. Long silver hair cascaded down her back, her pale fingers drawing unseen patterns in the air. She didn’t look up when I entered—but she didn’t need to.
“I felt your presence long before you arrived,” she murmured, her voice the sound of wind through graveyards.
“I don’t have time for riddles,” I snapped. “Tell me what you see. The rogue attack on Moonveil—who sent them?”
Her eyes opened slowly. Silver. Shimmering. Too ancient for a body so alive.
“Ah,” she whispered, with a hint of knowing amusement. “You come not just seeking truth… but vengeance.”
I stepped closer, hands shaking, jaw clenched. “I don’t give a damn what you think I came for. Just tell me.”
She didn’t flinch. Her eyes closed again, and as they did, the air in the room thickened. Coldness crept in like fog, and the candle flames flickered, growing long and thin.
Magic stirred.
She drew in a breath—slow, deep—and the world seemed to still.
Then she spoke.
“The one behind the attack,” she said, voice distant, like it came from a place I couldn’t reach, “is someone you… deeply hate.”
I stiffened. My heart pounded like a war drum.
Hate.
Only one name rose like poison from the depths of me.
Lucien.
My jaw clenched so tight it ached. “It’s him,” I growled. “It has to be.”
She didn’t answer—but she didn’t deny it either.
“It makes sense,” I said, the pieces falling into place too neatly, too fast to ignore. “He was right there. Acting like a savior. Playing protector. But what if he planned the whole damn thing? What if he sent those rogues to kill Orion—so Felicia would have nowhere else to turn?”
My mind spun with the possibilities. Every quiet look Lucien gave her. Every too-convenient gesture. It wasn’t kindness—it was strategy. He’d destroyed her foundation so he could build a new one around himself.
So he could claim what was mine.
Felicia. Danny. Max.
He’d stolen them from the inside out.
My claws itched to extend, fury threading through my veins like wildfire. I could barely think.
“She doesn’t even see it,” I muttered. “She thinks he’s her shield, her home. But he’s the reason she lost everything.”
The Seer finally opened her eyes again. Calm. Watchful. As if studying a man unraveling.
“Now that you believe you know the truth,” she said softly, “what will you do with it?”
I took a step back, breathing hard, pulse thundering in my ears. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to scream or rip the truth out of Lucien’s throat myself.
But I knew one thing:
Felicia needed to know. She had to know.
“I’m going to tell her,” I growled. “Even if she doesn’t want to hear it.”
The Seer gave me a long, unreadable look. “Then prepare yourself, Alpha. Because truth… is never simple.”
I turned without answering, pushing through the heavy door once more.
I wasn’t looking for simple.
I was looking for blood.