When Orion's fist hit Lucien in the jaw, blood flew all over the forest floor. The alpha with auburn hair fell backwards but quickly got up, his eyes shining with deadly purpose.
"Stop!" Celeste screamed and forced herself to stand, even though she felt weak and wanted to fall back into the darkness. The image of Lucien standing over her mother's body made her head hurt. Both men froze, their wolves responding to the power in her voice.
Lucien wiped the blood from his mouth and said, "You're too weak to stand."
"Don't tell me what I can't do," Celeste yelled back. Her heart was beating so fast and so terribly that she turned to Orion. They didn't want to be together, but the mate bond was still alive and well between them. "Why are you here?"
"I know you didn't kill Seraphina," Orion said, his eyes never leaving her face. "That knife wasn't yours. Someone planted it."
"So now you believe me?" Bitter laughter left her lips. "After you let them hurt me? After you watched and did nothing?"
Orion flinched as if she'd struck him. "I was wrong. Something... something was clouding my judgment."
"A spell," Lucien interrupted. "Cast by Seraphina herself. She knew Celeste was your true mate and couldn't bear to lose you."
Celeste's legs gave out. She would have fallen if Orion hadn't moved with incredible speed to catch her. The moment his hands touched her skin, pain shot through them both. The mate bond flared like a wounded animal, trying to heal what had been broken.
"Let go of me," she gasped.
"I can't." His voice cracked. "Celeste, please—"
"She said let go," Lucien growled, stepping forward.
Reluctantly, Orion freed her, though his eyes never left her face. "You need medical attention. Come back with me to the pack. I'll protect you."
"Like you protected me before?" Celeste shook her head. "I'd rather die in these woods."
A twig snapped nearby. All three turned as Elena emerged from the trees, a grim look on her face.
"We need to move," she said. "Shadow Council hunters are closing in. They picked up your smell, Blackwood."
Orion cursed under his breath. "They're tracking me?"
"You led them straight to her," Lucien charged.
Celeste clutched Seraphina's journal tighter, remembering the coded words inside. "We can't let them catch us. Not until we find the Chamber of Moons."
"You're in no condition to run," Elena said, studying Celeste's pale face and the dried blood under her nose. "Using your power is draining your life force. Without good training, it will kill you."
"Then train me," Celeste ordered.
"I can't. But I know someone who can." Elena paused. "Martha."
Celeste stared at her. "Martha? The pack cook? What does she know about Moon Blessed power?"
"More than she ever let on." Elena looked grim. "She was your mother's best friend and confidant. She knows things about your background that even I don't."
The sound of howls rang through the forest—hunters, closing in.
"We need to split up," Lucien decided. "Elena, take Celeste to Martha. I'll make a diversion."
"I'm coming with Celeste," Orion stated.
"No," Celeste and Lucien said simultaneously.
Hurt flashed across Orion's face, quickly replaced by determination. "The pack thinks you killed my mate. They won't harm me. Let me lead them away."
Celeste paused, torn between hatred and the pull of the bond. "Fine," she finally agreed. "But this changes nothing between us."
Orion's eyes darkened with pain. "I don't expect forgiveness. I just want to make this right."
Before she could answer, he leaned forward and pressed something into her palm—a small silver key.
"This was hidden in Seraphina's things," he whispered. "I think it unlocks something important."
Their fingers brushed, and the mate bond surged again, sending waves of pain and longing through them both. Celeste bit her lip to keep from crying out.
"Go," she managed, pulling away.
With one last look of raw pain, Orion turned and ran in the opposite direction, howling to draw attention away from them.
Elena tugged at Celeste's arm. "Now. While we have a chance."
They moved quietly through the woods, Lucien disappearing in another direction. Celeste's mind raced as they went. If Lucien had killed her mother, why help her now? Why did Seraphina write about him in her journal? And what did Martha know?
Night had fallen by the time they reached the edges of pack territory. The small house sat apart from the others, smoke curling from its chimney.
"Martha lives alone," Elena stated. "After your mother died, she withdrew from pack life. Most think she's just a bitter old cook."
Celeste approached the door carefully. Before she could knock, it swung open. Martha stood there, her wrinkled face showing no surprise. Instead, her eyes filled with tears.
"I've been waiting for you," she whispered. "Ever since the bond spell began to break. Come in, child. Quickly."
The small house was warm and smelled of herbs. Martha locked the door behind them and drew the blinds tight.
"Show me," she said, putting out her hand.
Celeste hesitated before putting Seraphina's journal in her palm. Martha flipped through it, nodding as if confirming what she already knew.
"Your sister discovered the truth too late," she murmured. "Just like your mother."
"What truth?" Celeste demanded. "What do you know about me? About the Moon Blessed?"
Martha set the book down and reached for a box on the mantel. From it, she pulled a worn photograph.
"This was taken the day you were born," she said, giving it to Celeste.
The picture showed a younger Martha standing beside Celeste's mother, who held a newborn with a strange silver mark on her shoulder—a crescent moon.
"Your mother wasn't who you think she was," Martha said softly. "And neither was your father."
Celeste's head spun. "What do you mean?"
"Harold Nightshade is not your real father," Martha confessed. "Your true father was the last male Moon Blessed. He died protecting your mother when the Shadow Council came for them both."
Celeste's world twisted. "Then who—"
"Your real father," Martha added, her voice dropping to a whisper, "was Lucien Valehart's older brother."
The room went silent except for Celeste's shocked breaths.
"That's not possible," she finally managed. "That would make Lucien my—"
"Uncle," Martha finished. "The man who just helped you escape is your mother's brother-in-law. The man who swore a blood oath to protect you... right after he killed your mother."
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