SERA'S POV
I can't stop shaking.
The video of my parents' murder plays in my mind on repeat. Their screams. The blood. Baby-me crying in the crib while Theron smiled at the camera.
Sera. Nova's voice cuts through my rage. Look at me.
I blink. I'm still in the training room. Windows are shattered from my power explosion. Ryker and Caspian stand ready to stop me if I lose control again.
I found something, Nova says, holding ancient books. In Ryker's library. Records that were supposed to be destroyed.
She spreads documents across the table. Old, yellowed papers covered in official seals.
The Blackwood exile, she explains. It was all lies. Marcus's ancestor High Council Alpha at the time he framed your family for treason they didn't commit.
My hands curl into fists. Why?
Power. Money. The Moon Court controlled massive resources. When the Blackwoods refused to participate in corruption, Marcus's ancestor accused them of treason and stole everything.
Nova flips through more papers. But it gets worse. Look' accidents recorded over generations. Every single Blackwood death for the last two hundred years.
I scan the list. Car crashes. House fires. Mysterious illnesses. All Blackwoods. All dead.
Genocide, Ryker says grimly. Systematic murder of an entire bloodline.
Your parents were the last real threat, Nova continues, tears in her eyes. Marcus ordered their assassination. Theron did it personally.
The rage building inside me is volcanic. My power crackles, making the air shimmer.
Sera, breathe Ryker starts.
NO! Silver light explodes from me. More windows shatter. The floor cracks.
My wolf howls inside my mind, demanding blood. Demanding revenge for centuries of injustice.
Channel it! Ryker shouts over the chaos. Use it in the combat tomorrow!
But I'm beyond listening. Beyond reason. The fury is too big.
Then Caspian is there, his hands on my face. The ancient oath between us flares.
My Queen, he says calmly, directly into my glowing eyes. Breathe. Don't let rage control you. You're better than that.
His voice is an anchor. Steady. Certain.
Slowly, painfully, I pull the power back in. The light fades. The shaking stops.
I'm going to kill him, I whisper. I'm going to kill Theron and Marcus and everyone who helped them.
Yes, Caspian agrees. But with control. With purpose. Not blind rage.
He's right. I know he's right.
Ryker clears his throat. The blood combat is about more than just the throne now. It's about justice for your entire bloodline.
We need evidence, I say, forcing myself to think strategically. Proof we can show all the Alphas at once.
I know where Marcus keeps the original exile documents, Caspian offers. Let me retrieve them.
No. The word comes out sharper than I intend. I need you here.
Truth is, I'm starting to depend on Caspian's steady presence. His calm when I'm chaos. But I won't admit that out loud.
I'll send my best spies, Ryker decides. They'll get the documents while we focus on keeping you alive.
A knock on the door. A guard enters, looking nervous.
My King, there's a messenger. From Alpha Thornridge.
My heart clenches. Kade.
He says he has information about Theron's enhancements, the guard continues.
Ryker growls. Tell him
Let him in, I interrupt.
Ryker and Caspian both look at me sharply.
I don't want to see him, I clarify. But I need that information.
Minutes later, Kade enters. He looks exhausted dark circles under his eyes, clothes rumpled. The mate bond surges when he sees me, and I force myself not to react.
You have information? I ask coldly.
Kade pulls out a thick folder. Everything I could find on Theron. His training, his enhancements, his weaknesses.
He spreads papers across the table. Chemical formulas. Training schedules. Medical reports.
He's using forbidden substances, Kade explains. Wolf-bane mixed with vampire blood. It makes him faster, stronger, and nearly unstoppable.
Nearly? Ryker leans forward.
It has a weakness. Silver disrupts the magic. Not just wounds him disrupts the enhancement itself. Kade meets my eyes. Hit him with enough silver, the vampire blood burns out of his system.
How did you get this? I demand.
Kade looks away. I've been hunting down everyone involved in the Blackwood murders. Interrogating them. Some required... persuasion.
You tortured people for information? Nova asks, shocked.
I did what was necessary. Kade's voice is hard. I told you, Sera. I'm fighting for you.
Ryker doesn't trust it. This could be a trap. False information to get her killed.
It's not, Kade insists. I swear on the mate bond
The bond you rejected? I snap.
Kade flinches but doesn't back down. The bond I'm spending my life trying to repair. Yes.
Caspian watches everything silently, reading the tension.
We'll verify the information, Ryker decides. If it's accurate, we'll use it. If not
It's accurate, Kade interrupts. I wouldn't risk her life with lies.
An uncomfortable silence falls.
Thank you for the information, I say formally. You can go now.
Kade looks like I stabbed him. Sera
Leave.
He obeys, but the devastation in his eyes makes my chest hurt.
After he's gone, Ryker organizes spies to verify Kade's Intel. Caspian trains me on fighting enhanced opponents. Nova researches more of Marcus's crimes.
The day passes in a blur of preparation.
Night falls. Tomorrow is the blood combat.
I stand on my balcony, watching the blood moon rise. My last night before everything changes.
One by one, they find me.
Ryker appears first. Tomorrow you fight. We'll be there, whether you want us or not.
Caspian next. You're not alone, my Queen.
Finally, Kade. He doesn't come close, just stands at the edge of the balcony. The mate bond pulses between us his regret, his determination, his desperate hope.
Three males. Each offering something different.
Ryker partnership and respect.
Caspian protection and understanding.
Kade devotion born from guilt but maybe becoming something real.
Thank you, I say to all of them. All of you. But I need to be alone now. To prepare.
They obey, leaving one by one. But I feel them nearby. Watching. Protecting.
I came back for revenge. To make everyone who hurt me pay.
But somehow, I'm building something else. Something that might be worth living for, not just dying for.
The blood moon climbs higher.
Tomorrow, I face Theron. Tomorrow, I prove I'm the true Lunar Heir.
Tomorrow, I
My thoughts cut off as pain explodes in my chest.
Not emotional pain. Physical. Burning.
I look down and see it the black mark from before, the one that appeared when Kade rejected me. It's back, spreading rapidly across my skin.
But this time it's different. It's not just black. It's moving. Writhing like it's alive.
I try to call for help, but my voice won't work.
The mark spreads to my arms, my neck, my face. Everywhere it touches burns like fire.
I collapse, gasping.
Then a voice not the Moon Goddess, not my wolf something else entirely:
You thought you knew what you were. You were wrong. The Lunar Heir is only half your truth. Tomorrow, when you fight, the other half awakens. And it will consume everything.
The mark pulses once more.
Then vanishes completely.
I'm left gasping on the balcony floor, terror flooding through me.
What am I?
And what's going to happen when I fight tomorrow?