Zyra snapped her head toward the shadows.
There, standing in the shadows , was Celestine. Her hazel eyes were sharp, cold, but beneath that unreadable expression lurked something far worse—disappointment.
She had been watching.
Not just the fight, but everything. The barely restrained rage in Zyra's stance. The way Ciara had provoked her. The way Liora, confused and overwhelmed, had stood away between them.
And she had seen the moment Zyra lost control.
A Lunarion wolf had run to fetch her, breathless and frantic, whispering what was happening in the tavern. She had come expecting to see Zyra standing strong, unshaken. Instead, she found her late Alpha's daughter baring her teeth over a meaningless scuffle.
Celestine took a slow step forward, her presence enough to silence the murmuring crowd.
"Mother" ,Zyra called out lowly and in a disappointed manner.
"What is wrong with you, Zyra?" Her voice cut through the night like steel against stone. "What are you doing? And all for this silly little thing?" She barely even looked at Ciara ,her piercing gaze was on Zyra. "can you tell me why you are embarrassing yourself in this manner Zyra?"
Zyra's breath was heavy, her body still pulsing with adrenaline of battle. But Celestine's words hit her deeper than she wanted to admit.
The last time someone had spoken to her this way , with her gaze full of disappointment was her mother.
Liora felt uncomfortable where she stood, her blue eyes flickered between Zyra and Celestine. Ciara folded her fists glaring at them, but wisely said nothing. The watchers around them held their breath, waiting for the inevitable clash.
But Celestine took another step forward.
"Tell me, Zyra," she said, her voice softer now—but no less sharp. "Is this who you've become? Is this what your mother's heir has been reduced to?"
A muscle in Zyra's jaw twitched. The mention of her mother was a low blow. And Celestine knew it.
But maybe that was the point.
Because Zyra suddenly felt the weight of not just this night, but of everything pressing down on her shoulders. The bond. The rivalry. The fact that, no matter how much she fought it, something in her had begun to unravel, the hate she had always had for the people who had killed her parents.
And Celestine? She saw it all , she pressed harder.
"You are fighting for dominance with a fool from Moonveil over an equally big fool from Moonveil," Celestine said coldly, snapping her gaze to Liora
The words struck like a lash.
Liora flinched, the drunken haze in her eyes instantly fading. It wasn't just an insult—it was a direct slap and the weight of it screams sheer dismissal.
"Hey!" Liora's voice cut into Celestine's speech , her posture shifting as she walked towards the Beta. "Who are you to call us fools?"
Celestine barely spared her a glance, her expression unreadable. "I am someone who knows when wolves are acting like children." She turned back to Zyra, her lips pressing into a thin line. "And you, Zyra—" her voice dipped into something dangerously close to disappointment "—are proving to be no different."
Zyra's hands curled into fists, a growl rising in her throat, but something in Celestine's gaze held her still. The weight of history, of expectations, of a past she hadn't confronted fully, to exact her revenge on the pack who took her parents from her and posed a threat to their dominance and lives.
Ciara, who had been quiet up until now, let out a dry chuckle, wiping a bit of blood from her lip. "Well, this is just lovely. A family intervention, right in the middle of beating up an insolent Lunarion."
Zyra shot her a glare that could have melted steel, but Celestine ignored the interruption entirely. "Go home, Zyra."
The order was quiet but absolute.
Zyra's jaw clenched. The True Blood Alpha in her rebelled against the command, but the part of her raised by her mother's most trusted Beta knew better, she is like a mother to her. Celestine was right. This wasn't who she was meant to be, she should care less about anything concerning the stupid pack , even her wolf has to learn to keep calm yet she let it go feral for useless things like Moonveil's.
The crowd stood wasted in what was going on and murmured, eagerly waiting to see what Zyra would do next.
Would she submit? Would she fight?
But Zyra simply turned away, stepping past Celestine without a word.
The message was clear.
This wasn't over.
And for the first time that night, Liora wasn't sure whether that thought excited her or terrified her.
‐‐‐
The night air was thick with murmurs as the wolves dispersed, their whispers echoing through the darkened streets. Though the fight had ended, the spectacle of it remained fresh on their tongues.
A Lunarion True Blood Alpha, fighting with an ordinary Alpha over a Moonveil Omega? Unheard of.
But as the gossip faded into the night, each wolf returned to their homes, but the evening drama was still living rent free in their minds.
---
Liora sat on the edge of her bed, head in her hands. The effects of the alcohol had dulled, leaving her with a pounding headache—and an even worse reality.
The bond.
The fight.
The way Zyra had reacted.
She exhaled sharply, trying to push it all away when the door to her chambers swung open.
Aldric Veylan, Liora's father, stood in the doorway of her room, his presence oozing with authority. His sharp gray eyes flickered over her disheveled state, and his expression darkened.
"What is wrong with you, Liora?" His voice was low but firm he proceeded to ask again. "When did you start drinking and going to the tavern?"
Liora scowled. "It was just one night, Father."
"One night is a lot and more than enough to harm you ," he snapped, stepping further into the room. "You are the leader of this pack, and yet you went over there acting like a reckless pup. Drinking, making a spectacle of yourself , a thing to be looked at and mocked at , allowing that True Blood to get under your skin." His gaze hardened. "pull yourself together."
Liora bristled, her pride flaring. "I don't need a lecture—"
But Aldric had already turned to Sera, who stood by the door, watching cautiously.
"From this moment on," Aldric ordered, "she is not to leave this room. Confine her here at all times."
Liora's head snapped up. "Father, you can't really do that, you cant be serious."
"I can, my dear, and I will," he said sharply. "Until you learn not to behave like a six-year-old. You are twenty-five, Liora. A leader. Start acting like one."
Liora's nails dug into her palms as she clenched them. "And how long do you plan to keep me in here father?"
"Until we figure out how to do away with this bond," Aldric declared. "Until then, you are to stay away from that True Blood. No contact. Ever again."
Liora clenched her jaw, her expression unreadable. Then she exhaled, forcing a nod.
"I don't plan to see her, Father."
Aldric studied her for a moment, as if searching for a lie. Finally, satisfied, he gave a curt nod.
"Good."
With that being said, he turned and walked out, leaving Liora and Sera alone in the heavy silence, they stared at each other.
But as soon as the door shut, Liora screamed into her bed in frustration. Her fingers curled into the bedsheets, her mind was racing, thinking about the incident at the tavern , she wanted to escape the Alpha by drinking but look what it caused , she sighed and Sera walked down to her bed and sat beside her Patting her back.
‐‐-
In a room there was a dim glow of candlelight, a slow, wicked and eerie laugh echoed through the chamber. Veyron Deuce sitted on his throne, his fingers thumping against the armrest as his crimson eyes gleamed with satisfaction.
Before him knelt Valden, his most trusted informant, head bowed in deference.
"So," Veyron murmured, amusement lacing his voice. "The True Blood Alpha brawled like a rabid beast… over the Moonveil Omega?"
"Yes, my lord," Valden confirmed. "It was quite the spectacle. The bond between them is unraveling them both."
Veyron hummed, a wicked smirk curled on his lips.
"Perfect."
He leaned forward, his voice almost inaudible, just like a whisper.
"Everything will fall into place and then we will strike."
The candlelight flickered violently—
And the shadows in the room deepened.