Beneath the Alpha's Moon
Chapter 220: Together Again

Chapter 220: Together Again

Liam’s P.O.V.

"You’ll find out soon enough."

I barely had a moment to react before something unseen grabbed me and slammed me against the cold, hard wall. Pain exploded across my back like a thunderclap, rattling my bones. My vision blackened at the edges, stars bursting in my line of sight. The impact knocked the breath from my lungs, leaving me gasping.

I slid down, my hands weakly scraping against the smooth stone floor as I tried to get up. My arms trembled, but I forced myself to my feet, swallowing the bile that threatened to rise. My chest heaved with each breath.

"What is this place?" My voice came out hoarse, barely above a whisper.

The three women stood before me, their black veils concealing their faces, their eerie presence making the air feel heavier, suffocating.

"You have been given to us as a sacrifice," one of them said, her voice like silk wrapped around steel.

Sacrifice?

The second woman tilted her head, her movements unnervingly slow. "The one you call Eldur has marked you."

Eldur.

And Mr. Dawson.

Realization slammed into me harder than any physical blow could. They had tricked me. I had walked into this willingly, thinking I was making a deal for saving Mai. My instincts had warned me, but I hadn’t listened.

The third woman stepped forward, her presence sending a shiver down my spine. "You are never leaving this place."

I clenched my fists, rage and terror battling within me. "Why?" My voice cracked, the desperation leaking through. "What did I do to you?"

The first woman chuckled, a sound devoid of humor. "It does not matter. The lamb is pure but yet it gets killed every single time for the needs of others."

The second woman raised her hand. I barely had time to brace myself before pain erupted in my chest. It was unlike anything I had ever felt—like molten fire creeping through my veins, clawing at my insides. My body arched, my throat raw from the scream that tore free.

The witches did not stop.

Their torture was deliberate, slow, as if they were savoring every second of my suffering. They used magic to flay my skin without breaking it, to twist my bones without shattering them. They forced my nerves to burn as though I were being set ablaze from the inside out. The pain would ease for just a moment—only to return twice as brutal.

Days blurred together.

Time lost meaning.

I hadn’t eaten. Hadn’t slept. Hadn’t rested.

I couldn’t fight.

I couldn’t even beg.

I had nothing left.

North, I croaked inside my mind, barely able to form words.

"I’m so sorry, Liam." His voice was thick with guilt, raw with regret. "I didn’t know. I swear I didn’t know. I thought Dawson’s offer was real—I thought he was helping us. I failed you."

I closed my eyes. My body convulsed from another wave of torment. "It doesn’t matter now. I’m not making it out of this."

"No." North’s voice hardened. "No, Liam. I won’t let this happen."

I felt the shift begin before I understood what he was doing.

Pain exploded through my limbs, but this time, it was different. My body stretched, bones cracking, fur bursting through my skin. North wasn’t just shifting—he was forcing me to let him take control.

I collapsed onto all fours, my fur matted with sweat and blood. But the pain...

It was all his now.

North took it all.

And he didn’t scream.

The witches continued their torment, their magic sinking its claws into my body—but it was North who endured. His growls rumbled through my chest, but he refused to give them the satisfaction of his suffering.

I lost track of time.

Of who I was.

Of everything except the agony.

At some point, my mind slipped further away. My body felt foreign, like I was watching myself from the outside. I thought of Mai—her unique eyes, the way she always demanded my attention. She always said the voices in her head disappeared whenever I was around. I wanted her to know she did the same for me.

I missed her.

I missed my parents.

Goddess’s, my parents. I had left them again. Would they ever forgive me?

Would I even get the chance to find out?

By the fifth day, I was more ghost than man. I no longer knew if I was awake or dreaming. Every breath I took was borrowed time. I could feel my body shutting down. I could feel death waiting.

And then—

Light.

Bright. Blinding. Consuming.

The room ignited in white fire, so intense that even the witches shrieked in pain. Their voices, always controlled and taunting, turned into wails of agony as the light struck them down.

One by one.

Dead.

Just like that.

I stared, my body too weak to process what had happened. The only thing that remained was the glow—an ethereal, pulsing light hovering before me.

It turned, facing me.

And then it moved.

Toward me.

I tried to back away, but I had no strength left. My vision blurred as the light enveloped me, sinking into my skin, wrapping around my soul.

And then—

Nothing.

Just silence.

Darkness.

And the weightless feeling of being pulled away from everything I had ever known.

Mai’s P.O.V.

The woman who called herself the Moon Goddess stepped forward, her strange glow formed soft shadows across the ruined floor. There was something unsettlingly gentle in the way she moved, her presence both calming and suffocating. She stopped just inches from me, her luminous eyes filled with something I didn’t recognize—pity, maybe? Understanding?

"My dear child," she murmured, tilting her head as if studying me. "What have you done to yourself?"

Before I could react, her hand lifted, fingers grazing my face, tucking a stray curl behind my ear with a tenderness that made my chest tighten. Her touch sent an unfamiliar warmth through me, something soft and foreign—something I wanted to tear away.

I flinched back, narrowing my eyes. "Don’t touch me." My voice came out sharper than I wanted, but I didn’t care. "I don’t trust you. For all I know, this is just another one of Eldur’s tricks to stop me from killing him."

From the ground, Eldur coughed—a wet, rasping sound, his throat still raw from my magic’s grip. He shot me a glare before turning his bloodshot eyes to the woman. "She’s not from me," he rasped, dragging himself into a kneeling position. "But I don’t believe she’s the Moon Goddess either. That woman is a myth. Any witch could have appeared like that."

The woman let out a soft laugh. Not mocking. Not scornful. Just... amused.

Her laughter was unlike anything I had ever heard. It was pure, like the sound of wind chimes on a crisp autumn morning, or the lull of waves against the shore. It sent a shiver through my spine, the kind of feeling you get when you stand too close to something far greater than yourself.

"Oh, children," she said, shaking her head as though we had just told her something delightfully foolish. "We will discuss who I am later. For now, we need more voices in this conversation."

I frowned, my fingers twitching at my sides. "What are you talking about? What voices?"

She only smiled. That serene, knowing kind of smile that made my stomach churn.

Then, she lifted her hand and waved it once, delicate as a whisper.

The air changed around us.

A sharp pulse of energy cracked through the space like a thunderclap, sending a rush of pressure through my ears. The very fabric of reality rippled before me, the world bending and reshaping itself as figures materialized out of thin air.

First—my parents.

Alpha Lucian and Luna Teresa Blackwood.

My father’s towering frame was tense, his sharp gaze already scanning the room for threats. My mother, regal, held herself with that quiet, deadly composure that seemed like it could have a great effect on lesser beings who would definitely cower in her presence.

Then—Ollie and Elizabeth.

Ollie looked like he had been in the middle of a conversation, his mouth slightly open in shock. Elizabeth, standing beside him, had her usual serious expression, but I caught the slight narrowing of her eyes—the way she was already trying to make sense of what was happening.

And then—

Two more figures appeared. A strange man and a woman. I didn’t recognize them. But they carried themselves like they were important, like they had power coiled beneath their skin, waiting to strike.

I barely had time to process them before the final figure materialized.

Him.

Liam.

My breath hitched, my entire body locking up as I saw him.

He was kneeling, his body trembling—weak. His clothes were torn, stained with something dark. His face was pale, his blond hair falling into his bruised, hollow eyes. His scars were more prominent than ever, cutting across his forehead like cruel reminders of the past.

And gods, he looked—

Broken.

A tight, suffocating sensation wrapped around my chest, something raw and aching clawing its way up my throat.

I stepped forward before I even realized what I was doing.

"Liam," I breathed.

His head jerked up at the sound of my voice, his bright blue eyes locking onto mine. For a moment, there was nothing but silence. Then—

"Mai..." His voice cracked.

"You’re ok," he added weakly like he was about to pass out.

I swallowed hard, pushing past the lump in my throat. "You look like shit."

A ghost of a laugh escaped him, breathless and weak. "You don’t look much better."

I let out a scoff, but it lacked any real bite. My hands twitched at my sides, my instincts screaming at me to run to him, to make sure he was real—to make sure he was alive.

The Moon Goddess watched us, her luminous gaze flat.

"This," she said softly, "is why we needed everyone here."

I tore my gaze from Liam, turning back to the glowing woman. "What the hell is going on?"

She smiled again. And this time—

It felt like the beginning of something unstoppable.

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