BloodMoon: Captivated by the Forbidden Lycan Alpha
Chapter 188: THE TIDEFIRE WALL

Chapter 188: THE TIDEFIRE WALL

"One touch of nature makes the whole realm kin."

The wind carried salt and the copper tang of old blood. I stood barefoot on the beach, sand gritty beneath my toes, the sea restless at the edge of my vision. The vampire army had vanished over that horizon hours ago, and I still didn’t trust it.

Wave Bolt stood a step behind me, his frame tense, arms crossed over his chest. The sea breeze tugged at his short, dark hair, and I saw a spark flicker along his forearm, residual static occasionally, a reminder of what lived under his skin.

"They’re gone," he said, voice even but edged with exhaustion.

I didn’t look at him. My gaze stayed fixed on that distant line where the waves met the grey sky. "Then why do I feel like they’re not?"

Wave moved to stand beside me, glancing sideways. "Because you don’t like unanswered questions. And neither do I."

I exhaled slowly. "They didn’t even fight on the way out. No rear charge. No desperate fury. Just... silence. Vampires don’t retreat like that."

Wave’s jaws tightened. "Unless they’re planning something worse."

A sharp nod. "Exactly."

Behind us, cliffs towered above the beach, their shadow hiding the path the rest of the Bay Shifter Pack had taken. We’d bought this patch of sand with blood, fur, and fire. And it still felt wrong.

Wave’s voice dropped low. "You think they’re coming back."

"I know they’re coming back," I said, finally turning to face him. "Not tonight, maybe. But soon. This quiet? It’s a trickle before the flood."

The Rogourau beast stirred at the shore’s edge, half-curled around a jagged stone like a monstrous lion in wait. His fur rippled in the breeze, all muscle and menace, his many eyes reflecting the storm-clouded sky. Still. Watching.

"Let us hold the fort for now and wait to see what they will do, "I responded.

Wave gave a small nod. "You lead; I follow."

"No," I said, stepping closer. "You’re not just following me, Wave. You’re standing with me. My mate. My equal."

His eyes flicked to mine, and for a moment, the storm in them stilled. "Then we hold together."

I took his hand. "Until the tide rises again."

We stood there, two shifter wolves, at the sea’s edge, bonded by blood, battle, and something deeper.

It was late afternoon when Spark rose, and I knew that my instincts were right.

It was late afternoon when I first caught a flicker—just a ripple in the water that didn’t belong. Then I saw them. Vampires. Rising from the depths like shadows soaked in blood and moonlight. My breath caught in my throat.

"No... they’re back."

I barely had time to react when the air split with a roar so fierce it rattled the marrow in my bones. The Rogourau. His voice tore through the sky, deep and violent, shaking the land beneath my boots.

The ground trembled. Trees quivered, the beach border, silent just moments before, came alive with the rush of paws and claws. The roar must have been heard in the Shifter pack as the ground continued to tremble, and I sensed the army approaching the beachfront.

The sea had gone too still.

Wave stood at my side, silent, his trident clutched tight in his hands, eyes narrowed against the dying light. I followed his gaze out toward the shoreline where the largest Rogourau beast, all muscle and myth, waded into the water with slow, deliberate steps. His massive form broke the surface like a dark mountain sliding into the sea, his shoulders still towering even waist-deep.

"Why isn’t he charging?" I muttered, more to myself than to Wave.

And then I saw them. Figures rising from the water. Dozens at first. Then hundreds. Their skin pale as death, slick with ocean foam, eyes glowing like embers beneath dripping hair. They kept coming. Breaking the surface like a tide of blades and blood.

My stomach dropped. "No. No way. That’s twice as many as before..." I whispered.

It hit me all at once that retreat hadn’t just been a trap. It was a delay. They’d brought reinforcements.

I clenched my fists, heat building in my palms. "This isn’t a battle anymore," I said, jaw tight. "It’s a siege."

The thunder of paws hitting the earth rolled in like a storm behind us. I turned just as the Bay shifter army crested the dunes, banners snapping, fur bristling, claws gleaming under the sinking sun. Dust kicked up in thick clouds, and through it came General Tiger at the front armour dented but eyes sharp, radiating fury like heat. Ralph was right beside him, axe strapped across his back, his grin nowhere to be found.

Behind them, I spotted General Mortas, tall and brooding as ever, followed by Commander Bella with her wild braid swinging behind her and that familiar look in her eyes—like she’d tear through the front line just for the thrill. Enforcer Troy brought up the rear, already shifting mid-stride, bones snapping as fur tore through skin. They didn’t slow as they reached the ridge. But when they saw what waited beyond the shore, every one of them froze.

The vampires were still rising wave after wave like some cursed sea creature had split open and spilled them out.

General Mortas was the first to speak, voice like gravel.

"Twice as many. At least."

Commander Bella hissed through her teeth. "Those bloodsuckers were breeding in the deep."

Troy growled, low and sharp. "This was never a skirmish. This is a full damn invasion."

Ralph spat. "Those lying bastards. We thought they were falling back."

General Tiger didn’t say anything. He just stared, hands clenched at his sides, jaw tight enough to crack stone.

I stepped up beside him, eyes on the enemy. The water churned with undead motion, glowing eyes watching us like we were already meat.

"They baited us," I said quietly. "And we walked right into it."

Tiger finally spoke, voice like thunder barely restrained. "Then let’s make them regret it."

We stood at the edge of the dunes, the sea spread out before us like a battlefield not yet bloodied. The air was thick with tension, every breath heavy with salt and smoke. And then the Rogourau beast moved. Slow. Purposeful. Regal in a way only something ancient and born of myth could be. He raised one massive arm from the water, claws dripping, and swept it across the surface of the bay.

At first, nothing happened.

Then—light. The water ignited. Not like oil and spark, but something older. Wilder. A line of fire laced across the tide, cutting through the sea with the precision of a blade. Flames surged, tall and fast, a barrier of living gold and scarlet fire rising between us and the vampire horde.

"He’s burning the ocean," Ralph said, "He’s making a wall."

The fire danced over the waves but didn’t die. It fed on something deep. Something ancient. The magic didn’t flicker, it grew, racing along the border of the Bay shifter land with a hunger that felt holy.

Wave stepped closer beside me; his voice was soft. "That’s not just flame. That’s blood-magic. Deep water fire."

I didn’t answer. None of us did. Not Tiger. Not Bella. Not Mortas or even Troy, who never shut up, was struck silent. We just watched. The Rogourau fire rose higher still, curling into the sky like it wanted the stars themselves to see. It shimmered in hues. I didn’t have names for heat and light, and power woven into something more.

The vampires watched too. Frozen on the shore. Their eyes were wide, glowing faintly with confusion, disbelief... fear.

"They didn’t expect this," I breathed. "They’ve never seen a beast guard his land with fire."

Because this time, the Rogourau wasn’t just fighting, he was drawing a line, and every one of us, vampire and shifter alike, knew what it meant.

At first, it was just Regal, the great Rogourau beast stood in the shallows, his fire still roaring across the water like a living barricade. But then I felt it. A pulse. Like the land itself had inhaled. The others began to rise behind him, one by one. Massive. Silent. Majestic. Rogourau from every edge of the territory stepped forward, their eyes glowing with that same ember-light as Regal’s.

"They’re answering him," I murmured, barely daring to blink.

Ralph spoke up. "It’s our rite. They’re binding the flame together."

In unison, the Rogourau raised their arms and mirrored Regal’s motion, sweeping their claws through the water in a single, fluid strike. That’s when the fire changed. It surged not just higher, but wider, deeper, as if the ocean itself had caught flame from the inside out. The wall of fire stretched as far as the eye could see, glowing with magic so raw it made the hairs on my arms stand straight.

I felt it humming in my chest. Ancient. Protective. Alive.

"We’re not alone," I whispered. "The land’s waking up with them."

But then, movement. Shadows darting along the opposite shoreline. The vampires.

The first ones moved quickly, cloaked in confidence, their blades drawn and their feet barely touching the ground as they charged the barrier. A dozen of them sprinted straight for the flame.

And then—Screams. Shrill. Inhuman. Cut short.

The moment their flesh hit the wall, the fire reacted like a predator. It didn’t just burn, it devoured. The vampires ignited instantly, their bodies turning to ash mid-stride. The water hissed, steam rising around the points where they’d fallen.

The rest of the vampire ranks stopped cold. "They didn’t think it would hold," I said, staring at the scorched line of smoke. "They thought it was just a trick."

General Mortas chuckled darkly behind me. "They thought wrong."

I couldn’t tear my eyes from Regal. From the army of beasts behind him, silent and unmoving now, like statues forged from shadow and flame. They weren’t roaring. They weren’t charging.

They were guarding the Bay shifter lands and the fire—they were the fire.