BloodMoon: Captivated by the Forbidden Lycan Alpha
Chapter 197: UNDERWATER VAMPIRE NEST

Chapter 197: UNDERWATER VAMPIRE NEST

{"Your gut feeling is your body’s way of telling you something. }

The deeper we went, the quieter it got, the kind of quiet that presses in on your eardrums and whispers that something wants you dead. Ralph swam ahead, his limbs smooth and deliberate, the moonlight above barely reaching us now. The currents were sluggish here, unnatural. The further we moved from the shore, the more I felt it: something alive in the water. Pulsing. Breathing.

And then we saw it. A large fucking nest.

It was not carved into stone, it was stone. Blood-coloured. Fused bone and coral and something else that gleamed like crystallized marrow. It pulsed, low and slow, like a sleeping heart. Hundreds of the vampire bugs clung to it, curled up like wet, glistening ticks. Each one the size of my fist, carapaces throbbing with red light.

I froze, mid-stroke. "Spirits above," I muttered through the small water-channelling charm in my mouth, voice bubbling. "What the hell is this?"

Ralph hovered beside me, face grim. "Vampire Blood Stone bugs. They are feeding."

"On what?"

He pointed, and that is when I saw the bodies. Vampires, some whole, some not half-submerged, cocooned in some thick webbing of algae and black ichor, anchored to the nest like offerings. Their skin pale, veins dark, chests barely moving.

"Not all of them are dead," Ralph said, his voice a razor in the water. "They are keeping them alive. Just enough to feed."

My fists clenched, claws itching to burst free, but I forced myself still. Every movement stirred the current. One wrong flick and those bugs might wake and I did not know what they would do in a swarm.

"We need to burn this," I said. "Now."

Ralph turned to me, jaw tight. "We do that now; we alert every vampire from here to the ridge. We are not ready."

I hated that he was right as I stared at the nest again, horrific, perfect, and thriving, and felt a growl rumble through my chest. "They planted this right beneath us," I said, the fury rising. "While we were fighting above, they were breeding below."

"Not just feeding," Ralph whispered. "They’re preparing for a spread. If those bugs reach land..."

I did not need him to finish.

I took one last look, forced the image to burn into my mind, every contour of that cursed hive and then yanked on Ralph’s wrist.

"Come on," I growled. "We warn the others. Then we come back with fire and fury."

We kicked hard, retreating through the murky dark, the weight of what we had seen dragging at our heels. As we broke the surface and gasped for breath, I knew one thing for sure: the invasion had changed. This was a full-blown war.

We hit the shoreline hard, soaked, breathless, hearts thundering from more than the swim.

The base camp was already humming when we got there. Lanterns lit, patrols rotating, weapons being cleaned and reloaded by tired hands. But none of them knew yet that hell was brewing just beneath their boots.

Ralph kept pace beside me, barefoot, shirtless, dripping saltwater and adrenaline. He looked like a beast caught mid-shift, all tension and flame under skin. I did not look much better—still half in my battle haze, boots squelching with every step.

The guards at the perimeter spotted us sprinting down the slope and straightened fast, hands to weapons. We did not stop until we hit the command tent. Mortas was already there, pacing, Enforcer Troy standing sentinel-like near the back, arms crossed.

Mortas spun at the sound of our entrance. "What the hell happened—?"

"No time," I snapped. "Send for Beta Spark, Enforcer Wave, and Commander Belle now."

Troy stepped forward. "What is it?"

"Now, Troy!" I roared, louder than I meant to, voice echoing through the canvas walls. "Before the tide turns again!"

Mortas narrowed his eyes. "Talk."

Ralph looked at me, with silent permission. I nodded. "We found it," I said, breath sharp. "A nest. Underwater. East of the shoreline ridge."

"Blood Stone bugs," Ralph added. "Vampire-forged. Feeding on the missing. Nest is alive, growing, and protected."

Troy swore under his breath. Mortas looked like someone had socked him in the gut.

I turned to the nearest guard just outside the tent flap. "Run. Tell them it is a Code Black Tide. I wanted them here yesterday."

The guard nodded and bolted, and Mortas pinched the bridge of his nose. "They have never built a hive that close to our lines. That is not just bold, it is tactical."

"They weren’t trying to win the beach," I growled. "They were stalling. Stalling while their real weapon grew just under our feet."

Ralph wiped a trail of water from his face and shook his head. "If those bugs hatch, spread inland, we will not have a base left to defend. The tide wall will not mean a damn thing."

Mortas stared at us for a long second. Then: "When Spark, Wave, and Belle get here, we plan the burn."

"Agreed, we go back in with flame," I said coldly, "and we don’t stop burning until the sea turns red."

Twenty minutes later, they came down the slope in a rush, boots thudding heavy on the packed sand, moonlight catching on their hastily thrown-on gear. Beta Spark led, his Armor half-buckled and cloak askew, a sleep crease still stamped down the side of his face. Enforcer Wave trailed right behind him, hair damp from a cut-short rinse, while Commander Belle looked the most put-together of the three, barely, but even her usual crisp edges were softened with haste.

I stepped forward before they even reached the base camp’s edge. "You look like hell," I said bluntly.

Spark scowled, pushing damp curls out of his face. "Didn’t exactly get a morning memo, General."

"You didn’t get a morning," I shot back. "We’ve got a problem that doesn’t wait for beauty sleep."

Wave snorted. "Would’ve appreciated boots-on before danger drops, but here we are."

Belle’s gaze swept the beach, then landed squarely on me. "You called Code Red Shifter?"

"I did," I nodded, voice hardening. "And I meant it."

They all went still. That code was not thrown around lightly. Ralph stepped up beside me, water still dripping from his sleeves. "There is a nest. Underwater. Bloodstone vampire bugs. Feeding. Growing."

Commander Belle’s eyes darkened instantly. "How big?"

"Big enough," I said. "Big enough to burn half this shoreline if we wait."

Beta Spark shifted his weight, the bravado fading fast from his face. "What the fuck? This is what the damn vampires have been doing under water?"

"Yes, "Ralph nodded.

Wave muttered a curse under his breath, rubbing at the back of his neck. "And here I thought the worst thing tonight was missed dinner."

"We need the Rou beast to go underwater and destroy the nest," I said, pacing once, then turning back to face them. "We shall also follow, and once we’re fire-deep and no one comes up until that nest is ash."

Belle gave a sharp nod. "Understood."

Spark ran a hand over his face. "No rest for the wicked, huh?"

I smirked grimly. "No rest for the living either."

Ten minutes later, I stood at the centre ridge above the surf and raised my voice, letting it cut clean across the crashing tide. "Strike teams, regroup. Water guards with me. Ground shifter guard holds the line. Eyes sharp, backs covered. We do not come up until that nest is cinders."

Movement rippled through the ranks. Generals, Commanders, and Enforcers peeled off from the front line. Spark barked out orders to his flank. Wave was already halfway into his Armor again, and Belle paced like a warhound ready to snap the leash.

But it was the Rogourau beasts that made the earth shift. I turned just in time to see Ralph shift, bones cracking, fur ripping through skin as he let his beast rise. And then the others followed one by one, the air thickening with fire and growls and snapping muscle. They were massive, fur bristling with flame-tide threads, claws like sea-forged blades.

The Rogourau formed a line at the edge of the water, their growls syncing like thunder. Ralph, bigger and wilder, his eyes glowing molten gold, turned to face me. For a moment, even through the beast, I saw him. The man. My mate.

I nodded once. "You lead them in."

He rumbled, deep and low, then turned back to the water and let loose a roar that made the waves shudder. Behind me, the rest of the army held their ground, standing sentinel on the sand. Mortas glanced at me, a silent Are you sure? And I answered it with a single word.

"Go."

The Rogourau plunged forward, crashing into the surf like a wave of their own, cutting through the sea with raw power and fury. I followed close behind with the fire-bearers and the surge team, cold water biting up my legs, magic already pooling under my skin, ready to burn.

"They built a nest under our home," I growled to no one and everyone. "They made it personal."

And as we disappeared beneath the waves, following the beasts into the black deep, I promised myself we would make it hell.