BloodMoon: Captivated by the Forbidden Lycan Alpha
Chapter 232: RE-UNITED

Chapter 232: RE-UNITED

{"A true hero is not defined by their strength, but by their ability to inspire and lead others."}

We moved down the ridge slowly, keeping our blades close and our footsteps silent. The air around the forest had shifted denser, humming with low vibrations that rattled in my chest like distant drums. The closer we got to the shimmer, the stronger the sensation became. Then the barrier pulsed once like it felt us and but before we could react, the air in front of us parted. The shimmer rippled and folded, forming a clean passage an archway of suspended light and humming glyphs that beckoned without threat.

"That’s not normal," I murmured.

Rita did not lower her blade. "No. That’s an invitation."

We exchanged a look and walked in. The moment we passed through, the forest changed.

The pressure lifted. The air warmed. The light grew golden, softer than it should have been at this hour. Trees bent gently inward; their branches almost protective, not ominous. A stone path had formed beneath our feet, spiralling toward something deeper in the grove.

At the end of it was a house was an old house that looked surreal. "What is this place?" I whispered.

Rita scanned the trees. "A sanctuary. Hidden in plain sight."

The door opened before we could knock, and standing there, arms crossed and grinning, was Rou.

"Took you long enough," he said.

My heart gave a jolt. "Pa—!" Rita stepped forward and embraced him, tight and brief, then looked over his shoulder. A man stood behind him, whole and grinning with a knowing look in his eyes, and Rita rushed to embrace him too "Uncle Rolan."

And then Tor, tall and commanding as ever, leaned against the hearth inside, a blade on his back. Freyr was beside him, silver hair loose, eyes watching me like he had expected me here all along.

"Alpha Tor, Freyr," I nodded, and then my breath caught when I saw the two women standing near Freyr.

Freyr’s gaze lingered on the women, unreadable for once. His voice, when it came, was hushed.

"This is my mother. Siera." He nodded to the taller of the two, the one whose presence filled the room like moonlight and wind. "And this—" he turned to the other, who looked barely older than a girl, "—is my sister. Qadira."

I blinked. My breath caught. Siera inclined her head, eyes wise and distant. "It is a pleasure.

Qadira offered a soft smile. "Hello, Flora. Rita." Her voice was melodic, but there was a steel beneath it. "We’ve heard of you."

Rita let out a low breath, barely audible. "They look exactly like you, Freyr. How...?"

"Blood preserved," Siera answered in his place. "Magic entangled us in time."

Tor stood near the edge of the porch, back turned to the rest, shoulders square like a boulder wedged into the world. He had not spoken much since we arrived his eyes scanning the trees beyond the shimmer, jaw tight, pulse steady. I approached quietly. He did not turn, but he spoke the moment I was within reach.

"You shouldn’t be here." He spoke up.

My boots stopped a pace behind him. "Yes, Alpha, but it was necessary to come. He glanced over his shoulder, then fully turned to face me. The bite in his voice did not move me. I stood firm, chin high. "We did not come recklessly, Alpha. "

Tor’s jaw clenched. "I ordered containment around the Bay Shifter pack, and you needed to keep it safe."

I met his fire with steel. "I have an update. Bay Shifter lands were attacked by vampires three nights ago. They came from the eastern cliffs, Marcel’s breed. Fanged, fast, and burning with hex magic. There was a nest they had built in the water and we managed to destroy it. Rita and I were stationed in the mountains, and the ones who infiltrated Sagstone were arrested, Fennel and his father, while the vampires died. "

His eyes narrowed, the heat in his aura shifting. "What else?"

"We were still tracking survivors when Rita and I returned. The beaches were torn open. Ten dead. Four missing. Most likely turned." I took a breath. "The attack was a distraction."

Tor frowned. "From what?"

"Lily and Sam Crest, they used the hidden route to access the lands, but they were caught by our people."

His expression hardened. "Good. So why did you come?

"The council sent us to assist you. Flora and I are fast and travel light. We came to help, "Rita interjected.

Tor’s face gave nothing, but his energy shifted, more alert, more calculating. Tor looked past me for a long moment, toward the shimmer and the hidden trees beyond. Then, slowly, he nodded.

"Alright," he said. "I bet this was after the guard reported everything that happened. "

I gave a crisp nod. "Yes, Alpha, but there is something else, and we shall discuss it later. "

He nodded and then Alpha Tor spoke up "We need to wait for the full moon in order to go into Blood Stone Mountain by the water route."

"No," Rolan said suddenly, his voice firm but calm. Everyone looked up.

Tor’s brows furrowed. "What?"

"We need to split up," Rolan continued, stepping forward. "That passage is narrow. If there is a trap or a collapse, we will be pinned. And Marcel is counting on us to come as a unit. That is how he wants to break us."

Siera tilted her head, eyes narrowing in thought. "Go on"

Rolan pointed to the western edge of the map. "There is an older entry. Forgotten. My blood remembers it. The earth trembles along its path, and Rita and I can follow it in. It loops underneath the barrier, straight into the second chamber. Deeper, yes, but quieter. Less watched." Rita’s hand brushed mine under the table. Protective. Still. She trusted him, but her eyes warned me to listen closely.

"Then who goes with Tor?" Sierra asked.

"We will," Rou said before anyone else could speak. At that moment, the door opened, and an elder man walked in and moved to stand next to Sierra.

"This is Dante," Sierra hurriedly introduced him.

"Flora, Rita, Qadira, and I will travel together, "Rolan asserted.

"I agree, "Freyr nodded. "You need to go after Lord Marcel and the core of the mountain. While we shall go after the black cloaked creature and then take down Ash Marcel. "

"What do you mean?" Rita asked.

Freyr looked toward Rolan, then back to Tor and Rou. "We will take the upper tunnels and track the black-cloaked creature. If it is the same shadow that has been whispering through the mountain’s veins, then it is the first barrier to Ash Marcel. And we take him down before he can vanish again."

Rita stiffened at my side. "You think the shadow’s a guardian?"

Freyr gave a slow nod. "Or a tether. Kill it, and Ash weakens. Maybe even fractures."

My pulse pounded. "And Marcel?"

Freyr’s gaze met mine again. "He is deeper. At the core. You will find him there along with whatever he is building."

Rolan was still, his jaw set. "And we end it."

Tor gave one final nod. "Then it is settled. We strike in two directions at once. No mercy."

Freyr’s voice, quiet and certain, cut through the chamber:

"We finish this. Before the mountain breathes again."

After the house, we moved outside. The Mira House was thick with magic, cool and humming, like the forest was holding its breath. Rita and I stepped out first, our boots crunching gently against the moss-lined stone. The shimmer of the barrier still glowed faintly in the distance, casting an eerie reflection across the canopy. Rita tilted her head back to breathe in the damp air. Her silhouette was steady beside mine, but I knew her tension. The mountain felt alive, watching, and a soft footfall behind us broke the quiet.

Qadira appeared at my side, "You two always walk like warriors even when the world isn’t burning," she said, faint amusement in her voice.

Rolan followed a step behind her, his gaze sweeping the woods like he expected the trees to shift.

"We needed air," Rita said simply.

"And we needed to speak with you," Rolan replied. His tone was quiet but pointed.

I turned to face him fully. "What is it?"

He stopped beside us, boots at the edge of the overlook, just before the forest dipped into shadow. His eyes were not on me, they were staring into the mountain, where something old pulsed beneath stone and silence.

"We won’t reach the core as ourselves," he said.

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean..." he turned to face me, voice low, serious, "Lord Marcel has filled the mountain with guards, and we need a disguise."

Rita shifted, her hand hovering at her waist. "So, what do you suggest? A glamour?"

"No. Glamour spells crack under that kind of magic," Qadira said. "But a shifting illusion—anchored with old blood and grounded shadow that might hold long enough."

I arched a brow. "So, you are saying we disguise ourselves... as what? His followers?"

Rolan nodded. "Exactly. We go in as if we belong. Move through the path to the core without setting off the alarms. Only then can we strike."

"And what kind of illusion are we talking about?" Rita asked warily. "Because I’m not walking in there as one of those rotted things."

Qadira smirked. "Do not worry. You will still look dangerous. Just... less alive."

Rita grunted. "Great."

I looked out toward the horizon, where the trees bowed toward the mountain and the barrier pulsed like a heartbeat. The idea was risky, reckless, but smart. And if Marcel had truly embedded himself into the core, slipping in unnoticed might be our only chance.

"I assume you know how to cast this... shadow skin?" I asked Qadira.

She smiled, slow and confident. "Oh, I was born in it."

Rolan’s eyes met mine again steady, clear. "You will need to trust me, Flora. This plan only works if we breathe like we are his."

I held his gaze. Then, with a slow nod, I said, "Then let’s become his worst mistake."