BloodMoon: Captivated by the Forbidden Lycan Alpha
Chapter 265: THE FLAME GUARD

Chapter 265: THE FLAME GUARD

{"Omegas were supposed to be the peacekeepers, the calm in the storm, the ones who could soothe the savage beast."}

The wind changed just before we reached the summit of Sagstone Mountain. It carried the scent of something familiar, warm, wild, threaded with lavender and iron. I slowed my steps, instinct tightening in my chest. Freyr caught the shift immediately, his gaze flicking to mine with a silent question. I gave a small nod, and we knew that we were not alone. As we crested the last slope, the mouth of the mountain came into view and standing before it, arms folded and faces calm, were Rita and Flora.

I let out a quiet breath, something easing in me that I did not realize had been wound too tight.

"They’re here," Freyr murmured beside me, a small smile tugging at his lips.

"They always are," I said softly.

Rita raised a brow as we approached. "You took your sweet time, Alpha."

There was no bite in her voice, only that familiar sharp edge she wielded like a blade, affection hidden behind a challenge. "I didn’t know you were coming," I said, stepping forward and meeting her gaze head-on. "But I’m glad you did."

Behind us, Wave and Spark remained silent. Watchful. Spark’s attention lingered on Flora longer than I expected, but he did not say a word. Wave looked from Rita to me, unreadable. I did not need them to speak. Their presence meant they accepted this path even if they still had questions.

Rita looked to the cavern’s mouth; her voice was low. "You have our full support"

Freyr slid his fingers into mine without hesitation. His grip was steady, no tremble, no doubt.

"We’re ready," I said, holding his gaze for a heartbeat longer before turning toward the shadowed entrance.

A few paces in, Rita came to a stop, and I turned, sensing her shift before she even spoke. Her eyes were brighter here, her presence sharper like the mountain itself flowed through her blood. She looked different somehow. More rooted. More herself.

"I didn’t follow you here as a friend or sister," she said, her voice echoing in the stone corridor. "I’m here as the guardian of Sagstone Mountain."

Freyr tilted his head, curious, but not surprised and then Rita continued, "This mountain is alive. Its sanctuaries are not walked lightly, not even by those it accepts. I need to know where you are going, and what you seek."

The others stilled. Wave’s expression stayed unreadable, though his gaze had flicked to Spark beside him silent communication passing between them.

I took a step forward, "We seek the Haven Pool," I said clearly, with no intention of hiding our purpose. "We need to speak with Fenrith the first Omega wolf. The Moon Goddess has warned us that a greater evil stirs. One that hungers for the Omega powers."

Rita’s eyes narrowed slightly, not in suspicion, but concentration.

"And what do you hope he’ll tell you?"

"The truth," Freyr answered for me. "And a way forward."

I nodded, meeting her eyes. "The Moon Goddess believes sealing the remaining evil in the realm requires the guidance of the first Omega. We were summoned by the sanctuary, by this mountain. We have answered that call."

Rita studied us for a long moment, then turned her head slightly as if listening to something only she could hear. Finally, she nodded. "Then I’ll take you," she said. "But know this Fenrith does not speak unless the seeker is worthy. The mountain will test you before the pool reveals itself."

She turned and began down the narrow path, torchlight casting dancing shadows along the walls, and Freyr stepped closer to me, brushing his arm against mine.

"We’re almost there," he murmured.

And I felt it too, the weight of purpose settling over us, like fate finally preparing to open its next door. The path narrowed until the mountain air shifted denser now, each breath laced with raw magic that prickled against my skin. Even the stone beneath our feet had changed, smoothing into a darker hue, pulsing with veins of silver light that shimmered faintly like moonlight frozen in time.

Rita stopped just ahead; her palm raised. "This is as far as I go," she said. "From here, the mountain judges."

Spark and Wave stood beside each other, quiet and still. Freyr’s fingers brushed mine before he stepped forward to stand at my side, his voice low.

"I can feel it," he whispered. "Something... waiting."

Before us, the corridor opened into a cavern, its ceiling high, domed, and veiled with hanging crystal strands that seemed to hum. At the centre, a shallow pool glowed with pale blue light. But between us and the water, a narrow stone bridge stretched across what looked like a chasm of shadows.

Then a voice, ancient and deep rolled from the darkness. "Only those who carry both shadow and light may step forward. Only those whose bond is unbreakable may drink from the Haven Pool. Step forward and face the truth of your soul."

Freyr stiffened beside me. His gaze met mine. "We go together," I said.

Instantly, the world around us changed, and I blinked and Freyr was gone. The mountain faded. I stood alone in a field of ash, blood staining my hands, and bodies of those I had once failed. My wolf surged forward, angry, wounded, howling into emptiness.

"Is your strength only power?" the voice boomed again. "Or will you protect even those who fear you?"

Pain lanced through me, old and sharp memories of my father’s disappointment, the weight of the Alpha crown, the years I fought alone. My beast growled, but I held my ground.

"I am not only my scars," I whispered. "I am not only my power. I choose love. I choose him."

The world shattered, and the light returned. And there stood Freyr, eyes glowing, fangs extended, blood smeared across his mouth. He stepped forward slowly, breathing hard.

"You saw it too?" I asked.

He nodded. "They made me choose between vengeance and peace. Between my hunger and you. I chose you." The cavern shimmered around us. The bridge beneath our feet glowed, sealing into the stone. From the air itself, the voice returned softer now. The pool before us pulsed. A ripple passed through the glowing waters, and something stirred below its surface.

The light from the Haven Pool danced across the cavern walls slow, serene, like moonlight caught in water. I held Freyr’s hand still, both of us breathing in silence, the energy of the pool steadying our souls after the trials. Then I felt them and a shift in the air, familiarly calm, but undeniably powerful.

I turned and then Wave and Spark stepped through the arched veil of crystal strands, their faces quiet, eyes wide as they took in the chamber. The energy of the pool did not just illuminate it called.

Wave’s gaze locked with mine, and for a moment, the ever-serene Omega gave a rare, knowing smile.

"You made it," he said, his voice carrying an echo of reverence. "You passed the mountain’s judgment."

Freyr nodded, stepping closer to the pool. "It tested us. Pulled everything out of us, our doubts, our pain, our love."

Spark moved beside Wave, resting a hand on his mate’s shoulder. "Then it is time. The mountain called not just for you two, but for us as well."

The moment they stepped near the water, a new ripple surged across the surface. The glow intensified. Symbols ancient and wild flared beneath the pool, spinning in a quiet vortex of light. The entire chamber pulsed with a heartbeat not our own.

Wave inhaled sharply. "He’s coming."

From the pool’s depths, a figure began to rise not through splashes or ripples, but as if formed from light itself. A massive wolf, silver-white and enormous, emerged until he stood over us, towering and luminous. His fur shimmered like the stars had been woven into it, and his eyes burned a deep, ageless gold.

Fenrith. The First Omega Wolf. He spoke without moving his mouth his voice was inside our minds, ancient and vast.

"You come seeking counsel... heirs of light, bound by shadow, marked by love. You have awakened the Haven, and with it, the end begins."

Wave stepped forward, bowing his head. "Then we are ready," he said. "Whatever the cost."

Fenrith’s gaze swept over us, me, Freyr, Wave, and Spark.

"Four of you are. Four of you must walk the path. But know this, the evil that stirs seeks not only power... it seeks the heart of the Omega itself. And only together can you seal it away forever." His golden gaze rested on Wave, steady and powerful. "You have done well, Wave, Guardian of the Omega Sanctuary," Fenrith said, his voice no longer echoing like thunder, but soft as mist curling through trees. "You listened when others were silent. You watched while the world slumbered. And you carried the memory of the First Bloodline, even when it threatened to tear you apart."

Wave’s expression trembled, but he did not look away. "I only did what was asked of me."

"No," Fenrith corrected, stepping forward until the glow of his spirit-wolf form shimmered against Wave’s skin. "You did what was needed, and few can claim such courage."

A pause. A beat. The stillness was heavy with truth and then Fenrith turned to all of us.

"The threat you face is not of this age. It is older than the packs, older than the covens. It is the Void Hunger born when the first Omega fell and was devoured by its kin. That hunger has slept for centuries, sealed in the Deep Dark beneath the Sagstone roots."

My heart pounded, and Freyr’s brows furrowed. "But the Omega Sanctuary was never corrupted. How did this evil survive?"

Fenrith’s form shimmered again, and shadows played along the edges of his light. "Because it did not need to rise. It needed only to whisper. And now, one has heard."

Spark stepped forward; his jaw clenched. "Who?"

The ancient wolf’s eyes burned hotter now. "A name lost to time, but reborn in flesh, a creature once cast out from the gods. You will know it as Ashanai the Hollowed, once kin to the Moon Goddess, now cursed with endless hunger. She seeks the Source Omega, the heart of the Haven Pool. If she drinks from it, the Void will tear open, and all shifter-kind will be enslaved under her will."

A chill crawled down my spine. I turned to Freyr. He was pale but not with fear. With understanding.

"This is what the Blood Stone Mountain was preparing for," he whispered. "It was not the end. It was just the beginning."

Wave stood straighter now, no longer shaken. "Then we stop her. Whatever it takes."

Fenrith bowed his head once in honor.

"There is still hope. The Haven Pool is awakening. The Omega fire in your blood burns bright. But the path forward will demand sacrifice. You must descend into the Hollow beneath Sagstone. You must seal the ancient gate."

His gaze lingered on all four of us: me, Freyr, Spark, and Wave.

"You are the Flame guard. The last shield of the Omegas."

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.