BloodMoon: Captivated by the Forbidden Lycan Alpha
Chapter 56: AIMA-BLOODSTONE CHAMBERS

Chapter 56: AIMA-BLOODSTONE CHAMBERS

{" I don’t go by the rule book... I lead from the heart, not the head."}

DANTE

I was in way over my head. I had promised Sierra and Freyr that I would return alive, but as I watched the heavy guard presence around Bloodstone Mountain, I knew my chances of getting inside were slim. Dressed as a royal guard, I hid near the caves by the mountain, waiting for the right moment to slip in unnoticed.

An hour later, that moment arrived.

Cassius appeared, moving with urgency, flanked by Tio, Desmond, and Idris. They all seemed tense, their hurried steps betraying their unease. The guards at the entrance parted immediately, allowing them through with the royal guards following closely behind. It was the perfect opening.

Keeping my head down, I merged with the royal guards, mirroring their stride as I slipped past the entrance unnoticed. The deeper we went into the mountain, the heavier the air became, thick with the scent of iron and damp earth. Soon, we reached a halt at the entrance to the Blood Mine. Shadows danced across the jagged rock walls, flickering under the dim torchlight.

Moving swiftly, I pressed myself behind a cluster of rocks that framed the entrance, my heart steady but alert. I listened intently as Cassius turned to the group.

"Stay here," he ordered. "I have news for Lord Marcel."

Without another word, he disappeared into the chambers beyond.

Tio was the first to break the silence. "Do you think Dante came to Bloodstone Mountain for herbs?" he asked, his voice laced with doubt. "That’s what Freyr told us."

Idris scoffed. "That old fool? He’s nothing but a washed-up relic. There’s no way he’s smart enough to investigate anything."

Desmond, however, wasn’t convinced. "You underestimate him," he said sharply. "He was the second-in-command to the previous Coven Lord and the former army general. He might look frail, but his power surpasses all three of us combined."

A smirk tugged at my lips. At least someone still had a shred of sense.

Idris chuckled. "You’re always so paranoid, Desmond."

Desmond shot him a dark look. "Maybe. But if Dantre is truly here investigating, Lord Marcel and Cassius won’t take it lightly. If our plans are exposed, we won’t live to see another day. Best we remain cautious."

He was right to worry.

I leaned further into the shadows, pushing my senses outward, letting my power stretch and coil through the air like an unseen predator. They were in for a rude awakening if they thought I was just an old man fumbling in the dark.

Desmond continued speaking, his voice carrying the weight of experience and caution.

"In the past, Dantre commanded the Paradise Coven army," he said. "The word was that he was strict and meticulous. If he ever found something suspicious, he followed it to the end. It’s said that he was investigating the death of the late Lord Kayne and never stopped searching for answers. He’s worse than a dog, once he latches onto something, he never lets go."

I almost laughed aloud at his choice of words. Worse than a dog? I suppose there were worse things to be compared to.

Tio let out a chuckle. "Then that means if anything happened to Kayne, if he was attacked or worse, Dante would retaliate?"

"Exactly," Desmond replied without hesitation. "He carries guilt over Lord Kayne’s death. He was his best friend. That means he’ll never truly side with the coven. The best thing we can do is keep him out of coven affairs and make sure he doesn’t get too nosy."

Nosy? I smirked to myself. If only they knew how deep I was already in.

Tio cursed under his breath. "Damn it. Now that Aurora is hidden in the Kayne home, it’s going to be harder to get her out."

Aurora? My smirk faded. What did they want with her?

Idris, ever the reckless one, shrugged. "All we need to do is get close to her. The vampire bug will handle the rest, it’ll control her mind, and she’ll leave willingly and return to Cassius. If not..." He exhaled sharply. "Then Cassius will be in one of his moods, and we’ll be the ones taking the hits."

"Do you think Aurora is dating Freyr?" Idris whispered, his voice barely audible over the distant dripping of water in the cavern.

Desmond let out a quiet sigh. "I don’t even want to think about it," he muttered in the same hushed tone. "Cassius is attached to Aurora—he’s been feeding on her for a year now. If it’s true that Freyr is with her, it would drive him insane."

Idris scoffed. "I doubt it. Something about this doesn’t sit right."

A tense silence followed. I could almost feel their unease lingering like the cold dampness in the air. They were unsure, suspicious. If I hadn’t known better, I’d say they were afraid.

Then, the heavy wooden doors to the chambers groaned open, and Cassius’s voice rang out, smooth yet commanding.

"Lord Marcel has given orders," he announced. "We are to hunt down Dante and bring him in."

A shiver of anticipation ran through the group. No hesitation, no questioning—just a series of murmured acknowledgments.

"Hmm," they all responded in unison. Then, without another word, they moved swiftly, their boots echoing against the stone floor as they disappeared down the tunnels, followed closely by the guards.

I remained still, pressed against the cold rock, my breath controlled, my presence hidden. So, they were hunting me now, and this gave me ample time to find out what was going on in the mountain.

It took me an hour to leave my hiding place by the rock, carefully evading the patrols that roamed the tunnels. Every step had to be precise, every movement calculated. The air was thick with the scent of damp stone and decay, but I pushed forward, using my powers of invisibility to slip past the guards unnoticed.

As I moved deeper into the Bloodstone Chambers, the guards became fewer—just as Nessa had informed me. I took this as a sign that I was heading in the right direction. Then, a foul stench hit my nostrils, thick and putrid, the unmistakable scent of rotting blood. My stomach churned at the overwhelming odor, and instinct guided me toward its source.

The door to the chamber ahead stood slightly ajar. I crept closer, my steps light as shadows, and peered inside. My breath caught in my throat.

The place was swarming with Bloodstone bugs. Dark, writhing creatures with glistening black shells and twitching legs clung to a golden urn at the center of the room, their bodies pulsating as though they were feeding on something inside it. The very air around them was tainted, an evil aura seeping from their bodies like a thick, malevolent fog.

I barely had time to process the horrific sight before the sound of approaching footsteps forced me to retreat behind a stone pillar. Two guards entered, their voices hushed yet urgent.

"Lord Marcel is bleeding the mountain dry," one of them muttered, glancing around as though afraid to be overheard. "At this rate, in two years, there won’t be any Bloodstone left, and the people of the Paradise Coven will starve to death."

The second guard shot him a sharp look. "Lower your voice," he hissed. "Unless you want to end up dead like the rest of the slaves."

The words sent a chill down my spine. The rest of the slaves? How many had already perished?

They disappeared beyond the chamber, their conversation echoing in my ears as I stood frozen in shock. If what they said was true, then Marcel wasn’t just depleting the Bloodstone supply—he was dooming our entire coven.

I forced myself to move, slipping deeper into the chamber, avoiding the crawling insects with careful steps. Another passageway came into view, and as I approached, a new horror awaited me.

A long line of vampires stood silently, their expressions vacant, their movements sluggish. At first, I thought they were prisoners. But then, I watched as the guards stepped forward, forcing each of them to swallow a Bloodstone bug.

My hands clenched into fists. Was Lord Marcel turning our people into a slave army?

I narrowed my eyes, heart pounding. This was no longer just a power struggle; this was a full-scale violation of our kind. And if Marcel wasn’t stopped, there would be nothing left of the Paradise Coven but mindless, enslaved creatures under his rule.

What the hell was he thinking?

How could he do this to our people? I cursed inwardly, my fury burning hotter than the torches lining the chamber walls. Dante, the beast within me, hissed in anger, his rage mirroring my own.

I forced myself to remain still, biting down the urge to charge forward and rip the guards apart. My gaze stayed locked on the horrific ritual before me, my fists clenching at my sides.

Then, something unexpected happened.

Some of the vampires gagged as the foul creatures wriggled in their throats, their bodies rejecting the parasite. The moment a bug fell from a mouth, the response was swift and merciless. The guards—without hesitation—slid the throats of those who failed to ingest the bug. The wet, sickening sound of blades slicing through flesh echoed through the chamber, followed by the dull thuds of bodies hitting the cold stone floor. Blood pooled beneath them, the metallic scent thick in the air.

My breath turned shallow, controlled, but my beast snarled, demanding vengeance.

Monsters.

These weren’t rulers. They weren’t protectors of the Paradise Coven. They were butchers, twisting our people into something unnatural, and those who resisted were discarded like worthless waste.

Fucking Bastards.

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