The Lycan King's Second Chance Mate: Rise of the Traitor's Daughter
Chapter 251: When the Moon Slept

Chapter 251: When the Moon Slept

Zane~

I woke in a choking gasp.

It was like I had been submerged underwater for hours—no, days. My lungs fought to expand, my chest heaved like I had been held down by shadows. Sweat clung to every inch of my skin, soaking the sheets beneath me. I sat up too fast, disoriented, my mind still swimming in some kind of abyss.

I blinked.

The room was dim. The air, strangely still. Not the towering marble pillars of the palace. No golden chandeliers. No faint sounds of soldiers patrolling outside.

This was... my private estate.

The one no one knew about except my father, Natalie, and Sebastian.

Why the hell was I here?

I threw off the sheets, wincing at the ghost of pain that still lingered in my bones. My hands shook. My breath came fast.

I remembered.

Shadow.

The parasite of a god that had coiled around my soul like a serpent, draining me, mocking me from inside my own skin. He was the reason I’d been reduced to a hollow shell, fevered and fading. And now... now he was quiet.

Too quiet.

But I didn’t feel sick. My strength—it was back. Not completely, but like a fire had been relit inside my chest.

Red stirred in my head.

"We’re not alone."

I turned and my breath caught in my throat.

Natalie.

She lay beside me, curled like a fallen petal, her long lashes formed shadows on her pale cheeks. Her chest rose and fell, barely. Her lips were parted like she had something to say, but the words never came.

"Natalie?"

I reached out, touched her shoulder.

It felt cold.

Not dead. No, not dead. But chilled. As if her warmth had been drained by something unnatural.

"Hey," I whispered, shaking her gently. "Wake up, baby. It’s okay. I’m awake now."

There was no response.

I gripped her face, heart thudding. "Natalie! Baby! Wake up!"

Still nothing.

"No. No no no—dammit! Natalie!"

My voice cracked. The pain was instant, a spike through the heart. The room suddenly felt colder. The strength I’d just reclaimed turned into trembling panic.

She was breathing, yes. But it was faint. Shallow. Like someone clinging to the very edge of life.

The door creaked.

I spun, baring my teeth. My instincts flared, Red pushing to the surface.

Fox and Bubble stepped in. Both froze at the sight of me sitting upright, sweat-slicked and wild-eyed.

Fox’s golden eyes widened. "He’s awake. Holy fire, he actually woke up."

Bubble let out a long breath, visibly relieved. "Zane... thank the stars."

I wasn’t in the mood.

"Why are we here? What happened? Why the hell is Natalie not waking up?!"

Fox raised his hands slowly, like calming a beast. "Hey—easy. Easy, my guy. Let me explain."

"Explain faster," I growled. "Why is my mate looking like this? Why isn’t she opening her eyes?"

Bubble stepped forward. "You were dying. Griffin too. Shadow was winning. Natalie... she made a decision."

I narrowed my eyes. "What kind of decision?"

Fox scratched the back of his neck, clearly uncomfortable. "Uh... a not-great one. But bold. Really bold."

I stood from the bed, barely steady. My knees buckled slightly, but I didn’t care. "Tell me."

Fox let out a long, frustrated sigh and dragged a hand through his hair. "You’re not gonna believe this. She invited Kalmia in. Just... opened the door and let her in like it was tea time." His voice was laced with disbelief. "Said our mother told her it was the only way to deal with both Kalmia and Shadow."

He paused, dragging a hand through his hair, his voice a hushed storm. "I think Natalie’s gone full tilt. She’s planning to lock Kalmia inside herself. Turn her body into a cage. A living prison. That’s her big move."

His eyes met mine—dark, stormy, like thunderclouds ready to crack.

And just like that, everything inside me froze.

"She what?"

Bubble’s shoulders slumped as he winced. "She told us to trust her. Said it was the only way to stop Kalmia and Shadow at once. If she let Kalmia in... and you stopped fighting Shadow... she could bind them. Spirit to spirit. Seal them away forever."

My throat burned. My voice came out like gravel. "Why would she do that alone?! Why wouldn’t she tell me?!"

Fox’s expression hardened—more serious than I’d ever seen him. "Because she knew you wouldn’t let her."

I dragged my hands down my face, pacing like a caged beast. My pulse was spiraling, erratic and savage. The only reason I was still standing was because Natalie—my Natalie—had willingly given herself over to something ancient and dark.

And now... she wouldn’t wake up.

Red’s voice roared in my mind, raw with desperation.

"Zane! We can’t lose her! I can’t—we can’t! She’s our everything. She gave us everything! DO SOMETHING!"

I snapped, glaring at them. "You should’ve stopped her!"

Bubble stepped forward. "She gave us no choice. Tiger and Eagle stayed behind at the palace, distracting the court. Natalie made sure no one noticed your disappearance. Said she didn’t want Alex to see her like this."

My fists curled, nails digging into skin.

"And Jacob? Where the hell is Jacob? He should be here!"

Fox dropped his gaze. "We don’t know. Ever since Easter got caught up in that mess, he hasn’t been the same. He... erased her memories to stop the nightmares. It worked. But she forgot everything—including him. After that, he cut himself off. No calls. No links. He doesn’t want to be found."

My chest ached like something inside me was breaking open. So much chaos, all at once, unraveling like thread in a storm.

I turned back toward the bed.

Natalie lay motionless, her skin pale like moonlight, her chest barely rising beneath the sheets. But her scent was still here—lavender and roses—like a whisper of her soul still clinging to the room. She looked... calm. Serene.

And somehow, that made it worse.

Like she’d made peace with her fate.

Like she knew this was goodbye.

"I was supposed to protect her," I murmured. My throat tightened. "Damn it, I was supposed to keep her safe."

Bubble placed a hand on my shoulder. "She made her choice for you. You don’t get to hate yourself for that."

Fox pulled a chair closer and slumped down with a sigh. "Natalie isn’t some delicate rose. She’s a warrior goddess. You should’ve seen the fire in her eyes when she told us her plan. No hesitation. No fear. Just... determination."

Bubble added softly, "She said if you woke up and asked questions, to tell you this: ’Don’t be mad at me, Zane. Be proud of me.’"

My chest cracked open.

I sat beside her and took her hand in mine. Her fingers were cold, limp. But I held on like I could pull her back just by refusing to let go.

"You stubborn, reckless woman," I whispered. "You always do this. You always dive headfirst into chaos, and I... I just follow after you, trying to keep you in one piece."

Red stirred again.

"She gave us a second chance. Whatever it takes, we bring her back, Zane."

I looked up at Fox and Bubble, who both stood silent now, watching me.

"We’re not leaving her like this," I said. "Get me everything you can. Spells. Enchantments. Herbs. I don’t care if we have to knock on the gates of every god in existence. We bring her back."

Fox smirked. "Now that’s the Zane I know. Bossy and dramatic."

"You want dramatic? Keep joking, Fox. I’ll make you take care of Alex for a week."

Fox laughed so hard he almost toppled over.

Bubble chuckled under his breath. "That’s evil, even for you."

I ignored them and leaned down, pressing my forehead gently to Natalie’s.

"Come back to me, Natalie," I whispered, voice cracking as I gripped her hand tightly. "Please. Because if you don’t..." My breath trembled. My vision blurred. "...then I swear to the gods—I’ll tear the sky apart, drown cities in fire, and rip the world off its axis just to bring you back."