Chapter 6 The betrayal is back

Castillo lay there, bleeding out in the snow, and ahead of him stood the Nightbound creature.

Aether appeared somewhat anxious but prepared for the creature to attack as he stood in front of me, his sword glimmering in the dim light. Rather, it just stared. Its eyes were fixed on me, grinning and immediately it vanished into the darkness like smoke.

Castillo was rushed to the infirmary, and he was barely clinging to life. You'd think I'd feel angered, afraid, or perhaps upset. But honestly? I just felt cold.

That creature knew my name. Or at least, it knew what I was. "Vessel." Just like Castillo had said. Just like the whisper in my dream. I was beginning to think the blood moon wasn't the worst thing to wake up to.

Castillo lay broken in the heart of his territory-Alpha of BlueCrest, half-dead and all alone. What must be happening? I thought. This wasn't the work of a rogue, it was personal and I have a feeling who exactly was behind it.

Ceryn!

Just remembering her name twisted my stomach. She was stunning, yet toxic. Raised with bogus ambition and soft lies. The ideal Luna for a pack obsessed with bloodlines and power.

When Castillo turned me down; his fated mate, he crowned her instead. Not out of love, but for political gain. He made her his queen and now, he was bleeding out in the snow, like some abandoned slave.

Funny how fate works, doesn't it?

I stood outside the infirmary door, and I could feel my heart palpitate. Inside, Castillo struggled to stay alive.

"You can go in," Aether said softly beside me. "He's barely conscious."

"I'm not sure I want to," I whispered. "After everything..."

He looked at me for a moment. "You're not the same girl he rejected or are you?"

He was right.

That girl cried, wailed, and begged the moon goddess to take the bond away. But this version of me? She was no longer anyone's pawn.

I shook my head in disapproval and stepped inside.

Castillo looked nothing like the Alpha who once ruled my world. His skin looked pale, his lips were cracked, and the smell of blood still lingered around his wounds.

He turned his head slowly, his eyes barely open. "Maybel..."

I didn't reply.

He tried to speak again, choking on his breath. I moved to the edge of the bed, not too close to him, but close enough for him to see my face.

"Ceryn did this to you right?" I whispered, trying to confirm my suspicions.

Castillo's jaw tightened. His fingers twitched. He didn't have to explain to me because the shame in his eyes said it all.

"She played you," I said. "You gave her a crown, and she buried a knife in your back."

He spoke out weakly. "You have to stop her..."

I stepped back.

"No, Castillo. I would do nothing of such. You have to survive her." I said firmly and stormed out.

Outside, Aether was waiting for me. The expression on his face told me everything even before he spoke.

"She's already making moves," he said. "Two of BlueCrest's strongest warriors just switched sides. And she's called a meeting with the Southern council."

"To challenge for the Alpha seat?" I asked, my mouth gaping open in surprise.

"To claim it," Aether corrected, his voice low and menacing. "She's not asking for approval. She's taking it by force"

My breath caught. "Does she think Castillo is as good as dead?"

"Maybe, and she's not entirely wrong, and if she gets the council's blessing she'll have the legal right to take over the entire BlueCrest pack," his inheritance and everything that comes with it."

I gulped hard. "And me?"

He nodded slowly. "Especially you, she will own you."

–––

Later that night, Alpha Aether asked me to accompany him for a stroll and we sneaked towards BlueCrest. We saw the council gathered in secret beneath the mountain crypts just beside the entrance gates. The elders whispered while the runes glowed faintly along the stone walls.

They read from a blood-stained scroll-one delivered by a raven, bearing Ceryn's personal crest.

"One of the council elders read"

By decree of the South, I invoke Blood Claim.

The Alpha has fallen. His chosen Luna 'Ceryn' shall rise.

The Vessel now belongs to me. Her power is no longer shiftless but now renowned, she will either submit to me or be broken

- Ceryn, Luna of BlueCrest pack

The whole council went completely silent.

One word hung in the air, loud enough and sharp as a blade:

"Vessel."

At this point, I was ready and willing to know who I am, and what I uphold. I needed to know why I was called a vessel, and if the moon goddess had chosen me. Why does Ceryn want me and what do I have to do with her taking over the BlueCrest pack, after all I'm just a rejected werewolf who was casted out. My head was spinning, there were a lot of unanswered questions that I definitely need answers to.

I turned to Aether, his eyes were fixed on the Council trying to see if he would find Ceryn

"She knows," I whispered, startling him. "She knows what I am."

He stepped forward. "Then we can't wait any longer."

"Wait for what?"

"For you to stop surviving," he said. "And start fighting."

–––

At sunrise, Northwood guards returned, pale and trembling.

"She has crossed into neutral lands," one reported. "With over fifty wolves backing her."

"Is she armed?" Aether asked.

The guards nodded. "And she's marked with an Alpha bond."

I felt my breath leave my lungs.

"She's claiming Alpha rights over Castillo?" I asked. "But he's still alive!"

"She doesn't care," Aether growled. "She's not waiting for permission anymore, I told you this already"

We rushed to the Eastern walls and that's when I saw her.

Ceryn stood at the edge of the forest in full cherry-red apparel. Her long golden hair was woven and styled with silver pins. Her cloak tossed behind her like a female warrior walking to war.

She looked directly at me, not at Aether, nor the guards, but just at me. Her lips curled into a slow, wicked smile.

And then she instantly lifted her hand and two wolves dragged a young lady forward.

Even though she looked weak and bruised, she stood firm, her eyes glaring and audacious.

Aether froze in surprise. I stared at the girl harder trying to fathom if I knew who she was, but she wasn't recognizable.

Even in that state, she looked really attractive and young. Then I saw the mark on her neck it was strange

Immediately Aether yelled loudly "No!"

I turned to him and he was breathing heavily

"Who is she?" I asked.

Aether's voice was a broken whisper. "Her name is Nyra. She's the one who betrayed me, the reason I lost my first pack."

I turned to him slowly. "I remember you said she was dead."

"I thought she was," he rasped.

But there she was alive, and standing beside Ceryn.