Cult warriors.
At least twenty of them.
We were trapped between two enemies.
"This way!" I veered left, toward a narrow gap between two buildings. A service entrance, maybe.
We squeezed through just as the first Silver Moon wolf reached us. Kael's blade flashed, catching the wolf across the muzzle. It yelped and fell back.
The gap opened into a small courtyard. Stone walls on three sides. The only exit—a wooden door, half-rotted with age.
"There!" I ran for it.
Behind us, wolves poured through the gap. Both Cult and Silver Moon too focused on us to fight each other.
The door was locked.
"Move!" Kael slammed his shoulder into it. Once. Twice.
The wood splintered but held.
The wolves were ten feet away. Five feet.
I grabbed Kael's arm and poured rune magic through the mate bond. His next hit glowed with silver light.
The door exploded inward.
We tumbled through into darkness. A corridor, narrow and cold. The smell hit me immediately—old stone, incense, and something else.
Blood.
"Keep moving!" Marcus was right behind us.
We ran blindly through the dark corridor. Behind us, wolves crashed through the broken door.
The corridor twisted. Branched. We took turns at random, just trying to put distance between us and pursuit.
Finally, Kael pulled us into a side chamber. Small. Empty except for old crates. He pressed a finger to his lips.
Silence.
We waited. Breathing as quietly as possible.
Footsteps echoed in the corridor outside. Multiple wolves, moving past our hiding spot.
"—lost them—"
"—can't have gone far—"
"—find them before the Mistress—"
The voices faded. The footsteps moved away.
We waited another full minute before anyone spoke.
"We're inside the temple," Marcus whispered. "Now what?"
"Now we find the Moon's Tear," Kael said. "Before anyone finds us."
"And preferably before Marcus bleeds out," I added, looking at his shoulder. The wound had reopened during our run. Blood soaked his shirt.
"I'm fine—"
"You're not fine." I moved to his side. "Let me see."
The gashes were worse than before. The healing I'd done earlier had held, but barely. The running and fighting had torn them open again.
"I need to heal you properly this time," I said.
"We don't have time—"
"We make time." I placed both hands over his wound. "This will hurt."
I pulled deep on the rune magic. Not just surface healing this time. I pushed the energy into his flesh, knitting muscle and skin at the deepest level.
Marcus gasped. His whole body went rigid.
Silver light flowed from my hands into him. I could feel the wound closing. Could feel his body accepting the magic, using it to repair itself.
When I pulled back, the gashes were gone. Only faint scars remained.
But I swayed, dizzy. That had taken a lot of energy.
Kael caught me. "Easy. You okay?"
"Just tired. I'll recover."
"We need to find somewhere safer to rest," Marcus said, flexing his shoulder. The wounds were completely healed. "Somewhere they won't find us."
"Deeper into the temple," Kael decided. "They'll expect us to hide near the entrance. We go the opposite direction."
We slipped out of the chamber and continued down the corridor. The temple was a maze—endless hallways branching off in all directions. Every surface was carved with symbols. Some glowed faintly in the darkness.
"This place is ancient," I whispered. "Older than any pack building I've seen."
"The Temple of the First Moon," Kael said. "Built by the original werewolves, before the packs split. Before Alphas and Lunas. When all wolves were one tribe."
"What happened to them?"
"War. As always." His voice was bitter. "They had too much power, and some wolves wanted to control it all. So the tribe split. Pack against pack. Brother against brother. The temple was abandoned, left to rot."
"Until the Blood Moon Cult claimed it," Marcus added.
We turned another corner and froze.
A door stood ahead of us. Massive. Made of the same black stone as the walls but covered in fresh blood. Still wet.
"What is that?" I breathed.
"A seal," Kael said. "Blood magic. Old. Powerful."
"Can we break it?"
"Maybe. But it would alert everyone in the temple." He studied the door. "This is protecting something important. The Moon's Tear, probably."
"So we've found it," Marcus said. "Now we just need to get through that door without dying."
"Later. First, we need rest and a plan." Kael pointed to a side passage. "This way."
We found a room that looked like it had once been a library. Shelves lined the walls, though most were empty. The few remaining books were so old they crumbled at a touch.
"This is as safe as we're getting," Kael said. "We rest here. Marcus, take first watch."
"I'm fine too—" Marcus started.
"You were just injured. You need rest more than either of us." Kael's tone left no room for argument. "Two hours. Then wake me."
Marcus nodded reluctantly. He positioned himself by the door while Kael and I moved to the back of the room.
We sat with our backs against the wall, close enough that our shoulders touched.
"This is insane," I whispered. "We're inside a cult stronghold. Surrounded by enemies. And we have no idea how to open that door."
"I know."
"So why do I feel like we might actually pull this off?"
Kael smiled slightly. "Because you're starting to believe in yourself."
"Or I've lost my mind."
"Maybe both." He took my hand. "Sophia, whatever happens in the next few hours—"
"Don't." I cut him off. "Don't do the 'if I die' speech."
"I wasn't going to—"
"You were. I could feel it through the bond." I squeezed his hand. "We're both getting out of here alive. With the Moon's Tear destroyed and the cult's plan stopped. That's how this ends."
"You're very certain."
"I have to be. The alternative is..." I couldn't finish the sentence.
"Then we make it true." He pressed a kiss to my temple. "Rest. You used a lot of magic today."
"So did you."
"I've had two hundred years of practice. You've had a week." His arm wrapped around me. "Close your eyes. I'll keep watch."
"You told Marcus—"
"I'll wake him when I'm tired. Currently, I'm not." His voice softened. "Please, Sophia. Rest. For me."
I wanted to argue. But exhaustion dragged at me like weights. My eyes closed almost against my will.
Through the bond, I felt Kael's vigilance. His determination to protect me.
And beneath that, his love. Steady as a heartbeat.
I slept.
I woke to raised voices.
"—said you'd wake me—"
"You needed the rest more—"
"That's not how this works—"
I sat up, blinking. The library looked the same. But something felt wrong.
"What's happening?" I asked.
Kael turned to me. "We have a problem."
"What kind of problem?"
Marcus pointed to the doorway. Carved into the stone above it, glowing red now, was a symbol I recognized from my mother's journal.
A tracking rune.
"They know we're here," Marcus said. "That symbol activated maybe ten minutes ago. It's broadcasting our location to every cult member in the temple."
"Why didn't you wake me?" I demanded.
"Because you needed rest. And because we have, it could be twenty minutes before they find this room." Kael was already gathering our gear. "So we move. Now."
We rushed out of the library. The corridor looked different now—torches had been lit. Voices echoed from multiple directions.
"They're closing in," Marcus said. "Which way?"
"Toward the sealed door," Kael decided. "If we're going to fight, better to do it near our objective."
We ran through the twisting corridors. Twice we had to hide as groups of Cult warriors passed. My heart hammered so loud I was sure they'd hear it.
Finally, we reached the corridor with the blood-sealed door.
But we weren't alone.
A figure stood before the door. Tall. Female. Wearing dark robes that seemed to absorb light.
She turned as we approached.
Red eyes. Pale skin. A smile that held no warmth.
"Well, well," she said. Her voice was like silk over razors. "The little Silvermane has come to visit."
This wasn't just any cult member. The power radiating from her made my skin crawl.
"Who are you?" I demanded.
"I am Seraphine. High Priestess of the Blood Moon Cult." Her smile widened. "And you, Sophia Silvermane, are accurately where I wanted you to be."
Behind us, footsteps. Dozens of them. We spun around to see cult warriors filling the corridor. Blocking our retreat.
We were surrounded.
Seraphine laughed. "Did you really think you could just walk into my temple? Steal my prize? How delightfully naive."
"The Moon's Tear isn't yours," I said.
"Oh, but it will be. Very soon." She gestured to the sealed door. "It's right through there. So close you can almost touch it. But you never will."
Kael stepped in front of me. "You'll have to go through us first."
"Gladly." Seraphine raised her hand.
The cult warriors charged.
Kael and Marcus moved instantly, meeting the attack. Steel clashed against steel. Wolves snarled and howled.
I pulled on my rune magic, firing precision strikes at any warrior who got too close. But there were so many. For every one we dropped, two more took their place.
"Sophia!" Kael's voice. "The door! Can you break the seal?"
I looked at the blood-covered door. The magic was thick, pulsing with dark energy. I'd never broken anything like this before.
But I had to try.
I pushed past the fighting, reaching for the door. My hand touched the blood seal, and—
Pain exploded through me. The blood magic reacted violently, rejecting my touch. I screamed.
"No!" Kael was beside me instantly, his hand on my shoulder. The mate bond flared, his strength flowing into me.
With his power added to mine, I tried again.
Silver light burst from my palm, slamming into the blood seal. The magic writhed, fighting back. But I pushed harder, pouring everything I had into it.
The seal cracked.
"Impossible!" Seraphine shrieked.
The door began to open. Just a crack. But it was enough.
"Go!" Kael shoved me toward the opening. "Get the Tear!"
"I'm not leaving you—"
"GO! We'll hold them!"
Marcus appeared beside him, blood dripping from a cut above his eye. "We've got this! Move!"
I would rather not leave them. However, the mission was more important than any of us.
I squeezed through the opening into the darkness beyond.
Behind me, the sounds of battle intensified. Kael's roar. Marcus's curse. Seraphine's furious screaming.
Then the door slammed shut behind me.
I was alone. In total darkness. With the Moon's Tear somewhere ahead.
And no way back to help my friends.
The darkness was absolute.
I couldn't see my hand in front of my face. I was unable to hear anything except my own ragged breathing and the muffled sounds of fighting beyond the sealed door.
Kael. Marcus. They were out there. Fighting alone.
I pressed my hand against the door, trying to feel through the mate bond. Kael was still alive. I'm still fighting. But his emotions were chaotic—rage, determination, and fear for me.
I'm okay. I tried to send it back through the bond. Find the Tear. Finish this.
I didn't know if he heard me. But I had to move.
I reached for the rune magic, pulling just enough to create a soft glow around my hand. Silver light pushed back the darkness, revealing my surroundings.
I stood in a corridor. Narrow. The walls were smooth black stone, carved with symbols that seemed to shift and writhe in my magical light. The air felt thick, difficult to breathe.
Ancient magic. Older than anything I'd felt before.
I moved forward. The corridor sloped downward, taking me deeper into the mountain. Every few steps, the temperature dropped. My breath fogged in the cold air.
The symbols on the walls grew more intricate. More aggressive. They weren't just decorative—they were wards. Protection spells. Warnings.
Turn back. Death ahead. The unworthy shall perish.
But I kept walking.
The corridor opened into a chamber. Vast. My little light barely touched the far walls.
And in the center—
The Moon's Tear.
It sat on a pedestal of white stone, the only bright thing in this dark place. The crystal was the size of my fist, shaped like a teardrop. It glowed with pale blue light, beautiful and terrible.
I could feel the power radiating from it. Could feel it calling to me.
Come. Take me. Use me.
I took a step forward. Then another.
The crystal's glow intensified. The light filled the chamber, revealing more details. The floor was covered in old bloodstains. The walls were carved with thousands of names.
All the wolves who'd died fighting over this thing.
I stopped walking. "You're not what I expected."
And what did you expect, child of Silvermane?
The voice came from everywhere and nowhere.
Smooth. Seductive. Neither male nor female.