Fin sat in the war room, the fire blazing low in the hearth, its glow painting the stone walls in restless gold. Dawn was just breaking beyond the frost-covered windows, pale light seeping into the room. He hadn't slept—not a minute. Cael and Jax sat with him in silence, the weight of the night still heavy in the air.
When the portal flared to life in the center of the room, Fin stood immediately. Three figures stepped through the swirling energy.
"Redmoon. Hyran. Bloodmoon."
Fin gave a brief nod. "Appreciate you coming."
Redmoon returned the nod, his tone steady. "Always. You'd do the same for us."
"I would," Fin said evenly.
Hyran gave a faint smile. "It's good to see you again, though I wish the circumstances were better."
Redmoon's gaze shifted toward Cael and Jax. "If it's not too forward, may we see Rex? There are matters that require his attention." He didn't mention Nova's name, but the silence that followed told everyone outside of Bloodmoon who they truly came to see.
"Of course," Fin said quietly. "Cael, Jax—take them."
Both nodded and left with Redmoon and Hyran through the adjoining corridor, leaving Fin alone with Bloodmoon.
Fin moved to the sideboard, fingers closing around the decanter without hesitation. "It's early," he said, pouring himself a glass, "but I'm assuming we will need this. Whiskey?"
"Please," Bloodmoon replied, stepping forward.
Fin poured another and handed it over. Bloodmoon accepted it with a curt nod before lowering himself into the chair near the fire. The room settled into a heavy quiet—nothing but the crackle of burning logs and the low hum of distant wind.
Bloodmoon took one long look at him over the rim of his glass. "You look like hell," he said flatly. "Rough night?"
Fin let out a short breath—half laugh, half defeat. "Something like that."
He dragged a hand down his face, the exhaustion unmistakable now that he wasn't bothering to mask it. Bloodmoon didn't miss it; he watched him in that way older Alphas did—quiet, assessing, seeing more than Fin said aloud.
Fin finally spoke, his voice low, steady. "Before anything else… I want to be clear on one thing." He met Bloodmoon's eyes. "You protected Nova from Ashbane. And in my book, that makes Redmoon and Bloodmoon Shadowclaw's strongest allies. I trust you. And I expect you know you can trust me."
Bloodmoon inclined his head, the faintest hint of a smile tugging at his mouth. "I'm glad to hear that. And don't forget—my daughter is your Gamma Luna. Our packs are bound tighter than most realize."
He swirled the whisky in his glass before continuing, his tone shifting, deliberate. "I also want you to know something else. Just because a few of the elders in my pack still choke on the idea of… certain abilities"—he paused, searching for the word—"doesn't mean I share their sentiment. My late wife had gifts. My daughter too. I assume you've figured that out by now, so you can save me the dramatics." A dry smirk ghosted across his face.
Fin's eyes glinted with faint amusement.
"Nova will always be safe where Bloodmoon stands," He said, voice steady with conviction. "As for those old bastards—most of them are half a step from the grave anyway. Snakes in the grass, every one of them."
Fin snorted, a rare grin tugging at his lips. "That's funny. Describes half of ours perfectly. Maybe all of them."
Bloodmoon chuckled, low and genuine. "Then here's to the next generation taking out the trash."
Their laughter mingled with the crackle of the fire, a brief, unguarded moment between two leaders who understood too well the price of keeping their people alive.
Fin leaned back slightly, glass in hand, his tone steady though his eyes betrayed the weight behind his words. "There's something I need to tell you—something I wish weren't true. And I want you to know, if I'd had even a suspicion before your last visit, I would have come to you immediately."
It was a lie, and he knew it. But the guilt in his voice from not telling him at all came across as genuine.
Bloodmoon's expression shifted, guarded. He nodded once, bracing himself. "Go on."
Fin took a slow breath. "A few weeks before your arrival, Nova and Elle were poisoned. The toxin was called Lycura's Kiss—a rare compound laced with dark magic. It's traded on the black market. Causes bleeding, seizures, unimaginable pain before death. A weapon meant to make you suffer, not just die."
He closed his eyes briefly, the memory flashing behind them—the blood, the fever, the terror of two nights ago. A shudder passed through him before he could stop it. Bloodmoon noticed but mistook it for an echo of old horror rather than something fresh.
"At the time," Fin continued, voice tight, "we questioned every member of the staff. Nova was eating with the warriors that night. The poison was in her glass. Elle took a sip, Nova drank the rest. The wine she poured from showed no trace of it—meaning a drop was already in the goblet before she touched it. We couldn't trace who or how it got there. Both survived, by some miracle."
When Fin looked up, Bloodmoon's face had gone ashen.
"I wasn't able to attend the first few days of the summit, as you know."
Bloodmoon arched a brow, swirling the whisky in his glass. "Oh, I noticed," he said dryly. "But I suppose you're not going to tell me why, are you?"
Fin hesitated—long enough for the silence to stretch and sharpen. He knew Starfang accused her of marking him in the third council meeting and Bloodmoon was present. This was a test of trust.
"I assume you already have a suspicion," Fin said at last.
Bloodmoon gave a small, knowing nod.
Fin drew in a slow breath, gaze dropping briefly to the fire.
"Please don't repeat this," Fin said quietly. He knew Bloodmoon wouldn't, but he needed to give him enough information — something personal — for him to feel the sincerity beneath the guarded tone. "She's been taking calming tonics twice a day. As much as she tried to hide it, Starfang frightened her. She was alone, one day into being crowned. She couldn't sleep."
Bloodmoon took a slow sip from his glass, eyes darkening. "I knew he scared her," he murmured. "At the third council meeting—I saw it. When we left the tent, her hands were shaking. She tried to pull her cloak around herself, to hide it." His grip on the glass tightened. "But I saw."
He shook his head, voice dropping low and edged with quiet fury. "How dare he."
The fire crackled between them, its light flickering across both their faces—two Alphas bound by shared rage and restraint, the kind that only leaders could afford.
Fin nodded slowly, eyes distant. "The day we used Lacrimaris…"
Bloodmoon's gaze flicked up, understanding immediately. "The Nightfall Shot," he said quietly.
"The Nightfall Shot," Fin echoed, voice heavy. "Again, she tried to hide it, but I could tell—she woke up anxious, unsettled. There was a calming tonic on the table in our tent. I went to her, handed it to her myself."
His voice cracked. He swallowed hard before continuing. "She was poisoned again. Lycura's Kiss. But this time the dark magic woven into it was different—refined. Like they'd learned from before. The antidote didn't take." His voice broke then, rough and raw.
"Hyran managed to pull the dark magic from her blood so the antidote could start working, but by then she'd lost too much. She hemorrhaged. She's unconscious in the infirmary. I've been giving her my blood every few hours just to keep her stable."
Fin's eyes burned red as he spoke, a choked sound catching in his throat before he forced himself to still.
Bloodmoon was silent for a long moment. Then he set his glass aside and reached out, placing a firm hand on Fin's shoulder. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. His tone had softened, almost paternal. "It's not your fault, son. Thank the gods for Hyran."
Fin nodded, jaw clenched, trying to steady himself. In that moment, Balen Bloodmoon reminded him of his father and what it was like to be guided, instead of carrying the weight alone. Similar to what Redmoon did. Fin was still very young, and it was an unexpected relief.
"Hyran was able to trace the source of the dark magic," Fin said after a long pause. His tone shifted—measured, cautious, but unwavering. "I'm telling you this because I want transparency. I know you had no part in it, but you deserve to know where it came from."
Bloodmoon's expression hardened. "Where?"
Fin met his eyes. "The origin traced back to your territory."
The air between them stilled. Bloodmoon froze, disbelief flashing across his face. "That's a mistake," he said at once, voice low but sharp.
Fin nodded immediately, not breaking eye contact. "That's exactly what I said. Every one of us did. It didn't make sense… until new pieces began to surface." His voice softened, though his tone remained steady. "And I want you to hear everything. It's not within my pack, but if it were the other way around—I'd want you to tell me."
That, too, was a half-truth. He already knew more than he was admitting.
"Let me start with this," Fin said, leaning forward slightly. "Do you remember how Nova's mother died?"
Balen's expression darkened; he shuddered. "Yes. Horrible. Her throat was slit."
Fin nodded slowly. "Did you know… Nova wasn't Ashbane's bastard?"
Balen's eyes flicked up, weary but unsurprised. "Aye. I knew. But I never repeated it—for her safety."
Fin studied him for a moment before continuing. "Were you also aware that the late Alpha Ashbane was her mother's second-chance fated mate?"
Balen sighed deeply, the sound heavy with years of buried grief. "Yes. I learned that after… everything. I would've taken her back to Bloodmoon, but he wouldn't allow it. She was trapped there. That's why I visited their pack so often—and why Nova calls me 'uncle.'"
He gave a bitter chuckle that carried no humor. "I never liked Ashbane. But I loved her mother. Not the way I loved my wife—different. Deeper. She had light in her, even living under that monster's roof." He swallowed hard and looked away. "When I found out she'd been killed…" He stopped, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. "I wanted to take Nova then, raise her myself. But I wasn't permitted. So I kept visiting—for her sake. Until Ashbane finally met his end."
Fin nodded, the weight of it sitting heavy between them. "Were you aware Ashbane planned to make Selene his queen? Even though he already had a wife—and two children—with Queen Velora?"
Balen's expression soured. "Aye, I heard. Selene's heart was too good for that. She refused him—said she wouldn't destroy his family. She pitied the queen."
Fin spoke carefully now, every word measured. " I want to be clear, I never heard this from Nova herself, she was far too young—this came from other sources. Even though she refused him, after Selene rejected him, Ashbane never touched Queen Velora again. He avoided her completely. Made it known before the entire court that the only woman he wanted was Nova's mother."
Bloodmoon's expression hardened, a deep frown cutting through his features. "I picked up on that back then," he muttered. "Disgusting man. Power-hungry and unhinged, even by his own standards."
Fin nodded grimly. "It was rumored that Queen Velora murdered Selene Moonveil. Not by blade, but by poison. Ashbane felt it through their bond and rushed to her, only to find her lying in a pool of blood. She died in his arms. That was what drove him to madness."
Bloodmoon took a long sip of his whisky, his gaze distant. He didn't answer, but the silence said enough. Fin could see the storm of recognition in his eyes—too many ghosts stirred by old names.
"I visited his son, Riven as you know,," Fin went on, voice lowering. "To negotiate for peace between our packs… and to court Meredith as my Luna." His tone turned bitter at his own words. "But the moment I stepped into his hall, all I could smell was Nova. Her scent… it haunted me—it was everywhere. I'd heard that about fated mates, but didn't understand it until it happened. I couldn't sleep the first night, so I finally gave in and followed it."
His voice roughened as the memory resurfaced. "She was chained to a wall in silver. The metal had burned through her skin. She was bleeding, delirious, barely alive. I knew I couldn't take her as my mate, but I could keep her safe. I made a deal with Riven Ashbane. Nova would serve Meredith as an omega, under my protection."
Bloodmoon's jaw worked as he processed the image. His voice, when it came, was low and furious. "Chains," he muttered. "He's just like his mad father. I always wondered how you managed to get her out of there alive."
He shook his head and added in a dark voice, "You're lucky Riven believed she was his half-sister and didn't make her his mistress."
Fin drew in a sharp breath through his teeth. "Oh, believe me," he said darkly, "I'm well aware of how close that came."