CHAPTER 58
THE LAST LUCYN CRASHED to the broken marble floor, her eyes wild as blood streamed from their corners. A throaty laugh escaped her open jaws. The red crescent marked on her forehead burned brighter.
“You—you can’t get rid of all of us.” Her eyes darted in erratic, feverish spasms as her body convulsed. “You have no actual power over a god. Lunantha will come back. Over and over.” A demonic echo thrummed from her words. “And if not her, a new god to reign over your wanting hearts.”
Auden hovered over her in silence. He raised an arm, claws extended.
Blood gurgled out of her mouth. It began to foam and sizzle as droplets fell.
She continued to cackle. “That’s your curse—yours, and every race’s!
Fleshly hearts that can’t ever change. You’ll fall.
You’ll crawl to something that whispers to your drowning soul.
You’ll always be under a god’s control.”
“Then we’ll wield the moonlight given by the Moon’s Sovereign once more. The ruler above even the gods.” His pale-blue eyes shone brightly. “Your words mean nothing.”
The Lucyn hissed. Her head snapped toward him, eyes locked onto his. She jerked forward with snarling jaws.
Auden swung his arm. The Lucyn collapsed with a hard thud, blood pooling beneath her.
As soon as she went limp, the ballroom exploded with fervent howls. Auden lifted his own muzzle to the air, letting out a triumphant cry that sang with the others.
Lenore looked around, watching in great wonder. It felt like a heavy weight was lifted off her shoulders. Her spirits soared above the twinkling stars that scattered the velvety black beyond.
Amid the wreckage and the lives lost, it felt as though an ember had been lit upon the ruins—a kindling of grace that would cleanse their world anew beneath the coming dawn.
Lenore held her hands close to her chest. She stared upward at the purity of the moonlight shining back into her glistening eyes.
“It’s... it’s finished,” she murmured, more to herself.
She looked at Edmund, who echoed the others’ howls with his own.
Though remnants of the night’s battle stained his dark blue fur, a brilliance shone from his figure—a light that couldn’t be extinguished.
A werewolf that had fought through exhaustion and pain, and stood victorious.
Lenore smiled. She turned into her werewolf form, the ends of her fur gently rippling against a soft breeze that fluttered through the now-open roof. After taking a small breath, she lifted her muzzle toward the sky, and began to howl too.
A faint band of pink touched the bottom of the horizon, fading into the deep blue of the lingering night. Dawn had whispered its arrival.
Werewolves moved back and forth, teleporting in and out of the Lunar Ball’s grounds in between long discussions. Thalryns quickly tended to the injured, while the gravely wounded had long since been taken from the grounds at the start of the aftermath.
Lenore sat in the far corner of the plaza, in sight of the busy path by the Eilaralith crystal.
She had shifted back into her human form, finding far more comfort in simply being human than anything else at the moment.
Everything felt raw, nerves still unsettled.
Her eyes briefly landed on the departing werewolves, hauling corpses with them.
Her stomach twisted with the reality before her.
Now was the unfortunate part—the cleanup.
Silent mourning trailed with each departure.
She looked away, choosing to focus on something else.
At another spot in the plaza were Auden, Edmund, Varek, and some others gathered in a serious discussion. They were the Caerniths and Vesrens of other allied packs, offering to lend support to Lunavie while they dealt with restoring the pack from their thistle-bound forms.
Lenore couldn’t even imagine the heavy losses that would be counted at the end—the sacrifices others had made so they could take another step alive. Her eyes grew watery, and she sniffed quietly.
“Are you crying?” Azelf’s voice pulled her out of her quiet reflection. She quickly shook her head.
“No, no, I’m fine,” Lenore said. She wiped the corner of her eye.
Azelf was standing guard by her, Charie, and some other females from different packs. “The Princesses,” he dubbed them. It also acted as a temporary break for him, and for Pip as well, who refused to get up from the rock he lay on.
“Hey,” his voice turned gentler. “It’s okay if you need to cry. Or scream. Or even ignore me. You’ve seen more than most people ever would—and before that, you had to deal with me and my secrets. Thanks for, uh, not telling anyone, by the way.”
Azelf rubbed the back of his neck, now in human form like her. Lenore figured it was to make her and the others feel more at ease.
Lenore gave a soft chuckle. “Your secret ended up saving a lot of the heavily wounded. I’m glad.
But I did tell Charie and Beren. It looks like Lunantha assumed I freed Beren using a vial of grace she believed I’d brought from the city.
And fortunately, Charie withheld from telling her.
” She let out a small sigh of relief as she glanced at the raven-haired woman.
Charie offered back a smile wrought with apology. Guilt carved itself into the depths of her eyes. “I know I’ve already said this a hundred times over, but I’m—”
“You’re forgiven,” Lenore said. “And I’ll say that a hundred times more. You and your mate are free now, so don’t worry about it. We’re all walking forward, together.”
Charie sniffed. Gratitude glistened in the tears that ran quietly down her cheeks. “... Thank you,” she whispered. Her eyes fell to her lap as Lenore reached over to squeeze her arm gently.
Lenore looked back at Azelf. “Azelf, you and Pip seriously saved our butts more than once.”
A lopsided smile crossed Azelf’s face. Pip chirped from his place on the rock, waving his arm weakly in the air. “I’m glad I was able to do some things with the little I know. Now Pip and I have the rest of our pack to care for.”
“You’ll be an expert at lifting curses and purification after this,” Lenore said. She made a cheering gesture with her closed fists. “I believe in you!”
“Pfft,” Azelf laughed warmly. “Suppose I do help restore them all. Should we give them a good scolding for how they saw you?” He crossed his arms. “I know it was rough for you from the get-go. And I didn’t do much to help either. You ended up saving our butts too.”
Lenore shook her head. “If I were in their position, I don’t know if I would’ve been any different.
” Her eyes softened as she smiled wistfully.
“I just want all of us to start fresh together, and to be able to really settle in with the pack. I want to try just drinking tea with Brynn. I want to get along with Arielle. I want to belong.”
A hand placed itself on Lenore’s shoulder. “You do belong.” Lenore glanced up to see Fia behind her. The Astra looked beyond beat, but her eyes brimmed with renewed vigor. “You’ve proven yourself to be more than just my grandson’s mate.”
“I told you to go and rest, Astra Fia.” Azelf sighed disapprovingly. “What’re you doing here?”
“When did you become a Thalryn?” Fia groused. “I woke up to see that the whole damn thing was already over. There’s no way I’m staying down for the rest of the night.”
A furious bark in the distance said otherwise. Gwyneth and Cade barked noisily in their wolf forms, reluctantly forcing Fia to head their way. Just before she left, Lenore reached out to squeeze her hand.
“Rest well,” Lenore emphasized. “I’m so glad you’re with us, Grandma.”
Fia smiled, a mock sound of indignation escaping her.
“I still have a wedding to attend, don’t I?
Take your own advice until then.” She ruffled Lenore’s hair, then left—not before Gwyneth and Cade hurried to her sides to make sure she was walking fine.
She growled at them, leaving Azelf and Lenore to laugh at the family’s interactions.
A relatively peaceful quiet settled upon them as they continued to wait. The long veil of night was gradually lifted. Dark blue softened into pastel hues of orange and pink. The morning sun began to peek above the horizon.
By the time Auden and Edmund headed toward the waiting group, Lenore and Charie were the only werewolves left under Azelf’s watch. Varek had already left to go back to Kyrie and his family, as well as see to his pack after the battle.
Auden ran a hand through his hair, brows furrowed as if a multitude of thoughts were running through his mind. Weariness clung to his features, but he continued to stand strong.
“Well, hopefully we don’t have to worry about other packs being opportunists and trying to take our territory for their own.
Varek and the others will see to that.” He rubbed one of his shoulders.
“Azelf, are you sure it won’t be too much of a burden trying to restore our pack from Lunantha’s curse? ”
“I think everyone giving me their fresh kills for the next three months might settle that burden,” Azelf said. His words brought a touch of levity, easing the heavy mood in the air.
Auden’s expression lightened, his lips curving into a faint smile.
“I’m counting on you then. And seeking out other light mages is always another possibility.
” He lifted a hand to his lips thoughtfully, while his other hand held his elbow.
“Hopefully, we’ll have everyone back before the half-moon.
” He exhaled a sigh. “I ought to serve everyone a huge feast after all these troubles.” He grinned, then looked at Edmund and Lenore.
“Wouldn’t that be perfect to have a celebratory feast with your mates’ ceremony? ”
Lenore’s shoulders jolted up. Her eyes widened. “Wha—but—everyone—if everyone turns back to normal, don’t they need time to decompress?”