His Forsaken Luna-Chapter 128: Alpha Blood (1)

The icy road underfoot seemed to stretch endlessly before me, and with each step, my exhaustion deepened. I dragged my feet, my mind weighed down by the same dark thoughts that had been haunting me since Ciro set me free. I was mentally exhausted more than physically.

Why had he done it? What was his game? A Blood Wraith, freed from the chains of the High Fae... Was this some kind of test? Or was he trying to make a move of his own, to play a different hand in the grand scheme of things?

And Theo. The betrayal still burned in my chest like a festering wound. I had foolishly trusted him. I had tried to be cautious after taking him as my slave, knowing he could have been used against me.

I had always assumed Deyanira would manipulate him, just as she had with Soren. I never expected it to be his decision. Had I hurt him that badly by denying being together? I thought I’d been doing what was right by all of us.

He had been my friend before anything else, and even that has now been smeared by this betrayal.

That felt worse right now than any High Fae trying to use me. They wanted me to help destroy the Weres from the inside out. This escape might give me freedom now but they could come for me again or they might continue like they had before. I just hoped Ciro wouldn’t stop acting their dog now.

I was sure the Blood Wraiths numbers were helping the High Fae the most, yet I wasn’t certain about how many Fae there were.

Then my thoughts fell back on the Wildlings and their lasting words, warning me about a witch. It was infuriating because it was just one more thing to worry about without any solution. Who was the witch?! What did a witch want to do with Weres?

I could feel the weight of all these questions pressing on me as I finally trudged through the quiet, sleepy town. The moon hung high in the sky, casting everything in a silvery glow. It was late, but the streets were oddly busy.

Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was being watched. I stopped and searched the streets but couldn’t decipher where it was coming from. The Wildlings wouldn’t come into the town, so who was it?

As I continued walking, my senses began to sharpen. I could hear the distant hum of the town—a soft murmur of the wind through the trees, the rustling of the few remaining vendors packing up their stalls at the night market. The sounds were louder and clearer. Every movement seemed amplified like the world around me had come into sharper focus.

The faint scrape of metal against wood. The rustling of a nearby tree. The hurried footsteps of someone walking far behind me. My senses had heightened. I could feel the shift in the air, and I knew, deep in my bones, that something had changed.

I passed by a couple walking home from the market, and I could hear their heartbeats pulsing in my ears. Their quickened steps, their soft breaths—they felt so close, even though they were a good ten feet away.

I could taste the anxiety in the air, the slight unease that always came with being out after dark. I could feel the weight of their presence, their every movement amplified to a degree that made my skin crawl. But it wasn’t just them. I could feel the people around me watching me from the corners of their eyes as if sensing something different about me.

Some of them began to step back, eyes wide in recognition. Others lowered their heads as if sensing the change in my presence, the subtle power that had awakened within me. The bloodline—the Alpha bloodline.

My royal Alpha bloodline. It was as if they could see it, could sense the power now flowing through my veins, and their respect was immediate. As I walked, the air thickened with my power, with the weight of my presence. The whispers started. They could see the colour of my hair, my royal blue eyes that flickered and my aura.

I stood straighter and felt more confident. My wolf was pleased with how we were being treated like a powerful being who should be respected.

Some of the older villagers knelt in front of me, heads bowed in deference, acknowledging that their Alpha Princess had finally awakened her wolf. I went to tell them to stand, the cold ground too harsh for their old bones, but my wolf restricted my actions. I could tell why. This was my first appearance with my awakened wolf, as short and as little as it may be, it was important to leave an impression. The elders bowing was a good sign.

I wasn’t used to it, this feeling of utter completeness nor the looks everyone gave me.

The night market started to close, vendors packing up their goods, their voices low and hurried. But I couldn’t focus on them for long. Now that I was in this town, I wondered where Eryx and the others were.

They were supposed to be close, weren’t they? Not far from the trap the Fae had set for me. I didn’t really want to be in this place for long especially if Cazimir or one of the others returned to the cabin earlier than dawn.

I couldn’t help but quicken my pace, my feet moving faster now as I tried to shake the unease creeping through my chest. My senses were on high alert, but I wasn’t sure if it was the unused power of my wolf awakening or if something else was at play. Something was off. I could feel it.

That’s when I heard them. The unmistakable sounds of armor and boots on cobblestones. Royal guards. My shoulders relaxed and I almost laughed in relief. I was being sensitive.

They had come for me. I had been walking alone for so long, my mind spinning with questions and doubts, but now, finally, there was someone here to help me.

I recognised a few faces as they came into view, some of the guards I had known since I was a child. Relief washed over me at the sight of them, and for a moment, I allowed myself to believe that everything would be okay. That they had come to rescue me.

I looked behind them, waiting for Alaric to appear or his Beta. But then my gaze landed on one of them.

A cold shiver ran down my spine.

It was him. One of Deyanira’s lovers.