Chapter 166
Luna Aelira POV
21J
“You don’t stop being a mother when your child is lost. You just keep whispering prayers into the dark.”
The dining hall was carved from obsidian and bone white marble, lit with flickering blue flame sconces that danced like will–of–the–wisps. Fae and dragonkind alike sat in wary silence, utensils clinking and conversations soft but sharp. The tension of court politics still wrapped the room like a noose.
And yet, for a moment, I allowed myself peace.
Elowen was laughing. Her cheeks were flushed from wine and wind, and her mates sat close around her like a protective constellation. Daxon was finally relaxing beside Draven, who was smiling, smiling, gods help me, as he talked with Halrik about wolf customs. Rylen and Taya were trading jokes. Even Vaelrix, that brooding beast of a dragon, looked almost content for once.
And then my phone buzzed on the table. I glanced down. One pulse. Urgent code. From the New Moon Temple Seers. My throat closed before I even read it.
“Soria has accepted the Moon’s Blessing. Her wolf has been returned. She is now hybrid. Vaela cannot be saved. Prepare.”
The air vanished from the room. I didn’t cry. I couldn’t. Not in front of this room full of thrones and dragons and power hungry fools. But I gripped the edge of the table like it could stop me from falling into a thousand pieces.
Draven noticed first. “Aelira?” His voice was wary.
I couldn’t speak. Daxon stood so fast his chair clattered. “What is it? Is it them? Are they…?”
I raised a trembling hand. “It’s… it’s Soria.” The room went silent.
“She’s alive?” Daxon’s voice cracked.
“She’s more than alive,” I whispered, my voice hollow with awe and pain. “The Moon Goddess has chosen her. She’s given her wolf back. She’s… she’s a hybrid now.”
Gasps rippled through the room. Cutlery stilled. Elowen leaned forward, her eyes wide.
“A wolf vampire hybrid?” she asked, her voice hushed with wonder. “That’s not even supposed to be possible.”
“It isn’t,” I breathed. “But she is.”
Draven clenched his jaw. “And Vaela?”
My vision blurred, but I didn’t let the tears fall. “She’s beyond redemption. The seers were clear. She’s chosen darkness. Chosen them, chosen Raelith..”
A horrible, heavy silence followed. I held my breath, trying not to cry. Daxon dropped back into his chair, wiping his face with his hands. “Soria… fuck, Soria. Thank the gods.”
“She’ll have to stay hidden,” Rylen said softly. “Play the part. She and Varek will have to pretend to still be loyal to Lucien.”
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20:45 Wed, Oct 15
Chapter 166
“They’ll be walking a tightrope over a pit of blades,” muttered Bram.
Elowen reached across the table and placed her hand over mine. Her warmth, her strength, grounded me like earth magic.
“She’ll make it,” she said with quiet certainty. “She has Sierra now. And she has something to fight for. That changes everything.”
“She’s the only one of her kind,” Lachlan added. “That kind of power… the vampires willnae see it coming.”
Ashrian nodded solemnly. “And if she has her wolf, she can shift. They’ll never suspect. Not if she hides it.”
“She’ll be an asset,” Elowen said. “And maybe… maybe she’ll be the one to bring down her sister.”
The thought made my heart shatter and swell all at once.
“She was always the one with the gentlest soul,” I said, my voice breaking. “Even in the womb, she never kicked as hard as Vaela.”
Draven reached for my hand across the table. “Then she’ll need us to be strong now. For her. For the war to come.”
I nodded. Because what else could I do? The Moon had given my daughter back. I’d grieve for the one I lost, and fight beside the one who
still had a chance.
And maybe, just maybe, we’d light the fucking sky with her name.
Elowen POV
“Strength doesn’t always roar. Sometimes, it whispers goodnight to five different soulmates like a damn legend.”
I sat at the long obsidian dining table, still half listening to the conversation around me. Candlelight flickered across half eaten plates and tired faces. The mood had shifted. Less tension, more reflection. But inside me?
It was chaos.
“Forgive her?” Lyssira snarled inside my head, her voice thick with disdain. “She betrayed us. She stood beside Vaela while you bled, while you suffered. And now she wants redemption?”
I didn’t answer right away. My hands were folded in my lap, my fingers tightening. Across the table, Daxon stared down into his wine like it might hold the meaning of life. Draven’s hand sat protectively on Aelira’s back, grounding her.
“I know what she did, Lyssi,” I whispered inwardly.
“She was weak.”
“She was scared.”
“So were we.”
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20:45 Wed, Oct 15
Hunted Hybrid Aegis War Saga 1
Chapter 167
