Chapter 10 - The Blood Moon Claim
The sudden surge of celestial energy knocked Dominic backward, his hiss of pain echoing off the cavern walls as the ancient magic of the blood moon rejected his forced dominion.
Across the grotto, Cael broke free from his attackers with a ferocious roar. Shrugging off the remaining guards, he shifted in mid-air into the massive, radiant white wolf, slammed his heavy jaws into Victor’s battle-axe, shattering it into pieces, and sent the commander crashing against the stone wall into unconsciousness.
The remaining royal alphas, terrified by the raw, divine power radiating from the blood moon and the glowing runes, dropped their weapons and fled out of the grotto into the night.
Dominic scrambled back to his feet, panting, his golden eyes wild with desperation. He lunged toward Lena with claws bared, intent on tearing her throat out rather than letting her go.
"You will die with me!" Dominic roared.
Before his claws could reach her, Cael—having shifted back into his human form—intercepted him in mid-air. The two alphas crashed into the snow, trading brutal, bone-crushing blows. Dominic, fueled by dark royal magic, managed to pin Cael to the ground, raising a dagger to plunge into his chest.
"Cael!" Lena screamed, tears blinding her eyes.
Desperation unlocked a hidden reservoir of strength within Lena. She stepped directly into the glowing silver pool, lifted her hands, and channeled every ounce of her own royal omega bloodline toward the ancient stones.
"By the blood of the old spirits!" Lena shouted, her voice ringing out with unnatural clarity. "I renounce the crown of the north! I reject the tyrant!"
The runic stones pulsed with blinding light. A beam of pure crimson moonlight shot down from the sky, striking the center of the grotto and enveloping Cael and Lena in an unbreakable sphere of energy.
Dominic shrieked as the light struck him, throwing him backward across the cavern floor, stripping away his forced royal authority in a single, devastating wave.
Cael rolled over, bloodied but standing tall. He staggered toward the edge of the pool where Lena stood waiting.
The Red Moon reached its zenith.
The ancient laws of the pack world demanded a witness, and the whispering spirits of the northern mountains answered.
Cael stepped into the glowing water before Lena. His silver eyes burned with a fierce, tender devotion that outshone the blood-red sky. Without a word of hesitation, he leaned forward and bit gently, deliberately, into the exact spot on her neck where Dominic’s cruel mark had once lived.
It didn't burn. It didn't hurt.
Instead, it felt like a warm, soothing flame washing over her soul, burning away the old chains and forging a brand-new, unbreakable bond rooted in mutual love, trust, and equality.
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The red light flared brilliantly, then faded into a soft, peaceful silver glow.
Dominic watched from the ground, clutching his chest as the magical tether connecting him to Lena completely shattered, rendering him a king stripped of his stolen power.
