CHAPTER Seven future
Luna stood at the edge of the clearing where Elena died.
The ground was dark. Stained. Pressed down like something had struggled there. Broken leaves. A snapped branch. The smell still hung in the air. Blood. Fear. Loss.
Her chest hurt.
It felt empty and full at the same time.
Maya stood a few steps behind her, arms wrapped around herself, eyes swollen from crying too much. She had not spoken since they arrived. Ethan stood on the other side, jaw tight, fists clenched, staring at the ground like if he looked up, he might break.
Elena was gone, and how I Which I was there to rescue her, Luna said
Rest well.
The wolves arrived one by one.
They came silent. Faces hard. Eyes cold. Grief mixed with anger. This was not just a death. Elena had been innocent. Human. Protected under old rules that said humans close to the pack were off limits.
Those rules were broken.
"This was a wolf attack."
The voice came from Elder Rowan, one of the pack leaders. Old. Scarred. Respected.
Luna's head snapped up. "No."
Rowan looked at her calmly. "The marks say otherwise."
She dropped to her knees beside the bloodstained ground. Her hands trembled as she touched the soil. Closed her eyes.
She breathed in.
And froze.
She observed as she states omething was wrong.
The scent was sharp. Too sharp. Not clean like a wolf kill. Not wild. It was mixed with something else. Something controlled. Calculated.
"This isn't right," she whispered.
But no one listened.
A younger wolf stepped forward. "Tracks lead east. Straight to Blackfang territory."
A murmur rippled through the pack.
Luna's heart slammed against her ribs.
"No," she said louder now. "Aiden wouldn't"
"Aiden Blackfang was seen in this forest last night," Rowan interrupted. "Alone."
The words hit like a blade.
Maya gasped softly. Ethan cursed under his breath.
Luna stood slowly. Her hands were shaking now. "He was protecting me. He would never hurt Elena. Never."
Rowan's eyes softened, just a little. "Grief makes us blind, child."
"And anger makes you stupid," she snapped before she could stop herself.
The clearing went dead silent.
Before anyone could respond, a howl echoed through the trees.
Low. Sharp. Furious.
Aiden stepped out from between the trunks.
His clothes were torn. Dirt streaked his arms. His face was hard but his eyes searched the clearing until they landed on Luna.
And when he saw her face, the blood, the pack, the looks…
He knew.
"What happened?" he asked quietly.
No one answered.
Rowan raised his staff. "You stand accused of killing a protected human. Elena."
Aiden stiffened. "What?"
"She was found torn. Blood drained. Claw marks."
Aiden's jaw clenched. How will I do such a thing to elena."
"The tracks say otherwise."
He laughed once, sharp and bitter. "Tracks can be planted."
The wolves growled.
Luna stepped forward. "Listen to him. Please. Something about this feels wrong."
Rowan studied Aiden closely. "Where were you last night?"
Aiden hesitated.
Just a second.
And that second sealed his fate.
"That's enough," another voice said.
Vampires emerged from the shadows.
Dorian walked at the front.
His face was unreadable. Calm. Controlled. Dangerous.
Behind him were two vampire guards and one elder from their council.
"The vampire council has been informed," the elder said. "A human tied to both sides has been murdered. This concerns us."
Luna turned to Dorian. "You don't believe this. Tell them."
Dorian looked at Aiden. Long. Careful.
Then he said, "I believe the truth matters."
Aiden met his gaze. "Then look closer." yes!! He did it, pointing to Dorian,
His eyes flicked to the wounds. The ground. The scent.
Something shifted in his expression.
DID WHAT!? Dorian questioned back immediately why Aiden is trying to act as if he's about to be killed..
Rowan raised his voice and said. "Until proven otherwise, Aiden Blackfang will be restrained."
The pack moved after this statement
He only looked at Luna.
"Don't let them do this," he said quietly.
Her throat closed while they bound his hands with silver thread. Not enough to kill him. Enough to weaken. Enough to shame.
Maya cried out. Ethan grabbed her arm. Luna stepped back like the ground had vanished beneath her.
As Aiden was led away, a shadow watched from deeper in the forest.
Lord Malvex of all person
His smile was slow. Satisfied.
Later that night, Luna sat alone in her room.
Elena's jacket was still on the chair.
She picked it up. Pressed it to her face.
And broke.
The diary lay open on her bed.
She hadn't touched it since the clearing.
Now the pages turned on their own.
Ink bled into words.
NOT THE WOLF
NOT THE VAMPIRE
THE HAND THAT GUIDES STAYS CLEAN
Her breath caught.
"No," she whispered. "Tell me who."
The next line formed slowly.
THE WAR NEEDS A SPARK
Her chest burned.
Across the forest, deep beneath stone walls and iron runes, Marcus sat in his prison cell. Chains glowed faintly around him. He felt it. The shift.
The scream of the bond snapping.
"Elena…" he whispered.
Footsteps approached. A guard stopped at his cell.
"Your daughter still lives," the guard said coldly. "But your world is burning." Marcus closed his eyes. "Malvex," he said, the guard smiled.
Back above ground, Dorian stood alone on a balcony carved from black stone. The night wind tugged at his coat. He replayed the scene again and again.
The wounds.
The scent.
The timing.
This was not Aiden. And Elena's death felt too perfect, too clean, too useful. He turned toward the vampire council hall.
The wolves sharpened their claws.
The vampires gathered their strength.
Aiden sat bound, framed, waiting.
And Luna finally understood something terrifying.
Elena did not die by accident.
She was murdered on purpose.
To break her.
Dorian went straight forward to king vaelor for a Tete a Tete on what is happening in the wolfs pack on the death of Marcus wife and how he was about to be queried for killi her.
King vaelor called upon a meeti with the chiefs of of chiefs of thier pack to know what should be done.