Caspian's POV
Black fire screams toward my face.
I dodge left, feeling the heat sear past my cheek. Kieran's attack hits the cave wall behind me, exploding stone into deadly shrapnel.
Kieran, stop! I shout. We don't have to fight!
Yes, we do. His voice is empty, dead. Father's orders. Kill you both or don't come back.
He attacks again, faster this time. Black flames pour from his hands like a river of death. I barely get my blade up in time to deflect them.
Behind me, Sera throws up a barrier of silver light. The black and silver collide with a sound like thunder, making the entire cave shake.
He's your brother? Sera gasps.
Half-brother. Apparently. I'm still reeling from the revelation. I didn't know Mordren had another son.
He doesn't. Kieran laughs bitterly. He has a weapon. A tool. A failed experiment he kept around just in case you ever became useless.
He lunges, and we clash my blade against his fire. The impact sends shockwaves through my arms.
Why are you doing this? I demand. If Mordren treated you like a weapon, why serve him?
Because he promised me something. Kieran's eyes burn with madness and pain. Kill you, and I become the High Priest. I get everything you have. Respect. Status. Power.
Those things are lies!
MAYBE! Kieran screams. But they're all I have!
He unleashes everything at once black fire exploding in all directions. Sera and I are driven back, our defenses barely holding.
Then a voice cuts through the chaos.
Enough.
A woman steps from the shadows deeper in the cave. She's in her forties, with dark hair streaked with silver and eyes identical to Sera's.
Every molecule in my body recognizes her from Thorne's descriptions.
Mira Nightshade. The previous Heretic. Sera's mother.
Mom? Sera breathes, her barrier flickering with shock.
Kieran's attack falters. Another Heretic? Impossible. Father said
Your father says a lot of things. Mira's voice is ice-cold. Most of them are lies.
She raises one hand, and silver light pours from her palm not fire like Kieran's, but pure concentrated power. It slams into him, pinning him against the cave wall.
Stop fighting and listen, Mira commands. All of you.
Kieran struggles against the power holding him. Let me go!
When you calm down. Mira's eyes shift to Sera, and her expression transforms hard edges softening into something achingly tender. Hello, my daughter. I've been looking for you for a very long time.
Sera's voice breaks. They told me you were dead. The Temple executed you when I was a baby.
They tried. Mira's smile is bitter. But I'm much harder to kill than Mordren expected.
She releases Kieran but keeps her power ready. He slides down the wall, breathing hard, looking between the two women with something like wonder.
Two Heretics, he whispers. Father was right. You did survive.
And I've spent twenty years building an army to destroy him, Mira says. An army that's waiting three miles from here, ready to assault the Grand Temple.
My blood runs cold. You're planning an attack?
We don't have a choice. In two days, the Binding Altar activates. Either we destroy it, or millions of wolves die. Mira's eyes pin me with laser focus. You're Caspian Ashenlore. The High Priest who's been hunting my daughter.
It's not a question.
I was, I admit. I'm not anymore.
Because you're her mate. Again, not a question. The bond is written all over both of you.
Sera steps forward. Mom, how are you here? How did you find us?
I've been tracking you since you escaped Millbrook, Mira says. Luna's been reporting your movements. When Mordren attacked Thorne's sanctuary, I knew you'd come this way.
Pain lances through me. Thorne. Is he
Dead. Mira's voice gentles slightly. I'm sorry, Caspian. He fought bravely. Took seven hunters with him before they brought him down.
The words hit like a physical blow. Thorne. My mentor. My friend. Gone because he helped us escape.
Sera's hand finds mine, squeezing tight.
What about Luna? she asks desperately. Mordren had her. The Soul render
Luna's alive, Mira interrupts. Barely. I have healers working on her now, but... She trails off, and her expression says everything.
Luna might not survive.
This is my fault, Sera whispers. They're dying because of me.
They're dying because of Mordren, Mira corrects fiercely. Because the Temple has been lying and killing for centuries. You're not responsible for his evil, Sera. You're the key to ending it.
How? I ask. Even with your army, we can't breach the Temple's defenses. And Sera can't get close to the Binding Altar without being killed.
Actually, she can. Mira's smile turns predatory. If she has a High Priest escorting her. If you deliver her to the execution chamber exactly as you were ordered to do.
Understanding dawns.
You want to use us as bait, I say slowly.
I want to use you as the key to victory. Mira pulls out a map, spreading it on the cave floor. The Grand Temple has one weakness the execution chamber where the Binding Altar sits. It's heavily guarded, yes, but only High Priests can enter without setting off the alarm wards.
So I walk Sera in, I follow the logic. Pretend I'm delivering her for execution. And when we're inside
The rest of my army attacks from outside, Mira finishes. Creating chaos and drawing guards away while Sera destroys the Altar from within.
It's suicide, Kieran says flatly. He's been listening, his black fire extinguished, looking exhausted and lost. The moment they realize it's a trick, they'll slaughter everyone in that chamber.
Which is why we need to move fast. Mira's finger traces a path on the map. Two days. That's how long it takes to position the army and infiltrate our people into the Temple staff. At dawn on the third day, we attack.
Sera kneels beside the map, studying it. And you're sure I can destroy the Altar?
You're the only one who can. Mira touches the Heretic's Mark on her own chest. I tried twenty years ago. Got close enough to touch it. But I didn't have the strength to break it completely. You're stronger than I ever was, Sera. Stronger than any Heretic before you.
How do you know?
Because the Moon Goddess told me. Mira's voice drops to something like awe. Three nights ago, She appeared in my dreams. Said the time had finally come. That She'd marked a Heretic powerful enough to end the Cycle of Chains forever.
She also sent Raven, I point out. Her executioner. To give us an impossible deadline.
Not impossible, Mira argues. Difficult, yes. Dangerous, absolutely. But not impossible.
People will die, Sera says quietly. Your army. Temple guards who are just following orders. Innocent wolves caught in the crossfire.
Yes. Mira doesn't sugarcoat it. This is war, daughter. People die in war. The question is: do we let millions die to spare hundreds? Or do we sacrifice the few to save the many?
It's the same impossible choice Sera's parents faced. The one that's haunted them for decades.
I won't become like you, Sera says, and there's steel in her voice. I won't justify killing innocent people by saying it's for the greater good.
Mira's eyes flash. You think I wanted this? You think I chose
You did choose, Sera interrupts. You chose to build the Binding Altar instead of dying to stop it. And thousands of wolves have suffered because of that choice.
I was trying to save my pack!
And created something worse in the process. Sera stands, facing her mother with quiet fury. I won't make that same mistake. There has to be another way.
There isn't
Then I'll find one. Sera looks at me. Caspian and I will find one. Together.
Pride surges through me. This is why the Moon Goddess chose her. Not because she's powerful, but because she refuses to compromise her principles even when it would be easier.
Mira stares at her daughter for a long moment. Then, surprisingly, she smiles.
You really are stronger than me, she says softly. Your father would be so proud.
Sera's anger crumbles. Dad. Is he...
Gone. He sacrificed himself so I could escape twenty years ago. Mira's voice breaks. But he made me promise something before he died. He made me swear that if I ever found you, I'd tell you the truth about what we did. About the Altar. About everything.
I already know
You know the basic facts, Mira interrupts. But you don't know the full truth. About why the Binding Altar was created. About what it's really designed to do.
Ice crawls up my spine. What do you mean?
Mira's expression turns grim. The Altar doesn't just control mate bonds. That's what Mordren tells everyone. But the real purpose, the reason the dark sorcerer created it thousands of years ago...
She pauses, and the weight of what she's about to say fills the cave like poison.
It's a weapon, Mira finally says. Designed to sever every single mate bond simultaneously. To destroy love itself across the entire wolf species in one catastrophic moment.
Why? Sera breathes. Why would anyone create something like that?
Because the sorcerer believed love made us weak. That if he eliminated the mate bond, wolves would become perfect soldiers no attachments, no weaknesses, no hesitation.
And Mordren has this weapon, I say slowly. He could activate it any time he wants.
He's been trying to, Mira confirms. For decades. But the Altar requires massive amounts of power to activate. More than any one wolf possesses.
Except a Heretic, Sera realizes, her face going pale.
Except a Heretic, Mira agrees. That's why Mordren's been capturing us, breeding us, trying to create a Heretic he could control. Kieran was one attempt. There were others before him. Failures.
Kieran flinches at the word.
And now he has Sera in his sights, I say. The most powerful Heretic in generations.
If he captures her, if he forces her to channel her power into the Altar... Mira doesn't finish.
She doesn't have to.
If Mordren succeeds, every mated pair in existence dies. Millions of wolves, destroyed in an instant.
Two days, Sera says firmly. We have two days to stop him.
Less than that. Mira pulls out a communication crystal that's pulsing with urgent red light. My scouts just sent a message. Mordren's moving the timeline up. He's preparing the Altar for activation tomorrow at sunset.
The cave goes silent.
That's impossible, I breathe. How can he activate it without a Heretic?
He can't. Mira's face is ashen. Which means he must have found another one.
Understanding hits like a punch to the gut.
Luna.
No, Sera whispers. He's going to use Luna. Force her to power the Altar.
But she's not a Heretic, I protest.
She is. Kieran's quiet voice makes us all turn. He's sitting against the wall, looking broken and small. Father told me months ago. Luna's mother was a Heretic. The power skipped a generation, but it's in her blood. Dormant. Waiting.
And torture can awaken dormant power, Mira says grimly. If Mordren hurts her enough, pushes her hard enough, Luna's Heretic abilities will surface. And then he'll have everything he needs.
Sera's face drains of color. We have to save her. Now.
It's a trap, I say. Mordren's counting on you trying to rescue her. He'll be waiting with the Soul render and every hunter in the Temple.
I don't care! Sera's eyes blaze silver. Luna risked everything for me. I won't abandon her.
And I won't let you die! I grab her shoulders. Think, Sera. If you rush in there and get killed, Luna dies anyway. And so do millions of others when the Altar activates.
So what do we do? Her voice breaks. Just let her suffer?
Mira steps between us. We do what we've been planning. We attack the Temple. But we do it now, tonight, before Mordren can activate the Altar.
Your army isn't in position, I point out.
Then we go without them. Mira's jaw sets. The three of us four if Kieran helps sneak in, rescue Luna, destroy the Altar, and escape before Mordren knows what hit him.
That's insane, Kieran says.
It's our only option. Sera looks at each of us in turn. Unless someone has a better idea?
Silence.
Because there is no better idea.
We're going to infiltrate the Grand Temple with no army, no plan, and no backup. We're going to rescue Luna, destroy an ancient weapon of mass destruction, and somehow survive.
I'm in, I say quietly.
Me too, Mira agrees.
We all look at Kieran.
He stares at the floor for a long moment. Then he stands, black fire flickering weakly around his hands.
If I help you, he says slowly, I betray my father. The man who raised me, trained me, gave me purpose.
The man who used you, Sera corrects gently. Who made you a weapon instead of a son.
Kieran's eyes meet hers, and I see the decades of pain and loneliness there.
What happens after? he asks. If we survive? Where do I go? What do I become?
Anything you want, Sera says. That's what freedom means.
Kieran's laugh is broken. I don't even know what I want. All I've ever known is Father's orders.
Then it's time to figure it out. I step forward, offering my hand to my half-brother. Help us end this. Help us free everyone including yourself.
Kieran stares at my hand for an eternity.
Then he takes it.
I'm in, he says. But on one condition when we face Mordren, I get to confront him. He owes me answers.
Deal, I agree.
Mira pulls out weapons from a hidden cache in the cave blades, protective gear, healing supplies.
Gear up, she commands. We leave in ten minutes. And remember this is a stealth mission. We get in, grab Luna, destroy the Altar, and get out. No unnecessary fighting. No heroics.
We nod, strapping on armor and weapons.
But as I'm checking my blade, Sera pulls me aside.
Caspian, she whispers. Promise me something.
Anything.
If something goes wrong, if it comes down to saving me or saving Luna... Her voice breaks. Save Luna. She's innocent. I'm
The most important person in my world, I interrupt fiercely. And I'm not choosing between you. We both survive or neither of us does.
That's not practical
I kiss her, cutting off the argument. When I pull back, her eyes are wet.
Together, I say firmly. That's the only option.
Together, she agrees.
Mira claps her hands. Time's up. Everyone ready?
We gather at the cave entrance. Outside, night has fully fallen. Somewhere in the distance, the Grand Temple waits filled with guards, traps, and death.
One more thing, Mira says. She pulls out a small vial filled with glowing liquid. This is Moon water. Sacred and extremely rare. If someone's dying, one drop can save them. But there's only enough for one dose.
She hands it to Sera.
Use it wisely, Mira says.
Sera tucks it carefully into her pocket.
We step out into the night.
And walking straight toward us from the forest is a figure in Temple robes.
We all freeze, weapons raised.
The figure stops ten feet away and pulls back their hood.
It's Luna.
She's alive. Free. And smiling.
Hey, guys, she says cheerfully. Miss me?
But something's wrong. Her eyes are glowing red instead of green.
And when she speaks again, her voice has two tones her own and something ancient and terrible underneath.
The High Chancellor sends his regards, Luna-but-not-Luna says. And an invitation. Come to the Temple within the hour and surrender peacefully, or watch as I activate the Binding Altar using dear Luna's newly awakened power. The choice is yours.
Then her eyes roll back, and she collapses.
We rush forward, but before we can reach her, black chains erupt from the ground, wrapping around Luna's unconscious body and dragging her backward into the forest.
Mordren's voice echoes through the trees:
The clock is ticking. One hour. Don't be late.