Moonlit Vows Of Vengeance-Chapter 41: Between Two Wolves

The final lantern drifted upward like a glowing tear against the velvet sky. I stood there a moment, my fingers still dusted with the fine ash of the wish paper we’d just released. Lucas was beside me, arms folded, lips tight in something halfway between a smile and a scowl. Marcus, on the other side, kept glancing my way as if trying to read something hidden on my face.

I wasn’t even sure what I felt anymore.

We’d laughed and played like children—tossing rings onto glowing spikes, racing through moonlit obstacle courses, and even joining a riddle contest with a group of inner court guards who didn’t recognize us. I beat them all, of course. Lucas sulked about it for a full ten minutes until I bought him sweet bread. Then he sulked more because I shared it with Marcus.

Now, the air had grown still. The festival music slowed to a soft instrumental hum in the distance, like the final notes of a dream before waking. Couples began to pair off, drifting toward the lake to release their lanterns, whispering prayers to the stars.

Lucas hadn’t said much since we passed the last stall.

I turned to him. "Hey. You okay?"

"Hmm?" He didn’t look at me. His gaze was locked on Marcus, who had stepped away to watch the reflection of the lanterns on the water.

"Lucas?"

He finally looked at me, eyes flickering silver under the moonlight. "Are you enjoying yourself?"

I blinked. "I thought I was."

He gave a dry chuckle. "Thought?"

"Lucas, if you’re mad about something, just say it."

He faced me fully now, shoulders tense, jaw set. "Alright. Why did you say yes to Marcus?"

That caught me off guard. "What?"

"You agreed to go to the festival with him. After I asked you first."

"We all came together."

"Not the point, Athena."

I folded my arms. "Then what is the point?"

He stepped closer. "That you entertained his offer. You didn’t have to. You could’ve just told him no. But you kept smiling, laughing at his jokes like—like—"

"Like what?" I shot back, defensive now. "Like I’m not allowed to have fun unless it’s on your terms?"

"That’s not what I’m saying."

"Then what are you saying?"

He exhaled, fingers curling at his sides. "I’m saying it felt like you forgot I was even there."

I stared at him, something sharp twisting in my chest. "That’s not fair, Lucas."

"Neither is watching someone you care about flirt with another wolf all night."

Care about.

I didn’t know what to say to that.

Before I could even try, Marcus returned, his expression unreadable. "Sorry. Am I interrupting something?"

Lucas didn’t reply. He didn’t have to.

I stepped back instinctively, sensing the tension snapping between them like a drawn bowstring.

Marcus looked at me. "Athena, can we talk?"

Lucas growled low. "Of course. You always seem to need her when I’m around."

I shot him a glare. "Don’t do this."

"Why not?"

"Lucas—"

Marcus’s jaw tightened. "Don’t involve her in your games."

Lucas’s half-smile returned—but now it was cruel. "Games? I’m not the one with someone else pulling my strings."

Something flickered in Marcus’s eyes—hurt.

"I’m sorry," he said suddenly, looking only at me. "I wanted to tell you..later on tonight.. I will have to leave tonight... I just wanted to spend some time with you before then.."

I opened my mouth, but no words came out.

"I had a fun night with you, bella, let’s do this again when im back"

Then he turned and walked away before I could stop him.

I stared at his back, then slowly turned to Lucas.

"Goodnight," I said to Lucas, not looking at him anymore.

"Athena—"

But I was already walking away.

When I returned to my quarters, the laughter of the festival still rang in the air outside, muffled by stone and distance. But inside, everything was silent. The silence even felt suffocating.

I leaned against the door after closing it, closing my eyes for a moment.

Marcus’s words lingered in my mind. "I just wanted to spend some time with you before I go."

Lucas’s sudden aggression haunted me even more. There had been something in his eyes as we watched the lanterns drift into the night sky. It was possessive, fierce, aching.

I tried to shake it all off, moving toward the edge of my bed. But as I sat, that old chill began to creep over me again, the dream.

That dream... It felt too real.

I closed my eyes and tried to remember the surroundings—anything that might give me a clue. The cold, white expanse of a broken moon... the howling of wolves... the surge of power that wasn’t mine but was somehow. It clung to my skin like static, like something ancient waking inside me.

Was there a temple? A voice? I couldn’t remember clearly, no matter how hard I tried. Every time I grasped for a detail, it slipped through my fingers like smoke. Frustration built in my chest like a storm.

"Damn it," I muttered, standing abruptly.

I paced the room. My fingers twitched. There was something I was missing, some piece I wasn’t seeing. I hated this feeling—this helpless confusion.

A knock at the door snapped me out of my spiral.

"Who is it?" I called.

"Message from the palace," came the voice of a royal guard.

I opened the door to find him in full armor, looking slightly winded from running across the estate.

"The king has summoned you. You and... Lucas."

I blinked. "Summoned? Oh"

"I was only told to bring you both immediately." He paused, then added, "It seems to be very urgent. You’re going to the Moon Temple."

The Moon Temple.

My breath stopped for a moment.

I gave a sharp nod, shutting the door behind me. The unease in my chest doubled. The Moon Temple had been sealed off for years. To be summoned there, with no explanation, could only mean one thing.

I didn’t waste time.