Moonlit Vows Of Vengeance-Chapter 50: Blood And Betrayal

The room was way too silent. The kind that pressed against your skin like cold iron.

Only three of us stood in the ritual chamber beneath the palace: the King in his ceremonial robes of obsidian and gold, Lucas standing quietly to my right with his eyes on the floor, and me, clutching my hands behind my back to stop them from trembling.

The chamber itself was carved from black stone, etched with glowing runes that pulsed with a silver hue. A basin stood at the center, filled with shimmering water that reflected no face. It was said to show only the truth. The ceiling above was open to the sky, and tonight, the full moon blazed down on us like a silent witness.

I turned to the King, my voice steady despite the way my heart raced. "Are you sure there’s no other way?"

He didn’t look at me at first. His gaze was fixed on the basin. "There is no other path. The final fragment lies within Jesse’s heart physically and spiritually. It was placed there by the Moon Goddess herself. It cannot be separated from him unless it is offered willingly."

I took a slow breath. "Willingly... yes I know..."

The King nodded solemnly. " That is the only way the Moon Goddess can be restored fully. Otherwise... the last piece dies with him. And she dies with it."

My throat tightened. I looked at Lucas, hoping for a sign of protest, an argument, anything. But he only looked at me, calm and resolved. "We all have our roles in life, Bella," he said quietly. "This one is his."

I didn’t speak. I couldn’t. Footsteps echoed from the hallway, slow and heavy. Jesse emerged through the stone arch, dressed simply in dark tunic and trousers, no royal embellishment or armor. Just him. His eyes went straight to mine.

I expected defiance. Maybe even regret. But all I saw in him was... peace. Tired, but certain.

"Jesse," I breathed.

He offered a small smile. "Mmh."

He stopped just a few feet away, then turned to the King. "Is it time?"

"Yes," the King said, voice like iron. "Step forward. Place your hands above the basin. When the moonlight touches the water, you must summon the piecce."

Jesse looked at me once more. "Bella—"

"Don’t," I snapped, shaking my head. "Don’t say something noble. Don’t make it sound like a gift. You shouldn’t be the one to die."

He swallowed hard. "But I should. For everything I’ve done."

Lucas watched us in tense silence, but he didn’t intervene.

Jesse walked to the basin. The moonlight now shone directly into it, and the water glowed like starlight. He held out his hand and pressed it over his chest, eyes flickering to the king for confirmation.

The King gave a single nod. "You must speak her name and declare your surrender."

Jesse looked at me, tears in his eyes.

"Athena," he said. "I offer my heart... to restore what I destroyed. I offer it so she may live, and the Moon may rise again."

I stepped forward, tears burning in my eyes. "You don’t have to do this."

"I do," he said. "Because this is the only thing I can give you now... that has meaning."

His hand trembled. Claws emerged—long, sharp, werewolf claws.

He brought them to his chest. One deep breath.

Then another.

I couldn’t watch. I turned my head as a gasp escaped his lips and the scent of blood hit the air like thunder.

There was a horrible, wet sound.

Lucas turned away. Even the King closed his eyes.

A heartbeat passed.

Then another.

I forced myself to look.

Jesse was shaking violently, blood pouring down his chest. In his hand was something glowing, alive—pulsing with divine silver energy.

The fragment.

He staggered to the basin and dropped it in. The water hissed and exploded in light, shooting moonbeams into the air like a silent explosion. The runes around us burned bright.

And Jesse collapsed.

"No—!" I screamed, rushing forward and catching his body before it hit the ground. "No, Jesse, please—!"

His breath was faint. "Did it work?"

"Yes," I whispered. "It worked. You did it."

He tried to smile, but his lips barely moved.

The King stepped forward, lifting the fragment from the water now glowing with new power. "The Moon Goddess will soon return to this world. We are whole."

But I wasn’t.

Not even close.

Lucas knelt beside me, placing a hand on my shoulder. "We have to stop the bleeding. He’s not gone yet."

My hands were covered in Jesse’s blood. I looked at him, his face pale, lashes dark with tears.

Please don’t die, I thought. Not now. Not like this.

He had finally done something selfless. Something beautiful.

And it cost him everything. No! I ran to follow the king, there must be a way to save Jesse!

I ran after him, my hands still stained with Jesse’s blood, my heart hammering so hard it made my ribs ache. The walls glistened with frost, veins of moonlight trailing through the carved stone like ancient arteries. But my eyes were locked on the sarcophagus, the place where I saw his dead wife resting before.

It was empty. Just a shattered crystal shell.

I blinked, confused. "Where... Where is she?" My voice cracked, barely more than a whisper.

Footsteps echoed behind me. The king entered slowly, as if savoring every step. Lucas came in after him, tense and alert, his eyes flicking around the room.

"What is this?" I turned, searching the king’s face. "Where is she? Where is tyour wife? I thought she was here... wasn’t she?"

The king let out a low chuckle. Not warm. Not cruel either. Something older. Something far colder.

"She was never here," he said.

The words hit me like a blade. "What?"

"There was no dead wife," he said casually, his hands folded behind his back. "No divine queen frozen in time. That was an illusion. A lie. Carefully built to control those who still believed."

I took a step back, shaking my head. "But the pieces—the fragments—we collected them to restore the moon goddess so she could bring your wife back. So what are you talking about?"

"Oh, well I lied," the king said. "Fragments of the Moon Goddess... they weren’t just keys to her power. They were her. Every piece you tore from its resting place chipped away at her soul. Her strength. Her existence."

I could barely breathe. "You....used me."

"Yes," he said simply. "You and your noble quest. You thought you were saving her. But all you did was kill her more completely than I ever could. Piece by piece, you delivered her essence to me. And now she’s gone. Truly gone."

He smiled, a slow, triumphant thing. "And with her gone, the final seal broke. The portal can now open. My army—my true children, the Demon Wolves—they’ve waited long enough."

I collapsed to my knees, the weight of it all crashing into me. "You lied... about everything."

"I needed belief. I needed a vessel. Someone desperate, someone brave. Someone willing to tear apart the old world with her own hands."

"You already killed your goddess, Bella," the king said, stepping closer. "And you killed the one man willing to die for you. There’s nothing left for you now but to kneel... and witness the new age I’m about to create."

The ground beneath us rumbled. Outside, an ancient howling rose in the distance—hundreds of voices snarling, chanting in a language older than the moon itself.

The portal was opening.

And I had delivered the key.

The cold room trembled around us, walls humming with unnatural power as the king’s spellwork grew stronger. A wicked light spiraled from the runes beneath the stone dais, licking the air with tendrils of red and violet.

I gritted my teeth, my fists trembling. Then I let go.

Bones cracked. Skin stretched. A scream tore from my throat, half-human, half-beast. My body contorted and then expanded, muscles rippling as fur exploded along my limbs. My claws hit the marble floor with a sharp thud. My teeth grew long, fangs slicing into my lip.

Snarling, I lunged at the king.

But he didn’t flinch. With a flick of his wrist, a shockwave hit me mid-air. I smashed into the wall, leaving a crater in the stone, my ribs flaring with pain.

He laughed, a dry, cruel sound that echoed through the chamber.

"Oh, how predictable," he said. "You thought shifting would save you?"

I forced myself to my feet, panting. My vision swam, but I was still standing.

"I won’t let you open that portal."

"You’re just a werewolf, Athena. A half-blood at that."

My snarl faltered. "What did you say?"

He took a few steps forward, eyes gleaming with something close to pity. "Do you really think you were chosen because of your strength? Your honor?" He sneered. "You were chosen because only you—a creature not fully one thing or another—could retrieve the pieces."

"No—no, that’s not true..."

"There is only one kind of creature who can collect the fragments of a divine being without being consumed," he whispered. "A hybrid. Something that should not exist. You are not a true werewolf, Athena. You never were."

The floor shifted under me. My claws scraped the ground, heart pounding so loud I thought I might go deaf.

"You’re lying—"

"I’m telling you the truth.. And oh, you must hate me now. But there’s nothing you can do about it."

He turned to the portal, raising both arms as the air cracked like thunder. Energy howled through the room.

"Lucas," he said calmly, "hold her down while I finish opening the gate."

The words landed like a blade.

I froze. "Lucas?"

I turned. He was already stepping toward me, his eyes dim.

He couldn’t meet my gaze.

"Lucas," I whispered. "Did you betray me too?"

He swallowed hard. "I’m sorry, Bella."

His body began to shift, his bones reshaping, fur exploding along his back and arms. His claws glinted under the moonlight that filtered through the cracks in the ceiling. "I have no choice."

"You always have a choice."

With a roar, he leapt at me.

Our bodies collided in mid-air, claws scraping, fangs snapping. We crashed into a column and shattered it, the stone raining down in chunks. I kicked him off, but he rolled and came back fast. Too fast.

He was stronger. But I was furious.

I ducked his claws and slashed his shoulder, blood splattering across the room. He yelped but didn’t stop—he slammed into my side, pinning me to the ground.

"Don’t make me do this," he snarled, his muzzle inches from mine.

"Then don’t!"

I twisted beneath him and dug my claws into his ribs, throwing him off. We both scrambled to our feet, circling. His ears flattened. His tail lashed. So did mine.

Then we charged.

Claw met claw, tooth met flesh. I caught his forearm and bit deep, feeling his blood flood my mouth. He cried out and slammed his head into mine. Stars burst across my vision. I stumbled back.

He roared and lunged—but I dropped low and sank my fangs into his leg. He buckled. I pounced, pinning him to the ground this time.

"Why, Lucas?" I snarled.

His chest heaved. "You won’t understand."

I slammed him into the floor, then looked up—

The king stood at the center of the portal. It was nearly complete, a swirling vortex of red and black, tearing at the edges of the room like a hungry maw.

"I’ll finish it myself!" he shouted, laughing like a madman. "You’ve already done the hard work, Athena. All that’s left is to step through and bring them in."

I turned back to Lucas.

His eyes were full of pain. "I’m sorry, Bella."

My pulse roared in my ears. My fur was drenched in blood—his, Jesse’s, my own.

I gave Lucas a fierce push and ran straight for the king.