FIONA'S VENGEANCE: THE BLOOD-SOAKED WAR

FIONA’S POV

Long before Beluda had shape or stars, when the world was but shadows and whispers, two beings emerged - creatures of power and purpose. The werewolves, guardians of the land, and the witches, their celestial anchors. Together, they upheld the divine order. The witches served not only as healers or seers but as sacred bridges between this world and the realms beyond, vessels through which Selene, goddess of moonlight, could touch the earth.

But that order has shattered.

A great darkness now walks in flesh - witches who turned from Selene and opened their souls to ancient spirits of chaos. They call themselves the Daracas, the Witches of the Red Storm.

They spread like a plague, thick and unseen, corrupting everything in their path. The Bemba Region fell to their hands, and Liminu trembles under their curse. Even the strongest packs falter before them.

Our pack - Snow Light Pack, refused to wait. Bastiana, our seer and guardian witch, saw the smoke before the fire and knelt before Selene in supplication. The goddess answered.

Two would be chosen. Two vessels to wield the powers of the Seven Realms - the Chubos, light-bearers against the storm.

Those two… were my parents.

Alpha Darius. Luna Celeste.

My heart thudded with electric joy as I watched them approach the golden dais, Bastiana’s daughters in tow, each bearing black earthen pots that breathed out curling tendrils of white smoke. The Temple of Light shimmered under the glow of floating fire orbs. Tonight was more than sacred. It was salvation.

My throat tightened as the twin thrones groaned beneath my parents’ weight. The air tasted like jasmine and ancient stone.

Then Bastiana’s voice rang, deeper than thunder.

“All hail the king and queen of the Light!”

“May they live forever!” our voices echoed.

The crowd pressed closer. I stood at the front, beside Alexa - my best friend and daughter of my father’s Beta, her hand slipping eagerly into mine.

“I’m so excited!” she whispered, practically bouncing.

“Me too.” I couldn’t tear my gaze from my parents - my pillars, my heroes, now glowing in temple gold.

“They’re going to be legendary, Fiona. You know that, right? The Chubos. That’s more than just leaders. It’s divine.”

“I know,” I breathed, a grin stretching across my face.

Joy swelled in my chest, wild and dizzying, like a song I couldn’t stop humming. It pulsed through me, spilled from my fingertips. My hands trembled.

“Hey,” Alexa nudged, catching the tremor. “You’re shaking.”

We giggled.

“It’s the joy,” I said, eyes damp with emotion. “It’s too much. My heart feels like it might explode.”

“They deserve this,” she said softly. “Your parents… they’ve given this pack everything.”

I turned to her, overwhelmed. “Thank you. That means more than you know.”

She gave me a sly smile. “Don’t go soft on me yet. I haven’t even said the best part.”

“Oh no…” I narrowed my eyes. “Alexa, don’t start. Spill it or I swear-”

“Okay! Okay!” she squealed, dodging my tickling fingers. “I want to sleep over tonight. In your room. We haven’t had a proper talk in forever.”

“Seriously? You almost gave me a heart attack for that?” I laughed. “Of course you can! I’ve missed your chaotic stories.”

“I knew you’d say yes!” She grinned. “My dad won’t mind. He’s been extra protective since, well… you know.”

My smile dimmed a little. “I haven’t seen him around tonight.”

“He’s scouting the perimeter. Watching for rogues, making sure nothing disrupts the ceremony.”

I nodded. “That sounds like him. Still… I wish he was here to see this.”

Alexa looped an arm around my shoulder. “He’ll come. He always does when it matters.”

We returned our attention to the dais just as Bastiana raised her arms high.

“They will lead us through this war,” she proclaimed. “They will shield us from the Red Storm. They are our hope!”

The crowd erupted.

“Place your hands on the Mother’s statue,” Bastiana instructed. “And kneel.”

My parents moved as one - hands linked, steps reverent. They knelt before Selene’s likeness, carved in stone, pale and majestic, glowing faintly under moonlight.

“Close your eyes,” Bastiana whispered, “and open your core.”

She began to chant. Her words slipped into a language I didn’t understand, but the power in them curled around the air like smoke.

“Capascalimo entantre lebusima rokopadiya avodish…”

The statue’s shimmer brightened, layer by layer, until silver light began to pour from it like water. Gasps rippled through the crowd.

“It’s glowing,” Alexa breathed, fingers gripping mine.

We stared, unblinking, as the entire temple darkened—bulbs flickering out, plunging us into sacred night. Only the statue burned on, light growing hotter, sharper.

“Dear goddess…” I whispered.

Bastiana’s hair floated skyward, streaks of white weaving through black as her voice climbed in rhythm.

My parents trembled under the weight of the power channeling through them. The temple began to rumble.

A sudden gust whipped through the space, spinning cloaks, slamming doors. Wind screamed, thunder rolled, and the light from Selene’s statue peeled from the stone, rising toward my kneeling parents.

“It’s happening,” I whispered.

“Yeah…” Alexa whispered back, clinging to my arm. “It’s really happening.”

Bastiana’s voice turned fiery. “In the name of Selene and the blood of the Seven Realms… I bless you! RECEIVE YOUR BLESS-”

A furious voice cut her off like a knife.

“STOP! STOP THE RITUAL!”

The temple doors slammed open.

Gasps scattered. Heads turned. Warriors drew closer to the stage.

A silhouette stood in the doorway - tall, panting, wild-eyed.

Beta Ryan.

“Thank the goddess,” I gasped. “Alexa, it’s your father.”

She didn’t speak, only stared, lips parted in shock.

And in that moment, just before the chaos unfurled, a terrible, ancient chill slid down my spine.

A thought rose inside me like a tide, soft but persistent.

Something is wrong.

FIONA’S POV

A vise clamped around my chest. Each breath clawed through me like thorns in my lungs. My parents? Enemies? No. This had to be a nightmare. My eyes darted around the room, wild and disbelieving. Why wasn’t anyone doing anything?

The goddess's statue dimmed as Bastiana ceased her chants. Light flickered back to life across the sanctuary, buzzing faintly overhead, exposing the tension like a wound.

“How dare you defile the names of our rulers?” Bastiana’s voice cracked through the air, sharp as lightning. “You defile this sacred space, Ryan.”

Ryan didn’t flinch. He held his ground like a soldier mid-charge. “Darius and Celeste aren’t who you think they are. They’ve deceived us all.”

Bastiana’s tone turned brittle. “You’re delirious.”

“I’m clear-eyed, Bastiana. I brought proof.” He raised the brown satchel, heavy with unspoken horrors.

Bastiana scoffed, hands shaking as she adjusted her cloak. “You bring not