Alistair's POV
The night smelled wrong.
Too quiet.
Too still. As if the city itself were holding its breath.
I moved through the alley shadows, every sense stretched tight. Sarafina's flare still clung to the air—thin threads of starlight woven into the darkness, impossible to ignore. Her power had spiked again. Stronger this time.
Too strong.
I needed to reach her.
But the moment I stepped out onto the rooftop overlooking Valeries, a low vibration rolled through the stone beneath my boots. A hum—old, feral, unmistakable.
Moonveil magic.
My body went rigid.
No.
A whisper of movement behind me.
A shift in the air.
The faint clink of metal.
"Alistair."
Rhyssa's voice cut through the night like a blade.
I spun—too late.
Three wolves leapt from the shadows, their forms half-shifted, eyes burning amber. I dodged the first, slammed my elbow into the second, but the third drove a shock rune against my spine.
Pain detonated through my nerves.
My legs buckled.
I snarled, grabbing the wolf by the throat, ready to crush—
but more shadows peeled from the rooftops. Six. Eight. Ten.
Moonveil Hunt.
They came prepared. For me.
Rhyssa stepped forward, staff glowing with moon-silver light that made the air crackle around her.
"You should have stayed gone, hybrid."
I bared my teeth, struggling to stand as the rune seared deeper. "Get out of my way."
"Not tonight." Her smile was a cold baring of fangs. "You've stirred prophecy. You've broken the Veil. And the Council wants answers."
"I broke nothing." My voice was a growl. "The flare wasn't mine."
"Lies." She flicked her wrist, and two wolves slammed chains of lunar metal around my wrists. The bindings burned—magic specifically designed to cripple hybrids.
My vision blurred red.
I pulled against the chains. The metal groaned. One link snapped—
The entire Hunt moved at once.
Weight crashed into me from all sides. Claws dug into my arms and shoulders. Someone struck the base of my skull. Another forced a gag rune near my jaw.
My knees hit the stone hard.
Shadows coiled around my vision as I fought them—teeth bared, heartbeat spiking, every instinct screaming to tear through all of them.
But the rune…
The rune ate into my spine again.
My muscles locked.
A snarl ripped out of me, low and vicious, but it didn't matter. Moonveil magic pinned me, pressed me into submission I hadn't tasted in decades.
Rhyssa crouched in front of me, eyes gleaming. "Tell me, Alistair… what girl have you bonded yourself to?"
My blood went still.
They knew.
They didn't know who—but they knew.
Rhyssa's smile sharpened. "Ah. That silence speaks."
I forced air into my lungs. "Touch her… and I'll rip your pack apart."
She laughed softly. "Oh, we will touch her. We need only follow the scent of your sin."
My heartbeat roared in my ears.
S a r a f i n a.
I pushed against the rune again—bone screaming, metal scalding—
but the Hunt tightened the chains until my vision went white.
Rhyssa leaned close enough for me to feel her breath.
"Take him."
The world lurched as they dragged me to my feet.
I caught one last glimpse of the moon overhead—glowing too bright, too full. A bad omen.
Then the shadows closed around me as they hauled me toward Moonveil territory.
Not fear.
Not anger.
Something worse twisted in my chest.
She was alone.
And they were hunting her scent.
I let my head drop forward, teeth grinding as the chains tightened again.
"I'm coming back," I whispered, voice raw, low, meant only for the night.
"No matter who I have to break."