CHAPTER SEVENTY FOUR
ROXANNE
Anger boiled inside me, hot and relentless. I didn’t like Lilith, but she was still my sister. War had been declared, and now swords clashed against swords, claws ripped into flesh. The three packs—White Moon and Red Moon—united against Blue Moon, turning the battlefield into a bloody nightmare.
I watched as Colin joined Beta Miles, their ruthlessness clear. We clashed, our bodies moving in deadly grace. The anger and betrayal fueled my every move and for the first time I felt the extent of my powers. I fought with a strength I never knew I had.
Miles plunged a knife into Ryker’s stomach, igniting a fury within me that I couldn’t contain. I wolfed out, throwing myself at Miles, my claws tearing at his flesh, my teeth sinking deep.
Gasps echoed around me as everyone saw the size of my wolf form. But Miles was fast. He grabbed a knife and stabbed me, forcing me to morph back. Blood poured from my wound, but it wasn’t mine. It was his. Smiling through the pain, I whispered, “This is the advantage of being the prophecy.”
Selina threw a jacket at my bare body and I wrapped it around myself.
I twisted the knife in my stomach, wincing as pain shot through me. Miles screamed, experiencing my pain threefold. He bled profusely, begging me to stop.
I didn’t. Instead, I slashed his neck and whispered, “Goodbye, Miles.”
Selina’s cry tore through the chaos as her mate fell, blood gushing from his wounds. She ran to him, her sobs mingling with the sounds of battle.
My eyes darted to Ryker and Lilith. Lilith looked as if she was dying, but Ryker seemed a bit stronger. I called out to Zane, instructing him to watch over Ryker while I ran to my sister’s side. Lilith glared at me, her voice weak yet defiant. “Get away from me.”
“Shut up,” I snapped, lifting the hem of her dress to inspect the wound. It was deep, too deep.
“What are you doing?” she demanded.
“If you keep quiet, I might be able to help,” I whispered, desperation in my voice.
Lilith was fading, her life hanging by a thread. “Hold on, just a little longer,” I pleaded, tears welling up.
Ignoring the battle raging around us, I placed my hands on Lilith’s wound, willing it to heal.
“Why are you trying to save me?” she asked, her voice a faint whisper. “If I get better, I’ll kill you.”
There was no bitterness in her voice, and no hate.
“You’re my sister. I hate you but I don’t want you dead,” I said, my voice trembling.
“Fair enough,” she whispered and smiled as she watched me intently with beautiful blue eyes. She looked pretty when she wasn't mad.
But the wound didn’t heal. Instead, it bled more. Panic surged through me. I called for the necromancer, my voice breaking. “She’s not healing. Please, help her.”
The necromancer knelt beside Lilith, her expression soft. She caressed Lilith’s cheek, kissed her forehead, and whispered, “You’ve been strong. All you wanted was to see your family. Thank you for holding on this long.”
Lilith smiled weakly. “Thanks for being my mom.”
“What’s happening?” I demanded, my voice shaking with fear.
The necromancer sighed. “She has to die.”
“Why?” I screamed. “Explain!”
My noise attracted Zane and he forcefully came to my side. He glanced at Lilith and then at me. “Is she dying?” He asked.
I nodded, scared that if I opened my mouth, I would cry noisily.
“She died as a baby to bring you to life, Roxanne,” the necromancer said, her voice heavy with sorrow. “She can’t be kept alive again. She doesn’t have the gift of healing and cannot be healed.”
Lilith smiled at me. It was genuine.“I really wanted to kill you before but I got mad when I learned Beta Miles killed you. I guess sometimes we don't know what we want.” she squeezed Zane's hand and said. “You were protective of Roxanne. Don't stop being a good person to her. You both are the only family left. All I wanted was to meet either of you and I did.”
I wiped her tears. A minute ago she had been angry and hostile but now, she looked soft and calm. “Stop saying that,” I pleaded.
“I am the end that has no beginning,
Yet in my grasp, life finds it's spinning.
Once met, I claim with solemn decree.
But fear not, for all shall dance with me,” Lilith said in a strained voice but managed to keep her eyes on me. “That last poem was about me.”
I gasped. I had always thought it was about me dying but it wasn't. It was about Lilith dying. Which means it couldn't be avoided. She reached out and touched the necklace on my neck. “It has always been safe with you. Protect it for me and please remove the damn W there. It's meant to be Lilith Colton.”
I chuckled through tears and promised to keep it safe. Zane leaned forward and kissed her forehead. The necromancer turned to me and touched the necklace. “You'll no longer hear things or see things related to Lilith once she dies.”
Lilith’s eyes closed, her breath slowing. I clung to her, my tears falling onto her pale skin. As she took her last breath, the weight of our shared history crushed me. Lilith, my sister, was gone.
“My work here is done,” the necromancer whispered and vanished.
Breathing heavily, I turned to Ryker, our eyes locking. There would be time for explanation and apologies later. What mattered now was that we had survived. Selina assisted me and we freed him.
With tears in my eyes, I placed my hands on his wound and he healed. I threw my arms around him. We hugged for a long time and I broke down in his arms. Colin pleaded and Selina called off the battle.
We had won.
“I'm sorry I didn't listen to you,” Ryker apologised.
I shrugged. “Not now, please, let's go home.”
“Can we take the bodies along?” Selina asked as her gaze lingered on her mate's lifeless body. “Maybe bury them at ours?”
I sighed deeply and stared at Lilith. “I don't know if Lilith would want to be buried here in Blue Moon, after all she grew up here.”
Ryker shook his head in disagreement. He pulled himself from me and went to kneel beside his friend's body. He stared at him for long as if in thought, and squeezed his hand in his. “May the Luna accept you despite every mistake.”
Selina burst into tears and walked away. I was broken but there was nothing I could do. As a prophecy, I couldn't raise the dead. And Beta Miles, sadly, had deserved his fate.
Zane stood on the other side. We locked eyes and he bowed before me and Ryker before withdrawing.. There was no need for words. We had all been hurt enough and I didn't want to speak to him either.
“Well take them with us. Miles never liked Blue Moon and I think it's best to bury your sister at White Moon. All she wanted was to be close to her family. That way she would be close to you.”
“I'll take her,” Zane suggested. He had been quiet for a long time. He turned around and scooped Lilith's lifeless body in his arms. I saw a tear slide down his cheek.
The last time I had seen Zane shed a tear was when we lost our parents but he had done it again today. I kissed Lilith's forehead and he nodded at me. I nodded back. He turned around with his army and I watched him mount his carriage with the body. I didn't tear my eyes from them till they were out of sight.
“Let's go home,” Ryker suggested and I nodded.
“Wait,” Selina said abruptly. “I have a confession. It may be too late but I need to get it off my chest.”
Ryker sighed, “can't it wait till we get home?”
She shook her head and approached me. Tears glistened in her eyes. “Roxanne, thank you for helping me out. I'm sorry for all my wrong doings. I was mad my brother would stop caring about me because of you and I didn't want him to end up with you because you acted the same way my mom did when she was losing her mind.”
“Your mom wasn't losing her mind, she was only a seer. She was from red moon and White moon.” I corrected.
“You reminded me of her and she scared me those times. I'm sorry.”
There was nothing I could do anymore. I had conflicted emotions.
She turned to Ryker and tears streamed down her face. “I lied against Roxanne, Alpha. The video. They had no sex. Roxanne's drink was drugged. It was a set up. And yes, Fabiola was right. I poisoned Roxanne's tea back then and when kara caught me I got scared. I promised to help her collect her parcels to help her stay quiet.”
“Why are you telling me this now?” Ryker raged.
Selina sniffled and wiped her face. “Ryker I used to be really bitter when we were younger, especially the day mother failed her promise of coming to watch me dance when I was six. It's not my fault, she kept putting you over me and it wasn't fair. When you locked mom up in the dungeon, I went to her to give her poisoned tea.”
Anger flashed in Rykers eyes and his voice was low.“Roxanne's vision was real?”
“Yes,” Selina sobbed. “Colin wyatt gave me the poison and I poisoned mother out of hate and fear. She was a bother and that's why I blamed you for her death, because I felt guilty. But it was me, all the while and I'm sorry.”
***
Today was the most devastating day of my life and a day that would hurt me forever. Everything in my vision had been fulfilled. The vision I had seen in Selina's room was of Ryker and her when they were younger. And Lilith had been right when she said I would destroy everything.
Leaving blue moon, Ryker's army threw wooden torches onto the lifeless bodies and watched them consumed by the flames. A lot had been tested and broken. We all rode in silence. One thing was certain, even though we would keep mute and act like it never happened, we were never going to be the same again.