Alpha King Chases Abandoned Luna

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| clutched the empty Moonwood Ceremonial Urn to my chest, tears streaming down my face. Victoria's cruel

desecration of Lily's grave had reopened wounds that had never truly healed.

My wolf whimpered inside me, maternal instincts still raw and bleeding despite the years that

had passed. We needed to do something-anything-to honor our pup's memory.

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< Chapter 123 Victona's Despair

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| opened my laptop, searching for ways to memorialize a deceased werewolf child. An online support group for

grieving werewolf parents appeared in the search results.

Hesitantly, | clicked the link and began reading through the posts. Stories of loss, of

heartbreak, but also of healing and remembrance filled the screen.

One post in particular caught my attention:

"Finding peace at the Ancient Moon Temple in Ravenwood saved my sanity after losing my

son. Elder Tobias Gray performed the Moonlight Passage ritual, and | truly believe my boy's

spirit found its way to the ancestral hunting grounds. The perpetual moonstone lamp 1 lit for

him still burns there, a beacon guiding him hwhenever he wishes to visit."

My heart raced as | read more about the temple. Located in Ravenwood, a neighboring

territory, it was known as a sacred place where the veil between worlds grew thin during

certain lunar phases.

| immediately texted Lucas Blackwood, who had promised to helphonor Lily's memory

properly after the desecration of her grave.

"Can you taketo the Ancient Moon Temple in Ravenwood? | need to light a perpetual

moonstone lamp for Lily."

His response cquickly: "I'm sorry, Olivia. My grandfather's condition has worsened. | need to return to

Blackwood Estate immediately. Can it wait until | return?"

| stared at the message, disappointment washing over me. But my wolf pushed forward with maternal

determination. This couldn't wait. Lily had already waited too long for proper

respect.

"Don't worry," | texted back. "I'll go alone. Your grandfather needs you more right now."

Lucas replied with concern: "The journey to Ravenwood is dangerous, especially for a lone

she-wolf. Please wait for me."

But my mind was made up. "I'll be careful. This is something | need to do for Lily."

| packed a small bag with essentials and the remnants of Lily's ashes that I'd managed to salvage from the

cemetery. The drive to Ravenwood would take several hours, but | needed to arrive before moonrise for the ritual

to be most effective.

As | started my car, | felt a strange sense of purpose fillingfor the first tsince Lily's death. My wolf,

though still wounded by grief, seemed to approve of this mission.

"We're doing this for Lily," | whispered, both to myself and my wolf. "She deserves peace."

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< Chapter 123 Victoria's Despair

The journey to Ravenwood passed in a blur of winding roads and dense forests.

The Ancient Moon Temple stood atop a hill, its white stone walls gleaming in the late

afternoon sun.

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Elder Tobias Gray metat the entrance. "You bring great sorrow with you, daughter," he said softly. "And the

ashes of a young one."

| nodded, unable to speak past the lump in my throat.

"Come," he said, gesturing forto follow. "The moonstone lamps are this way."

Inside the temple, hundreds of small crystal lamps lined the walls, each glowing with a soft, bluish light. Elder

Gray ledto an empty niche.

"Place your daughter's ashes here," he instructed. "And light the lamp with this."

He handeda special match that burned with an unusual blue flame. As | lit the lamp, |

whispered Lily's name, watching as the flcaught and steadied.

"Now she will always have light to find her way," Elder Gray said. "Would you liketo

perform the Moonlight Passage ritual as well?"

"Yes, please," | whispered, my voice breaking.

The ritual was beautiful in its simplicity. Elder Gray chanted in an ancient werewolf tongue, his

voice rising and falling like waves.

"Her spirit is free now," he toldwhen it was done. "She will find peace in the ancestral

hunting grounds and will be reincarnated into a happy life."

Relief washed over me, and my wolf felt lighter than it had since Lily's passing. "Thank you," |

said, tears streaming down my face. "Thank you so much."

As | left the temple, the sun was beginning to set. | checked my phone, intending to let Lucas

know | was heading back, only to find the battery had died.

"It doesn't matter," | told myself. "I'll be hsoon enough."

The drive back to Silvercrest territory began peacefully enough. As | approached Silverfang

Bridge, | noticed dark clouds gathering, promising a storm.

was halfway across the bridge when headlights appeared behind me, approaching rapidly.

The car swerved erratically, coming dangerously close to my bumper.

My heart raced as | pressed harder on the accelerator, trying to put distance between us. The

other car swerved again, this tclipping my rear bumper.

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< Chapter 123 Victoria's Despair

My car fishtailed, and | fought to regain control. As | approached a curve in the bridge, | pressed on the brakes-

but nothing happened.

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Panic surged throughas | pumped the brake pedal repeatedly. Nothing. The brakes had failed completely.

Ahead, | could see a school bus full of young pups, stopped at the far end of the bridge. At my current speed, |

would crash directly into it.

My wolf's heightened senses took in everything in a split second-the bus full of children, the steep drop to

Moonstone River below, the rapidly closing distance.

There was only one choice.

| yanked the steering wheel hard to the right, aiming for the gap in the guardrail. As my car broke through the

metal barrier, tseemed to slow.