Chapter 155

Chapter 155: Chapter 155

In the Silvermoon common room, Selene sat with her friends.

The room was quieter than usual, the students subdued by the strange events that had been unfolding across the realm. Celeste and Mira sat on either side of Selene, their voices low as they discussed the day’s training.

"The instructors are pushing us harder than ever," Celeste said. "I think they’re preparing us for something."

"For war," Mira added darkly. "The realm is falling apart. The packs are restless. It is only a matter of time before something breaks."

Selene nodded, but her mind was elsewhere. "Have either of you heard anything about the investigation? The one into Nyra’s death?"

Celeste and Mira exchanged a glance. "Not much," Celeste said carefully. "The Prince has been very secretive. But there are rumors that he suspects someone close to him."

"Suspects who?"

"No one knows. But the investigation is moving faster than before. They’ve already arrested Draven—well, before he died and they’re looking for Killian."

"Do they know about...?" Selene trailed off, her eyes darting around the room.

"No one knows anything for certain," Mira said quietly. "But we should be careful. If the investigation turns toward us—"

"It won’t." Selene’s voice was firm. "We’ve been careful. As long as we don’t do anything suspicious, they won’t have any reason to look our way."

Across the room, Maureen sat with her books spread around her, her head bent as if studying. But her ears were straining, catching every word of the conversation.

They’re hiding something, she thought. Selene and her friends are definitely involved in something. I need to find out what.

She made a mental note of everything she had heard, tucking it away for later. Jasper would want to know. Corvin would want to know. The investigation was counting on her, and she wouldn’t let them down.

In the Moon Court, Nyra was dreaming.

She stood in a field of silver grass, the sky above her bright with stars. The air was warm and still, carrying the scent of moonflowers. And standing before her, side by side, were two figures she knew better than her own soul.

"Father," she whispered. "Thorne."

They smiled at her, the same smile, warm and proud and full of love. Her father’s hair was brown, his eyes like amber. Thorne looked exactly as she remembered him handsome and confident, with that familiar mischievous glint in his eye.

"Hello, little sister," Thorne said. "You’ve done well."

Nyra’s eyes filled with tears. "I’ve failed. I lost my body. I lost my throne. I lost—"

"You haven’t failed." Her father’s voice was gentle. "You survived. You fought. You loved. That’s all that matters."

"But the realm is falling apart. Varek is still out there. Finn is—" Her voice broke. "Finn betrayed me. My best friend. The one person I thought I could trust."

"We know." Thorne’s expression softened. "We’ve been watching. And we know how much it hurts."

"Then why? Why did he do it? Why does everyone want me dead?"

Her father stepped forward and took her hands. "The world is complicated, Nyra. People are complicated. Finn’s path was shaped by pain and loss, just as yours was. But his pain twisted him. It made him cruel. That is his burden to bear, not yours."

"I should have seen it. I should have known."

"You couldn’t have known. He was too good at hiding." Thorne moved to stand beside their father. "But that doesn’t mean you’re weak. It means you trusted. And trust is not a weakness. It’s a strength."

Nyra’s tears fell freely now. "I miss you both so much."

"We miss you too." Her father cupped her face in his hands. "But you’re not alone. We’re always with you. And you have people who love you in the mortal world too. Soren. Corvin. Ragnar. Jasper. Marek. They’re still fighting. They haven’t given up on you."

"And you won’t give up on yourself," Thorne added. "You’re stronger than you know, Nyra. You always have been."

The dream began to fade. The silver field dissolved into light, and her father and brother grew distant, their forms shimmering like mirages.

"Wait," Nyra called. "Don’t go. Please."

"We’re always with you," her father’s voice echoed. "Always."

Nyra woke with tears streaming down her face.

She lay in her bed in the Moon Court, staring at the crystal ceiling, her heart aching. The dream had felt so real—so vivid—that for a moment, she had believed she was back in the mortal world, back with the people she loved.

But she was still here. Still trapped. Still powerless.

I failed them, she thought. I failed my father. I failed Thorne. I failed everyone.

You didn’t fail, Luna said softly. You’re still here. You’re still fighting. That’s what they would want.

Nyra closed her eyes. The tears kept falling, but somewhere beneath the grief, a spark of determination was beginning to kindle.

I’ll find a way back, she thought. I’ll find a way back, and I’ll finish what I started. For my father. For Thorne. For everyone who believes in me.

She sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. The moon outside her window was dark—a sliver of silver in a sky full of stars.

The full moon hasn’t come, she realized. The goddess is withholding her light. The realm is suffering because of me.

She stood and walked to the window, pressing her palm against the cold glass.

I have to go back. Not just for myself. For everyone.

The determination burned brighter now, hot and fierce. She would find a way. She had to.

No matter what it took.

Nyra stood in the corridor outside the great hall of the Moon Court, her back pressed against the cold silver wall. The doors were slightly ajar, and from within, voices drifted out powerful voices, heavy with authority and anger.

She knew she shouldn’t be listening. She knew it was wrong to eavesdrop on the goddess and her heavenly council. But something had drawn her here a feeling in her chest, a restlessness she couldn’t shake. And now that she was here, she couldn’t bring herself to leave.

She peeked through the gap in the doors.

The Moon Goddess sat on her throne of pure moonlight, her form blazing with silver fire. Her face was beautiful and terrible, the face of a mother consumed by grief and fury. Around her, seated in a semicircle, were the heavenly beings, beings of light and shadow, their forms shifting and shimmering like mirages. Evelyn, Nyra’s earthly mother, sat quietly among them, her expression worried.

Sometimes she wonders how her mother Evelyn and the goddess are able to reside in the same room and tolerate each other given their history with the same man. Well that’s not her concern right now, it’s a talk for another day.

"The realm has forgotten its place," the Moon Goddess was saying, her voice cold and sharp. "They murdered my daughter. They hunted her like an animal. And now they expect me to show mercy?"

"Goddess," one of the heavenly beings began, "The people of the realm are not all guilty. Many of them believed in the princess. Many of them mourned her death—"

"Believed in her? Mourned her?" The goddess’s laugh was bitter. "Where were those believers when my daughter was hiding in the forest, hunted by her own uncle’s soldiers? Where were those mourners when she stood before the King, accused of murdering her own brother? Where were they when the arrow pierced her heart?"

The heavenly being fell silent.

"The realm will suffer," the goddess continued. "Their crops will wither. Their livestock will die. Their full moon will not return until I deem them worthy of its light. And even then—" She paused, her eyes blazing. "Even then, I am not finished with them. I will fish out every evil being in that land. Every traitor. Every murderer. Every liar. And I will show them the consequences of touching my daughter."

"Goddess, please—" another being began.

"Silence!" The goddess’s voice thundered through the hall. "If you wish to share the realm’s fate, continue speaking. Otherwise, hold your tongue."

The hall fell silent. The heavenly beings exchanged uneasy glances, but no one dared to speak.

Nyra pressed her hand to her chest, her heart pounding. She had never seen her mother like this so cold, so furious, so utterly uncompromising. This was not the gentle goddess who had welcomed her to the Moon Court. This was something else. Something terrifying. Something she dare not trespass.

She’s doing this for me, Nyra thought. She’s punishing the realm because of me.

The guilt was overwhelming. How many people were suffering because of her death? How many innocents people were paying the price for the actions of a few greedy people?.

I have to stop this, she thought. I have to find a way back. I have to make this right.

She turned and walked back to her room, her mind churning. The trainer would be coming soon. She had to learn to control her powers. And then then she would find a way to escape. Not just for herself, but for the realm. For everyone.