Marcosias’ voice boomed. "You cannot stop me, Luna. You were always meant to be a part of this." I froze. Hecouldsee me. This wasn’t just a vision—I wasthere. Panic surged, as the blood dragged me closer to the altar.
Suddenly, white-hot pain tore through me, and the vision warped into flashing images: Marcosias’ bloody hands reaching for me, the artifact glowing brighter, Orion’s broken body, Miranda screaming. Then I saw it clearly—my own sacrifice.
I was the final piece of his ritual.
He needed me to complete his transformation. My soul was the key to his dark power. The vision faded, but not before I saw Marcosias standing victorious, his enemies dead, and me … gone.
The vision snapped back to the present, and I found myself gasping for air, my hands shaking uncontrollably. I stumbled back, collapsing onto the cold floor of Orion’s apartment. My heart pounded in my chest as the weight of the vision settled in. Sweat dripped down my forehead, and I could barely breathe.
Orion rushed over, kneeling beside me, his eyes filled with panic. “Luna! What happened? Are you okay?”
I shook my head, struggling to find the words. “I—I saw him … Marcosias … the ritual …” My voice cracked as the images flooded back. “He’s going to use me. He’s going to sacrifice me to complete the ritual.”
“That will never happen!” Orion’s face darkened, his fists clenching.
“I saw the artifact,” I whispered, trying to steady my breath. “It’s hidden in the mountains. It’s the only thing that can stop him, Orion. We have to find it.”
“What are you talking about? What artifact?”
Chapter 18
Orion
Luna stood before me; her eyes filled with an urgency I hadn’t seen before. She paced back and forth in the living room, her hands trembling slightly as she spoke.
"I saw it, Orion," she said, her voice low but intense. "It’s hidden deep in the mountains, ancient and powerful. It’s the only thing that can stop him."
"Stop who?" I asked, though I already knew. Marcosias was always at the center of this madness.
"Marcosias," she said, her eyes locking onto mine. "The artifact—it’s the key to stopping his ritual. Without it, there’s nothing we can do. He’ll finish the ritual and gain a power none of us can even imagine."
I frowned, trying to make sense of what she was saying. "What kind of artifact are we talking about here? What exactly does it do?"
"It’s old, older than any of the clans. I don’t know everything, but it’s connected to the magic Marcosias is using. It can neutralize dark magic, Orion—cancel it out completely. I saw it glowing, pulsing with energy. It’s not tainted like his magic, it’s pure. It’s the only thing powerful enough to destroy what he’s trying to unleash."
I crossed my arms, trying to process the weight of her words. "So, this artifact … it can stop the ritual? For good?"
She nodded. "Yes. But it’s buried deep in the mountains, hidden away for centuries. No one’s supposed to know about it, and I think Marcosias doesn’t. If we can get to it before he does, we have a chance to end this—before he uses me, or anyone else, for his twisted plans."
My heart clenched at the thought of her being a part of that ritual, of her life being in danger again because of Marcosias. "And you’re sure about this, Luna? You’re sure this is the only way?"
She stopped pacing and faced me, her green eyes burning with conviction. "I’m sure. It’s the only way to stop him, Orion. If we don’t get to that artifact, he’ll complete the ritual, and no one will be able to stop him. Not even you."
The air in the room felt heavy, charged with the weight of her words. I stepped closer to her, taking her hands in mine.
"Then we find it. We get to it before he does. We end this. Together."
She nodded, but I could see the fear lingering in her eyes. "It won’t be easy. Marcosias will be relentless, and he’s already growing stronger."
"Let him try, he’s yet to come out of whatever hole he’s in" I said, my voice low and steady. "He won’t lay a finger on you. We’ll get that artifact, and we’ll stop him."
I held her close, feeling the weight of what lay ahead. But no matter how dark things got, I knew one thing for certain—I'd fight to the ends of the earth to protect her. We would find that artifact, and we would stop Marcosias. One way or another.
The soft knock on the door interrupted my thoughts. Jake walked in, his expression unreadable, but I could tell by his body language that whatever he had to say wasn’t good news.
“Alpha,” Jake greeted, his voice steady as he closed the door behind him. “I found out who owns the number that sent the anonymous message to Luna.”
My body tensed, but I nodded for him to continue. “Who is it?”