C17 ALEXANDRU POV

Alexandru’s Point of View

"Alone, we shall all die, never to be reborn.

Ye must stand together, because

Merged, we will be unstoppable.

But in the enemy’s land, she resides."

"Vultures surround her like a corpse,

Waiting to feed and kill.

Hurt, weak, alone, and dying,

Torn apart from within by monsters begging to come forth."

"Lies on your shoulders the fate of a world unseen.

Careful, Alexandru, you will never win alone.

He will be born when the moon is red,

And the leaves are white, when all celebrate,

Unaware of the annihilation that awaits."

"A new danger is coming,

A breed we’ve never seen.

Ye must unite, together, or we’ll all fall.

Go to where the moon is full and blue.

There ye shall find the one thing you need.

Running in circles, Alexandru, you’ll be empty,

And the world shall end because of you. Both of you."

She steps back, maybe because of the rage in my eyes.

"Explain. Now," I snarl, my hand wrapped around her throat.

"I don’t -" she starts, but I tighten my grip.

"One snap and you’re gone. Your foresight won’t save you, Seer. Tell me what you know," I hiss, baring my fangs inches from her face.

"I know nothing. I only see what I’ve been shown. The words I speak aren’t mine, they belong to the ancestors. Kill me, Lycan, and be done with it," she groans.

I search her eyes. She’s telling the truth.

"And Adaline?" I whisper, loosening my grip.

"She is weak. Childish. Pathetic. She doesn't yet understand the power she holds. She doesn’t know she’ll save us all. You’ll be unstoppable, together, only if you don’t go to her. Let her come to you. Let her find her way home. If you help her before she reaches out first, you’ll doom everything."

I stumble back as though burned, jaw clenched.

"Let her come home," she says softly.

"How is she?" I ask, my voice hoarse.

"Bad," she replies.

I meet her gaze.

"I mean... she has friends. A boyfriend. But she’s surrounded by enemies. She doesn’t know the power she wields. She fried those men to the ground last week. It was ancestral magic. She’s strong, but she’ll be stronger here. Let her figure it out."

I bite into my fist. That might be the hardest part of all.

"Be careful. Be ready, Alexandru," she says, and vanishes.

She was only a mirage. I couldn’t have harmed her even if I tried.

Addie’s doing bad.And I can’t help her. I have to let her find her way home.

“Fuck!” I scream, birds scattering from the trees.

The anger floods my veins, boiling, pulsing, so I run. I don’t stop until I reach the forest. There, I shift, embracing the freedom my form allows. And I run. Far and wide. Howling at the moon. Hoping, praying, that she’s okay.

__

I pace Rick’s floor. With how much I’ve walked, I’m surprised there’s not a hole in it.

“Sit,” my father says. I ignore him, the hunger gnawing at my gut.

I got home late last night, after arguing with Dad. He didn’t think it proper to knock down the Alpha’s door and share the Seer’s vision. But I did it anyway. I spent hours relaying it all. Now, morning’s here, and I’m at Rick’s.

“Luc, what’s going on?” Faye asks, her husband following her inside.

I wait until Camille, Peter, Zach, Rick, and Catalina are all seated.

“A Seer came to me last night,” I say.

“We don’t believe everything a Seer says, Luc. You know this,” Catalina replies.

“I know. But this isn’t the usual Seer nonsense. This is real. Urgent. And here’s the worst part, Adaline and I are tied to the center of this prophecy.”

Peter straightens. “What exactly did she say? And who was she?”

I describe her and recount every word. By the end, silence stretches between us.

“For a while now, we’ve assumed the threat was just the Romania Pack,” Rick says. “But what if it’s more than that?”

“‘A hybrid the world has never seen. They will have the strength of the sun and moon, the power of day and night,’” Camille repeats.

“What has the power of day and night?” Peter asks. “We have the night, we change at will, and naturally on full moons. But what controls the day?”

“There’s a new player,” Mom murmurs. “A hybrid. Could it be Aurora?”

I stiffen.

“She’s a witch and a werewolf,” Zach says. “Not fully either, because of how she represses it. But I don’t think she’s the hybrid. I think the real one is bigger. Stronger.”

They all know what she is, or what she could be, and I didn’t?

“‘Lies on your shoulders, the fate of a world unseen. He will be born when the moon is red, and the leaves are white. When all celebrate, unaware of the annihilation that awaits.’” I repeat.

“During a festival,” I say grimly.

“A red moon and white leaves... I don’t get it,” Peter says.

“Neither do I,” I admit.

“All we know is that the fate of our world lies with Luc and Aurora,” Faye says. “And she’s miles away.”

“What if it’s not just our world?” I ask, the thought sending chills down my spine. “What if it’s not just the supernatural community, But the entire world? What if this evil wants to dominate both humans and supernaturals? What if it wants to create a world filled with monsters like itself?”

“They’ll need power,” Dad mutters. “They’ll start rallying people. My bet’s still on Romania.”

“What do we do about Aurora?” Faye asks.

I clench my jaw.

“Nothing. She’s family. She’ll be fine. Let her find her way to us,” Camille says gently.

And I lose it.

“FUCK!”

“I’m tired of this helplessness. I want to help her. Train her. Help her see the power inside her. Let her know she’s not alone. But if I do, according to the Seer, I doom us all. Fuck! I hate this,” I growl.

“I understand,” Catalina says.

I scoff. “You could never. She’s in danger. Surrounded by enemies. And I can’t do a thing.”

“Okay. Quiet, everyone,” Peter says.

I glare at him, until I see his phone is out. He’s calling her.

“Hey, Daddy,” I hear. And the wave of relief nearly knocks me out.

“How are you, my love?” Peter asks.

“I’m fine… had a little accident,” she says.

I shoot to my feet, only for Zach to grab me and hold me down.

Fuck.