In The Divine Father's Light

< Seraphina's P.O.V. >

A light —

Blinding, golden-silver light burst through the dark chamber like a divine storm. It wasn't just light. It was warmth. Power. A force that banished shadows and burned through evil with effortless grace. I covered my eyes instinctively, the brilliance too much to bear—but in that moment, I felt it. That familiar heartbeat… that sacred pull of the blood that ran through me. The air shifted—dense with divine might, sharp with truth. Every inch of my skin felt it. I felt Him.

"Father…", I breathed, my lips quivering. "Father…"

Rowan screamed like a mad man. He was thrown violently against the stone wall, as if an unseen hand had flung him like dust. He collapsed—unconscious, breath shallow. The light spared his life… but I knew—it was intentional.

A voice rang from inside the light:

"I will not destroy the one blessed by my son, Erum. Even the divine must honor the balance."

And then, I saw him.

God Lunaris.

He didn't walk—he appeared, as if light itself formed into a shape more beautiful than mortal eyes could bear. His hair shimmered like moonlight on untouched snow, cascading over shoulders draped in starlight-silver robes. His eyes… oh, his eyes. Galaxies. Swirling with ancient power and unfathomable love. His skin glowed like celestial marble, his aura bending the space around him into reverent silence.

"Seraphina.", he said, and the moment my name left his lips, my heart shattered and healed all at once. His voice—deep, warm, echoing like the midnight wind through holy mountains—wrapped around me.

I ran. My legs, weak and trembling, found strength. I threw myself into his arms. He caught me with the gentleness of eternity. I sobbed into his chest as he wrapped his embrace around me like the sky wraps the moon. "You... You came... Father...".

"I will always come to you, my daughter.", he whispered. "No matter the shadows that rise, your light is mine. I will never let it go out."

I cried harder.

"My daughter… It's okay. I'm here. You are safe now.", his voice broke through my pain. I clutched his robes as if the very stars would disappear if I let go.

With a flick of his fingers, warmth washed over my torn dress. The fabric repaired itself, piece by piece—midnight blue silk reweaving with starlight threads. The cloak around me reappeared like mist returning to a mountain. He gathered me into his arms and I clung to him, burying my face in his chest, where his heart beat with the pulse of the divine.

"I… I thought he… I thought he…"

"You were brave, my little Sera.", he said, placing his forehead gently against mine. "You are my child, born of strength and starlight. No darkness can claim you while I breathe."

"I want to go somewhere else..", I cried into his robes. "Please… Take me somewhere far. Somewhere… safe. Please, Father… please take me away from here… Somewhere where the pain can't follow..", I choked out.

Lunaris nodded solemnly. "So, you shall."

He raised a hand. The room blurred. The foul air vanished.

And then—light again. This time gentle.

When my vision cleared, I was somewhere I had never seen before, yet my soul remembered. A place of overwhelming peace.

***************************************

We stood now in a place no mortal had ever seen—The Celestine Sanctuary.

It was beyond beauty.

The sky shimmered with hues of soft lavender and molten gold, while clouds of mist swirled like silk above mountaintops kissed with moonlight. Lush gardens stretched as far as the eye could see, moonflowers glowing softly under the eternal twilight. Silver trees bowed in reverence as we passed. The air smelled like jasmine and divine incense. Crystalline streams giggled beneath floating lotuses, and glowing birds hummed celestial tunes. A river of light flowed through the temple grounds, not water, but liquid moonlight. Birds of snow-feathered grace flew above us, their wings leaving trails of crystal dust. The environment was enveloped with something divine—something only those born of gods could recognize.

In the distance, I heard soft voices—priestesses singing praises of Lunaris in a tongue older than time. The notes floated in the air like prayer-shaped snowflakes.

Father guided me to a marble garden pavilion adorned with sacred lunar engravings. I sat beside him, my head resting on his lap. His fingers gently caressed my hair.

"Father…", I murmured. "I was so scared…"

"I know..", he replied, his voice heavy with sorrow. "I felt every tremble in your heart. But you are safe now. No one shall touch you again."

"I... trusted him...", I whispered. "Rowan… I loved him."

Lunaris exhaled, a sad smile brushing his lips. "Sometimes, my star, the ones we love are the ones who fall to darkness the fastest. But even that pain serves your purpose."

I tilted my head up to him, eyes heavy with tears and sleep.

"Stay with me, Father...", I whispered.

"I always will."

And as I drifted into a dreamless sleep, his arms encircled me like the night sky holding its moon.

I heard his voice one last time, murmuring more to himself than to me:

"Fate is something even I cannot undo, my daughter. You must bear it all, so one day, you shall rise above it. Stronger. Fiercer. Divinely unbreakable."

***************************************

< Narrator's P.O.V. >

The moon had long since retreated behind thick, vengeful clouds, casting the world into a deeper gloom than usual. Somewhere deep in the woods bordering the ruined halls of George Hollow, a few of Rowan's men found him sprawled on the cold stone floor, unconscious, lips curled into a twisted grin as if mocking even in defeat. A faint scorch still lingered in the air — not of fire, but something divine. Something holy.

Rowan's eyes fluttered open hours later in his private quarters. The silk sheets around him tangled in his restless wake as he sat up, groaning and snarling. His head throbbed, and something inside him felt singed, scorched, as if light itself had dared to mark him. But more than pain, rage simmered just beneath his skin.

"Where is she?!", he roared, his voice enough to shake the oak rafters.

A trembling servant rushed inside, his eyes downcast. "My lord, we… we haven't found Lady Seraphina. She—"

A crack echoed. Rowan's palm struck the boy across the face so hard that he collapsed.

"You dare tell me that again?!", Rowan seethed, pupils narrowing to feral slits. His claws were nearly out. "She was mine. MINE! MINE!!!"

With barely contained venom in his voice, Rowan turned to his remaining guards and said with a sneer, "HAH–If she wants to play like this… fine. Let's continue the game, babe."

Later that day, a declaration was announced across the pack territories: Seraphina Lykae, daughter of Cedric and Elareth, had betrayed the Bloodfang Pack by fleeing to avoid her arranged union with the Alpha Prince.

***************************************

Meanwhile, Caelen's boots stormed through the gravel path to the Lykae Mansion. His heart thundered in his chest. He burst into the great hall where Cedric, Elareth, and Alpha King Theron — Rowan's father — sat discussing wedding rites.

"Something's wrong!", Caelen gasped. "Rowan invited Seraphina to George Hollow—last night. She's missing. And now he's telling the world she ran away by choice!"

"What?", Elareth stood, her voice shaking. "Our daughter—disappeared?"

Theron narrowed his eyes. "What did you say about George Hollow?"

Caelen explained everything—how Rowan had insisted on a private meeting, how screams echoed from the Hollow, and how Rowan now painted Seraphina as a traitor.

Theron was already rising to his feet, anger flaring behind his seasoned eyes, when the grand doors opened once more. Rowan stepped inside, slow, deliberate… grinning like a madman.

"Well well… what a cozy meeting..", he drawled, eyes gleaming with cruel amusement. "You're all talking about my sweet little fiancée?"

Caelen took a step back. Something in Rowan's scent had shifted. It was darker now—tainted.

"ROWAN!", Theron snapped. "What did you do?"

Before Rowan could answer, his ever-loyal second-in-command stepped forward, shouting, "The Lykaes are traitors! They helped their daughter escape!"

Chaos exploded.

Guards swarmed in from behind. In a heartbeat, Cedric and Elareth were seized. Theron turned on his son in fury, only to be grabbed himself and dragged out of the Lykae Mansion by the guards.

"I am still the Alpha King!", he bellowed. "This is treason!"

Rowan smiled coldly. "Not anymore, Father."

And with a nod, he commanded, "Burn it all."

Gasps rippled as guards began pouring oil over the tapestries and antique furniture. Flames erupted at the edges of the great hall as Theron broke free, roaring in agony.

"You will not do this!", he charged toward Rowan—but it was too late.

With a low, guttural growl, Rowan let his body shift. Bones snapped, muscle tore and reformed, fur erupted in midnight-black sheen as a monstrous wolf took shape. His beast form—Nyxaros, the Moon's Shadow.

Nyxaros leapt, claws flashing like silver scythes. With one slash, he pierced Theron's chest and ripped out the Alpha King's heart, holding it for a breathless second before dropping it to the floor.

"Long live the Alpha...", Rowan whispered, voice warped by his beast's form. Then he laughed. Loud. Wild. Unhinged.

And, behind him, the Lykae Mansion was burning like a forest fire.

***************************************

Amid the inferno, through a hidden corridor beneath the mansion, Cedric, Elareth, and Caelen fled under the guidance of Cedric's old lieutenant. The southern country — Valerith, Elareth's homeland — was their destination.

Cedric's mind was in turmoil. "What of Seraphina? If she is still in this territory, what horrors—"

Caelen interrupted. "I think… I think someone helped her. Rowan looked too shaken for it to be an ordinary escape. He didn't get what he wanted. Maybe—just maybe—she's safe."

"You're a traitor now, Caelen..", Elareth said quietly. "What will you do now?"

He looked ahead, eyes grim. "Then let me be one. Better to betray a tyrant than stand with him in silence."

Cedric looked to him, weighing trust in the man who once served the enemy. "Come with us to Valerith, dear."

Caelen nodded. "I will. But I'll never stop searching for her."

In their hearts, they whispered a prayer, Lunaris, great god of the moon, if you've ever heard us—keep her safe. Please, keep her safe.

***************************************

And somewhere beyond mortal sight, in a celestial sanctuary bathed in silver light, a god opened his eyes.

Lunaris — divine father of Seraphina, god of Werewolves — stirred.

His eyes gleamed like galaxies.

He had heard their prayers.

And now… the heavens would answer.

---

End of Chapter Five.

To be continued...