Chapter 85

Chapter 85 – The Blood Moon Rises

The sky cracked open.

From the spires of the Night King's castle to the cursed valleys of Wyrmgrave, the clouds split like flesh under a blade, revealing the full Blood Moon—a celestial omen that hadn't been seen in over a thousand years. Its light bathed the land in scarlet, ancient and furious, marking the beginning of the war foretold in the oldest vampire scripture.

Selene stood on the balcony of the throne tower, wind snarling through her hair. Her hands gripped the black stone as visions surged behind her eyes—visions that didn't belong to her alone anymore.

She could feel them. All of them. The omega souls that had come before her. The ones silenced. The ones forgotten. Their grief, their screams, their power… all rising in her blood like fire through frozen veins.

Behind her, Valerian approached slowly.

"You feel it too," he said, voice rough like a storm brewing over steel.

Selene nodded, not turning. "They're awakening. Not just the bloodlines. The gods. The old forces. Even death itself… is watching."

He wrapped his arms around her from behind, pressing his lips against the base of her neck where her mark burned like wildfire.

"The Council kneels now," he whispered, "but others are rising."

She leaned into him, eyes never leaving the sky. "The Lycans?"

Valerian's silence was answer enough.

"Yes," he finally said. "The White Fang Alpha crossed the Frostlands three nights ago. They say he's building an army. And he's not alone."

Selene's voice dropped to a whisper. "The Crimson Priestess."

Valerian flinched. "You saw her?"

"In a dream. Or maybe… a memory. She was holding something. A book made from human skin and a crown made from wolf fangs. And she whispered my name like she owned it."

Valerian turned her toward him. His silver eyes glowed, but it was fear that danced in them now—not for himself, but for her.

"Selene, the Crimson Priestess is the voice of the Moon Order. She believes the omega bloodline must be purged to restore balance. She wants your heart on an altar."

"She can try," Selene said coldly. "But I'm not the girl I was when I ran from the curse. I am the curse now."

She turned, stepped past him, and strode into the war room where maps and sigils lay scattered like spilled secrets. The generals were already waiting—vampires, nightborn mages, and even a few rogue wolves who had sworn themselves to the Night King.

As she entered, every head bowed.

"My Queen," said General Aemon, an elder who had once denied her place beside Valerian. "The skies burn for you tonight."

"They burn for all of us," she said. "And they won't stop until the world remembers what it did to omegas like me."

Her fingers hovered over the central map, over a dark valley between the Bone Hills and the Ruined Shore. "This is where she'll strike first. She wants the Tomb of Whispers."

Aemon blinked. "That place is lost—buried under centuries of frost."

"No," Selene said. "It's buried under blood. And my name is written in it."

Valerian stepped beside her, laying a clawed hand on the table. "We move tonight. Gather the elite guard. The Night King and his mate will face the first battle together."

Gasps filled the room. But none dared argue.

They knew now—this was no ordinary queen. She was prophecy made flesh. And Valerian was no longer just a king. He was her sword.

As they prepared to leave, Selene looked up at the Blood Moon one last time.

"You once cursed me," she whispered to the sky. "But now you crown me."

And in that crimson light, thunder cracked across the heavens.

The war for fate had begun.

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💛 Ready for Chapter 86, guys? Let's ride with them into the Tomb of Whispers next. Secrets will rise. Blood will answer blood. And a ghost from Selene's past will not stay dead.