Chapter 20 — "The Eastwood Ultimatum"
Five days had passed since X and Zak's pack vanished into the northern forests.
Five long, uneasy days.
Blue, Rito, Kin, and Gus kept training, patrolling Hollowfen, and helping the flood of new refugees settle in. But beneath every chore and every quiet moment… tension coiled like a living thing.
On the dawn of the sixth day, Hollowfen finally shattered.
Ronan's Return
Screams tore across the marketplace.
Villagers ran from the center square as a towering shadow marched calmly through the crowd. Ronan — scarred, half-mad, a hybrid twisted by rage and betrayal — walked with terrifying purpose, dragging three wounded villagers behind him with chains of silver.
But this time… he wasn't a feral monster rampaging blindly.
He was organized.
Calculated.
Dangerously calm.
Several guards tried to stop him. Ronan tossed them aside like twigs.
He dropped the chained villagers at the base of the well, knelt, and carved a message into the wood with a single claw.
"X.
Find me in the East Woods.
Or they die."
Then, without another word, Ronan vanished into the treeline.
The Decision
Blue and the others arrived seconds later, breathless. Blue read the message once… then again.
Kin swallowed hard.
Rito tightened her grip on her blades.
Gus's hands trembled with unstable magic.
"We can't wait for my dad," Blue said quietly.
"If we don't go now… they'll die."
Rito looked at the injured villagers.
"Blue's right. Ronan planned this. He wants X — but X isn't here."
Gus frowned, shadow flickering behind his eyes.
"Then he'll kill the hostages anyway. This is a trap."
Kin wiped sweat from his forehead.
"Trap or not, we're going."
The four of them raced toward the estate.
They needed Selene.
Selene's Permission
Selene sat in the war room, reading maps and magical charts, her expression sharper than usual. When the four burst in, she looked up instantly, sensing their fear.
Blue explained everything — Ronan, the hostages, the message.
Selene's expression tightened.
"Ronan… He's not the same creature X fought years ago."
Rito stepped forward.
"Lady Selene… we want to go."
Kin nodded.
"We have to."
Gus stayed quiet, shame sitting heavily on his shoulders.
Selene closed her eyes briefly.
Then she nodded once.
"You've grown. All of you."
"Yes… you can take him."
Blue blinked.
"…We can?"
Selene smiled faintly.
"Rito's fae blood and pure magic will counter Ronan's brutality.
Gus's warlock powers can suppress his hybrid rage.
Kin — you're the human anchor they'll need."
She placed a hand on Blue's shoulder.
"And you… you are X's son.
Use that strength to guide them — not destroy."
Blue swallowed the weight of her expectations.
Selene stepped back.
"Go. Bring our people home."
The four bowed their heads… then ran out the door.
As they vanished into the distance, Selene whispered:
"…and may the moon watch your path."
The Hunt for the Spy
But Selene did not return inside.
She turned in the opposite direction — toward Hollowfen's lower streets.
She had felt it for days: a shadow moving where no vampire should be.
Watching.
Recording.
Sniffing toward Blue like a wolf scenting prey.
She found her near the old fountain — the spy, disguised as an herbalist, bending over an elderly man she had cornered.
Fangs out.
Intent clear.
Selene's voice cut through the air like ice.
"We do not feed on friends of Hollowfen."
"You were never meant to be here."
The spy stiffened, eyes wide.
"Very perceptive of you…"
She flashed her fangs.
"…Queen Selene."
She blurred — but Selene blurred faster.
Every direction the spy tried to flee, Selene appeared first.
A step.
A turn.
A breath.
Selene blocked her flawlessly.
The spy hissed.
"I guess you were supposed to be queen. You're fast."
Selene laughed — a cold, regal sound.
"Fast? That was nothing."
And before the spy could blink, Selene appeared inches from her face.
The spy leapt back—
But Selene's hand was already around her throat.
In one motion, Selene dragged her through the streets, faster than any human could see — back to the estate, through the cellar entrance, and into the reinforced prison cell.
Selene flung her inside.
The spy hit the floor, stunned.
She scrambled for the communication earring—
But Selene held it up between her fingers.
The spy's face drained of color.
"H–how did you—when did you—"
Selene stepped closer, shadows curling around her like a crown.
"You have no idea how powerful I truly am."
The spy tried to stand tall, fear trembling in her limbs.
"I'm not afraid of you. I'll die for my Queen."
Selene placed the earring on the table outside the cell.
Then she said, in a voice that made the candles flicker:
"Be quiet."
"I wasn't talking to you."
Selene turned toward the earring.
Her eyes glowed gold.
"…I was talking to my sister."
And far away, in the Crimson Court, her twin felt the words like a knife.