The Alpha's Unclaimed Mate novel Chapter 300

Chapter 300: Morbian Mean Girls

Seven bloodlines mixed into a single shimmering pool, swirling together as if stirred by an unseen hand.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then the basin detonated gold. The flame tripled in height, burning so bright that every person turned away until it dimmed.

Whispers filled the chamber.

"You return."

The pause that followed was loaded with the particular energy of ancestors who had opinions about the circumstances.

"Seven entered the lake. Seven survived. The ancestors are pleasantly surprised."

The words hit the room sideways. The ancestors had expected casualties. Gav exhaled through his nose. Of course they were going to be like this.

"We have already spoken your names and your fates. We will spare you the introductions."

The fire in the basin flared gold, then settled.

"Though the ancestors would like it noted that Gavriel Sterling was told a crossroads lay ahead. The crossroads has arrived, and he is standing in it bleeding. The ancestors consider this on brand."

Gav stared into the fire. "Appreciate that."

"The ancestors did not ask the Gamma for commentary."

"The Gamma is providing it free of charge."

"The ancestors have noted the Gamma’s sarcasm."

Dex’s mouth twitched. Serena looked at the ceiling. Fin didn’t react, but through the matebond Serena felt a flicker of amusement he’d deny under oath.

"This temple drains. It tests. The Daughter of the Moon Goddess was meant to bleed first. The worthy are not measured by what they bring. They are measured by what they give when there is nothing left to give."

Serena didn’t react to this. But she had already guessed it was doing something to her magic.

"The Moon Blood’s magical reserves will take seven days to fully restore. She must conserve what remains."

Through their matebond, Dex felt the quiet dread that settled into Serena’s chest at those words.

"The creature you fought today was never meant for this temple. Dark magic changed the lake."

The fire dimmed.

"The spikes removed were parasitic anchors that broadcast the location of their host through the shadow plane. The shadow-tether between the Moon Blood and the High Emperor of Orosia has been accelerated by orders of magnitude."

Maelor’s head snapped towards the fire. His eyes burned.

"The cloak placed by Maelor Vantheos held. Barely. But the Emperor heard every scream."

Fin’s hand tightened around hers until his knuckles went white.

"Maelor Vantheos."

The fire twisted towards him, changing into an emerald color.

"The tether is accelerating. If the Moon Blood’s emotional state is heightened, the Emperor will be able to forge a portal to her exact location. Recloak her immediately and every seven days until you sever it. If she dies, you die. Let that be motivation."

Maelor’s eyes widened at the last part, but he stayed silent.

"The ancestors also saw you redecorated Nightspire’s war room without permission again. They approve of the pink."

He lifted his chin as if he knew that already. "The ancestors have taste. I always suspected."

"One last thing, the ancestors would like to note that the two men most likely to compromise Maelor’s cloak are standing in this room looking guilty."

Neither Dex nor Fin was looking guilty. But both of them started looking guilty immediately after the ancestors pointed it out.

"Stop upsetting her. Banning her from speaking to the Gamma is the funniest thing the Ancestors have heard all week."

The silence that followed was deafening and longer than necessary. Dex and Fin both developed a sudden, intense fascination with the basin.

"Hyran Thornfell."

The flame flared gold, urgent and sharp.

"The dark magic extracted tonight left residual threads too fine for even Fae magic to catch. They are harmless while dormant. If any of the three hosts shifts into wolf form before you burn the threads out, the corruption will reactivate and burn the wolf from inside."

Hyran’s face drained of color. His eyes cut to Fin, then to Dex, then landed on Serena, and the calculation behind them was immediate and grim. Three wolves. Three ticking clocks. And the only man who could defuse them was already running on fumes.

"Unbind what is bound before two sunrises pass. Many lives depend on it, including the fate of your wise king."

"What does King Tiberon have to do with the threads?" Hyran asked.

The fire didn’t answer.

"Aeron Lancaster."

The flame pulsed sapphire.

"The mage who stands beside the Alpha King of North Varos has carried Morbia in his blood since before he could speak and in his mind since before he could read. The ancestors have watched him."

Aeron’s jaw tightened. He didn’t know if he was being praised or set up. With these ancestors, the answer was usually both.

"His burn book has been updated fourteen times since the ancestors last spoke. The entry on Gavriel Sterling alone spans three pages. The ancestors have read it. They agree with most of it."

"The Gamma will be quiet."

"The High Emperor of Orosia does not fight his own wars. He sends weapons. His armies are a weapon. His dark magic is a weapon. But the deadliest weapon in his arsenal is not forged or summoned. It is trained."

"His court mage is Morbian, a descendant of the Solenne line."

"All three mages in this chamber have argued with Declan Solenne at various academic events. He won most of them. The ancestors will not specify which ones, but Maelor knows."

"Aeron went to magic school with him in Morbia before the fall. They scored the same marks on every exam until their third year, when Declan edged ahead by a half point on a ward theory practicum, and Aeron has never fully recovered."

"The ancestors have access to the transcripts. Declan Solenne graduated first in their class. Aeron Lancaster graduated second. The gap was negligible. Aeron’s feelings about it are not."

"The ancestors reviewed the grading methodology. He was not robbed. Aeron Lancaster and Declan competed in every class, every exam, and every tournament. They were rivals, study partners, and co-authors of a ward theory paper that was rejected from three journals before publication."

"The paper had errors. Declan found them. Aeron has never acknowledged this."

"The ancestors have sided with Declan on this matter."

Aeron’s jaw was locked so tight it could have cracked a walnut. His eyes said, I would like to speak to the management of the afterlife.

"Both Aeron and Declan kept burn books. The ancestors have been reading them for entertainment since Morbia fell. Get in losers. We’re taking a trip back to Morbia Academy."

"The ancestors said what they said."

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