The Second Chance Of The Rejected Moon (Celine and Bastian) novel Chapter 157

Chapter 157

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Stephan slowly shakes his head. The relaxed expression disappears from his face, replaced by a seriousness that leaves the entire hall in silence.

“It’s not news from the human world. They’re still trying to rebuild after the Strigoi invasion. What I bring is far worse. I was in Rome, where the Order’s last headquarters is located, and I captured a doctor who worked in the laboratories hidden beneath the Vatican.”

I frown. A chill runs down my spine as Stephan’s words settle in my mind.

The laboratories beneath the Vatican.

My heart skips a beat, and a knot forms in my stomach.

Was that where Celine was held?

Did all of it happen beneath the damned Vatican?

“What information did you get?”

“Two thousand wolf, vampire, and demon tribrids are on their way to the United States. Care to guess which state?”

“Montana.” I answer the obvious. After what Celine told me, I have no doubt.

He nods grimly.

“Prepare your armies, because this will be a bloody battle. It’s the last one. The battle that will decide the future of us all. Who lives… and who dies.”

“We’re ready.” Lucius, the Lycan King, rises to his feet. The back of his chair scrapes across the stone floor as he plants both hands on the table. “I have three thousand warriors prepared for battle.”

“Koorush. What’s our current strength?”

“The King took two thousand elite warriors with him. We still have four thousand left, plus General Christian’s five thousand hybrids.”

One after another, the representatives of the Fae, the Demons, and the Witches report the exact number of warriors each kingdom will contribute. The numbers echo through the hall as everyone’s eyes move across the enormous map spread over the table.

Two thousand tribrids don’t frighten us, but we’re not foolish enough to declare ourselves victorious before the battle has even begun.

Overconfidence kills just as easily as a sword.

“Do you have any idea when they’ll arrive?”

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The Second Chance Of The Rejected Moon

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“I don’t. The doctor said they didn’t have any warlocks capable of opening portals. The last one they kept captive disappeared after they tortured him until he lost his powers.”

Larissa smiles faintly, as though she already knows what became of that warlock.

“Zamira, I have to ask you once again to give shelter to those who can’t fight. The children of our warriors, our women, and our elders.”

“You don’t have to ask. This is their home if they choose it to be.” Her voice carries an unshakable calm. “I’m also placing three thousand warriors at General Koorush’s disposal to march whenever he considers it necessary.”

I let out a long sigh of relief. Knowing the most vulnerable will be protected lifts a weight from my shoulders, even if only for a moment.

“Now we have to find a way to evacuate the humans.”

“Let’s stage another Strigoi horde. They’ll run.” the Greater Demon, Zharzel’s father, suggests.

“And they’ll bring in the human military, Asmodeus.” I slowly shake my head. “Those tribrids could turn them and make their ranks even larger.”

“I have a better idea.”

Every head turns toward the entrance as the massive doors of the hall swing open once again. The groan of the hinges shatters the silence. A man I’ve never seen walk through those doors strides inside without the slightest hesitation. Behind him, a dozen men and women follow a few steps back, moving in perfect formation.

The atmosphere changes instantly.

No one says a word.

Everyone waits for the stranger to reveal who he is… and why he has just interrupted our meeting.

“How the hell did you find me, Sebastian?” Larissa shoots to her feet and storms toward the newcomer with a scowl. Her boots echo loudly across the floor as she closes the distance between them. “What are you doing in

Avalon?”

The moment she reaches him, she raises her hand without giving him time to react and slaps him across the face.

The crack echoes throughout the hall, sharp and resounding.

More than one person winces in sympathy.

Sebastian’s head turns slightly from the impact. He raises a hand to his reddened cheek, rubs it calmly, and instead of getting angry, flashes an amused smile.

“Did you miss me, sweetheart?”

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16:03 Tue, Aug 18

The Second Chance Of The Rejected Moon

Larissa glares at him.

“Don’t I have the right to be with my wife… who’s also the mother of my son?”

Oh, Goddess.

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“Really? Where the hell were you when the Order had him imprisoned? Where were you when our son was tortured and nearly died in a dungeon?”

“Where were you for the last three hundred and seventy-two years, Larissa? You’re hardly Mother of the Year.”

Sebastian sidesteps before she can slap him again and fixes her with a cold stare. The mocking smile vanishes from his face, replaced by an icy, defiant expression.

Silence takes over the hall.

No one intervenes.

We can barely hear ourselves breathe.

“Don’t you dare blame me. You took him away from me!”

“No. He left you because you fought against his nature, because you never loved him the way you loved your other son. Perfect Vladimir. An abomination created by a witch and a vampire…”

He spits out those last words with unmistakable contempt, as though merely saying them leaves a bitter taste in his mouth.

“Sir, you weren’t invited, and you have no right to be here. Larissa doesn’t want to see you, and your son left Avalon barely half an hour ago.” I rise to my feet, and our eyes meet across the table. “And I’d appreciate it if you chose your words more carefully, because there are no abominations here. Only children born from love between different races.”

Sebastian rolls his eyes with an almost inaudible snort.

“I can see bloodlines don’t matter anymore in this world.”

“I’m a hybrid. Vladimir is a hybrid. And your son Johan…

“Is a warlock, born from ‘love.” He draws exaggerated quotation marks in the air with his fingers and smiles sarcastically. “Between two warlocks.”

A laugh escapes me so unexpectedly that tears begin gathering in my eyes. I shake my head while trying to catch my breath.

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