When The Moon Hides Her Crown (Seraphina) by Pooja novel Chapter 241

**He Promised to Give Me the World, Yet the Price Was My Soul by Caden Blake 241**

**SERAPHINA**

A sharp gasp tore from my lips, the remnants of a nightmare still clinging to my consciousness like a heavy fog. My heart pounded in my chest, racing as if it were trying to escape the confines of my body. The icy sweat that clung to my skin felt like a chilling reminder of the terror I had just fled. As I blinked against the harsh, unyielding light, I found myself staring up at a sky painted in alarming shades of crimson and gold, as if the sun itself had been consumed by flames.

The vivid colors above me only heightened the sense of dread that clutched at my insides. The remnants of my nightmare clung to me like shadows, an oppressive darkness that felt alarmingly tangible. My body trembled, each heartbeat echoing in my ears—a frantic reminder of the terror I had barely evaded. I squeezed my eyes shut, desperate to quell the storm brewing within. But when I opened them again, the vibrant, red-tinged sky remained, an unsettling reminder that safety was a distant memory.

The ground beneath me was as unyielding as my fears, cold and hard. As the fog of confusion began to lift, I pushed myself upright, only to freeze in horror, my breath catching in my throat. All around me, half-collapsed stone walls loomed like silent sentinels, their surfaces entwined with creeping vines, while shattered archways gaped like open mouths, remnants of a long-forgotten past. The earth was littered with scattered bones, echoes of lives that had once thrived in this forsaken place.

“What in the world…” I murmured, my voice barely piercing the heavy silence. The air was thick with a palpable energy, a dangerous aura that I recognized all too well. My stomach churned with dread. “Please tell me… I’m not back in those ancient ruins.”

The reality of my surroundings crashed over me like a wave, dragging me under. Was this still a dream? I had glimpsed this place before, a fleeting vision during one of the trials, but now it felt too solid, too chillingly real.

Barefoot and trembling, I rose unsteadily, my gaze darting anxiously around me. “How did I end up here?” I whispered to the empty air, yearning for an answer that would not come.

Then, a sound—a faint but unmistakable footstep—pricked my ears.

Instinctively, my body tensed, and I turned toward the source of the sound, a large, broken door shrouded in an ethereal mist. The last time I had been here, I had barely escaped the clutches of rogue wolves that roamed these grounds. And now… I was back in their territory. But why? How had I returned to this nightmare?

Before I could process my thoughts further, something caught my eye—a massive, ruined fountain standing sentinel at the center of the courtyard. Water flowed from its cracked mouth, defying logic, as there were no visible channels to explain its source.

Cautiously, I approached, leaning over the fountain’s edge. The water was unnervingly clear, reflecting my own wide eyes back at me.

And then, the world tilted.

“What is this…” My fingers trembled as they rose to touch a faint white petal-shaped mark glowing between my brows, an almost tattoo-like emblem that felt foreign yet familiar. My skin appeared smoother, almost radiant, and my eyes—no longer amber—had transformed into a haunting shade of crimson.

And the gown. I was draped in a white gown, one I had no recollection of changing into.

Memories crashed over me like a tidal wave: the Council, the Alpha King, silver arrows flying through the air, Ronan’s voice echoing in desperation, shouting my name, and then the darkness that swallowed me whole.

My breath caught in my throat, and my reflection stared back at me, unblinking and eerily calm.

“It wasn’t a dream…?” I whispered, the words feeling hollow as my heartbeat thundered in my chest.

Just then, a voice broke through the silence. “You are awake.”

I spun around, my breath hitching again. A group of men stood a short distance away, their presence imposing and unsettling. Instinct kicked in, and I pushed to my feet, narrowing my eyes on the one who stood at the front.

He was tall, composed, and strangely familiar. It took a moment, but recognition washed over me. He was the same man I had seen in the Sinspire Brothel on that fateful night when it burned.

“Who are you?” I demanded, every nerve in my body on high alert.

“I am Silas,” he replied evenly, his tone unnervingly calm. Then he bowed, a gesture so unexpected that it momentarily threw me off balance. “And we all live here.”

I blinked, taken aback. Live here?

My gaze swept over the men behind him. They stood still, their eyes fixed on me, as if they were witnessing something extraordinary. But there was something… off about them. Their postures were unnatural, their expressions inscrutable. The same unease crawled through me that I had felt the last time I stumbled into these ruins. The only difference was that this time, they were clothed.

“Why am I here?” I asked warily, a strange chill twisting in my gut.

Silas straightened, his eyes betraying nothing. “I brought you here from the Lupine Academy, where you were put on hearing.”

I froze, shock coursing through my veins. He brought me here? So it hadn’t been a nightmare after all.

Asher was the Alpha King, my betrothed, and he had tried to kill me. The Council had performed some kind of ritual, firing silver arrows in an attempt to capture me. And Ronan… I could still see the wild, burning red of his eyes as the Grand Hall collapsed in flames around him.

“You kidnapped me?” I snapped, my fists clenching tightly at my sides.

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