When The Moon Hides Her Crown (Seraphina) by Pooja novel Chapter 296

Nine Hundred Years Ago

“Kill Blood Petal,” the she-wolves from Elysium Haven chanted, their voices rising in unison. A moment ago they were all smiling happily and congratulating their queen but the next second they all turned like puppets. As they closed in on Petal, she stood frozen in horror not only because of seeing Ryker back in front of her, alive and inside her Elysium Haven but also, feeling life stirring within her womb.

Her belly hadn’t swelled, but she could feel it, the sudden unmistakable presence of a life that she and Dread had created.

“Did you really think you killed me, Blood Petal?” Ryker twisted the rabbit’s neck in his grasp, a cruel grin stretching across his face. “If killing me was this easy then i would not be called the king of dark magic in vein, darling,” His bloodthirsty eyes locked onto her belly. “Now…Run…” he sneered, his dark magic intensifying, wrapping around the women in the Grand Hall turning them violent and also curling towards her belly. Aiming to her child. His voice echoed with a roar, “RUN!!!!”

The women surged toward her, and Petal realised her child was in danger. She turned to run. Her powers were gone, suddenly and inexplicably. Her heart raced as she did not want to hurt her people but also want to protect her baby. However suddenly her water broke in the middle of her run.

Fear coursed through her veins as she realized what was happening. She couldn’t use her powers because she was about to give birth. The sky above her seemed to shine, and with a scream, she collapsed to her knees, falling to the grass.

Her legs spread as she screamed in agony, the baby forcing its way out of her womb. Blood soaked her white wedding gown as she used every ounce of strength to crawl, confused and terrified. She hadn’t even known she was pregnant. Her belly had never swelled, no changes had come over her, and she hadn’t felt any of the signs that other pregnant women described.

Her wide eyes fell on the newborn, the child she had never known she carried. Tears filled her eyes as she crawled toward it. But as she reached for the baby, the chant echoed again.

“Kill Blood Petal…”

The she-wolves had arrived, surrounding the front yard. Petal’s heart pounded in her chest as she glanced around, all of their eyes were now fixed on the child in her arms. With a final surge of strength, she pulled the baby close to her chest, but before she could protect it, the women leapt toward her, aiming to kill the child.

“NOOOO!” Petal screamed, her powers surging wildly, unleashing a fury that sent the women flying backward.

Clutching the baby tightly, Petal opened her eyes, her breath coming in ragged gasps. But when she looked around, she was no longer in the familiar grounds of the Elysium Haven. Instead, she stood in the midst of her fallen empire. The once-thriving land was now a ruin. The women were all dead, none had survived. In the chaos of protecting her baby, Petal had killed them all.

Ryker walked toward her, a cruel grin spreading across his face. “When it comes to choosing between your child and your people, I see who you chose,” he taunted. “You can witness your finished empire with your own eyes.”

Petal stood motionless, her eyes wide at the sight of so many innocent lives lost.

“You said you loved me, but then you betrayed me for that lycan,” Ryker growled, advancing on her. “Now you’ll witness the consequence of your actions.” He reached out, his fingers grazing her cheek. “Save these tears for the Dread Lord, Blood Petal, because it’s his turn next.”

Petal slowly lifted her hate filled gaze, her voice cold and defiant. “You will never able to kill Dread Lord.”

Ryker’s smile widened. “I don’t need to. This son of yours already did.”

Petal’s grip on her baby tightened, her voice shaking with fury. “That’s a lie.”

Ryker smirked, pulling from the depths of his dark magic, showing her the vision of Felix the moment the portal had been created and the truth revealed. “No…she’s a Goddess, bearing the child of the God of Death. If this child is born, either Dread Lord or the child will die.”

A wave of icy dread coursed through Petal’s veins. She looked down at her baby, warm and alive in her arms, and instinctively reached out to feel the mark she had left on Dread’s chest. But it was gone.

Her breath caught in her throat, her heart dropping. She nearly dropped the baby in horror.

She couldn’t feel Dread anymore. He was…gone.

“Dread…” Petal whispered under her breath, tears streaming down her face. In the Lycan Kingdom, Dread held their son in his arms, his chest void of Petal’s mark, when he heard her whispered words. “Sorry I couldn’t keep my promise—”

With her final words, the mate bond between Dread and Petal severed.

“PETAL!!!” Dread’s cry shook the entire Lycan realm.

Fury and grief consumed him as he tore through the portal, stepping into her bedroom in the temple. The force of his entrance shook the temple to its very core.

Petal’s protectors, who had been mourning the loss of their Queen, grew terrified. Dread’s every step sent shockwaves through the temple, his red aura like a curse, tearing apart the sacred walls.

Dread knelt before the white flower on the ground, his tears falling onto the petals. “You forgot to take me with you,” he whispered, the sorrow in his voice like a prayer. His tears soaked into one of the petals as he spoke again, “In life or death...Dread will always be with Petal.”

In that moment, he disappeared into the tear drop on the petal, sacrificing himself to bring her back under heaven’s gaze.

That tear remained on the Petal, a silent promise that endured for nine hundred years.