The Red Moon grounds were silent under the dim glow of the moon. But inside Ryan's mind, chaos churned.
For the first time since Hazel had been taken, he allowed himself a moment alone. Standing in the main hall, his eyes distant and dark, Ryan felt the weight of being apart from his mate. Hazel's absence gnawed at him, but it wasn't just worry—it was trauma. He had let her be taken, and the thought of failing her twisted inside him like a living thing.
He looked different. The Alpha presence that had always radiated controlled power now shimmered with barely contained fury and anguish. His raven-colored hair fell in dark waves around his face, damp with sweat from the adrenaline and the storm raging inside him.
"Father…" he muttered under his breath.
The air shifted. A cold, commanding energy filled the room, and the shadows deepened. Lucifer emerged from the darkness, stepping forward from the realm of hell itself. His piercing eyes scanned Ryan, recognizing the weight his son carried.
"You've changed, my son," Lucifer said, his voice a growl that carried centuries of power. "Hazel has been taken, and you bear the burden alone."
Ryan clenched his fists. "I can't fail her."
Lucifer's lips curved into a faint, approving smile. "You won't. Not while I am here."
With a flick of his hand, he summoned a portal—a rift between worlds. "We will find her together. And Gloria… she will answer for her betrayal. I will redraw her powers, just as I would with Mila. She thought she could manipulate our world, but she underestimated the Red Moon Alpha."
Ryan's chest tightened. A mix of relief and anger surged through him. His father's return brought not only the raw power of hell but the strategic mind of centuries of Alpha experience. Together, they were unstoppable.
"Bring the pack," Lucifer continued. "This hunt will be swift. The rogues, the traps, Justin… none will escape."
Ryan nodded, a renewed ferocity lighting his eyes. He could feel his own power shifting, intensifying in response to the presence of his father. His wolf side stirred, eager, dangerous, ready for the confrontation ahead.
"Prepare the trackers," Ryan ordered, his voice calm but charged with energy that made Liam, Nick, and the others feel the undeniable tension in the air.
"And Gloria?" Liam asked cautiously, recalling her earlier punishment.
Lucifer's eyes gleamed. "She will pay more than she ever imagined. Her powers will be reshaped—her abilities taken and redefined. She will know fear, and she will remember who rules here."
Ryan's heart ached at the thought of Hazel still in Justin's grasp. But the presence of his father reminded him that he was not alone. The hunt was coming, and soon, every thread of betrayal would be unraveled.
He looked toward the forest beyond the Red Moon grounds, toward the path that would lead them to Hazel. Every breath was sharp, every step measured. His father at his side, the pack ready behind him, Ryan felt the power of two generations converging—a force that could challenge any Alpha, any rogue, and even the cunning of Gloria herself.
Tonight, the hunt would begin. And nothing, not even treachery, would stand in their way.