Episode 3

The carriage rattled violently as it crossed the stone bridge marking the boundary of the Moon Spires estate. Inside, Kael pressed his palms against his temples, his breathing heavy and uneven. The phantom image of a weeping, blood-splattered Lucien holding him had shaken him to his core, leaving a dull, throbbing ache behind his eyes.

He glared at Lucien through the dim carriage light, searching the vampire’s face for any sign of a spell. "What did you just do to me?" Kael demanded, his voice dropping into a dangerous, low snarl. "What kind of celestial witchcraft was that?"

Lucien did not move, keeping his hands tucked carefully into his sleeves. Inside, his chest tightened with a familiar, suffocating grief. Present-day Kael had no idea that his fragmented memories were the result of his own future self breaking reality.

"I did nothing, Lord Ashborne," Lucien replied, his tone remaining perfectly level, though his voice held a soft, melancholic weight. "The magic of the Celestial Clan does not meddle with the mind. If you are seeing things, perhaps it is your own conscience confronting you."

"My conscience is clear," Kael snapped, leaning back against the leather seat as the carriage finally slowed to a halt. "My only goal is bringing justice to the monsters who slaughtered my people. If your mind-tricks are an attempt to make me hesitate, give up."

Before Lucien could answer, the carriage door was opened from the outside by a young man wearing a crisp, dark uniform.

"Welcome to the Moon Spires estate, my Lords," a warm, cheerful voice greeted them.

It was Elias, the head servant assigned to the neutral property. He bowed low, a flawless, polite smile fixed on his face as he offered a hand to assist Lucien down. To Kael, Elias looked like nothing more than an exceptionally polite attendant. But the moment Lucien looked into Elias's eyes, a cold dread pooled in his stomach. In the forty-second timeline, it was Elias who had slipped silver-laced nightshade into Kael's chalice. Elias's loyalty belonged to an unseen master, a shadow puppet operating from the deep dark.

Lucien deliberately bypassed Elias's extended hand, stepping down from the carriage on his own. "Thank you, Elias. Please ensure the luggage is brought to separate quarters."

Kael stepped out right behind him, his massive shadow instantly swallowing Lucien's smaller frame under the moonlight. He caught Lucien's instruction and let out a cold, mocking huff. "Separate quarters? Afraid I might choke you in your sleep, vampire?"

"I am merely respecting your desire for boundaries, Lord Ashborne," Lucien said, turning around to face the wolf lord on the gravel path. The pale moonlight illuminated his porcelain skin, making him look breathtakingly ethereal—and devastatingly lonely. "We are forced to share a roof by the Oracle's command, but I have no intention of forcing myself into your space."

Kael narrowed his eyes, frustrated by how impossible it was to get a rise out of his new husband. He expected a cunning, arrogant pure-blood predator, but Lucien acted like a martyr walking willingly toward a chopping block.

A heavy crunch of gravel interrupted the standoff as a tall, broad-shouldered man stepped out from the estate's courtyard. It was Aiden Frost, Kael's most loyal friend and chief advisor.

"Kael," Aiden called out, his expression serious as he glanced briefly at Lucien before focusing on his Alpha. "The perimeter is secure, but our scouts found something disturbing near the eastern woods. You need to see this immediately."

Kael's posture shifted instantly into command mode. He cast one final, warning look at Lucien. "Go to your room, vampire. Do not wander the grounds. If my wolves catch you outside after dark, I won't guarantee your safety."

Without waiting for a response, Kael strode off into the darkness alongside Aiden.

Lucien stood on the path, watching them go. He looked at Aiden's retreating back, his heart heavy with the knowledge of Twist 6—the fact that Kael's dearest friend was already walking a path of betrayal, driven by the desperate desire to resurrect his dead brother.

"My Lord?" Elias's soft, smiling voice purred from behind him. "Shall I escort you inside?"

Lucien took a slow, steady breath, hardening his gaze. "Lead the way, Elias." The game had officially begun, and he had twenty episodes to uncover the Oracle's trap before the first assassination attempt claimed Kael's life.

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