I clutched the empty Moonwood Ceremonial Urn to my chest, tears streaming down my face. Victoria''s cruel desecration of Lily''s grave had reopened wounds that had never truly healed.


    My wolf whimpered inside me, maternal instincts still raw and bleeding despite the years that


    had passed. We needed to do something-anything-to honor our pup''s memory.


    < Chapter 123 Victona''s Despair


    +15 Points >


    I opened myptop, searching for ways to memorialize a deceased werewolf child. An online support group for grieving werewolf parents appeared in the search results.


    Hesitantly, I clicked the link and began reading through the posts. Stories of loss, of


    heartbreak, but also of healing and remembrance filled the screen.


    One post in particr caught my attention:


    "Finding peace at the Ancient Moon Temple in Ravenwood saved my sanity after losing my


    son. Elder Tobias Gray performed the Moonlight Passage ritual, and I truly believe my boy''s


    spirit found its way to the ancestral hunting grounds. The perpetual moonstonemp I lit for


    him still burns there, a beacon guiding him home whenever he wishes to visit."


    My heart raced as I read more about the temple. Located in Ravenwood, a neighboring


    territory, it was known as a sacred ce where the veil between worlds grew thin during


    certain lunar phases.


    I immediately texted Lucas ckwood, who had promised to help me honor Lily''s memory


    properly after the desecration of her grave.


    "Can you take me to the Ancient Moon Temple in Ravenwood? I need to light a perpetual


    moonstonemp for Lily."


    His response came quickly: "I''m sorry, Olivia. My grandfather''s condition has worsened. I need to return to ckwood Estate immediately. Can it wait until I return?"


    I stared at the message, disappointment washing over me. But my wolf pushed forward with maternal determination. This couldn''t wait. Lily had already waited too long for proper


    respect.


    "Don''t worry," I texted back. "I''ll go alone. Your grandfather needs you more right now."


    Lucas replied with concern: "The journey to Ravenwood is dangerous, especially for a lone


    she-wolf. Please wait for me."


    But my mind was made up. "I''ll be careful. This is something I need to do for Lily."


    I packed a small bag with essentials and the remnants of Lily''s ashes that I''d managed to salvage from the cemetery. The drive to Ravenwood would take several hours, but I needed to arrive before moonrise for the ritual to be most effective.


    As I started my car, I felt a strange sense of purpose filling me for the first time since Lily''s death. My wolf, though still wounded by grief, seemed to approve of this mission.


    "We''re doing this for Lily," I whispered, both to myself and my wolf. "She deserves peace."


    < Chapter 123 Victoria''s Despair


    The journey to Ravenwood passed in a blur of winding roads and dense forests.


    The Ancient Moon Temple stood atop a hill, its white stone walls gleaming in thete


    afternoon sun.


    +15 Points >


    Elder Tobias Gray met me at the entrance. "You bring great sorrow with you, daughter," he said softly. "And the ashes of a young one."


    I nodded, unable to speak past the lump in my throat.


    "Come," he said, gesturing for me to follow. "The moonstonemps are this way."


    Inside the temple, hundreds of small crystalmps lined the walls, each glowing with a soft, bluish light. Elder Gray led me to an empty niche.


    "ce your daughter''s ashes here," he instructed. "And light themp with this."


    He handed me a special match that burned with an unusual blue me. As I lit themp, I


    whispered Lily''s name, watching as the me caught and steadied.


    "Now she will always have light to find her way," Elder Gray said. "Would you like me to


    perform the Moonlight Passage ritual as well?"


    "Yes, please," I whispered, my voice breaking.


    The ritual was beautiful in its simplicity. Elder Gray chanted in an ancient werewolf tongue, his


    voice rising and falling like waves.


    "Her spirit is free now," he told me when it was done. "She will find peace in the ancestral


    hunting grounds and will be reincarnated into a happy life."


    Relief washed over me, and my wolf felt lighter than it had since Lily''s passing. "Thank you," I


    said, tears streaming down my face. "Thank you so much."


    As I left the temple, the sun was beginning to set. I checked my phone, intending to let Lucas


    know I was heading back, only to find the battery had died.


    "It doesn''t matter," I told myself. "I''ll be home soon enough."


    The drive back to Silvercrest territory began peacefully enough. As I approached Silverfang


    Bridge, I noticed dark clouds gathering, promising a storm.


    was halfway across the bridge when headlights appeared behind me, approaching rapidly.


    The car swerved erratically,ing dangerously close to my bumper.


    My heart raced as I pressed harder on the elerator, trying to put distance between us. The


    other car swerved again, this time clipping my rear bumper.


    576


    < Chapter 123 Victoria''s Despair


    My car fishtailed, and I fought to regain control. As I approached a curve in the bridge, I pressed on the brakes-but nothing happened.


    +15 Points >


    Panic surged through me as I pumped the brake pedal repeatedly. Nothing. The brakes had failedpletely.


    Ahead, I could see a school bus full of young pups, stopped at the far end of the bridge. At my current speed, I would crash directly into it.


    My wolf''s heightened senses took in everything in a split second-the bus full of children, the steep drop to Moonstone River below, the rapidly closing distance.


    There was only one choice.


    I yanked the steering wheel hard to the right, aiming for the gap in the guardrail. As my car broke through the metal barrier, time seemed to slow.