Chapter 526: Beneath the Luna’s Shadow

One Month Before

The next morning arrived grey and quiet.

A cold mist clung to the stone buildings of the western stronghold, curling lazily through the courtyard. Warriors and guards moved through the early light with the dull exhaustion of men who had worked late and slept little.

Tobias had just finished washing his hands at the basin outside the barracks when a guard approached him.

"You."

Tobias turned.

The guard was dressed in the darker armor worn by those assigned to the inner residence. His posture was stiff, his expression unreadable.

"The Luna has summoned you."

Several warriors nearby immediately looked up.

Tobias blinked.

"Me?"

The guard’s face did not change.

"Yes. You."

A few murmurs broke out among the men behind Tobias.

Tobias scratched the back of his neck in his usual careless way.

"Well... that’s unexpected."

The guard merely gestured.

"Come."

Tobias followed.

---

The interior of the castle was even more impressive than the outside.

The floors were polished black marble. The walls were lined with tall banners bearing the crimson sigil of the Blood Moon Pack. Large chandeliers hung from the high ceilings, their crystal arms glittering softly in the dim light.

Everything here spoke of power, wealth, and control.

Tobias followed the guard through corridor after corridor.

The deeper they went, the more obvious it became just how much money flowed through this place.

Gold trimming on the walls.

Paintings in heavy frames.

Carpets so thick they muffled their footsteps completely.

It was obvious this was where all the money went. Money from raids and taxes. Money paid by the smaller packs that were obviously suffering.

His jaw tightened for the briefest moment before he forced the thought away.

His expression remained the same careless one he always wore.

The guard finally stopped in front of a tall wooden door and knocked on it. For a moment, there was just silence, but then a voice drifted through.

"Come in," Victoria said.

The guard opened the door and stepped aside, gesturing for Tobias to enter.

---

Immediately Tobias entered, he realised it was a bedroom, and a rather large one at that.

Heavy curtains framed tall windows that let pale light spill across the room. A massive bed dominated the center, its dark wooden frame carved with intricate designs.

But Tobias did not allow his eyes to wander for long.

He bowed the moment he stepped inside.

"My Lady," he said.

"Rise."

He did so immediately and then stopped in shock when he noticed that Victoria was standing beside the bed completely naked.

Tobias’s eyes dropped instantly to the floor.

Victoria noticed how he looked down immediately and laughed at that.

"Well now," she said lightly. "Have you never seen a naked woman before?"

Tobias kept his gaze lowered.

"I have, my lady."

"Then why are you staring at the floor?"

"Because you are the Luna," Tobias said calmly. "And my eyes are not worthy of seeing you in such a state."

Victoria laughed again.

It was a genuine sound of amusement.

While Tobias said that, he was thinking of someone else... Sam. He would rather spend his time looking at Sam for numerous hours than gaze at Victoria. And besides, Sam was more beautiful than Victoria, even though she dressed more boldly than Sam did.

Victoria moved toward a robe draped over a chair.

"I do like how honest you are," she said as she slipped the robe over her shoulders and tied it loosely.

"And you are correct," she added with a faint smile. "You do not deserve to see me naked."

Tobias bowed his head slightly.

"Of course, my Lady."

Victoria walked slowly across the room, studying him again the way she had the day before.

"I have been thinking about your request," she said.

Tobias remained silent.

"And I believe," she continued, "that I have found the perfect position for you."

His head tilted slightly.

"My lady?"

Victoria clasped her hands behind her back.

"My personal guard is currently away on a mission," she told him. "And at the moment, I find myself without protection."

Tobias blinked in shock, making Victoria smile.

"You will fill that role."

Tobias immediately dropped to one knee.

"My lady, I do not deserve such a position," he said.

Victoria chuckled.

"No," she agreed casually. "You don’t."

Tobias remained silent.

"But," she continued, "I want you to have it."

He slowly lifted his head.

"Why?"

Victoria’s smile sharpened slightly.

"You did something remarkable at the black market." Her eyes gleamed faintly. "And I like remarkable people."

She circled him slowly as she spoke.

"Besides... being my guard does not simply mean standing beside me with a weapon."

She stopped in front of him again.

"There are things I do that require protection."

Her voice softened slightly.

"As Luna, I am always a target."

Tobias lowered his head again.

"If that is your command, then I will obey."

Victoria studied him for another moment before nodding.

"Good."

She turned and began walking towards the door.

"Come with me."

---

Victoria led Tobias through the corridors.

At first, they walked through the same lavish halls Tobias had seen earlier.

But eventually the direction changed. She led him down a winding staircase, then another and another, all leading downward.

The air slowly changed as they moved. Tobias took note of everything.

The warmth of the upper floors faded as a damp chill replaced it. The stone walls here were rougher and older. And there was a smell too, the deeper they went. It was faint at first but became stronger the more they moved.

He had perceived something similar in the streets. The smell of rot. The smell of dead, decaying flesh.

Tobias kept his face neutral, but inside he felt a growing unease.

Finally they reached the bottom, and Victoria ordered him to push open a heavy iron door. He did so, the sound echoing through the chamber.

Immediately they walked in, and Tobias froze.

They were in a dungeon.