Chapter 199: Crazy Dahlia
*~Hazel’s POV~*
Things had already gotten serious.
The wolves had gone ahead, and the sudden halt in their movement signaled something—they’d reached the perimeter. Dahlia wasn’t far now.
Meanwhile, we were still in the carriage. I sat with Mother and Klaus, while Alice and Leon rode in the second carriage behind us. Only a handful of wolves accompanied us, watching our flanks in case anything unexpected happened.
My body was shaking. Not visibly. But the tremors pulsed beneath my skin like thunder waiting to burst. Still, I refused to let it show.
If I break, what happens to those following me?
I swallowed and forced myself to breathe. Calmly. Then, without a word, my mother reached out and gently squeezed my hand. She didn’t have to say anything. She already knew. Of course she did. Mother always knew best.
I gave her a soft nod in return and a smile. When our carriage stopped, I knew instantly we had arrived.
The air shifted. I could smell the presence of our wolves nearby. This was the point where they had halted. The spot where Alice had last tracked Dahlia. She couldn’t be far.
I stepped down from the carriage. Immediately, seven wolves materialized from the shadows, surrounding me protectively. Their ears were perked, ready to pounce at the slightest movement.
"Stand down," I said, my voice even.
They obeyed, though tension still clung to the air like fog.
Dahlia could appear at any moment. That woman was unpredictable—appearing and disappearing as she pleased. I wouldn’t be surprised if she stepped out from under our feet.
Mother and Klaus stepped down next, both alert. We all knew illusions were one of Dahlia’s favorite games. We couldn’t trust anything—not the wind, not the trees, not even the ground beneath us.
Just then, the second carriage came to a stop. Alice and Leon got out, their eyes scanning the trees.
"She’s close," Alice said, stepping beside me. She pointed down a path, partially hidden behind thick trees.
I nodded and began to move forward—only to feel my mother pull me back.
"You can’t lead the front," she said sharply. "You’re the Alpha. We protect you."
I turned to her. "No. The Alpha protects the pack."
I gently removed her hand from my arm and stepped ahead. The seven wolves closed in around me, and the others formed behind us.
We moved quietly through the forest path. Step after step, the trail stretched forward endlessly... But something was wrong.
The path wasn’t changing.
I stopped. Reached up. Pulled the necklace off my neck, snapped the pendant open, and used the sharp edge to carve a mark into a nearby tree.
"Alice," I whispered, "are we close?"
"Yes. According to my spellbook, we should be almost there."
We kept walking. But... A few minutes later, I spotted it again. The same tree. The same mark.
I froze.
"No," I murmured. "We passed this."
We moved again. And again. I passed that mark three more times. Then I stopped.
"Everyone halt," I commanded.
I pointed at the mark. "Look. I made that. We’ve passed it five times. We’re walking in circles. We’re not going forward or backward. We’re stuck."
Leon stepped closer, frowning. "Guys... we’re in an illusion," I said. "Dahlia is here."
"What?!" my mother gasped and immediately shifted into her wolf.
She growled low and deadly, eyes fixed on the very tree I had marked. She lunged.
The tree shattered into pieces. And then, we heard an applause near us and a sarcastic smile.
Dahlia.
She was alone. No vampires. No Crescents. Just her—smirking, confident, radiating darkness.
"Very well then," she said, her voice lilting like a lullaby laced with poison. "I expected you wouldn’t notice the illusion until nightfall... but I see your new Alpha is sharper than I thought."
Her eyes dragged slowly across our group—before settling on me.
She smiled.
"Klaus..." I hissed as he started to growl, but Alice grabbed his arm and pulled him back, holding him in check. One wrong move here could kill us all.
"Haven’t you terrorized us enough?" Klaus’s voice shook with rage. "I’ve known you since I was a child, Dahlia. We grew up together. When I became Alpha, I made a deal with you. And you stabbed me in the back. You trapped us in our wolf forms, cursed us. If it weren’t for one of your witches—Aurora—we would never have been freed. I imprisoned you myself. I’ve died and come back. And yet you’re still here."
His voice rose. "Aren’t you tired? Aren’t you tired of being so plain evil? Of terrorizing New Orleans?"
"Am I not tired?" Dahlia repeated, smiling like a predator playing with its prey. "I will never be tired until New Orleans rests in the palm of my hand. If you think I’ll give up for a beast like you, Klaus, you’re clearly mistaken."
Klaus smirked. "I think you’re tired already. You’re not as youthful as you once were. Grey hair suits you, doesn’t it?"
Dahlia’s smile snapped. "Don’t you dare," she spat. "Don’t you dare. You know what I’m capable of."
"What are you capable of?" Klaus asked. "Tell me."
Dahlia laughed, the sound sharp and cruel. "Like killing your children? I made you bury your own children alive. Isn’t that powerful enough? This woman with grey hair killed your entire three children." She tilted her head. "And you still stand against me. Do you really think you have a chance?"
"My children are not dead," Klaus growled. "They’ll be back the moment you’re gone."
"Oh, the little lies we tell ourselves," Dahlia purred.
She turned slightly, and a shape stepped out of the shadows.
"Ruby?" my mother gasped.
Alice stiffened. "She’s Crescent," she muttered.
"Get him!" my mother shouted.
The Crescent charged forward.
"Versa!" Mother and Alice both commanded at once, and the Crescent was hurled back, crashing to the ground.
Dahlia tilted her head, mock‑pouting. "Oh, I like that one. Pretending to be sad. She seemed so nice..."
"Stop messing with the Crescents," I snapped.
Dahlia’s eyes slid to me. "Am I hurting your feelings, little Alpha?" she cooed. "Because I can kill every single Crescent you have... right now."
Her smile widened. "Crescents," she called.
And then—
From the bushes, from the shadows, from every tree—hundreds of Crescents emerged.
"It’s simple," she said. "Either I tell them to kill you, or I kill them myself. They’re your people, aren’t they? You’re their Alpha. The original‑born Crescent. The one meant to rule. Show me. Show me you can rule."
She turned her head slightly. "Crescents, drive your claws into your own throats."
A shiver tore through the crowd. As one, the Crescents raised their hands. Their claws extended.
"No!" my mother cried. "Don’t do that!"
"They’re hypnotized," Alice whispered. "Hazel—you must command them."
"Stop," I said, my voice trembling.
No reaction.
"That is not how an Alpha commands," Alice said sharply.
"Stop!" I yelled louder, but the Crescents didn’t even blink. Their claws pressed harder, already breaking skin.
My heart thundered. My breath came shallow.
They were seconds from tearing their own throats open.
"I... I’ve failed..." I whispered.