Talia escaped unscathed. She opened her eyes in confusion, only to gasp in horror when she saw Lily standing in front of her. At the final second, Lily stepped forward and took Zayn's blow.

Blood seeped from the open wound. She staggered back, pain surging through her body.

Zayn's eyes widened in horror as the scent of Lily's blood filled the air. His expression changed, confusing flickering his face.

"What… what have I done?" He mumbled to himself. He stared at the blood and wound on Lily's shoulder.

"Lily?"

Victoria rushed forward, placing her hands on Zayn as she attempted to pull him away.

"Zayn! Are you alright? Don't fall for her trick again! Remember what she did!"

Zayn tried to recall, but a splitting headache caused him to collapse to the ground in agony. He clutched his head, grunting in pain.

"We need to get her out of here. Now," Talia whispered urgently to Eliza.

Without hesitation, both of them grabbed Lily by the arms and pulled her away. Lily was still in a daze, eyes transfixed on Zayn as she tried to make sense of what was happening. She watched as he called out to her.

Was there a sliver of recognition in his eyes? Or was it just her imagination?

"Lily!" Zayn called out, reaching toward her with desperation in his eyes. But he fell to his knees, his face twisting in agony as he clutched his head. "Don't…don't go…"

Victoria knelt beside him, her arms wrapping around his shoulders possessively. Her eyes locked with Lily's, a triumphant smile playing on her lips.

Tears streamed down Lily's face as they turned a corner, Zayn disappearing from her line of sight.

"This way," Talia directed, guiding them toward the east wing. "I'm taking you to where I'm staying. You'll be safe there."

None of them said anything until they arrived at their destination. Talia rushed them into a drawing room before ordering servants to bring bandages and healing ointments. All the hustle and bustle attracted the attention of an unfamiliar face.

Lily looked up at the elegant older woman who stood in the doorway, glaring at them intently.

Her silver-streaked hair was pulled into a tight bun. Her eyes widened in shock when she met Lily's gaze.

"Talia, what's going on here?" The older woman spoke with authority.

"Mother," Talia said, her voice tense as she looked up.

"Who is she and why have you brought her here?" The older woman demanded to know.

Talia bit her lip, trying her best to keep calm as she explained, "This is Lily. She's hurt."

Lily felt the tension in the air. She signed to Talia, asking her who this person was.

"She's my mother, Luna Beatrice," Talia explained.

Luna Beatrice walked up to them. She glared at Lily coldly before turning to her daughter.

"Lily? Lily Brightpaw?" she hissed through a clenched jaw.

Talia was about to respond, but Luna Beatrice already got the answer she was looking for.

"You dare bring her here? Have you lost your mind, Talia? After what her family did to your sister?!" Beatrice added.

At that moment, Lily wished she could sink into the chair and disappear. She nervously scrunched the hems of her dress, unable to look Luna Beatrice in the eyes. Talia, on the other hand, did not back down. She got to her feet and put herself between her mother and Lily.

"She's hurt, Mother. And she's not responsible for what happened."

"Not responsible?" Luna Beatrice's voice shook with fury. "Your sister is dead because of her father! She carries the Brightpaw name. If she's not responsible, who is?!"

"The ones who killed Irene are dead," Talia said firmly. "It's not her burden to carry. Lily suffered too."

"So you're pitying her?" Luna Beatrice spat as she narrowed her eyes on Lily.

Talia bit her inner lip, "No. I'm helping her because she's my friend and I care about her."

Luna Beatrice sighed, shaking her head.

"Fine, do whatever you want," She declared before turning to walk away.

Talia exhaled slowly. "I'll take care of her wounds. Just—please don't tell Father she's here."

Luna Beatrice's jaw tightened. "Your father would tear her apart if he saw her."

"I know," Talia whispered.

Luna Beatrice nodded. She looked at Lily again, her expression unreadable.

"Keep her out of sight," she finally said, turning away. "And clean up that blood."

Talia relaxed with relief. "Thank you, Mother."

After Luna Beatrice left, Talia moved all of them to her room. Once inside, Eliza locked the door while Talia guided Lily to a chair.

"Let me see that wound," Talia said gently, helping Lily remove the torn section of her dress to reveal the angry red gash across her shoulder.

Eliza paced the room, her face tight with worry. "Zayn wasn't himself. It was like… like he was someone else entirely."

"The Zayn I know would never hurt Lily," Talia agreed, carefully cleaning the wound. "Not willingly. Not knowingly."

Lily winced at the sting of antiseptic. She had to tell them the truth about what happened. However, Ezra's warning echoed in her mind. Looking up at Talia and Eliza, Lily made up her mind.

These two women had helped her every step of the way. They weren't outsiders; they were friends. Slowly and steadily, Lily got their attention and began to sign. She told them about the vial Alva and Victoria had prepared for Zayn that was supposed to help with his transformation.

She told them about how everything went horribly wrong.

"Do you know what's in that vial?" Talia asked when she finished telling the story.

Lily shook her head, 'Alva was the one who made it. I guess only she would know.'

Talia's hands trembled slightly as she bandaged Lily's shoulder. "This is my fault," she whispered. "I brought Alva to you. I trusted her."

Lily reached out, touching Talia's hand. 'You couldn't have known. You were trying to help us.'

"But Alva must have given Victoria whatever was in that vial," Talia said, shaking her head. "I should have been more careful."

"What do we do now?" Eliza asked, sitting down heavily in a nearby chair. "Zayn is under Victoria's control, and we're trapped here."

Recalling the flicker in Zayn's eyes, Lily signed with determination, 'We need to find a way to help Zayn remember the truth and the past.'

"We can't go back to Obsidian Moon now," Talia said. "It would take too long, and we don't have time."

"And confronting Victoria directly would be dangerous," Eliza added. "She has Zayn wrapped around her finger."

'And the Crystal Moon Ball is tomorrow night,' Lily added.

"Which means we need to keep you hidden until we can figure out what to do," Talia said.

Lily shook her head, 'I have to go.'

"Lily, no," Eliza protested. "It's too dangerous. Victoria might try something worse next time, and who knows what Zayn might do to you?"

'I don't care,' Lily signed, her movements sharp and decisive. 'Zayn is my mate. I won't hide while Victoria parades around with him. I need to find a way to reach him.'

"But what if you can't?" Talia asked softly. "What if he tries to hurt you again?"

Lily bit her lip. Her heart ached as memories of Zayn's disdain for her resurfaced in her mind. But that did not waver her resolve.

'Then at least I will have tried. I love him too much to give up now. Besides, the Ball might be the perfect opportunity to reach him.'

"It's suicide," Eliza murmured, shaking her head.

'Perhaps. But I'm going to get my mate back. No matter the cost.'