"Ahh..." 
Swara woke up with a splitting headache, her hand instinctively reaching for her throbbing temple. Her fingers brushed against a bandage, and the events of the night before came rushing back. She had been trying to help Ragini when someone struck her from behind, and she had lost consciousness. 

She looked around, realizing she was in her and Sanskar’s bedroom. “How did I end up here?” she muttered to herself. 

"I brought you here," a stern voice replied, causing Swara to turn her head sharply. Sanskar stood at the doorway, his face a mix of anger and concern, and Swara got the answer to her unasked question. 

"You... how..." she stammered, but Sanskar cut her off. 

"You disregarded my words again. Why didn’t you listen to me, Swara, and venture deep into the woods?" His voice was laced with frustration and disappointment. 

She remembered Sanskar had been urging them to turn back, but she had pressed on, driven by her gut, until she heard the screams of Sia and Ragini. If only she had heeded his warning, perhaps they could have saved Sia and Ragini and even caught the culprit. 

"Ahh, Sia..." Swara moaned, the memory bringing tears to her eyes. "Sia, h... how's..." She stuttered with fear and couldn't complete her sentence, but Sanskar's somber expression and his nod with crouched lashes said it all. 

Swara's heart sank, and tears rolled down her cheeks. "How’s Nikhil?" she asked hesitantly. 

"Pitiful," Sanskar replied, his voice heavy. "The pain of losing his mate has hit him hard. He's been unconscious for hours. The doctor is trying to tend to his emotional wounds." 

"This is all because of me," Swara mumbled, guilt washing over her. "They all had to go through this because I pulled them into this mess. How’s Ragini? She was semi-conscious when I last saw her. Did she make it?" She asked, and her voice trembled with fear. 

"She's still alive," Sanskar said, his tone grim. "It seems she put up a fight, which is why the attack wasn’t fatal, but she’s in a vegetative state." 

Swara held her head. "I am the culprit for everybody's condition." She cursed herself again, feeling the weight of her decisions crushing her. 

"Swara," Sanskar began, his voice cold but controlled, "dealing with the vampires is our most important priority. I’m going to announce that the battle will be held on the night of the blue moon. I want you by my side, but I’ll do it with or without you." 

Sanskar's sudden announcement made Swara feel like the rug had been swept out from under her feet. Her heart pounded in her chest, and a cold sweat broke out on her forehead. She stared at Sanskar, her mind racing to process his words. 

"No, Sanskar, please don’t do this," Swara pleaded, desperation creeping into her voice. She took a step toward him, her hands reaching out as if she could physically hold him back from the dangerous path he was intent on taking. 

"Why not?" he demanded, hardly composing his voice, his frustration boiling over. "Swara, the vampires are an impending threat to our pack. Why do you keep stopping me?" His voice strained as he struggled to keep his emotions in check. The weight of the responsibility on him was heavy. 

Swara's mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions. She could feel the fear and desperation clawing at her insides, threatening to consume her. She knew she had to make him understand, to make him see the danger he was in. Her voice trembled as she tried to find the right words. "Your life is in danger, Sanskar. I can’t let this happen." 

Sanskar rubbed his head in frustration, his movements sharp and agitated. "Swara, stop being unreasonable, for god sake. You want to put so many lives at risk just to protect me? Is that fair?" he demanded, his voice rising with each word. 

"It’s fair. Everything is fair to protect you, my alpha. To protect the future alpha king, I’d give my life," Swara declared firmly. She stepped closer, her eyes locked on his, willing him to understand the depth of her conviction. 

Sanskar's eyes flashed with anger, a growl escaping his lips. "Don’t you dare say that," he snapped, his voice a low, dangerous rumble. "Your life is important to me." His fists clenched at his sides, the tension radiating off him in waves. 

"You have a hidden enemy, Sanskar. They plan to finish you off to take your place the moment you kill the vampire king. They are hidden and dangerous," she insisted, her voice breaking with urgency. 

Sanskar threw his hands up in exasperation. "You said this before as well, and even blamed Ragini," he shot back, his voice rising. "Look at her condition now. Was she a threat? Now tell me, was she the hidden enemy? You can’t always be right with your baseless assumptions." 

Swara's eyes filled with tears as she took another step closer to him, her hands trembling. "I was wrong before, Sanskar; I admit it. But I’m sure the enemy is someone close to you. Look, I found this amulet," she said, reaching for her pocket but coming up empty. 

Sanskar’s eyes narrowed as he pulled out a small, transparent bag from his pocket, which he found clenched in Swara's unconscious fist. "Are you talking about this?" he asked, holding up the amulet, the dark stone inside it glinting ominously. 

"Yes, that’s it." Swara recognized it immediately and reached out to take it, but Sanskar pulled it back, his grip tightening on the bag. 

"This belongs to Laksh. Now, will you say he’s the culprit?" Sanskar's voice was cold, a mixture of disbelief and disappointment. 

Swara's face went pale, the realization hitting her like a punch to the gut. "What?" she whispered. 

"That's right," Sanskar continued, his eyes boring into hers. "Now, do you have anything else to prove your point? Your stubbornness landed not only you but many others in trouble." 

Swara's hands fell to her sides, the weight of his words crushing her spirit and tears rolling down her eyes. 

Sanskar's eyes softened as he saw Swara's miserable state. He stepped closer, placing one hand on her shoulder and patting the back of her head with the other in a gesture of consolation. 

"Shona, just stop this madness and listen to me. This isn't the time to fall apart. Pull yourself together; we have the most significant challenge ahead." 

Swara realized that Sanskar was again suggesting the battle, and it felt like all her efforts had gone in vain. She wrapped her arms tightly around Sanskar's torso and burst into tears. 

Sanskar let her cry vigorously in his arms, rubbing her back soothingly. A few minutes later, he gently broke the hug. "We can't change the past, Swara, but we can surely stop further damage. The faster we act, the less the loss will be." 

Swara shut her eyes tightly, and the scene from her past life of Sanskar being stabbed flashed in front of her, causing her to tremble. She pulled herself together and tried to dissuade him again. "Sanskar, whether you believe it or not, the threat will keep looming over us because there's a mole within our pack," she insisted, her voice breaking as she struggled to maintain her composure. 

The tension that had almost subsided rose again, and Sanskar felt their argument was back to square one. He pinched the bridge of his nose, snorting in frustration. "This is why I asked you to find out the whereabouts of Lady Janki," Sanskar said, his tone stern once more. "I asked you to locate her and plead with her to resurface. She wouldn't ignore your plea, but instead, you buried yourself in all sorts of nonsense." 

"I was trying to protect you!" Swara cried, her voice breaking. "I thought if I could find the enemy myself, I could save everyone." 

"Keeping me safe doesn’t mean risking everyone else," Sanskar said, his voice softer but more resolute. "You've put many lives in jeopardy, Swara. I have a pack to run; these are my people, and I have a duty to protect them. Their safety is my responsibility." 

"Aren't they my people?" Swara's voice broke, the hurt evident in her words as she struggled to hold back tears. She felt wounded by Sanskar's words, like he didn't consider her one of his own. 

"I don't think you ever consider this seriously; otherwise, we wouldn't be here arguing about this," Sanskar said curtly, his frustration palpable. 

Swara's heart sank further, feeling the weight of their strained relationship bearing down on her. "Thanks for reminding me of my place," she uttered in a cracked voice before turning and running out. 

She found herself standing in her usual spot in the cherry woods, tears streaming down her cheeks as she watched the moon. She tried to compose herself, trying hard to overcome the pain of Sanskar's harsh words. Suddenly, someone grabbed her from behind, covering her mouth. She lost consciousness, but before she could hit the ground, a pair of strong arms held her.