CHAPTER 133: ALLIANCE FRACTURES

Aiden POV

The emergency council meeting burst into chaos before I could even call it to order. Representatives from twelve different supernatural groups shouted over each other, their words echoing off the cave walls like angry thunder.

"You brought vampires into our sacred space!" The River Pack Alpha slammed his fist on the stone table. "My wolves can smell their death magic everywhere!"

"Original Vampires destroyed half of reality!" Elder Thompson from the Mountain Coven pointed an accusing finger at where Dmitri had been sitting just hours ago. "And you expect us to trust them?"

I stood at the head of the table, watching everything I’d worked to build fall around me. For months, I’d encouraged these groups to work together against the Moon Goddess. Now Dmitri’s memory revelation threatened to tear apart our only hope of life.

"Everyone needs to calm down," I said, using my Alpha voice. Some of the yelling stopped, but angry whispers continued around the table.

"Calm down?" The Fairy Queen’s wings buzzed with anger. "One of the beings responsible for the Great Collapse has been among us this entire time. How many of our people died because of what his kind did?"

My heart sank. This was exactly what I’d feared would happen. The moment our union learned about the Original Vampires’ role in damaging reality, old prejudices and fears would surface. Unity would become impossible.

"Dmitri didn’t know," I said strongly. "His thoughts were locked away. He’s been helping us fight the Moon Goddess."

"How convenient," sneered the Demon spokesman. "The vampire suddenly remembers he’s old and powerful right when we need him most. Sounds like a trick to me."

Lily shifted beside me, her face pale with worry. I could feel her worry through our mate bond, adding to my own stress. Caleb sat on my other side, frantically taking notes about everything being said. Brock stood near the cave opening, his hand resting on his sword.

"The vampire could be a spy," continued the River Pack Alpha. "Sent by the Moon Goddess to destroy us from within."

"That’s ridiculous," I snapped. "Dmitri risked his life to save Sage. He’s proven his loyalty."

"Has he?" The Mountain Coven Elder stood up, his robes moving. "Or did he just play a very believable part? Think about it, Alpha Aiden. The Moon Goddess needs Original Vampires for her plan. What better way to get them than to have one embedded in our resistance?"

Murmurs of agreement spread through the crowd. I felt fear rising in my chest. These people trusted me to lead them, but uncertainty was spreading like wildfire.

"Where is the vampire now?" asked the Fairy Queen warily. "Why isn’t he here to defend himself?"

I paused. Dmitri and Sage had left shortly after his memory return, saying they needed to process everything that had happened. I’d thought it was fair - learning you’re an ancient being responsible for cosmic damage would shake anyone. But now their lack looked suspicious.

"He’s dealing with recovered memories from thousands of years," I explained. "That kind of mental shock needs time to heal." "Or he’s reporting back to his real master," the Demon representative said coldly.

"Enough!" I slammed my own hand on the table, the sound echoing through the cave. "Dmitri is not our enemy. The Moon Goddess is. She’s the one trying to reduce reality to a single timeframe. She’s the one who turned Guardians into Void Walkers. She’s the threat we need to focus on."

"But vampires made the damage that allowed her plan to work," Elder Thompson pointed out. "Without the Original Vampires weakening reality, the Moon Goddess couldn’t manipulate timelines so easily."

I opened my mouth to argue, then stopped. He was right. The vampires’ dimensional travel had produced the cracks that made everything else possible. Without that base of damage, maybe none of this would be happening.

"That doesn’t make Dmitri responsible for her choices," I said finally. "He was practically a child when the Great Collapse happened. The older vampires made those choices."

"A child who can tear holes between dimensions," the River Pack Alpha said sadly. "Do you understand how dangerous that makes him? One moment of anger or loss of control, and he could damage our schedule beyond repair."

The weight of that possibility hit me like a physical blow. I’d seen Dmitri’s power when his memories returned - the air around him had shimmered with dimensional energy. If he lost control... "He won’t," I said, but my voice lacked confidence.

"You can’t guarantee that," the Fairy Queen said softly. "None of us can. The trauma of remembering such terrible things, mixed with that kind of power... it’s a recipe for disaster."

Around the table, I could see agreement in too many faces. Fear was winning over logic. The alliance I’d spent months building was falling apart because of discoveries we couldn’t change.

"So what are you suggesting?" I asked, fearing the answer.

"The vampire needs to be contained," Elder Thompson said bluntly. "Until we can verify his true loyalties and ensure he won’t lose control of his abilities."

"Contained?" Lily spoke up for the first time, her voice sharp with anger. "You mean imprisoned."

"For the safety of everyone," the River Pack Alpha agreed. "Including himself. Imagine the guilt if he accidentally damaged reality while battling with his memories. " I felt sick. These people wanted to lock up someone who’d risked everything to help us, just because of what his species had done thousands of years ago. It went against everything I believed about justice and fairness.

But as a leader, I had to consider their fears. What if they were right? What if Dmitri’s emotional state mixed with his power really did pose a threat? What if believing him was a mistake that could cost countless lives?

"I need time to think about this," I said finally.

"Time we don’t have," the Demon representative said quickly. "Every moment that vampire remains free is a moment he could be sabotaging our efforts or losing control of abilities that could kill us all."

Before I could reply, Brock stepped forward from his position by the cave entrance. His face was grim, and I could tell he had bad news.

"Aiden," he said softly. "We have a bigger problem."

"What now?" I asked, fatigue creeping into my voice.

"Scouts just reported back from the dimensional border," Brock said. "Three more timelines fell in the last hour. And there are huge energy readings coming from the Moon Goddess’s stronghold."

The cave fell silent. Three timelines. Billions of lives. Gone.

"It gets worse," Brock continued. "The energy signatures fit Original Vampire dimensional manipulation. She’s not waiting for us to find more of them. She’s using the ones she already has."

My blood turned to ice. If the Moon Goddess was already using captured Original Vampires to collapse timelines, then Dmitri’s knowledge and power weren’t just helpful - they were absolutely important. He might be the only one who could counter what she was doing.

But I was surrounded by friends who wanted him imprisoned or worse.

"How long until she can complete her plan?" I asked.

Brock’s face was grim. "At this rate? Maybe days."

The council exploded in panicked voices again, but I barely heard them. The weight of an impossible choice pressed down on me. Trust Dmitri and risk everything on a vampire whose species had already destroyed half of reality once. Or lock him up and lose our best chance of stopping the Moon Goddess before she finished the job.

Either choice could ruin everyone I’d sworn to protect.

And somewhere out there, Dmitri had no idea that the people he’d been fighting to save now considered him their greatest danger.