The Moonbound camp was no longer just a refuge.
It was becoming a kingdom.
Tents had become stone shelters. Outcasts had become soldiers. Healers chanted ancient spells beneath the stars while scouts marked enemy movements in dirt maps.
And at the center stood Selena, no longer the rejected mate, no longer the lost girl.
Now a leader.
A Luna of her own making.
That night, Kael led her through a narrow canyon path, one veiled in ancient magic. The sky overhead darkened unnaturally, and the wind whispered with voices long forgotten.
> "Where are we going?" Selena asked.
> "To the Shrine of the Old Moon," Kael replied. "The First Wives left more than blood behind. They left prophecy."
They entered a cave glowing with soft blue moss. Symbols shimmered across the stone,runes older than any living language.
Kael lit a flame, and a carved mural revealed itself.
Selena stared.
> A silver-haired woman stood surrounded by wolves, her eyes glowing. Behind her, a shadow king rose. A black-crowned Alpha beside her, scarred, silent, loyal.
> Beneath the image, an inscription:
"When the bloodline is threatened,
the Chosen shall rise.
Moonlight shall bind with shadow,
and from silver and ash,
a new reign shall be born."
Selena traced the words.
> "Silver and ash…" she whispered.
Kael met her gaze.
> "It speaks of us, Selena. You, silver. Me,ash. Two halves of a power this world hasn't seen since the Old Moon fell."
She stepped back, the weight of the prophecy pressing down.
> "Are we fated?" she asked. "Or manipulated by stories left behind?"
Kael answered softly.
> "We are what we choose to become. But prophecy… is a compass. Not a chain."
Before she could reply, a raven shrieked and landed at the entrance, its eyes burning red.
Selena stepped forward and plucked the message tied to its leg.
The parchment was soaked in blood.
One word carved into it:
> TRAITOR.
Her heart froze. Rhea had gone on a supply run. Alone.
> "Damien knows she's helping us," Selena whispered
. "He's sending a message."
Kael's eyes burned.
> "Then let's send one back."