Chapter 7 The Letter That Broke the Moon

The note slipped from her fingers. Her knees gave out. Everything spun. Then, darkness.

She collapsed to the ground.

The sound of her body hitting the earth made a loud thud. Two rogue warriors nearby heard it and rushed over.

"Selene!" one of them called.

Another ran to get Alaric.

Within seconds, Alaric stormed out of his den, his eyes sharp, his bare chest rising with fast breaths.

When he saw her lying still on the ground, his face twisted with rage.

"Who did this?" he roared.

The warriors shook their heads. "We don't know. But there was a letter. It's here."

One of them handed him the note.

Alaric read it once. Then again.

His eyes darkened. His jaw clenched.

"Get the war team ready," he barked. "Now!"

The warriors blinked in surprise.

"Get Caius. Get Jarek. I want fifteen warriors on the north line. If this is a trap, they won't see us coming. We'll burn the Crescent Moon Pack down before they even blink."

He turned to another rogue. "Bring Selene inside. She'll wake up. When she does, we'll be halfway to war."

Everything moved fast. The camp became loud. Warriors put on armor. Swords were polished. Bags packed.

Inside the den, Selene's eyes slowly opened.

She sat up quickly, sweat on her face. Her heart still raced.

Then she heard the noise outside. Footsteps. Orders. The clatter of weapons.

She stepped out into the firelight.

"Where is everyone going?" she asked.

A warrior pointed. "Alaric is leading the war team. Crescent Moon. The Alpha lied. About your mother."

Selene's eyes widened. "No... no, wait."

She rushed toward Alaric, who was now standing near the front of the camp, holding a spear in his hand.

"Alaric!" she called.

He turned, his face still tight with anger. "You're awake. Good. You stay here."

Selene stepped in front of him. "You can't go. Please. Not yet. I need to know if it's true first. Let me check. Let me confirm it myself."

Alaric frowned. "No."

"Please."

"No, Selene!"

His voice was loud. It cut through the camp like lightning.

Everyone stopped. Even the wind.

Selene blinked. "Why are you yelling?"

"They want you to come," Alaric snapped. "That letter was a trap. They want you to walk in alone so they can finish what they started. So they can kill you."

Selene took a step back. She had never seen him this angry before.

"They lied before," he continued. "They left you for dead. They killed your mother once already. You think now they want to help?"

She opened her mouth to argue, her voice rising. "You don't know that..."

Alaric turned away in frustration, still holding the spear. But as he moved, the sharp edge of the spear scraped across Selene's hand.

She gasped.

A thin line of blood rolled down her palm.

Drip.

The blood hit the ground.

The wind stopped. The sky shifted.

The clouds above turned silver. A low rumble echoed across the forest.

Every rogue froze.

Selene clutched her hand, eyes wide. "What... what's happening?"

Alaric looked up. "No. It can't be."

From the soil where her blood dropped, a faint glow appeared.

Then a voice. Soft. Gentle. Like a whisper in the wind.

"The daughter has returned. The blood has spoken."

Selene stepped back. "Did you hear that?"

The warriors all nodded slowly, their eyes wide.

From the glowing soil, a small flower bloomed. Black petals with silver tips. The flower didn't belong to any season. It had never grown in their land before.

Alaric dropped to one knee, eyes on the flower.

"It's the Moon Blossom," he said. "It only grows when a bloodline tied to prophecy is revealed."

"What prophecy?" Selene whispered.

Alaric stood slowly. "There's an old myth. The Alpha feared it. A child born of a Beta and touched by the Moon Goddess. She would rise after betrayal. Her blood would awaken the truth. Her return would mean power shifting. The end of the old rule."

Selene stared at the flower.

"And that's me?"

"You were never just a warrior, Selene," Alaric said quietly. "You were chosen."

Selene's mind raced. "Then maybe... maybe my mother's alive because of that. Maybe they're hiding her because they know she's the key to the rest of the truth."

Alaric said nothing.

The warriors stood still. The flower kept glowing. The wind carried the voice again:

"One life must return... for one lie to fall."

Selene turned to Alaric. "Let me go. Not to die. But to find her. Please. This is bigger than revenge. It always was."

Alaric looked at her for a long time. His face softened slightly.

Finally, he nodded. "You'll go. But not alone. Caius goes with you."

Selene nodded. "Deal."

Alaric reached for her wounded hand, pressing a cloth to stop the bleeding.

"I didn't mean to hurt you," he said quietly.

She looked up at him. "I know."

But the truth was something had already been set in motion.

The ground had tasted her blood.

The Moon had spoken.

And Crescent Moon would never be the same again.

–AT THE CRESCENT MOON PARK-

The Crescent Moon Pack was loud that night. Music played. Wolves laughed and danced near the fire. They were celebrating Lucian's coming birthday. No one was thinking about war. No one expected danger.

Darius sat at the edge of the gathering, not smiling. His eyes kept going to the dark trees.

Then, without warning, the air changed. The drums stopped.

A cold wind blew through the camp. The sky turned dark and the moon turned dark

Warriors looked up and everyone was panicking

The full moon turned black.

And then, a deep voice echoed from the sky.

"The daughter has returned."

The celebration ended. Everyone stood still.

Darius ordered for the warriors to check what's going on and ordered everyone to go back home

Lucian, the Alpha's son, walked toward him now, looking annoyed as always.

"They're talking again," Lucian said. "The warriors. The omegas. Everyone."

"About what?" Darius asked without turning.

"About her."

Darius's jaw clenched, he knew he was talking about selene

Lucian lowered his voice. "They say she's returned. They say she's marked by something dark. That she's coming back to destroy us all."

Darius said nothing.

Lucian narrowed his eyes. "You still feel her, don't you?"

Darius finally looked at him. "I never stopped."

Lucian rolled his eyes. "You're a fool."

"Maybe." Darius glanced back toward the forest. "But a fool who knows she's not done with us."

Suddenly, a young scout ran into the training ground, breathing hard.

"Message!" he gasped. "From the north border!"

Lucian stepped forward. "What kind of message?"

The scout held out a torn piece of cloth.

Blue and silver.

Darius took it. His fingers shook.

It was part of a shawl. A very old one.

He knew it.

"It belonged to her mother," he said quietly.

Lucian snatched it. "I thought she died."

Darius's voice dropped. "We all did."

Lucian's face twisted with fear and anger. "Who's sending these things? Who's playing these games?"

Darius didn't answer. His eyes were fixed on the sky.

Lucian stepped back. "What the hell was that?"

One of the elders walked forward slowly. Her name was Mirra. She had white hair and pale blue eyes.

"I haven't heard that voice since I was a pup," she whispered. "The voice of the Moon."

Lucian scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous."

But Mirra looked serious. "It's a sign. The bloodline has awakened. And if the myths are true, we are all in danger."

Darius looked down at the torn shawl again.

The Moon had spoken.

Selene was back.

And she was not alone.

Lucian turned sharply. "Double the patrols. I want every warrior at the borders. If she's out there, she won't get in again."

Mirra looked at him calmly. "If she's truly marked by the Moon... no border will stop her."