Moonlight blanketed the ruins in silver light, casting jagged shadows between the ancient stones. The air pulsed with energy now thicker and alive like the earth was holding its breath.
Avelyn moved slowly through the circle of stones, her fingertips grazing their moss-covered surfaces. Each time her skin touched a rune, the mark on her shoulder responded, glowing faintly through her shirt.
Behind her, Damien followed in silence, his eyes narrowed, muscles taut. He wasn't used to feeling powerless in his own territory. But here, in the heart of the Moonspire Ruins, power didn't belong to him.
It belonged to her.
Suddenly, the central stone pillar hummed a deep, resonant sound that vibrated through their bones. Avelyn turned toward it, instinct pulling her forward. She paused in front of it, the largest and oldest of all the stones. At its base, a shallow bowl had been carved into the rock, darkened by centuries of weather and time.
Her mark blazed.
"What is this place?" she asked quietly.
Damien stepped beside her. "Legend says this is where the first Alpha and Luna met. The original bond. The beginning of the werewolf bloodline."
Avelyn's eyes widened. "You never said that before."
"I wasn't sure you were ready to hear it."
Before she could reply, the wind shifted. The air grew colder. The runes began to glow brighter white, silver and soft blues dancing across the stone like liquid moonlight.
Then, without warning, Avelyn stumbled forward.
"Avelyn!" Damien caught her before she fell, but her eyes were already distant, her body rigid.
The moment her hand touched the center stone, everything went white.
Memory Realm – The First Bond
Avelyn opened her eyes to an entirely different world.
Gone were the ruins. Gone was the forest.
She stood in a vast clearing surrounded by towering trees, their leaves silver beneath a crimson sky. The moon above was full and red.
She was not alone.
Before her stood two figures: a tall, fierce man cloaked in furs and leather, and a woman with long hair like starlight, her eyes glowing like twin moons.
They were arguing, though no sound came at first. Then the woman turned, locking eyes with Avelyn.
"You shouldn't be here yet," the woman said.
Avelyn blinked. "Where… am I?"
"The past," the man said, stepping forward. His voice rumbled like distant thunder. "Our memory. Our curse."
"I don't understand."
"You are marked," the woman said. "The last of the bloodline. The prophecy has returned through you."
Avelyn's hand went to her shoulder. The mark pulsed.
"The prophecy… it's real?"
"Yes," the woman said, sadness clouding her features. "And twisted."
The man placed a hand over the woman's heart. "We were the first bond. The first Alpha. The first Luna. We loved deeply, fiercely. But our power frightened others. They feared what we might become."
"So they cursed us," the woman whispered. "Turned our bond into a warning for generations to come."
"To love as we loved," the man said, "is to risk ruin. To bind your soul to another is to give them power over your fate."
"But love was never the curse," the woman added, stepping closer. "Fear was."
Avelyn's eyes filled with tears. "Why show me this?"
"Because you must choose," the woman said. "To follow the same path… or break it."
The red moon above began to crackle, lightning flashing across the sky. The world started to shatter.
"You are the key, Avelyn," the man called. "But beware. Your bond will awaken powers, both old and hunted."
As the world crumbled around her, the woman reached out and touched Avelyn's chest.
"Remember who you are."
Back at the Ruins
Avelyn gasped, stumbling backward as Damien caught her again.
Her heart pounded in her chest. Her skin was damp with sweat. Her eyes wide with something between awe and terror.
Damien steadied her. "What did you see?"
She looked up at him, dazed. "The beginning. The first Alpha and Luna. They showed me… everything. The curse, the truth. The fear that turned love into a weapon."
Damien's brows drew together. "The ruins did this to you?"
"They're not just stones," she whispered. "They're memories. Guardians of the old ways. Of the truth."
He gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "And what's the truth?"
"That the curse isn't about dying for love. It's about being strong enough to love, despite the fear."
Silence settled between them.
Then Avelyn whispered, "We're not just part of the prophecy. We're the end of it. Or the beginning of something new."
A distant howl broke through the quiet.
Not one of Bloodclaw's wolves.
Different.
Wrong.
Damien stiffened. "We're not alone."
He pulled her close, wrapping one arm protectively around her waist while the other reached for the dagger at his hip.
"What is it?" Avelyn asked, her voice low.
He listened. Sniffed the air.
Then his jaw clenched.
"Hunters," he growled. "Rogue ones. And they're close."
She didn't flinch. "Then we run."
He turned to her in surprise. "You're not going to argue?"
"Later," she said, already sprinting toward the horse. "Right now, I want to live."
A flicker of a smile crossed his lips, brief, but real.
They mounted the horse together and tore through the forest, the ruins glowing behind them like a beacon and a warning.
Something had awakened.
And neither of them could outrun it for long.