The next morning dawned red.
The forest groaned under the weight of dark energy. Birds no longer flew overhead. The wind smelled of blood and ancient rot. Crimson Hollow was no longer just a sanctuary—it had become a battleground waiting to ignite.
Selene stood atop the Moonroot Cliff, her long white cloak billowing behind her. Her body still trembled from the magic she had absorbed. Her veins throbbed with heat, as if liquid moonlight flowed through them now. Her silver-blue eyes glowed faintly in the shadows.
She wasn't afraid.
Because for the first time in her life…
She knew who she was.
Moonborn. Last of the Lunari. Alpha-bound. Magic-wrought.
Her power had a name now. And so did her enemy.
---
Kael stood behind her, armor half-fastened, his golden gaze unreadable.
"You don't have to face him alone," he said.
Selene turned. "Yes, I do."
"You're not just mine anymore," he said. "You belong to the Hollow. They'll look to you now."
Selene stepped close, sliding her hands over his bare chest. "Then we lead together."
He kissed her—hard and fast, like it might be their last. "When the moment comes, don't hesitate."
"I won't," she said. "He took my family. My people. My birthright. I won't let him take me."
---
That night, the pack gathered under the blood-hued twilight.
Torches lit the trees. The scent of wolves thickened the air.
Selene stood at the center of the circle, flanked by Kael on her left, Rowan on her right.
Lira stepped forward, nodding in silent respect.
"The rogue is near. We've set the traps. Laid the magic. But only she can stand against him."
Selene nodded.
Her cloak dropped to the ground.
Beneath it, she wore ancient Lunari war-armor—form-fitting silver leather etched in symbols that pulsed when she breathed. Her blade, Moonfang, rested at her hip, forged from star-iron and moonroot.
"Then let him come," she said. "Let him see what his mistake has awakened."
---
He came at midnight.
Ashar strode into the Hollow like death in a crown. His wolf form was too tall, too human, his body crackling with stolen magic. Eyes black as coal. Veins glowing red.
Kael snarled and shifted mid-run, fangs bared.
But Selene raised a hand.
"He's mine."
Ashar smiled. "Little moon girl. All grown up."
"I remember what you did," she said.
"Good. Because I'm about to finish what I started."
They circled, predator and prey.
Then—they struck.
---
Kael held the others back as Selene and Ashar collided with terrifying speed. Their blades clashed, their howls shook the forest.
Ashar's claws grazed her ribs—she twisted and buried her blade in his shoulder.
He roared and backhanded her across the clearing.
Selene landed hard, pain flaring.
But she didn't stop.
She rose.
Eyes blazing. Magic sparking from her fingertips.
Ashar lunged.
Selene lifted both hands—and screamed.
A column of silver fire erupted from her chest, striking him mid-air and slamming him into the trees. The bark scorched. The earth cracked. Kael stared in stunned awe.
Selene stepped forward, hair wild, blood trickling from her lip.
Ashar growled, coughing smoke. "What are you?"
She lifted her blade.
"Vengeance."
And then she drove Moonfang through his chest.
Ashar screamed—a horrible, choking, inhuman sound—and exploded into dust, his power unraveling in a blast of light and ash.
---
The silence afterward was thick and holy.
Kael approached slowly, placing his hands on Selene's shoulders.
"It's over."
She turned to him, smiling through tears.
"No. It's just begun."
---
That night, the Hollow howled in joy.
Kael stood before the fire, lifting Selene's hand into the air.
"This is Selene Lunari—our Moonborn. Our Alpha Luna."
The wolves bowed.
And the moon blazed brighter than it had in centuries.
---