"She's supposed to be dead," Aether continued saying repeatedly, his voice barely a whisper. "I buried her myself."
I turned to face him, my voice growing tense. "Then how is she here, alive?"
He had no answers, so he didn't respond to me. His gaze was fixed on the girl who had once earned his trust and also shattered his world.
Ceryn stepped closer to me, her lips painted red with lipstick, as she brazenly stared right into my eyes
"May," she called, loud enough for every warrior in the vicinity to hear. "So nice to finally meet you again."
I stayed silent.
"You're prettier than I had anticipated," she added, smiling mischievously. "More fragile, too. I thought the Vessel of
I met her stare directly, "Interesting! I also thought the so-called Luna of BlueCrest would select her allies more wisely"
Her smile didn't waver. "Oh, darling. We all make mistakes. Your mistake was abandoning what was yours behind. And mine was trusting a man too weak to lead"
With her wolf eyes, I sensed her glance at Castillo's unconscious body, guarded behind Northwood's walls.
Aether stepped forward and stood next to me. Calm, cold, and daring as usual.
"You've broken neutral law, Ceryn," he said, his voice like granite. "This is Northwood's territory. Speak, or leave!"
Ceryn didn't even blink.
"I'm here to make a rightful claim," she replied. "Castillo is unfit to lead BlueCrest. As his Luna, I invoke Blood Ascendancy. I will rule in his place."
I could hear the warriors and guards gasp, all stunned in surprise.
That kind of declaration isn't made lightly, besides Alpha Castillo isn't dead! I yelled.
Then she turned her gaze towards me.
"And as part of my rule, I demand the surrender of she, the vessel. She's Southern by origin. BlueCrest-born. She belongs to us." She commanded pointing her right index finger at me
"No!, Aether snapped before I could even think of a response. "She belongs to no one."
Ceryn let out a frown, "That's not what the Prophecy says."
---
Later that evening at BlueCrest, beneath the mountain, the council gathered again.
The dew of the night blew heavily and again the Red moon appeared, as the air felt heavy with power.
I stood with Aether as we hid in our usual spot spying on the elders, as they reviewed the scroll Ceryn had brought where she wrote down her demands and claims.
"She has my support too," one elder said. "Three BlueCrest elders have already pledged loyalty."
"She nearly killed their Alpha," Aether complained, his face turned sad seeing that the elders would support Ceryn in such a hurry. "Besides she's also parading a traitor as her second-in-command."
"She's dangerous," I said. "And bold. She knows she's provoking a war."
"Because she's betting I won't fight it," Aether replied. I was confused and then I realized what he meant.
He didn't fear the upcoming war. He feared for me being part of it, he didn't want me to get hurt
---
That night, I stared at my reflection in the cabin's mirror.
Who was I now? I wasn't Castillo's Luna, I wasn't broken nor soft, but still I felt I wasn't quite whole.
Then Aria; Northwood seer, barged in without knocking.
"You're scared," she observed, looking at me over and over again. "And that's okay."
"I'm furious. Ceryn walked right into our territory and tried to claim me, like I'm some weapon she forgot to pack." I complained, my face squeezed.
"You are a weapon," Aria replied. "You just haven't sharpened yourself yet."
I turned to her. "How do I stop her?"
She shrugged. "You don't. You rise above her."
Then she tossed a leather book onto the table, it looked ancient, dusty and marked with moonlight symbols.
"What's that?" I asked.
"Your inheritance," she said. "From the bloodline of lunar females. Your birthright was never just a bond. It was a throne." She nodded and walked away leaving me in utmost confusion.
By morning, Northwood's pack was gearing up for war.
Castillo was still unconscious and it was day 3, which kept me wondering the extent Ceryn had harmed him.
Ceryn's wolves had set up a forward camp along the border of BlueCrest and Northwood somewhere close to the Eastern walls.
And Nyra… was watching everything with those cold, traitorous eyes.
Aether pulled me aside in the training yard, his expression unreadable. He was always willing to watch me, to protect me…
"She wants you," he said. "And not just because of the prophecy. Because she sees what I see."
I stared at him. "What do you see?"
He stepped closer.
"I see a girl no one thought would survive the betrayal and abandonment, becoming the only thing keeping the world from falling apart."
My heart ached.
"I don't know if I'm that person," I complained
"Yes, you do," he whispered. "Deep down you could feel that you're more."
Patting my shoulders gently he gave me a reassuring look, and for the first time, I noticed how handsome he really is.
The warning horn resounded just before sunset. I dashed to the eastern wall, my heart racing.
A Northwood warrior came out through the trees, blood-soaked and gasping for breath. He was one of our closest guards.
"They're on the move," he managed to say, struggling for words. "Tonight. She's not waiting for the war council or following rules, she's doing things her way
"Who?" I yelled, and I could feel my heart panicking
"Ceryn. She's coming. With Nyra at her side and…"
He folded in my arms and with his last strength he spoke;
"They've taken the southern seer, Enchantress Mara. They know what you are, and she also told them what lives and is buried beneath these Northern mountains."
I glanced towards the cliff beyond the training ring—the ancient sealed altar under the Northwood pack. The very one that I had seen in my dreams. The one the Nightbound had murmured about.
A shiver ran through me because deep down, I sensed what was about to happen.
And it wasn't just Ceryn. Something beneath us was stirring up