The night was heavy with mist, the kind that crawled low across the ground and made every shadow look alive. Selene stood on the ridge, her cloak whipping in the wind, eyes fixed on the border where Shadowfang land met Bloodmoon's territory. The air reeked of iron and smoke. Even before she saw them, she could feel them—the presence of wolves waiting, prowling just beyond the tree line.
"They're here," she whispered.
Darius moved up beside her, tall and steady as stone. His silver eyes cut through the fog like blades. "Bloodmoon never hides for long. They've been testing our borders for weeks. Tonight they'll push harder."
His voice was calm, but Selene could feel the storm beneath it. His men waited behind them, armored and tense, their growls low in their throats. Some shifted on their paws already, eager for the fight. Others stared at her, uncertainty still lingering, though fewer now than before.
The last few days had changed things. She had stood before Kael's messenger and defied him. For the first time, Shadowfang wolves had cheered for her instead of doubting her. Yet she knew that in their hearts, some still wondered if she would break.
She clenched her fists. Not tonight. Tonight she would show them she belonged here.
A howl split the night. Long, deep, and unmistakably Bloodmoon. It was answered by dozens more, echoing through the forest like drums of war.
The Shadowfang warriors bristled.
"They're testing our patience," one growled.
Darius lifted his hand, silencing them. His gaze never left the trees. "Hold the line. Wait for them to cross."
Selene's pulse raced. Every nerve screamed at her to move, to run, to fight. The mist thickened, curling around the rocks like pale fingers. Then, with a rush of motion, dark shapes burst from the trees—Bloodmoon wolves in their monstrous forms, eyes glowing red under the moonlight.
The night erupted in chaos.
Shadowfang warriors met them head-on, claws flashing, jaws snapping. The air filled with snarls and screams, the wet sound of tearing flesh. Selene's heart hammered as she summoned the strange silver fire within her. It flickered at her fingertips, answering her call more easily now, though it still burned like a wild thing she barely controlled.
A Bloodmoon wolf lunged at her, its teeth aiming for her throat. She raised her hand and the silver blaze exploded outward, striking it mid-leap. The wolf shrieked, flung back as if struck by lightning, its fur singed.
For a moment, silence rippled around her. Shadowfang fighters who had doubted her days ago stared wide-eyed, then surged forward with renewed fury.
"Fight with her!" one shouted. "Fight with the Luna!"
The word hit her like a spark. Luna. They were calling her Luna.
But there was no time to savor it. Another wolf lunged, then another. Selene unleashed her power again, the silver arcs slicing through the mist. Each time she struck, her heart thudded harder. She was no longer the weak girl hiding in Bloodmoon's shadow. Tonight, she was fire.
Yet power had its cost. Her chest ached, her vision swam, but she forced herself to keep going.
"Selene!"
Her head snapped toward the sound. Darius was in the thick of the fight, his massive wolf form tearing through enemies with savage grace. But three Bloodmoon wolves circled him, cutting him off from his men. One lunged for his flank.
"NO!"
The silver blaze exploded from her in a wave, striking all three. They yelped and scattered, giving Darius the opening to rip one apart in a spray of blood. He turned his head, silver eyes locking on her through the chaos. For a heartbeat, everything slowed—the battle, the screams, the blood. He was looking at her like she was the only thing in the world.
Then a scream ripped through the night. Selene's eyes darted toward the sound. One of the Shadowfang warriors—barely more than a boy—was on the ground, pinned by a Bloodmoon wolf twice his size. His sword lay shattered beside him.
Before she could think, she was running. The wolf's jaws opened wide above the boy's throat. Selene threw herself forward, power blazing from her palms. The wolf shrieked as the silver fire consumed it, collapsing into ash before it could strike.
The boy scrambled up, shaking, his eyes wide with awe. "You… you saved me."
Selene offered her hand to steady him. "Stand. Fight. Shadowfang needs you."
He gripped her hand like it was a lifeline and nodded fiercely before rushing back into the fray.
For the first time, pride surged through her instead of fear. She wasn't just surviving. She was protecting.
But the battle was far from over.
From the trees, more Bloodmoon wolves poured out, their numbers greater than expected. The line faltered. Shadowfang warriors were pushed back toward the ridge.
Darius shifted back into his human form, blood streaking his chest, his sword gleaming red in the moonlight. His voice cut through the chaos like thunder. "Hold the line! Shadowfang does not fall!"
His warriors rallied at the sound, pushing forward again. But Selene saw it—the tide was turning, too many enemies pressing in.
Her breath caught. If they broke here, Bloodmoon would flood into Shadowfang lands. Everything would be lost.
She closed her eyes, reaching deep inside, past the fear, past the fire. She thought of the boy she saved, of the warriors who had called her Luna, of Darius standing unyielding against the storm. She thought of the chains Kael had tried to bind her with, and how she had chosen freedom.
The silver blaze answered her call, fiercer than ever. When she opened her eyes, her entire body glowed, light pouring from her skin like liquid moonfire.
The battlefield stilled. Even the Bloodmoon wolves hesitated.
Selene raised her hands and the silver fire erupted in a sweeping arc, slamming into the enemy line. Wolves screamed as they were thrown back, seared by light they could not withstand.
Shadowfang roared in triumph, surging forward to drive the enemy back into the trees.
And then—silence.
The mist swirled around the ridge, broken by bodies and blood. The few surviving Bloodmoon wolves fled, their howls fading into the distance.
The battle was over.
Selene's knees buckled. She would have fallen if not for Darius catching her. His arms wrapped around her, strong and unyielding, holding her against his blood-streaked chest.
"You burned too much," he murmured, his voice rough. "You should have stayed behind me."
Her laugh was weak, trembling. "You'd have died if I had."
His jaw clenched. "Better me than you."
She shook her head, forcing her eyes open to meet his. "No. Not better you. Not ever."
For a moment, the battlefield disappeared. It was just him, his silver eyes, his warmth holding her together.
"Darius," she whispered, her voice breaking. "I don't want to lose you."
He pressed his forehead to hers, his breath warm against her lips. "Then don't. Stay with me, Selene. No matter what comes. Stay."
Her heart thudded so hard it hurt. She wanted to tell him yes, that she would stay, that she would never let Kael or fate or war tear them apart. But her throat closed with emotion. The words caught on her tongue.
So instead, she clung to him, her hands gripping his shoulders as though letting go would break her in half. He held her just as tightly, his body trembling with the force of what he felt but could not yet say.
Around them, Shadowfang warriors lifted their voices in a victorious howl, their cries echoing through the night. And for the first time, Selene felt not their suspicion but their loyalty.
They had seen her fight. They had seen her save them.
And now they were calling her Luna.
But as the howls faded, Selene knew one truth with chilling clarity.
Tonight had been only the beginning.
Kael would not stop.
And next time, he would come himself.