THE NIGHT ASTRAEA TURNED SEVENTEEN
The Night Realm never celebrated birthdays. But the shadows always remembered.
On Astraea's seventeenth night, the air shifted. Shadows clung to her ankles like worried children as she walked through the abandoned ruins she called home. The moon—barely a sliver—hung low above The Rift. Even from across the realm, its pale light irritated her skin.
Tonight, the shadows were restless. Whispering. Warning.
Astraea paused at the cracked stone altar where she often sat, legs folded, watching the distant glow of the Wolf Realm. She had never crossed the border. Never dared. Not when every Wraith elder had carved the same words into her memory:
"Moonlight will undo you."
A faint crunch echoed behind her. She spun. Shadows rose defensively.
A figure emerged from the mist. Cloaked, slow-moving.
Nerise.
Her only friend.
"You shouldn't be out here," Nerise hissed, purple eyes glowing with fear. "They're searching for you tonight."
Astraea's stomach tightened. "Why?"
"Because the prophecy turns this year. And because…" Nerise swallowed. "…the High Priest had a vision. He saw you near The Rift. He thinks you'll run."
Astraea didn't answer.
She had been thinking of it. Every night the shadows whispered the same pull: Go. Cross. Something is waiting for you.
Nerise grabbed her hand. "Astraea, listen to me. If they catch you near the border, they won't drag you back. They'll kill you. The elders have decided—your power is too dangerous now."
Astraea's pulse hammered. "Why are you telling me this?"
"Because I'd rather help you escape than watch them sacrifice you."
The shadows around Astraea trembled, sensing her fear.
"You need to leave," Nerise whispered urgently. "Tonight."
Astraea looked once more toward the pale sliver of moonlight beyond The Rift. It felt like it was looking back.
Her decision was silent. But destiny heard it.
THE WOLF WHO CAUGHT A SHADOW
The forests of Lunaris were quieter than usual.Kael Thorne felt it the moment he shifted back into human form—steam rising from his skin, breath sharp in the cold night. His wolf senses lingered, pricking with unease.
The air smelled wrong. Like ink spilled across moonlight. Like something from the other side of the world.
"Prince Kael!" a guard called, jogging up beside him. "Scouts saw movement near The Rift. Something crossed."
Kael wiped blood from his jaw. Training had gone poorly—moonrage flaring earlier than expected. "Wolves?"
The guard shook his head. "No. Shadows."
Kael stilled. Shadows didn't cross the border. Shadows couldn't.
He tightened his grip on the sword strapped to his back. "Where?"
"Near the old ruins by the moonwell," the guard replied, voice tight with fear.
Kael didn't hesitate. He ran.
Across the Rift
Astraea Vale stumbled through dense underbrush, heart hammering in her chest. Moonlight filtered through the trees—soft, silver, almost gentle. It didn't burn her skin, like the elders warned, but it felt… alive. Watching.
She kept the shadows coiled around her fingertips, swirling low. Too much power, and the Wolves would see her. Too little, and she'd be defenseless.
A twig snapped.
Astraea froze. Shadows leapt up her arms, black tendrils ready to strike.
A tall figure emerged from the mist. White hair glimmered in the pale moonlight. Sapphire-blue eyes locked onto hers, sharp and calculating. Broad shoulders, every movement taut with control.
Kael Thorne.
He drew his sword with a single smooth motion, the metal glinting like liquid moonlight.
"Wraith," he said, voice cold enough to freeze the air.
Astraea's breath caught. Her first Wolf. Her first real threat.
"You crossed the border. That's an act of war," he said, stepping closer.
"I… I didn't mean to—"
"You're coming with me," Kael said, his tone leaving no room for argument.
He lunged.
Instinct took over. Shadows burst from her hands in a black wave, slamming into him. Kael staggered—but recovered unnaturally fast, wolf reflexes blurring his movements into something almost otherworldly.
Their eyes locked. Shadow against moonlight. For a heartbeat, the forest seemed to hold its breath.
Then the shadows surged again, wrapping Astraea like wings. She ran, barely clearing the underbrush.
Kael cursed and sprinted, closing the distance in seconds. His boots barely touched the ground, movement fluid and unstoppable.
He tackled her to the ground, pinning her beneath him. The shadows around her disintegrated into black dust at his touch.
Her pulse thundered.
Kael's face hovered inches from hers, eyes glowing silver under the moonlight.
"Who… are you?" he demanded, breath hot and heavy.
Astraea's heart slammed against her ribs. The moon didn't undo her—it awakened her.
And the Wolf prince holding her down… he was the reason why.
Then-
A whisper of shadow rose from the forest floor, coiling around Astraea like a serpent.
Kael stiffened. Something ancient and alive had responded to her presence.
"Stay still," he growled, gripping his sword tighter. "I swear, Wraith… if you try anything—"
The shadows lifted, hovering around her like sentient smoke, watching, waiting.
Astraea's green eyes met his blue ones, and for the first time, neither of them could look away.
The Rift had shifted that night, and nothing in Lunaris would ever be the same.