The cottage walls shook as something heavy slammed against the door. Martha grabbed Celeste's arm, pulling her toward the back of the house.
"They've found us," the old woman hissed, her fingers digging into Celeste's skin. "The Shadow Council never stops hunting."
The door split inward. Three hooded figures burst through, their eyes burning red in the darkness.
"Run!" Elena yelled, shifting into her wolf form. She lunged at the attackers, teeth bared.
Martha shoved Celeste toward a secret trapdoor beneath the kitchen rug. "Down! Now!"
Blood pounded in Celeste's ears as she scrambled down the tight staircase. Martha followed, pulling the hatch shut above them. The sounds of fighting echoed through the floors.
"We don't have much time," Martha said, lighting a single candle in the underground room. The walls were covered with strange symbols—crescent moons, stars, and old writing. "You need to know everything before they take me."
"Take you?" Celeste's voice shook. "What do you mean?"
Martha grabbed a small wooden box from a secret shelf. "Your mother was more than just a monster. She was Moon Blessed—the last female of an ancient family that once ruled before the Shadow Council seized power."
She opened the box, showing a silver amulet shaped like a crescent moon. "This belonged to your mother. It helps control the power that flows in your veins—power that's killing you each time you use it without training."
Celeste's hand trembled as she took the charm. The moment it touched her skin, warmth spread through her body.
"Lucien killed my mother," she whispered. "But you say he's my uncle?"
Martha's eyes filled with pain. "Yes. Your mother married his brother, Alexander—your real father. When the Shadow Council ordered their deaths, Lucien was sent to carry out the killing."
"Then why would he help me now?"
"Because of the blood bond. When he found your mother, she was already dying from another assassin's attack. With her last breath, she made him swear to protect you—a binding promise that even he cannot break."
The ceiling above them creaked. Dust rained down as footsteps moved across the floor.
"Your sister discovered the truth in old records," Martha continued quickly. "She planned to use it to gain power for herself, but when she learned what the Shadow Council intended—"
A crash from above cut her off. Someone was coming down.
"Put on the amulet," Martha urged. "It will help you control what's awakening inside you."
---
Miles away, Orion crashed through the bush, pursued by Shadow Council hunters. His mind raced with the revelations he'd found in his father's private study.
*I killed her. I had to. She knew too much about the Nightshade girl.*
His father's words, written in a hidden journal, burned in Orion's mind. Magnus Blackwood had ordered Seraphina's death, then blamed Celeste for the murder. And Orion had believed it. Had abused the woman who was truly his mate.
A howl tore from his throat—pain, rage, and guilt all mixed together. The mate bond pulled at him, begging him to return to Celeste. But she had made her feelings clear. She hated him now. He deserved it.
The snap of a twig made him spin around. A familiar person stepped from the shadows.
"Hello, son," Magnus Blackwood said coolly. "Coming home?"
Orion's wolf charged forward, hackles raised. "You killed her. You killed Seraphina."
"I did what was necessary. The Moon Blessed cannot return. They would destroy everything we've built."
"You made me torture an innocent woman!" Orion snarled. "My true mate!"
Magnus laughed. "She is no one's mate. She is an abomination that should have been killed at birth." He stepped closer. "Come home, Orion. Help me finish what I started."
"Never."
"Then you'll die with her." Magnus snapped his fingers. Six more hunters emerged from the trees, surrounding Orion. "Bring me his head."
---
Lyra crouched in the shadows outside the Blackwood house, watching the hooded figure slip through a side entrance. For days, she had tracked the mystery person from Seraphina's murder scene, and now she finally had them.
Silently, she followed, keeping to the darkness. The figure moved with purpose through the empty corridors, finally entering a room filled with ancient books.
Lyra's heart pounded as she peered through the crack in the door. The figure lowered their hood, showing a face she knew well.
"No," she whispered. "It can't be."
---
Back in Martha's house, the trapdoor flew open. Celeste clutched the amulet around her neck as a Shadow Council killer descended the stairs.
"The girl comes with us," he growled. "The Council has waited long enough."
Martha stepped in front of Celeste. "You'll have to kill me first."
"That can be arranged."
The attacker lunged forward, claws extended. Something snapped inside Celeste. The rage, fear, and pain of the past weeks broke through the wall she had built. The charm around her neck began to glow with blinding silver light.
"NO!" she screamed.
Power exploded from her body in waves of blue-white energy. The assassin froze mid-attack, his body lifted off the ground as if gravity no longer applied. His eyes widened in terror.
"What are you?" he gasped.
Celeste felt the power flowing through her blood, different from before—controlled, focused. The amulet burned against her skin, channeling the energy rather than letting it destroy her.
"I am what you feared I would become," she responded, her voice echoing strangely. Her eyes glowed silver in the darkness.
The assassin's body started to twist unnaturally. Blood dripped from his nose and ears.
"Celeste, stop!" Martha cried. "This power—it's not meant to destroy!"
But Celeste couldn't stop. The power had taken control, feeding on her anger. The assassin's yells cut off as his body contorted one final time before dropping lifelessly to the floor.
Silence fell. Celeste stared at her hands in fear.
"What did I just do?"
Martha approached slowly. "The Moon Blessed were doctors once, not killers. But the Shadow Council twisted the truth, fearing what they couldn't control."
Footsteps heard from above. More were coming.
"We need to find the Chamber of Moons," Martha said quickly. "It's the only place you can learn to master this power before it consumes you completely."
The cottage door burst open again. But this time, it wasn't Shadow Council hunters who entered.
Celeste's blood ran cold as a familiar figure stood in the doorway, blood dripping from fresh cuts across his chest.
"Lucien," she whispered.
His amber eyes locked on hers, filled with a feeling she couldn't name. In his arms, he carried the bloody, broken body of Orion Blackwood.
"He tried to save you," Lucien said softly. "Your mate died protecting your secret."