The air in Ironhowl Keep's inner sanctum crackled with the aftermath of Eira's touch on the altar, the silver light fading but leaving a hum that vibrated through the stone walls. Eira knelt, her breath ragged, her hands still glowing faintly with the power she'd unleashed. The pendant at her neck hung heavy, its glow dim but pulsing like a dying star. Kael stood bloodied before her, his amber eyes wild with a mix of awe and fear, his blade raised against the silver-cloaked figure at the broken gate. Sylas, her cousin, hovered at the edge of the hall, his violet eyes narrowed, no longer smiling. The violet-eyed wolves had retreated, their shadowy forms dissolving into the darkness, but the new figure's presence filled the space with a weight that made Eira's skin crawl. "The heir has awakened," they repeated, their voice a low, resonant echo, ancient and commanding. "And the true war begins."
Eira's heart pounded, her mind reeling from the visions that had flooded her when she touched the altar: a queen on a moonlit throne, wolves bowing, and a world remade in silver fire. Her power, the curse of the First Moon Queen, was no longer a secret it was alive, wild, and tearing through her like a storm. She staggered to her feet, her glowing hands trembling, and met the stranger's gaze. Their silver cloak shimmered, their eyes glowing with the same power she felt coursing through her veins. Another heir? A guardian? Or something worse?
"Who are you?" Eira demanded, her voice hoarse but defiant. She clutched the stolen dagger, its weight grounding her against the chaos in her chest,the bond with Kael, the pull of the altar, the betrayal of her cousin.
The figure stepped forward, their cloak parting to reveal a woman, her silver hair braided tightly, her face sharp and ageless, like a statue carved from moonlight. "I am Selene," she said, her voice cutting through the hall's tension. "Last of the Moon Queen's guard. And you, Eira Blackwood, are the key to our salvation or our ruin."
Kael moved, placing himself between Eira and Selene, his blade steady despite the blood dripping from his wounds. "Speak plainly," he growled. "What do you want with her?" His voice was a low rumble, protective, possessive, and it sent a jolt through Eira's chest, the bond humming stronger than ever. She hated it,hated how his presence steadied her, how his words made her want to believe he'd fight for her.
Selene's eyes flicked to Kael, a faint smile curving her lips. "Your bond complicates things, Alpha. But it's no accident. The Moon Queen's blood chooses its own path." Her gaze returned to Eira, piercing. "You've awakened the altar, heir. The power in your veins can unmake the mate system or bind it forever. The choice is yours, but the cost will be high."
Eira's stomach twisted. Unmake or bind. The words echoed Sylas's promise, but Selene's tone held no manipulation, only a grim certainty. She glanced at Sylas, who stood silent, his violet eyes cold, calculating. He'd called her cousin, offered her freedom, but his hunger for her power was clear. Now this woman, claiming to be a guardian of her bloodline, spoke of choices and costs. And Kael damn him stood there, bleeding for her, his amber eyes burning with a loyalty she didn't want to trust.
Lyra's voice broke the silence, sharp and urgent. "Kael, the Council's riders are regrouping outside!" She stood at the shattered gate, her blade bloodied, her amber eyes darting between Selene and the shadows beyond. "And the Shadowclaws aren't done. Those wolves they're coming back."
The ground trembled, a low rumble that sent dust cascading from the ceiling. The chanting had stopped, but the air was thick with a new energy, dark and oppressive. Eira's pendant pulsed, and a vision flashed: the Moonveil Forest, a circle of wolves, and Selene's silver-cloaked form raising a blade against a tide of shadow. Choose now, the First Moon Queen's voice whispered, or the darkness takes us all.
Eira's grip tightened on the dagger. "I'm not your pawn," she said, her voice steady despite the chaos. "Not yours, not Sylas's, not the Council's." She stepped toward Selene, ignoring Kael's warning growl. "What's the cost?"
Selene's smile faded, her eyes darkening. "Your power is tied to the Moon Queen's altar. To wield it fully, you must bind yourself to it body and soul. It will amplify your gift, let you unmake or remake bonds across the packs. But it will mark you, Eira. The Council will hunt you to the ends of the earth, and the Shadowclaws will never stop trying to claim you."
"And if I don't?" Eira asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Then the darkness rises," Selene said, her voice heavy. "The Shadowclaws' summoning has awakened the Old Ones,creatures of the First Moon Queen's time, bound to her blood. They'll tear this world apart unless you claim your place."
Sylas laughed, a sharp, bitter sound. "Don't listen to her, cousin. She wants to chain you to a dead queen's legacy. Join me, and we'll break the Alphas, free the rogues,free ourselves." He stepped closer, his silver hair catching the moonlight, his violet eyes gleaming with a promise that made Eira's skin crawl.
Kael's blade flashed, stopping Sylas in his tracks. "You're not taking her," he snarled, his voice a primal growl that sent a shiver down Eira's spine. The bond roared in her chest, undeniable, and for a moment, she saw it in his eyes not just duty, but something deeper, something that terrified her as much as the altar's call.
The ground shook again, harder this time, and a howl split the air,not a wolf's, but something older, wilder. The violet-eyed wolves surged through the gate, their forms solidifying, their claws gleaming like obsidian. Lyra shouted, slashing at one, but it knocked her back, her blade skittering across the stone floor. Kael lunged, his sword biting into another wolf, but there were too many, their shadows multiplying under the blood moon's glow.
Eira's power flared, unbidden, a silver wave bursting from her hands. The wolves recoiled, but the effort left her gasping, her vision blurring. Selene moved, faster than any human, her silver cloak a blur as she drew a blade etched with glowing runes. "The Old Ones are here!" she shouted, cutting down a wolf with a single strike. "Eira, you must decide now!"
The altar pulsed, its glyphs blazing, and Eira stumbled toward it, drawn by a force she couldn't resist. Kael grabbed her arm, his touch burning through the bond. "Eira, don't," he said, his voice raw. "We'll fight them together. You don't have to do this alone."
But she was alone,always had been. The Wastes had taught her that. Yet his words, his presence, chipped at the walls she'd built. She yanked free, her violet eyes meeting his. "I'm not your mate," she said, but the words tasted like a lie.
Sylas lunged, his own blade flashing, aimed for Kael's back. Eira acted on instinct, her power surging as she threw out her hand. A silver bolt struck Sylas, sending him sprawling, but the effort dropped her to her knees, the pendant's glow flickering. The wolves howled, closing in, and Selene fought like a storm, her blade a whirl of light, but they were outnumbered.
The altar flared, its light blinding, and the First Moon Queen's voice roared: Bind yourself, or all is lost! Eira's hand hovered over the stone, her heart pounding. The wolves surged, Kael's roar echoed, and Selene's blade flashed, but the shadows were winning.
She pressed her palm to the altar.
Light erupted, a silver inferno that shook the keep, swallowing the wolves, Sylas, and Selene in its glare. Eira's scream tore through the hall as her power fused with the altar's, her body burning, her mind flooding with visions: a queen, a war, and Kael's face, always Kael, bound to her under a blood-red moon.
When the light faded, she stood alone, her hands glowing, the pendant blazing. The wolves were gone, Sylas was gone, but Kael knelt before her, bloodied but alive, his eyes wide with awe. Selene's voice echoed from the shadows: "The binding is complete. The Old Ones are sealed for now."
But outside, the blood moon pulsed, and a new shadow stirred, its eyes glowing not violet, but crimson.