CHAPTER 1
Page 1 –
The Road Beneath the Moon🌑
The carriage rolled smoothly along the stone road, lanterns swaying gently as moonlight filtered through the trees.
Alpha Kane leaned back, his presence commanding even in silence. Beside him, Luna Martha rested her gloved hand over his, her expression calm but watchful.
"The Blue Moon Park will be remembered for generations," she said softly. "You did well today."
Alpha Kane chuckled. "We did well."
Across from them sat Elder Kappa, his posture rigid, eyes constantly scanning the road ahead.
"My Alpha," Elder Kappa said suddenly, reins tightening in his grip. "There is a shortcut ahead. It will cut our journey in half."
Alpha Kane frowned. "That road is not on the maps."
"It is safe," Elder Kappa replied quickly. "I've passed it before."
Luna martha hesitated. "Something about this night feels… off."
For a moment, Alpha Kane, considered turning back. Then he exhaled slowly. "Very well. But stay alert."
The carriage turned.
They did not know the road marked the thin boundary between civilized land and rogue territory.
And the forest went quiet.
Page 2 –
Steel in the Dark
The horses screamed.
Shadows exploded from the trees, bodies moving too fast to count. Steel flashed in the moonlight.
"ROGUES!" Elder Kappa shouted.
Alpha Kane was on his feet in an instant, drawing his blade. "Protect the Luna!"
Luna martha barely had time to stand before the first strike came. The carriage rocked violently as blades struck wood and flesh alike.
Alpha Kane fought like the legend he was, but the rogues came in waves—silent, merciless.
A blade pierced Luna martha's side.
"Kane—" she gasped.
"No!" Alpha Kane roared, catching her as she fell. Another strike followed. Then another.
Blood soaked the road.
Elder Kappa was struck down hard, pain tearing through his side. He watched helplessly as Alpha Kane collapsed beside his Luna.
The rogues vanished as suddenly as they appeared.
The forest swallowed them whole.
Page 3 –
A Loyal Escape
Elder Kappa dragged himself forward, teeth clenched against the pain.
"My Alpha… my Luna…" his voice broke.
With shaking hands and sheer will, he pulled their bodies from the road. Step by step, bleeding and half-conscious, he crossed the border out of rogue land.
By the time guards found him, he collapsed.
"Get the physician!" someone shouted.
Elder Kappa was carried away, clinging to consciousness just long enough to whisper, "Take… them home."
At dawn, two covered bodies arrived at the Parkhouse.
The flags were lowered.
The wolves began to howl.
Page 4 –
Breakfast Before the Storm
Inside the Parkhouse dining hall, sunlight streamed through tall windows.
Edgar sat at the head of the table, composed as always. Lucas laughed as he buttered his bread, while Leo, the youngest, leaned back in his chair, relaxed.
"I still can't believe Father is stepping down," Lucas said cheerfully. "No more councils. No more wars. Just peace."
Leo grinned. "And Edgar as Alpha? The pack couldn't ask for better."
Edgar shook his head slightly. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves."
The doors creaked open.
Silence fell.
Elder Kappa stood there—bloodied, pale, barely standing.
Lucas's smile vanished. "Elder… where are our parents?"
Leo rose slowly from his chair. "Why are you looking at us like that?"
Elder Kappa dropped to one knee.
"My young masters…" his voice trembled. "The Alpha… and the Luna… are dead."
Leo's scream shattered the room.
Edgar caught him before he hit the floor.
Lucas stood frozen, hope draining from his eyes as reality finally crashed in.
Outside, the elders began to gather.
And the age of sons had begun.
Page 5 –
Runaway Brother
Lucas stood so abruptly his chair scraped loudly against the floor.
"No," he said hoarsely. "No, this isn't real."
He grabbed the front of his white vintage shirt and tore it open, breath coming in sharp, uneven gasps. Edgar turned just in time to see his brother bolt for the doors.
"Lucas!" Leo cried.
But Lucas was already gone.
The cold air slapped against his skin as he ran across the Parkhouse grounds, grief driving his legs faster than thought. The forest loomed ahead, dark and familiar. The moment he crossed the treeline, pain ripped through him.
Bones cracked. Skin burnt.
A wolf burst free—large, powerful, trembling with fury.
Lucas ran until his lungs burnt with rage. Trees blurred past him, memories crashing in like waves. His mother's laughter as she brushed his hair beneath the moon. Alpha Kane's deep voice guiding his hands around a spear.
Again, his father would say. Strength comes from patience.
Lucas skidded to a stop in a clearing and shifted back, collapsing to his knees. His hands dug into the earth as a broken howl tore from his chest—raw, aching, endless.
"I wasn't there," he sobbed. "I wasn't there…"
The forest answered with silence.
Part 6
The Weight of the Elders
The Parkhouse felt different.
The halls that once echoed with laughter now held nothing but silence, thick and suffocating. Edgar sat beside Leo, who hadn't stopped shaking since dawn. The youngest kept staring at the doors, as if expecting them to open and reveal Luna Martha's warm smile.
They didn't.
Instead, the doors creaked open slowly.
Five figures entered, their presence heavy, ancient, undeniable.
The first was a tall man with silver eyes that reflected wisdom and law alike. His voice was calm, steady—meant to ground those who heard it.
"I am Rowan Vale," he said softly. "Keeper of Law and Rituals. And I grieve with you."
Behind him stepped a stern-looking man whose sharp gaze swept the room like a commander surveying a battlefield.
"Morcant Ashen," he introduced himself. "Master of Territories and Borders. The lands already feel your loss."
A woman followed, her eyes sharp, almost unsettling, as if she saw beyond flesh and bone.
"The spirits are restless," she murmured. "I am Selene Frostwind. The moon has much to say."
The last elder spoke little. Broad-shouldered and silent, his presence alone commanded respect.
"Thorne Blackwood," he said simply. "The council stands with Lunaris."
Then came Eldar Kappa.
Blood-stained bandages wrapped his side, his steps uneven, his head bowed in shame and grief. The moment Leo saw him, the boy broke.
"They're really gone," Leo cried, clutching Edgar's sleeve desperately. "Mother promised she'd come back. She promised."
Edgar pulled him close, pressing Leo's head against his chest, even as his own vision blurred.
"They'll always be with us," Edgar whispered, though the words felt fragile, almost hollow.
Rowan Vale watched them quietly before asking, "Where is the middle son?"
"In the forest," Edgar answered. "Lucas ran."
Selene exhaled slowly. "Grief has claws."
Eldar Kappa's voice was low, weighted with regret.
"Do not let him drown in it."
Edgar rose to his feet.
"I'll bring him home."
And with that, he turned toward the forest—toward a brother breaking beneath the weight of loss.
Part 7 –
A Brother's Breaking
The forest was alive with grief.
Edgar followed the sound of destruction—branches snapping, earth tearing—until he reached a clearing bathed in pale moonlight. Lucas stood at its center, bare-chested, breath ragged, fists clenched as if he could fight the night itself.
"Go back," Lucas said hoarsely, without turning. "I don't want witnesses."
"I'm not here to watch," Edgar replied. "I'm here because you're my brother."
Lucas laughed bitterly. "Brother?" He turned sharply. "Where were our parents when they needed us? Where were we?"
Edgar stepped closer. "We were doing what they asked—living."
"They died alone!" Lucas shouted. "And now everyone expects us to just accept it!"
Edgar's voice cracked for the first time. "You think I don't feel that every second?"
Lucas froze.
"They raised us to endure," Edgar continued. "Not to destroy ourselves."
Lucas's anger shattered. He collapsed forward, fists gripping Edgar's shirt as sobs tore from him.
"I wasn't ready," he whispered. "I still needed them."
Edgar held him tightly. "So did I."
Part 8 –
The Moon's Farewell
The night of the farewell arrived under a full moon.
Alpha King and Luna Martha lay side by side, their forms wrapped in ceremonial cloth, silver markings glowing faintly around them. The pack gathered in silence as Rowan Vale stepped forward, voice calm and reverent.
"Tonight, we return them to the moon that blessed them."
Selene Frostwind raised her hands, whispering words older than the park itself. The air shimmered, heavy with presence.
Edgar stepped forward, heart pounding.
"You were our guide," he said softly. "Our strength. Our home."
The howl began low—then rose, echoing through the forest as grief and love merged into one sound.
Leo collapsed afterward, crying openly, and Lucas caught him, holding him as the moon watched in silence.
Part 9 –
Blood and Silence
Dawn brought no relief.
In the days that followed, the brothers stood before the elders as the land was called to witness them. Under Morcant Ashen's watchful gaze, each brother cut his palm and pressed it into the soil.
The earth drank deeply.
That night, Selene commanded silence.
No words were spoken. No comfort given. The brothers listened—to the forest, to the wind, to memories that surfaced unbidden.
Edgar endured the final rite alone.
When he returned at sunrise, his eyes were darker, heavier, burdened with knowledge and responsibility.
Lucas studied him quietly. "You're different."
Edgar nodded. "I had to be."
Part 10 –
The Weight of Tomorrow
A month passed.
The elders gathered once more in the council chamber, their expressions grave.
"The mourning period has ended," Rowan Vale said gently.
"But Lunaris Park cannot exist without direction."
Morcant Ashen folded his hands.
"The territories are watching."
Thorne Blackwood spoke at last. "Enemies will test weakness."
Eldar Kappa met Edgar's gaze. "Leadership must be decided."
Edgar felt the weight settle fully on his shoulders. He looked at Lucas. At Leo.
Whatever came next would change everything.
And somewhere beyond the borders, shadows stirred.