"I—I didn’t—" His voice cracked, and I could see the fear in his eyes. "I didn’t know anyone was here!"
I released him, pushing him away roughly. "Get lost. And don’t tell anyone you saw , or next ti, you won’t walk away."
He scrambled back, half crawling, before finding his feet and running off into the trees.
I sighed, the adrenaline still buzzing under my skin. Another close call, but at least he hadn’t recognized . No one in the Crescent Moon pack would, not anymore.
I stood, brushing the dirt off my clothes, my thoughts already turning back to the reason I was here. It had been three years since I’d left this place, bleeding and broken. Seen by an old lady who unfortunately died last week.
Three years since the massacre. Since Kade had laughed while I lay in the dirt, his future wrapped up in power, betrayal, and the Twilight Pack’s influence.
But now, I was back.
I moved quietly, slipping through the thick shadows of the trees, watching as the Crescent Moon packlands ca into view.
The towering walls, the grand hall where my family had once held court, the places I had once called ho. And there, in the center of it all, Kade.
He looked different now. Older, harder. Still every bit the man I knew, but with more weight to his presence as he was Alpha.
His body was larger, his shoulders broader, and his face sharper. He had the look of a man who had everything he wanted, and more. Tomorrow, he would take his final step toward complete power—marrying the daughter of the Twilight Pack Alpha. It would solidify his position as one of the most powerful Alphas in the region.
But I couldn’t let that happen.
This ceremony would be his last.
I crept closer, my heartbeat steady, the sound of the pack gathering filling the night air. They were preparing for the pre-ceremony gathering, an event that had been held in honor of my father, once upon a ti. Now, it was a celebration of Kade’s ascension.
I tasted bile in the back of my throat as I watched him laugh, surrounded by his pack, his new family.
My fingers brushed the hilt of the dagger strapped to my thigh.
I’d practiced this mont a thousand tis in my mind.
Visualized it.
Felt the satisfaction of sinking the blade into his chest, watching the life drain from his eyes.
But now that I was here, the weight of the past settled on my shoulders like a cloak, making it hard to breathe.
Focus.
I slipped through the outer edges of the crowd, unnoticed, the dagger heavy against my skin.
My chance would co when they toasted his future—when all eyes were on him, and no one would see until it was too late.
He wouldn’t even have ti to scream.
I was almost there.
I could see him, just a few feet away, standing in the center of the gathering, his face illuminated by the firelight.
He was smiling, his arm around the woman he was about to marry.
She looked at him with adoration, and my stomach churned.
I clenched my jaw, the mories of that night flashing behind my eyes.
The way he’d looked at as I begged him for an explanation.
The way he’d laughed when the guard beat within an inch of my life.
The way he’d walked away, leaving for dead.
He deserves this.
I took a step forward, fingers tightening around the hilt of the dagger.
He deserves to die.
Just as I closed in, ready to make my move, Kade’s head snapped up. His eyes locked on mine.
And he smiled.
"Elara."
My breath caught in my throat. No... how does he—
I froze, every muscle in my body tensing as I saw him straighten up, his smile widening as if he’d been expecting .
Before I could react, the crowd parted, and warriors stepped forward, surrounding , their eyes cold and ready for blood.
"Did you really think I wouldn’t notice?" Kade’s voice cut through the noise of the crowd, sharp and mocking. "You think I haven’t been waiting for you? I knew you’d co back eventually. Like a stray dog, always crawling back."
I stood still, every instinct screaming at to run, but it was too late.
I was surrounded, my path blocked on all sides. I could feel their eyes on , could hear the low growls in their throats.
"Surprised?" Kade’s voice was closer now. He stepped through the circle of warriors, his eyes gleaming with amusent. "I’m not. You’re predictable, Elara. Always were. I have people watching your every movent. I had them killed that old lady of yours to make you move. See you will always remain a pawn. Grow up Elara. Be glad I haven’t had you killed."
"You are a disgusting psychopath."
My grip on the dagger tightened, but there was no way out. They’d cut down before I could get within striking distance.
Kade chuckled, shaking his head. "I know. Still clinging to that old dream of revenge, are you? After all these years? Pathetic."
I glared at him, my blood boiling under my skin. "You won’t get away with this."
"Oh, but I already have," he said smoothly, stepping closer. His breath ghosted across my face as he leaned in. "Do you honestly think you could take down? You couldn’t even save your family."
Rage flared in my chest, but before I could lunge at him, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed around us.
The crowd fell silent, their eyes lifting to the sky as dark clouds rolled in, blocking out the moon. The air grew thick with power—sothing ancient, sothing other.
And then she appeared.
As white as a ghost.
As beautiful as peonies in a garden.
I didn’t need anyone to tell who it was.
The Luna goddess.
She descended from the sky, her form wreathed in silvery mist, her eyes glowing with a light that was both blinding and beautiful.
The warriors around dropped to their knees, their heads bowed in reverence.
I stood frozen, my heart pounding as the goddess’s glowing gaze fixed on .
"Elara Ashford," she spoke, her voice echoing in my mind, a sound both comforting and terrifying. "You are not yet finished."
Kade stepped back, eyes wide, his mouth open in shock.
He hadn’t expected this.
None of them had.
The goddess’s gaze never left mine. "Go to him," she said, her voice low but powerful, as if she were speaking to the deepest part of . "The one who will give you the strength to finish what you’ve started."
I opened my mouth to speak, but the words wouldn’t co. Before I could react, a surge of energy coursed through —my body felt lighter, stronger. I could feel my wolf, long dormant, stir within , as if awakening for the first ti.
My bones cracked. I scread as fur ca out from beneath my skin.
I fell to my knees. The change was painful.
And in the blink of an eye, I was gone, racing through the trees, the wind whipping past as I fled.
3- The Huntress Awakens
I ran.
I had no idea how long, or how far, but the trees blurred into shadows around as my feet pounded the earth.
The Luna goddess’s voice still echoed in my mind, her command pushing forward.
Go to him. The one who will give you the strength to finish what you’ve started.
But who? Who was he?
My breath ca in ragged gasps, my heart racing, my wolf stirring inside , wild and restless.
The strength that the goddess had given flowed through my limbs, moving faster than I had ever moved before.
But I had no direction, no sense of where I was supposed to go.
All I knew was that I had to get away from Kade, away from the Crescent Moon packlands, and keep running until... until what? Until I found him? The one she spoke of?
I stumbled through the forest, branches scratching at my skin, the scent of earth and pine thick in the air. mories flashed in my mind—of the years I’d spent in exile, training, fighting, surviving. My fists aching from countless battles, my body hardening, sharpening, until I beca sothing unrecognizable from the weakling I had once been.
And yet... even after all that, I wasn’t strong enough.
Not strong enough to kill Kade.
Not strong enough to save my family.
And now, here I was, running blindly again, chasing after so unknown answer.
I reached the edge of the woods and stopped, panting, my chest heaving as I gazed out over the vast expanse before . I could sll the borderlands in the distance, the unmistakable scent of Lycans lingering on the wind. My heart clenched at the thought of crossing into their territory.
Everyone knew the stories. The Lycans were stronger than werewolves, more ruthless, more dangerous. They had their own king, Lucian Xavier Blackwood, a na that sent chills down the spine of even the most powerful Alphas.
Lycans didn’t play by the sa rules we did. They lived for war, for blood, for dominance. To step into their lands was to court death.
Do I really want to do this?
I hesitated, I tried to stop the wolf from running but she didn’t.
The goddess order was for to enter there and die?
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