The Luna's vendetta

Chapter 1

They called me Luna.

But I was never more than her shadow.

For five years, I loved a man who still whispered my sister’s name in his sleep.

I raised a child who saw me as a the reason for his mother's death.

I held a pack together while they mocked me behind my back.

Then came the fire, and no one stopped it.

They watched me burn. They wanted me gone.

But fate had other plans.

The day my true identity was revealed, they begged me to stay. Begged me to come back.

But I was done.

Let the pack remember what happens when you burn the wrong Luna.

--

The day of my twenty-fifth birthday should’ve been sacred, my first celebration since becoming Alpha Damien's Luna. I had spent five years as Luna by name, raising a boy that wasn’t mine and sleeping beside a man who still whispered my sister’s name in his sleep.

Five-year-old Nathan handed me a cup of ice cream through a girl I barely recognized. I didn’t think much of it. Just a gesture. He watched me from a distance, his expression unreadable. I took a bite, it was cold and comforting.

By the third spoonful, the pain hit sharp, curling in my gut like a blade. My body stiffened and my knees buckled. I clutched at a bench nearby, struggling for air.

Despite my cries, Nathan just stared—emotionless, like his father. No concern, no fear in his eyes. Just a smile of satisfaction.

I begged him to call the doctor but he didn’t move.

"All you want is to replace my mother," he spat. "Don’t think the pack will respect you just because you wear her title."

Then, his tone turned colder. "When I become Alpha, I’ll kick you out of this pack."

My stomach clenched—not just from the poison, but from the words. I tried to reach the doorknob. My body was too weak.

“It—it was you who poisoned the juices. You packed cockroaches in the gifts last year,” I exclaimed.

Nathan smirked. “You’re just figuring it out? No one wants you here.”

I listened, my heart tearing apart. I’d raised him, loved him and sacrificed for him.

Perhaps it was time to let go. It's clear that I'm not wanted here.

But after I left, they came crawling back—Damien, Nathan, even the pack members.

********

"Luna Alice, are you sure you want to step down as Luna?" Beta Zane asked gently as we sat in the pack’s garden. "Nathan is still young. He needs you."

I met his gaze, my voice calm, “You pleaded with me once. I only accepted this because I owed my sister my life. He’s grown up now. Nathan doesn’t need me.”

I had promised to step down when Nathan turned five. Throughout the five years, I played the perfect Luna—tending to the pack, caring for Nathan, serving Damien. But it would end on the next full moon.

When I walked into the pack house, I didn’t realize my clothes had caught fire. How it happened, I have no idea.

The servants walked past, laughing under their breath. No one warned me. I only noticed the burning when the heat touched my skin. I screamed for water yet none came. I beat at the flames myself, finally putting them out—but not before my leg burned.

Nathan approached me, his arms crossed and his eyes full of disdain.

“Told Beta Zane about me again? Guess that lesson wasn’t enough. I should’ve added more fuel so you’d know what my mother felt.”

I was stunned by his words and the memories of an hour ago came flooding back.

Earlier, I had visited the orphanage for my birthday.

I never celebrated them with cakes or fancy stuff. It wasn’t my kind of celebration. I chose to carry on my sister's legacy like she does and that always enraged Nathan.

I brought over fifty gifts, carefully packed. I forgot my jade necklace, so I ran back to retrieve it. When I returned, the carriage was already loaded.

At Lovely Pup Orphaned Home, the attendants were wary, as always. But Sister Miriam smiled. “The children are grateful, Luna Alice.”

I smiled back at her, feeling relieved that what happened last year didn't stop them from accepting the gifts and singing me a birthday song.

Just as I was about to leave, I heard loud screams and cries from inside.

The children were vomiting and clutching their stomachs as they were being rushed to the hospital.

“That witch,” I heard someone hiss. “Last year it was cockroaches. Now poison?”

At the hospital, the doctor confirmed the drinks had been drugged. Fortunately, the children were stable now.

Damien arrived with Nathan by his side.

“It’s good you're here,” I said, relief washing through me. “The children are safe.”

Damien didn’t smile. “What have you done, Alice?” he growled.

I looked around. Eyes were watching us from every corner of the hospital. We had agreed to maintain the image of a perfect Alpha and Luna in public and continue our indifference behind closed doors. Damien was supposed to play along, smile even if it was forced.

“What do you mean, Damien?” I tried to smile. “The kids getting drugged wasn’t my fault. I didn’t mean to harm anyone.”

Damien looked ready to snap again, but got interrupted by the doctor's call.

While I waited for him to return, a young girl approached me with a cup of ice cream.

“Luna, this is for you,” she said. “Someone asked me to give it to you.”

I smiled at her and took it without question.

The sweetness numbed me and the cold calmed me. But pain followed, my tummy twisting.

That’s when I saw him.

Nathan. Watching from a distance and Just smiling.

I should’ve known better, he was behind the poison in the juices.

Chapter 2

I stumbled toward the bathroom and vomited. For nearly an hour, I was on the floor, curled in agony, rolling from side to side.

“Do you really think you can replace her?” Nathan’s voice came through the door, too calm for what he’d just done. “Sending gifts like she used to. Smiling like she did. They’ll never love you. It should have been you who burnt in the fire that day. I swear when I become Alpha, the first thing I’ll do is kick you out of this pack.”

Every word sank into me like venom, twisting my stomach tighter than any poison.

“I’m going to make sure they all hate you. Because you’ll never be my mother. Never.”

I clawed at the tiles, breathless, whispering his name, begging him to call for help.

“It’s better if you rot in there. At least I won’t have to pretend to love you anymore. You’re pathetic,” he spat, and then I heard his footsteps retreat.

A cleaner had found me and the doctor was called and quickly prescribed something before I lost myself.

*********

The fire in my skin wasn’t just from the burns—it was everything I’d held in for five years.

I walked to the store inside the pack compound to treat my wound, and Nathan followed me in. He was angry that I didn’t react.

I didn’t yell, I didn’t cry—I just walked in. And Nathan was not satisfied.

“If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have a broken family. You’re petty and ugly, that’s why my father will never accept someone like you. You should just leave. Your presence makes me sick.”

I looked at the child I gave all my love, time, and energy to—and felt my heart sink. “You don’t have to worry,” I said calmly. “I’ll be leaving tomorrow.”

I walked to the shelf to take the first aid kit and began to tend to my burnt skin when I heard the shattering of glass.

I ran to my room to find Nathan striking my jade necklace repeatedly with a stone.

I felt a strange feeling and it only lasted for a second.

“Nathan, stop!” I screamed, my voice cracking.

But he didn’t stop. He raised the stone again and smashed it down with all his strength.

I hadn’t cried when the pack laughed at me. I never cried when Nathan publicly humiliated me with the fire. I never cried when Damien treated me like a stand-in for my sister, using me to uplift the pack. But now, staring at the broken necklace my mother left me—I broke.

That necklace was the last thing I had from someone who truly loved me and cared about me.

Nathan stood watching me, then he smirked. “Hurts, doesn’t it? To watch what you love destroyed? You should’ve refused my mother when she chose to save you and burnt instead.”

That’s when I lost it. I looked at him—my voice hollow. “Pick the pieces up and put them back together. Now.”

Nathan stood up defiantly and kicked the shattered bits across the floor.

“How dare you?” I grabbed him by the arm and dragged him forward. “Pick the pieces up. Now.”

Shock flashed in his face—probably because he had never seen me in such a state. I had tolerated so much. But this—I couldn’t take it.

Damien rushed in and shoved me hard, sending me back to the ground. “Why are you yelling at him?” Damien glared at me. “All this over a pendant? He’s just a kid, Alice.”

I sat on the floor, stunned, staring at the man I gave my heart to despite knowing he didn’t deserve it. To him, it was just a piece of jewelry. But to me, it was a treasure—something nothing could ever replace.

Fifteen years ago, we were attacked by rogues. My mother fought against them, knowing she couldn’t win—just so I could escape. I lost her that day.

I ran to meet my sister, and that was how I ended up here.

Damien must’ve realized he’d gone too far. He asked Nathan to leave the room and came over, lifted me from the floor, and laid me on the bed.

His voice softened, as if flipping a switch. “You shouldn’t let little things like this get to you. Nathan’s just a kid. You are more mature than this.” He said, gently brushing away my tears. “You made him terrified. You should apologize to Nathan.”

He trailed his finger along my face. “Since it’s your birthday, I forgive you for the incident at the orphanage. But you need to get dressed. We’re attending a function. I can’t go without my mate and you know I can't loose this prize.”

I inhaled sharply and pushed his hand away.

I looked up at him. The ache in my chest had settled into something still and final.

“Damien, I’m leaving the pack."

Chapter 3

Damien’s jaw tightened as he glared at me, his patience fraying. “Why are you really leaving, Alice?” His voice was steady, but the anger was clear. “Is it because of Nathan? He’s just a child.”

I felt my hands tighten at my sides, my fingers trembling slightly as I held myself back from shouting. The words weren’t enough. They never were.

Damien’s expression shifted, anger flaring as he took a step forward. “So you’re willing to throw everything away? For a child’s tantrum?”

He exhaled sharply, the breath rattling with frustration. “You’ll lose your title. You’ll lose everything. Is that what you want?” His voice dropped to a low growl. “Look, I don't have time for this. I still need to find someone suitable to attend the function with me tonight.”

Damien spun on his heel and stormed out, slamming the door with a force that rattled the walls.

I didn’t bother watching him leave. I didn’t have the energy for another argument.

I sat back down on the bed, staring at the shattered pieces of my jade necklace. It lay in front of me, broken in the way my life had been for years. I tried to glue it back together, my hands shaking as I fumbled with the tiny fragments. The glue stuck to my fingers, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t make it whole again. The pieces wouldn’t fit.

********

I was leaving today, but before that, having my sister's memorial ceremony.

She died today, five years ago. I wasn’t sure what hurt more: the fact that she was gone, or that I was still here, a ghost of the life she’d left behind.

The table was set with fresh flowers, a single candle burning low. I stood at the memorial, staring at the picture of her — a woman I had once looked up to, someone who had been taken from all of us too soon. The day was meant to be a reminder of her sacrifice, the legacy she left behind.

Beta Zane entered quietly, standing beside me.

“Have you really made your decision? About leaving?” he asked, his voice gentle.

“Yes,” I said softly. “I’ve made up my mind. There’s nothing here for me anymore.”

Beta Zane gave me a long, thoughtful look. “You’ve done a lot for this pack, Luna Alice. A lot more than anyone gives you credit for.” He hesitated. “Do you really want to leave them all behind? We can give Nathan a little time. As he grows up, he will learn.”

Nathan will only grow to hate me more. I have given everything I had to keep the pack running and stand out among other packs. I raised Nathan into the golden pup everyone admired. I even took on Alpha Damien’s emotional mess, trying to make life easier for him.

But no matter what I did, it never earned me a bit of their love.

To Damien, I was nothing more than a brain box and a workaholic to carry out every task concerning the pack and at the same time satisfy him every night. The rest of the time, I might as well have been invisible.

As for Nathan, he hated me. Because of a few words from outsiders gossiping about me, he hated me with every fiber of his being. Every time he looked at me, it was like he was willing me to die.

How could that situation ever be called a family?

Beta Zane eventually gave up trying to talk me out of leaving. Instead, he agreed to inform the elders because I wasn't sure I could face them all.

********

Later that day, I went to the store to get new candles because the one on her memorial plaque had burnt completely.

I was just about to turn when I heard his voice.

“You’re still here.” Nathan’s tone was sharp, filled with contempt.

I turned to face him, my heart tightening at the sight of the boy I had once loved as my own. “I’m just looking for something,” I said quietly, not bothering to hide the tiredness in my voice.

Nathan stepped closer, his eyes narrowing. “You should have died that day. She should still be here. It should have been your memorial, not hers.”

The words hit like a slap to the face. My breath caught in my throat, but I didn’t say anything. There was no point. Not anymore.

I turned back to the shelf, pretending not to hear him.

But Nathan didn’t stop. “You ruined everything. She was my mother, and you took her place. You’re nothing but a stand-in, a replacement. You’ll never be her.”

His words stung, each one landing harder than the last. I clenched my jaw, willing myself not to react, not to show him how much it hurt. The candle fell, and I bent down to pick it up.

As I did, I heard the click of a lighter. My stomach twisted as I turned, seeing Nathan standing in front of the door, the flame flickering to life in his hand.

He held up a bottle — half-full, the scent of gasoline unmistakable. My breath caught.

“Nathan,” I whispered, slowly standing. “What are you doing?”

His eyes glinted, wild with pain and fury. “She’s gone because of you. And you’re still here, pretending this is your home.”

He tilted the bottle slightly, letting a line of fuel splash across the wooden floor, trailing it between us.

My heart pounded, dread knotting in my chest. “Nathan, stop this. You don’t want to do this.”

But his hand tightened around the lighter, the small flame casting eerie shadows across his face.

He dropped the lighter and the fire caught instantly, a wave of heat and smoke rising as the flames leapt up between us.

Chapter 4

The heat clawed at my lungs before I even opened my eyes.

Smoke pressed down on me like a fist, curling into my throat with every breath.

I was on the floor, struggling to move. Wood cracked and splintered above me. Somewhere close, glass shattered. The scent of burnt fabric and scorched hair wrapped around me like a death shroud.

Was I dying?

My world was crumbling before me, burning in flames.

I tried to move but couldn’t. My leg felt twisted, and my dress was still smoldering. I patted it down with trembling hands, the pain biting deep.

I tried to whisper for help, but nothing came out. The smoke only sank deeper into my lungs.

I rolled to my side, coughing hard enough to taste blood. Firelight flickered just beyond the shelves, dancing across the store walls. My sister’s face flashed in my mind—her smile, the day she had saved me and burned in my place.

Now I knew how she must’ve felt.

I gritted my teeth and dragged myself forward. I had to live, I had to survive. Not for them—but for me. For everything they tried to take away from me.

A sound in pain escaped my lips as I reached the back door and forced it open with a surge of strength I didn’t know I had. I tumbled out into the snow, smoke billowing behind me, flames roaring as the building collapsed inward.

The cold slapped me hard.

I rolled onto my back, coughing and shivering, my skin blistered and my eyes wet.

Footsteps crunched in the snow.

I blinked through the haze, and my heart froze again.

Nathan stood at the edge of the flames, his silhouette outlined by the inferno behind him. His expression wasn’t anger or regret.

It was relief.

He thought I’d died.

When our eyes met, he didn’t run. He didn’t speak. He simply turned and walked away.

********

I woke up hours later in the hospital. The painkillers dulled everything—everything except the memory.

“Who found me?” I croaked, my throat like sandpaper.

The nurse hesitated. “A guard, passing by. Said he saw the fire and pulled you out after you’d already dragged yourself into the snow.”

“Not Damien? Not Nathan?”

The nurse looked away.

“No one came,” she whispered.

No one came. Not even to check if I was alive.

A tear slipped from my eye. I had given too much to this family, and it was time to let go.

By morning, the rumors had spread faster than the flames.

“Luna Alice went mad and tried to burn down the memorial store.”

“Envy made her do it—she wanted to erase the memory of the real Luna.”

“She poisoned herself for sympathy.”

Every lie was worse than the last. I was labeled a psychopath, a jealous freak.

I sat on the bed, bandaged and bruised, listening through the window to the voices of the pack as they passed by.

“She’s not right in the head. She should’ve left long ago.”

“How can she even think of taking the position of her sister?”

Beta Zane visited briefly.

“They’ve called a council meeting,” he said quietly. “They want you to remove your title and exiled. Damien pleaded that you still stay.”

I furrowed my brows, staring at him, confused. “Damien really did that? For me?”

Beta Zane raised his head and looked at me. “But on a condition.”

“And what’s that?”

“You apologize to Nathan and every member of the pack,” he replied.

I laughed, my voice dry and bitter. “Of course, he would say that.”

I turned my face sideways, my lips trembling as tears came rushing down. I shook my head, breathing in deeply. Then opened my eyes and shot Beta Zane a fierce look. “I want you to tell Damien and those shameless elders this: I will never beg them, even if it depends on my life.”

Beta Zane nodded and placed something on my lap before he left. A tiny, charred piece of green jade—what was left of my necklace.

I thought I had lost it in the fire. I held it tightly in my palm.

That night, I left the hospital. I couldn’t stand it anymore—the insults and rumors.

Luckily, I hadn’t sustained much injury from the fire, except for my left arm, which got burned and left a rough scar—a memory I would never forget.

I stood before the council.

They looked at me like a disease. Like a ghost they couldn’t wait to bury.

“We hereby declare that you, Alice Rivers, are unfit to remain Luna,” Elder Rider announced. “Effective immediately, you are banished from the Silverclaw Pack. If you return, it will be treated as an act of war.”

I nodded once.

I didn’t beg like they expected me to. Like I would have years ago.

I returned home to take my belongings. They were already thrown out. I stared down at them, then looked up at the room that belonged to the child I cherished for five years.

Nathan was staring down at me with disgust.

“Oh, you forgot this,” he said, and dropped the shoe directly on my head. He laughed heartily and shut the window forcefully at me.

Damien didn’t even come to see me—not that it mattered. He must be with his new lover now.

Days later, after I left, a messenger arrived at the packhouse, breathless and pale.

“The Red Fang Alpha,” he stammered. “He’s marching toward Silverclaw. Says he’s reclaiming what’s his.”

Damien frowned. “What does that mean?”

The messenger trembled. “He says… the Luna you cast out carried his bloodline.”

Chapter 5

I continued to walk deeper into the woods. The weight of betrayal clinging to my bones. The snow gnawed at my burns, red beneath the bandages. My breath fogged the air in front of me, shallow and ragged but I didn’t stop.

I couldn’t.

They had thrown me away. Branded me insane. Banished me like some rabid dog. And still, the thought that clung to my chest like a second heartbeat wasn’t hate.

It was grief.

Not for the title. Not even for Damien. But for the years I gave, for the child I raised and for the home that had never truly been mine.

A crunch of twigs behind me snapped my attention back to the present.

I spun, my heart leaping. There was nothing but shadows between the trees. But something or someone was following me. I could sense it. I quickened my pace.

By dusk, I reached the ravine. I knew this place. My mother and I had camped here once when we were being chased. There was a shallow cave tucked beneath the ridge. I collapsed inside it, shaking, finally letting myself exhale.

The last of the herbs Beta Zane gave me were gone. The pain flared with renewed fury. My vision blurred. I pressed a hand to my side and it was wet with blood.

The fire had seared deeper than I realized.

I should’ve rested and stitched the wound. But sleep pulled me under too fast. I had fallen before I even realized it and with it came the dreams. Not the soft kind, though.

These were full of smoke and screams and Damien saying, “You made him terrified. You should apologize.”

Of Nathan lighting the fire with a smile on his lips.

I woke with a scream caught in my throat and a blade at my neck.

“Move, and I slit your skin from throat to navel.”

The voice was low, cold, and unfamiliar. My eyes flew open to find a man crouched beside me, his dagger poised.

He was a rogue.

“Who are you?” I whispered.

He leaned closer. “The question is, who are you, pretty little burn victim, sleeping in a rogue territory with no fear?”

“I’m no threat,” I said quickly, my chest heaving.

His gaze narrowed. “You smell like Silverclaw.”

“I was banished.”

He smirked. “Of course you were. They always say that.”

“I was their Luna.”

That made him pause.

He pulled the blade away slightly but didn’t sheath it. “That’s a heck of a claim for someone bleeding out in my cave.”

“I didn’t come to claim anything,” I muttered. “I just needed shelter. You can have your cave.”

I tried to push myself up. The pain made my vision dim. I collapsed again, my teeth clenched.

The rogue sighed, swore under his breath, and sheathed the blade.

“You’re lucky I hate them too,” he muttered. “Stay. But if you bleed on my food, I’ll toss you to the wolves.”

I gave a dry laugh. “You think they haven’t already had their bite?”

********

By morning, my fever had spiked. The rogue, whose name, I learned, was Kael reluctantly helped clean my wounds. He wasn’t gentle, but he wasn’t cruel either.

“You shouldn’t be alive,” he said, wrapping a fresh bandage. “What did you do to get kicked out like that?”

“Nothing,” I whispered. “Except survive.”

Kael tilted his head, studying me. “That’s enough reason for some Alphas. Especially Damien.”

I looked up sharply. “You know him?”

Kael gave a bitter laugh. “Everyone knows the Silverclaw Alpha. Most of us have scars because of him.”

He turned away, his face unreadable. I decided not to press further, perhaps it was a memory I shouldn’t have reminded him of.

That night, the storm hit. Winds howled through the trees like mourning wolves. We huddled in the cave. Kael tossed me a thicker cloak from his pack and muttered, “Don’t die. I hate cleaning up corpses.”

I smiled faintly. “You’re very charming.”

“Don’t get used to it,” he growled.

*******

Three days passed.

My strength returned slowly. Kael taught me how to trap small game. I learned he once belonged to the Crimson Vale Pack—until Damien ordered them to surrender their borders, and Kael’s sister was killed in the raid.

I remembered the incident. It had caused a fight between Damien and my sister. But he promised to provide the affected with every means of living he once took from them.

I guess they were just empty promises.

I also shared what they did to me. Every bitter truth. Every betrayal.

He didn’t interrupt once.

But when I finished, his voice was low and fierce. “You shouldn’t be crawling away from that kind of injustice. You should be crawling back. With a blade.”

“I wish I could” I murmured.

Kael looked at me for a long time. “Do you want to?”

We both shared an eye contact for a while with no one saying anything.

******

On the fourth morning, Kael burst into the cave, his face pale.

“They’re coming.”

I sat upright, my heart pounding. “Who?”

He held up a scroll, sealed with the Red Fang crest.

“A scout just passed. Word’s spreading like wildfire: the Red Fang Alpha claims you're of his bloodline. Says the Silverclaw Pack banished royalty.”

I froze. “That can’t be true.”

Kael dropped the scroll in front of me.

“You better hope it isn't. Because the Red Fang is the largest pack.”

I stared at the scroll, my heart pounding.

My sister never told me much about our past. I had no father.

Just my mother—who died because of the same Red Fang Pack.

Chapter 6

I never wanted to be Luna.

Not truly.

Not the way my sister was—regal, commanding, effortlessly adored. Helena was everything I wasn’t. Tall, composed, a natural-born leader with the kind of voice that made wolves bow without a command. Me? I was content staying in the shadows, gathering herbs and healing wounded pups.

The night she chose to die for me, she didn’t hesitate.

“Go,” she’d said, as the building tore in different directions. “Don’t argue, Alice. Just go.” She pushed me out, knowing she would get stuck.

I remember the smoke curling through the roof, the sound of wood falling as the flames swallowed her. I remember when Beta Zane came to me—to take care of Nathan and take her place. I agreed to all of it because I owed her my life.

Then I became a body to warm Damien's bed.

A name to wear beside his at ceremonies.

A placeholder for a woman they all still mourned.

Even Nathan, fresh from the body, seemed to sense it. He never cried for me. Only for her.

And I… I convinced myself love could be built with patience. That if I just tried harder, smiled wider, worked longer, they’d see me.

I was wrong.

*******

Kael handed me a steaming cup of tea laced with bitter herbs.

“You keep frowning in your sleep,” he muttered, sitting across the fire.

“Memories,” I whispered.

“Good ones?”

I laughed softly. “Are there any good ones for people like us?”

He said nothing.

“I once had a mate, like you.” He sniffed staring up. “It sounds crazy but she was also a rogue, not from my pack though. She was really tough.” He chuckled sadly.

“What happened to her?” I asked.

“She was killed,” he muttered and my heart dropped. I never expected him to share something so deep with me.

“I'm sorry.”

“Hey, don't give me that pitiful look.” He pointed and I smiled. “It's been five years already.”

No one said anything, the cave was silent except for the crackle of firewood and the distant howl of wind echoing through the trees.

“How long have you known about the Red Fang?” I asked.

Kael stretched his legs, his arms crossed behind his head. “Long enough to know they don’t make idle claims. If their Alpha says you’re of his bloodline, he believes it.”

I stared into the fire.

“My mother never mentioned anything. Where we came from, or about my father. I used to live in the woods with her—until the day I noticed strange visitors from the Red Fang pack. I had no idea what they wanted. But the moment they left, my mother told me we needed to go. She told me where my sister was, in case anything happened to her. I didn’t understand what she meant… not until she was killed by rogues, and I went to meet my sister at Silvercrest.”

Kael shook his head. “Wolves like you don’t come from nowhere.”

That thought clung to me the rest of the day.

I traced the broken jade in my palm, feeling its edges bite into my skin. My mother's last gift. The only piece of her I had left.

What had she been hiding?

What truths had she buried to keep me safe?

*******

That evening, Kael returned looking tense.

“They’ve crossed the mountain pass,” he said. “Red Fang warriors. They’re moving fast. They’ll reach Silverclaw in two days.”

My heart raced. “Are they planning war?”

“They’re planning something. No one knows why they’re moving, just that their Alpha keeps saying one thing—‘Bring her back.’”

Me.

They were coming for me.

But why now?

Why not when I was Luna—humiliated, ignored, scraping through every day with a smile that didn’t reach my eyes?

Kael saw the worried look on my face.

“You’re not safe here,” he said.

“I’m never safe anywhere,” I replied.

He dropped something on the table—a tattered map. “There’s an old neutral territory five miles east. Used to be a healer’s camp. It’s abandoned now. You can rest there.”

“You’re leaving me?”

“i can't come with you. I need to make sure they don't find you.”

I blinked. “You’d do that?”

Kael’s voice dropped, almost too soft to hear. “I’ve watched too many good wolves fall because they didn’t have someone to believe in them. You survived Silverclaw. You survived your own fire. That makes you worth protecting.”

Something twisted in my chest. I nodded with a fragile smile.

******

By morning, I was on the trail.

The path east was rough, tangled with roots and lined with wolf traps—most long disarmed. My limbs ached. My back screamed. But I moved, hour after hour, because resting meant remembering.

And remembering made me bleed in ways no wound ever had.

I reached the healer’s grounds by nightfall.

It was quiet. Covered in moss. The old tents were mostly torn, but a small wooden lodge remained. I pushed the door open. Dust scattered in the air. The silence inside was sacred.

I built a small fire. Spread Kael’s extra furs on the ground. Lay down and stared at the ceiling.

And that’s when I saw it.

Above me, burned faintly into the wood, was a crest.

A fang, wreathed in flame.

My pulse slowed… then quickened all at once.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the jade shard. Turned it over. On the back, scratched into the surface so faintly it was nearly invisible—was the same crest.

The Red Fang sigil, etched into the last thing my mother had ever given me.

Just as I walked forward, my leg hit something, making me stumble. I looked down to see a letter hidden beneath the floorboards. Old, yellowed, sealed with dried wax.

I picked it up and stared at it, my hands trembling.

My name was written on it. It was my mother's handwriting.