Luna Everleigh's POV
***
Kael moved fast—too fast for Damian to dodge completely. The knife's edge skimmed his skin before he managed to twist away, blood beading along his jaw.
"Kael, stop!" I stepped between them instinctively, my pulse thundering.
"He's with them," Kael snarled, his silver eyes burning with rage. "He knew. The hunters knew exactly what they were looking for, and he's been right next to you all this time!"
Damian wiped the blood from his chin and scoffed. "You think I'm with them? If I was, she'd be dead already."
That only made Kael angrier. He lunged again, but before the blade could reach its target, Rhydian was suddenly there, his hand locking around Kael's wrist with brutal strength.
"That's enough," Rhydian growled, his voice laced with authority.
Kael stiffened. "You're protecting him?"
"I'm protecting her." Rhydian's gaze flicked to me, then back to Kael. "And you're not helping."
Tension cracked in the air between them, an invisible war of dominance and fury.
For a second, I thought Kael would challenge him.
But then he let out a sharp breath, stepping back. "Fine. But if he betrays us, don't say I didn't warn you."
I wasn't sure who I distrusted more at this moment—Kael's hatred, or Damian's truth.
Rhydian turned to me, his expression unreadable. "Are you okay?"
I nodded, but my body felt detached from my own mind.
None of this felt real.
Nalia's voice shattered the silence. "If Damian's telling the truth, then Luna might be the one we've been waiting for."
I looked at her sharply. "What does that mean?"
Nalia hesitated before speaking. "There's a prophecy. An old one, barely remembered. It speaks of a lost heir, one born from forbidden blood, who will either save the wolves—or destroy them."
A cold dread seeped into my bones.
Before I could process what she was saying, exhaustion swept over me like a tidal wave.
My knees buckled.
The world darkened.
And then I dreamed.
—
A woman stood in the moonlight, her silver hair billowing in the wind. Her back was to me, but I knew her. Somehow, I knew her.
She turned slowly, her violet eyes glowing in the dark.
Then, just beyond her shoulder, another figure stepped into view.
And my heart stopped.
Because it was Rhydian.
But not the Rhydian I knew.
He looked different. Ancient. As if he had walked this earth long before my time.
Our gazes met, and something within me cracked open.
Because in that moment, I knew.
This wasn't just a dream.
This was a memory.
***
(To be continued…)