Luna has spent her entire life trying to meet the impossible expectations of her adoptive family. 

Engaged to the man they chose for her, she believed that submitting to their will was the only way to truly belong. But everything shatters the moment she catches her fiancé in the arms of another woman—and worse, her family blames her for it.

Cast out with nowhere to go, Luna wanders aimlessly toward the mountain beyond her district, seeking solitude, a moment of clarity. But the deeper she ventures into the darkened forest, the more she realizes she is hopelessly lost. And she is not alone.

When the shadows stretch too long and the whispers of the wild grow too close, a massive wolf emerges from the darkness—powerful, untamed, with eyes that glow like molten silver. 

There is something about him, something primal and dangerous, something that tells Luna she should run.

But she doesn’t.

Because the beast saved her life. Because his voice, deep and rich, rumbles through the air when no wolf should be able to speak. And because, with a certainty that sends chills down her spine, he claims her as his mate.

But that’s impossible.

Luna is human.

Isn’t she?

The tension inside the council chamber was suffocating.


We had gathered here before, once as enemies, then as reluctant allies. Now, we were something in between. The war was over, but the wounds it had left behind were still raw.


Rhydian stood at the head of the table, his presence commanding despite the doubts that loomed over us. I sat beside him, my fingers pressed against the smooth wood, steadying myself.


"The battle is won," Rhydian said, his voice even but edged with steel. "Morganna is gone. The Devourer is no more. But the kingdom still stands."


A murmur rippled through the room. Some nodded, but others exchanged wary glances.


An elder, his face lined with age and wisdom, cleared his throat. "And yet, without the Lunar Guardian's power, what ensures our future?"


And maybe… maybe they weren't wrong to hesitate.


I wasn't the same Luna who had stepped into battle, light blazing at her fingertips. I was just a girl now. A girl who had sacrificed everything to survive.


"My strength doesn't come from prophecy," he said, his gaze sharp as it swept across the room. "And neither does Luna's. The power we wield isn't given—it's earned. Through blood, through sacrifice, through the choices we make."


I felt the weight of his words settle in my chest.


He believed in me. In us. Even when I wasn't sure if I believed in myself.


The council didn't respond right away. Some of them looked convinced. Others… less so.


But then, the conversation was cut short.


A chill ran down my spine as the air around me shifted. The dim candlelight flickered. The world tilted—just slightly, just enough to make my stomach lurch.


A whisper that curled through my mind like smoke.


The council chamber faded away. The air around me thickened, swirling into shadows.


I saw it then—on the far side of the room, where darkness pooled like ink. A figure stood within it, her face obscured, but her presence unmistakable.


And I knew, with bone-deep certainty, that our battle wasn't over yet.


Chapter 82 - Chapter 81