When the moon betrays

Episode 1: The Howl of the Damned --- The sky wept fire the night Zeus Kyler was born. Wolves howled beneath a blood moon as the goddess of the future, Solaria, screamed in labor. Her cries shattered through the thick forest, echoing over the cliffs of Kyros—a sacred land where gods and monsters kept uneasy peace. A storm brewed above the temple, the wind carrying whispers of fate, death, and something far darker. Alpha Zong Kyler stood at the entrance of the temple, fists clenched, ears alert, the tension in his jaw steel-hard. Warriors surrounded him, tense and confused. No one had seen a moon bleed since the War of Ten Skies. Inside, his mate was dying. A priestess rushed out, face pale, hands trembling. “The goddess—she cannot hold on much longer.” Zong’s heart dropped, then rose with fury. “Save her.” “We’re trying,” she whispered, her voice cracking. “But something ancient interferes. A force… unnatural. Not even the gods can name it.” The Alpha's wolf surged within him, snarling, restless. He had fought wars, broken mountains, even defied gods for Solaria. And now, she was slipping through his claws. Moments later, the world shattered. The scream that followed wasn’t mortal. It was the cry of a soul being torn in half. Then silence. The doors creaked open. A priestess emerged, soaked in blood, holding a squirming baby swaddled in silver cloth. “Your son lives,” she said. “But the goddess… is gone.” --- Zeus Kyler opened his eyes to a world that had already failed him. He didn’t cry. He didn’t whimper. Instead, he stared—wide, golden eyes glowing like molten suns. Even then, the temple wolves whispered, the child held knowledge far beyond his age. But Alpha Zong didn’t look at him. He stared past the newborn to the limp, bloodied body of his beloved Solaria. Her silver hair was dull. Her skin, once kissed by starlight, had already gone cold. “Why?” Zong growled, voice low with grief. “Why would the gods take her? Why leave this cursed child behind?” Zeus whimpered—not from fear, but from something deeper. A feeling he wouldn’t understand until years later. Rejection. --- Seventeen Years Later --- The wind howled over the cliffs of Kyros. Below, the Kyler pack trained in deadly silence. Zeus stood alone on a high ledge, eyes fixed on the horizon, where lightning split the sky like cracked bone. Today was his Ascension. The day his wolf would fully awaken. The day he’d meet his fated mate—if the prophecy still held true. And the day he would finally step into the legacy that had nearly killed him. “You’re quiet,” said a familiar voice behind him. Zeus didn’t turn. He didn’t need to. Only one person dared approach him without fear. Laziel, his half-brother. Son of a mortal witch and a Kyler warrior. A bastard, but the only soul Zeus trusted. “I dreamed again last night,” Zeus said. “The fire? The woman’s scream?” Zeus nodded. “It’s always the same,” he whispered. “A voice crying for help. A hand reaching toward me through smoke. Then darkness.” Laziel crossed his arms. “You think it’s a memory?” Zeus looked down at his hands. They glowed faintly with golden runes, the mark of his godly bloodline. “No. It’s a warning.” --- The ceremony began at moonrise. Torches lit the sacred arena. The pack gathered in silence, warriors standing in rows, elders in dark robes murmuring old chants. Alpha Zong stood at the center, tall and fierce, though age now threaded his hair with silver. Zeus stepped forward, bare-chested, glowing with energy that cracked the air around him. The High Priestess raised her staff. “Tonight, we call on the gods to awaken what is hidden. Let the fated paths unfold. Let the mate bond reveal itself.” The sky shimmered. Then she appeared. She walked out of the shadows with grace and fire—tall, black hair cascading like a waterfall of ink, eyes like burning twilight. The crowd gasped. Whispers swirled. “Princess Nyra of the Emberfang Pack…” “A prophecy child…” Zeus’s wolf howled within him. Fated mate. He stepped forward, chest aching with something primal. But just as their eyes met—her expression changed. Horror. Then disgust. And finally… fury. “I reject you,” she said coldly. Gasps rippled across the arena. Zeus froze. Nyra’s voice was firm. “I, Princess Nyra of Emberfang, reject you, Zeus Kyler, as my mate. I will not be bound to the son of a cursed bloodline.” Silence fell like a hammer. Alpha Zong’s eyes narrowed. A storm gathered in his gaze. Laziel tensed. The High Priestess trembled. Zeus stared at her, heart thudding. “Why?” Nyra turned away. “Because your future ends in death. And I won’t die for you.” --- Later that night, thunder split the skies. Zeus stood at the edge of the cliffs, chest heaving. Rain soaked him, but he didn’t move. She had rejected him. Just like his father once had. Just like the gods. He wasn’t angry. He was… empty. “You feel it, don’t you?” Zong’s voice came from behind. Zeus didn’t turn. “Feel what?” “The truth clawing at your soul. There’s more to your story than they’ve told you. Nyra’s rejection wasn’t personal—it was strategic.” Zeus furrowed his brow. “The day your mother died,” Zong continued, “she was carrying twins.” Zeus’s heart stopped. “You weren’t alone in the womb. A second heartbeat vanished that night. They told me the child was stillborn. But I never believed them.” Zeus turned slowly, eyes wide. Zong’s expression was grim. “Something stole your sibling that night. Something ancient. Something powerful. And I believe it’s connected to the prophecy your mother tried to prevent.” Zeus's fists clenched. “Why are you telling me this now?” “Because rejection has freed you, my son. You are no longer bound by fate. You are free to seek the truth.” --- In the woods, miles away, a girl with golden eyes awoke from a nightmare. Her hands were stained with blood she couldn’t remember spilling. Her heart ached for someone she didn’t know. And in the silence of the dark, a voice whispered in her mind: “He’s coming.”