THE MOON CHOSEN DAUGHTER

The night the moon chose me, every wolf in Blackthorn Village howled. Not one or two. Every single one. Their howls rose from the forest like a warning, echoing between the trees and crawling beneath the doors of every house. Even the old women who claimed they had heard everything in their lifetimes stood frozen beside their windows. I was the only person who didn't understand why. At least, not at first. I stood barefoot in the middle of my bedroom, staring through the window at the enormous silver moon hanging above the forest. Something about it felt different. It wasn't simply bright. It was watching me. I pressed my palm against the cold glass. "Why do I feel like you're calling me?" The moment the words left my mouth, the moonlight changed. A thin silver beam slipped through the window and landed directly on my chest. I gasped. Heat exploded beneath my skin. I stumbled backward, clutching my shirt. For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then a strange symbol appeared on my skin. A crescent moon surrounded by tiny silver flames. I stared at it in horror. "What... is that?" A loud crash came from downstairs. I jumped. "Mira!" My mother's voice. Fear. Real fear. I had never heard my mother sound like that before. "Mira, don't open the door!" I ran out of my room. "Mum?" She stood at the bottom of the stairs, staring at me. Her face had gone completely pale. "What happened?" I asked. She didn't answer. Her eyes were fixed on my chest. Then she whispered something that made my heart stop. "The Moon has found you." I frowned. "What does that mean?" Before she could answer, someone knocked on our front door. Three slow knocks. Boom. Boom. Boom. My mother grabbed my wrist. "Go upstairs." "But—" "Now!" Her fingers trembled around mine. That frightened me more than the knocking. My mother was never afraid. Not of storms. Not of strangers. Not even of the stories people told about the forest. But tonight, she looked terrified. "Who is outside?" I whispered. She shook her head. "I don't know." Another knock. Boom. Boom. Boom. Then a man's voice came from the other side. "Elena." My mother's eyes widened. I had never heard that voice before, but she clearly knew it. "Don't answer," she whispered. The man laughed softly. "We know she's inside." My blood turned cold. "Who?" I mouthed. My mother didn't respond. Instead, she pushed me toward the stairs. "Mira, listen to me. Whatever happens, you must not go into the forest tonight." "Why?" "Because they will come for you." The front door shook violently. My mother flinched. I stepped backward. "Who will come for me?" Her eyes filled with tears. "The wolves." A howl erupted outside. Closer this time. So close that the windows rattled. I froze. Wolves. That word had always been part of Blackthorn's legends. People said the forest belonged to creatures that weren't entirely human. They said wolves with silver eyes lived beyond the old stone boundary. They said once every hundred years, the Moon chose someone to rule them. But those were stories. Fairy tales. At least, that's what I had always believed. Until tonight. The door burst open. Three men stepped inside. They were dressed in black. Their eyes immediately found me. One of them whispered, "She's marked." My mother moved in front of me. "Don't touch my daughter." The tallest man smiled. "We aren't here to hurt her." "Then leave." "We can't." He pointed toward my chest. "She belongs to the Moon now." I felt the mark burn. I cried out and dropped to my knees. My mother screamed. The room suddenly filled with silver light. The men staggered backward. Outside, dozens of wolves began howling at once. The sound was deafening. And then I heard something. A voice. Not from the men. Not from my mother. From inside my head. Mira. I stopped breathing. The voice was soft, feminine, and ancient. Come to the forest. I shook my head. "No." The men stared at me. "What did you say?" one asked. I ignored him. The voice came again. You have been hidden for seventeen years. My eyes widened. Seventeen years? Your blood remembers. I looked at my mother. She was crying now. "You knew," I whispered. She closed her eyes. "Mira..." "You knew!" The mark on my chest glowed brighter. "What am I?" She looked at me. And for the first time in my life, I saw the truth in her eyes. Fear. Guilt. Love. "They're coming," she whispered. "Who?" She looked toward the broken door. A deep growl came from outside. Not human. Not ordinary. A shadow moved across the doorway. Then another. And another. My mother grabbed my shoulders. "You have to run." "Where?" "Anywhere but here." The tallest man stepped forward. "Elena, it's too late." A massive black wolf appeared behind him. Its eyes were silver. Its fur shimmered beneath the moonlight. The wolf stared directly at me. Something inside my chest answered its gaze. The mark burned again. The wolf lowered its head. And then, unbelievably, it bowed. Everyone in the room went silent. The men dropped to one knee. My mother whispered a word I had never heard her say before. "Princess." I stared at her. "Princess?" The wolf lifted its head. Then it spoke. Not with its mouth. Inside my mind. Daughter of the Moon. My knees nearly gave out. The creature stepped forward. My mother pulled me behind her. "No." The wolf stopped. Its silver eyes softened. I will not harm her. "You cannot take her." I am not here to take her. The wolf looked at me. I am here to bring her home. Home. The word struck something deep inside me. For seventeen years, I had felt like something was missing. I had never understood why I felt different from everyone else. Why animals stared at me. Why I sometimes dreamed of places I had never visited. Why the moon seemed brighter whenever I was sad. Why I had always been terrified of the forest while simultaneously feeling drawn toward it. Now I understood. My mother had hidden the truth from me. But why? "What happened to my father?" I asked suddenly. My mother looked away. The wolf growled. The men exchanged nervous glances. I knew immediately. There was something they weren't telling me. "Tell me." My mother shook her head. "Mira, please." "Tell me!" A tear rolled down her cheek. "Your father was the Alpha King." Silence. I stared at her. "The Alpha... King?" She nodded. "He was the ruler of the Moon Wolves." My heart pounded. "And you?" "I was his mate." I couldn't speak. The world seemed to tilt beneath my feet. "Then why did you hide me?" "Because your father was betrayed." She swallowed. "His enemies wanted you dead." "Who?" She looked toward the forest. "The Bloodfang Pack." The name sent a strange chill through me. "They have been searching for you since the night you were born." I stared at the men by the door. "Are they Bloodfang?" The tallest man shook his head. "No." He looked toward the forest. "We serve the Silver Moon Pack." "The Silver Moon Pack?" "The pack that has protected your family for generations." The wolf stepped closer. And tonight, your awakening has announced your return. A roar sounded from deep within the forest. Every wolf outside suddenly fell silent. The silence was worse than the howling. The tall man looked alarmed. "What is it?" Another roar answered. Closer. My mother's face drained of color. "They found us." The wolf turned toward the forest. Its fur rose along its spine. The men reached for weapons hidden beneath their coats. I felt the mark on my chest burning. Then the Moon appeared through the clouds. Silver light poured into the room. And suddenly, I could see everything. The forest. The trees. The wolves. The men. Even something moving between the shadows. Something huge. Something watching us. I heard the ancient voice again. Mira. I swallowed. "What?" Your first trial has begun. The silver mark on my chest flashed. The windows shattered. A howl ripped through the night. My mother screamed my name. And the darkness rushed toward us. I didn't know who I was anymore. I didn't know who I could trust. But one thing was certain. The Moon had chosen me. And whatever was waiting in that forest had been waiting for me too.