THE LUNA'S CHOSEN DAUGHTER

The first time the moon called my name, I thought I was dreaming. “Elara.” I opened my eyes. Darkness surrounded me. For a moment, I couldn't remember where I was. The room was quiet except for the soft sound of rain tapping against the window. Then I heard it again. “Elara…” I sat up. My heart was beating strangely fast. Someone was standing outside my bedroom. I could feel it. I pulled the blanket closer around myself and stared at the door. “Mother?” No answer. I climbed out of bed and walked toward the window instead. The rain had stopped. Above the village, the moon shone brighter than I had ever seen it. It was full and perfectly round. Beautiful. But there was something wrong with it. A faint silver light seemed to surround the moon, almost as if it were breathing. I pressed my palm against the glass. The moment I touched it, pain shot through my wrist. I gasped. A crescent-shaped mark appeared beneath my skin. I had seen that mark before. It had been there since I was born. My mother had always told me it was nothing. Just a birthmark. But tonight, it was glowing. “Elara!” My mother's voice came from the hallway. The door flew open. She rushed inside and grabbed my wrist. The moment she saw the mark, all the color disappeared from her face. “Mother?” She stared at me. Not at my face. At the mark. “Where did you get this?” I frowned. “You know I've always had it.” “No.” Her voice trembled. “You weren't supposed to awaken yet.” I stared at her. “Awaken?” She immediately released my wrist. “I didn't say that.” “You did.” “Elara, listen to me.” She moved toward the window and pulled the curtains shut. “Whatever you heard tonight, whatever you saw, forget it.” I laughed nervously. “Forget what? The moon?” Her face became serious. “Especially the moon.” I had never seen my mother behave like that. She was the strongest person I knew. When my father died, she was the one who kept our little family together. When the villagers whispered that I was strange because I had never shifted like the other girls my age, she told me not to listen. When I asked why I had never felt the presence of a wolf inside me, she simply said that my time would come. But now she looked frightened. “Mother,” I whispered, “what aren't you telling me?” She didn't answer. Instead, she walked to an old wooden chest beside her bed. I had seen that chest all my life. She had never allowed me to touch it. Tonight, she opened it. Inside was a bundle of white cloth. She carefully removed it. My breath caught. There was a necklace inside. A silver crescent hung from a thin chain. But that wasn't what shocked me. Beneath the necklace was a faded piece of cloth embroidered with the same symbol that was glowing on my wrist. I stepped closer. “What is that?” My mother closed her eyes. “Something I prayed you would never have to see.” She handed me the cloth. My fingers trembled as I touched it. A strange warmth moved through my body. Then I heard a woman's voice. My daughter. I dropped the cloth. My mother stared at me. “You heard her, didn't you?” I couldn't speak. “Who?” My mother looked toward the covered window. “The Luna.” The word felt strangely familiar. Everyone in our kingdom knew the stories. Long ago, there had been a Luna unlike any other. She had united the werewolf clans when they were at war. She had protected the weak. She had healed the wounded. And according to the oldest stories, the Moon itself had blessed her bloodline. But the Luna had disappeared generations ago. No body had ever been found. No grave existed. Her name had slowly vanished from history. Only the stories remained. I looked at my mother. “What does she have to do with me?” My mother didn't answer. That silence was an answer of its own. “Mother…” She walked toward me. Her eyes were filled with tears. “You were never supposed to know this.” “Know what?” “You are her daughter.” The room seemed to stop breathing. I stared at her. “That doesn't make sense.” “I know.” “She disappeared generations ago.” “I know.” “Then how can I be her daughter?” My mother took my face between her hands. “Because some truths survive longer than people.” Before I could ask another question, a howl echoed from the forest. My mother froze. Another howl followed. Then another. The sound spread across the village. Doors opened. People stepped outside. Dogs began barking. Somewhere in the distance, someone screamed. My mother grabbed my hand. “We have to leave.” “Leave where?” “Anywhere the Moon cannot find you.” I looked toward the window. The curtains were still closed. But silver light was beginning to shine through them. My mark burned again. I cried out. Then the entire village fell silent. Not ordinary silence. A terrifying silence. The kind that comes before something terrible happens. My mother slowly released my hand. “Elara…” “What?” She looked at me as if she were seeing me for the first time. “The Moon has chosen.” I shook my head. “I don't understand.” “You will.” She pulled the curtains open. I looked outside. Every wolf in the village was standing beneath the moon. Every single one. And every wolf was looking directly at our house. Then something impossible happened. They all bowed their heads. My mother whispered behind me. “The chosen daughter has returned.” The crescent on my wrist suddenly blazed with silver light. And somewhere beyond the village, deep inside the f*******n forest, a wolf began to howl. It was not a warning. It was a greeting. The Moon had remembered me. And now, so had the kingdom.