CHAPTER TWO- THE SECRET MY MOTHER BURIED
1366 Words
I didn't sleep that night.
How could I?
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the wolves outside our house.
Dozens of them.
Standing beneath the moon.
Waiting.
And my mother's words kept repeating inside my head.
The chosen daughter has returned.
Returned from where?
I had never been anywhere.
I had lived in Moonridge my entire life.
I knew every narrow path between the houses, every old tree beside the river, every shop in the village.
There was nothing special about me.
At least, that was what I had believed.
By sunrise, the wolves were gone.
The moon had disappeared behind the pale morning sky, and Moonridge looked almost normal again.
Almost.
People gathered in small groups throughout the village, whispering.
I could hear them from our house.
“They came from the forest.”
“I've never seen so many wolves together.”
“Something happened last night.”
“Did you see the light?”
“Perhaps the Moon has chosen someone.”
That last sentence made my stomach twist.
My mother had barely spoken since dawn.
She sat beside the fireplace, staring at the flames.
I watched her for several minutes.
Finally, I couldn't take it anymore.
“Tell me everything.”
She didn't look up.
“About what?”
“About me.”
Her hands stopped moving.
“I deserve the truth.”
“You do.”
“Then tell me.”
She sighed.
“Sit down.”
I sat opposite her.
For a while, neither of us spoke.
Then she reached beneath her dress and pulled out a small silver key.
I had never seen it before.
“What is that?”
“The reason I have spent seventeen years protecting you.”
She stood and walked toward the old wooden chest.
The same chest she had opened the previous night.
She inserted the key into a hidden lock.
A soft click sounded.
The bottom of the chest opened.
I stared.
There was another compartment underneath.
Inside was a bundle of letters.
Dozens of them.
Some were yellow with age.
Others looked much newer.
My mother picked up the oldest letter.
“This was written before you were born.”
She handed it to me.
I unfolded it carefully.
The handwriting was elegant.
At the top were four words.
To the daughter of the Moon.
My heart stopped.
I looked at my mother.
“Who wrote this?”
She looked away.
“The Luna.”
I stared at the letter.
The ink was faded, but I could still read the words.
If my daughter is reading this, then the Moon has finally awakened her.
My fingers tightened around the paper.
She must not be taken to the royal palace.
I looked up.
“Why?”
My mother shook her head.
“Keep reading.”
I continued.
The kingdom will call her blessed. They will celebrate her. They will kneel before her.
My eyes moved down the page.
But some will kneel only because they want what belongs to her.
I swallowed.
The next sentence made my heart race.
The power of the chosen daughter is not a gift that can be controlled by a crown.
I looked at my mother.
“What power?”
She didn't answer.
I read on.
If they discover who she truly is, they will come for her.
The letter ended there.
I lowered it slowly.
“Who are they?”
My mother finally looked at me.
“The royal council.”
I frowned.
“Why would the royal council want me?”
“Because they have spent generations searching for the Luna's bloodline.”
“Why?”
“Power.”
The word hung between us.
My mother sat beside me.
“Your birth mother was not an ordinary Luna.”
“You keep calling her my birth mother.”
“Because she was.”
“Then who are you?”
My mother's eyes filled with tears.
“I was her closest friend.”
I stared at her.
“She gave you to me?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because she knew they would hunt you.”
I couldn't breathe properly.
All my life, I had thought my mother was my mother.
She had held me when I was sick.
She had taught me how to read.
She had stayed awake beside me when I had nightmares.
She had worked until her hands were rough just to make sure I never went hungry.
Now she was telling me that she wasn't my biological mother.
But somehow, that didn't make her feel less like my mother.
It made me love her more.
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“Because you were safe.”
“Until now.”
She nodded.
“Until now.”
A loud knock suddenly came from the front door.
We both froze.
Three more knocks followed.
My mother quickly gathered the letters.
“Hide.”
“What?”
“Now.”
“Who is it?”
“I don't know.”
Another knock.
This time, the entire house seemed to shake.
My mother pushed the secret compartment closed.
“Go to your room.”
“But—”
“Elara!”
Her voice was sharp.
I had never heard her speak to me like that.
I ran.
I barely reached the hallway when the front door opened.
I stopped.
My mother hadn't opened it.
Someone had broken the lock.
Three strangers entered the house.
They wore dark cloaks with a silver wolf embroidered on the chest.
Royal guards.
I held my breath.
“Where is the girl?” one of them asked.
My blood turned cold.
My mother stood between them and the hallway.
“What girl?”
“The Moon-marked girl.”
“She isn't here.”
A guard laughed.
“Don't lie to us.”
My mother's hands curled into fists.
“She is not the person you're looking for.”
“We saw the Moon choose her.”
Silence.
My mother didn't answer.
The guard stepped closer.
“Bring her out.”
“No.”
He raised his hand.
A strange pressure filled the room.
My mother staggered backward.
I covered my mouth to stop myself from screaming.
She was a wolf shifter, but she had never been a warrior.
The guard moved toward her.
“Where is she?”
My mother fell to one knee.
I couldn't stay hidden.
I stepped into the hallway.
“Stop!”
All three guards turned.
My mother's eyes widened.
“Elara, no!”
The guards stared at me.
Then their eyes fell to my wrist.
The mark was visible beneath my sleeve.
One of them whispered,
“The daughter.”
The oldest guard immediately bowed his head.
Not because he respected me.
Because he feared me.
“Your Highness.”
I froze.
“My… what?”
My mother looked at me helplessly.
The guard lowered his head further.
“Your Highness, the kingdom has been waiting for you.”
I shook my head.
“No.”
He looked up.
“You are the last daughter of the Luna.”
“No.”
“The Moon has chosen you.”
“No!”
The mark on my wrist suddenly burned.
The windows exploded.
Glass flew across the room.
The guards were thrown backward.
My mother screamed my name.
I stared at my hands.
Silver light surrounded my fingers.
I couldn't control it.
I hadn't even tried.
The power simply came.
Then I heard the voice again.
The same voice from the forest.
My daughter.
I closed my eyes.
And this time, I saw her.
The Luna.
She stood beneath the Moon.
But she wasn't smiling.
She looked frightened.
“Run,” she whispered.
My eyes opened.
“Mother?”
She was staring at me.
“What did you see?”
I looked toward the shattered window.
Beyond it, the forest was glowing silver.
And for the first time, I understood something terrifying.
The Moon had not chosen me because I was special.
It had chosen me because something was coming.
Something my mother had spent seventeen years hiding me from.
And whatever it was…
It had finally found me.
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