Moonfire Rebellion

Sticks and Stones

Moonclaw Pack Dungeons – One Night Before the Lunar Eclipse

She woke up to the sound of fireworks in the sky. Through the small vent up in the high wall she could see the colors lighting up the midnight sky. She lifted her head up, still dizzy from the poison, breathing slowly, a drop of tear rolled down her cheek. This was supposed to be her day... her wedding day…

Sylvia Moonvale no longer flinched at the sting of silver.

It had become a part of her—biting into her wrists, seeping poison into her veins, chaining her wolf with every breath she took. The wolfsbane burned beneath her skin like firewater, a cruel reminder that even the Blessed Luna could bleed.

Once, she had stood beside Alpha Thorian Ravenshade as his fated mate, the shining Luna of Moonclaw, kissed by the Moon Goddess herself. Now, she was caged like a rogue. A prisoner for rejecting the one who betrayed her.

He had taken another to his bed, shattering their bond, shaming their sacred tie. And when Sylvia refused to stay silent—when she stood before the Elders and demanded her right to walk away—Thorian twisted her defiance into treason. She had not bowed. So, he broke her. And tonight, he’s marrying another woman-breaking her heart into a thousand pieces, never to be healed again…

But Sylvia knew the truth: Thorian feared her more than he ever loved her. He knew of her power, he knew if she was not imprisoned and weakened before the Lunar Eclipse, she could easily take her revenge and overthrow him…

The dungeon walls wept with moisture. Somewhere beyond the bars, a drip echoed in the silence. She crouched over the circle she had etched in blood and ash—lines carved carefully into the stone with fingernails and broken chain links. It was old magic, the kind even Eldrin Silvervale, the Moonclaw seer, had forbidden. Lunar sigils spiraled outward from her center, pulsing faintly beneath her palm.

She’d been preparing. Waiting. Enduring. One more night and the eclipse would rise. Then the chains would fall…

Heavy boots rang out down the corridor. She didn’t lift her head. She didn’t have to. She could smell him—Varun Blackbriar, Thorian’s loyal Beta. The man who had locked her in this cell without a flicker of guilt.

He stopped at her cell and sneered-

“Still breathing, Moonvale? I would’ve thought the wolfsbane would’ve silenced your little rebellion by now.”

Sylvia slowly raised her head. The faint silver light in her eyes burned cold.

“You think pain breaks me, Varun. But pain is just proof I’m still becoming.”

He stepped back—just slightly. Enough for her to see it.

Fear!

Varun turned without another word and vanished into the dark.

The dungeon was ancient, yet it was as strong as the day it was built. It has been more than a month that she has been imprisoned there and she kept thinking of ways to escape. But there wasn’t any. The guards outside the gates relaxed knowing she was weak- too weak to even stand up straight. She received just enough food and water daily to keep her alive. Her body was now scarred and dirty. Her clothes torn but her mind still as strong as ever. She recalled the past few days, how she was humiliated in front of the entire pack. How she thought she had found her one true love and the final betrayal of the alpha. The more she thought about it, the more her blood boiled. Even though the wolfsbane had numbed her body, she could still find it in herself to hate the Alpha Thorian with all she had.

“Sticks and stones may break my bones… but my soul is undeterred, unbroken…soon they’ll pay for what they did to me and my family…”, Sylvia said to herself.

Very few people knew about her true strength, which is why they laughed at her when she accused Thorian of cheating and deception. She herself had ignored her gift for most of her life because she had no use of it. Her life was all roses and butterflies. She grew up in a noble family, never had anything to worry about. Her parents were important members of the pack. So, she commanded some respect, although not as much as the Alphas. From the day she fell in love with Thorian, she felt as if she had accomplished everything in her life. They were supposed to be married this very day. But the Alpha had shown his true colors and cheated her with some beta girl. He knew she could try to use her powers to take revenge- she was a Luna after all- which is why he had her weakened and imprisoned using wolfsbane – a cruel form of torture- giving her a slow death.

Sylvia cried till she could cry no more, she tried to escape the dungeon many times until she thought it was better to give up and die. But one fateful night, she heard a whisper –

“Do not give up my child, remember your legacy, remember you are a Luna… no prison can hold you; no chain can bind your strength…”

She looked up towards a small vent, through which she could see the night sky. She saw the moon- it was the moon goddess; she was speaking to her!

Soon she realized, she had infinite powers inside her. Powers she has been ignoring all her life. She recalled how her mother used to read her bed time stories as a child and taught her about the moon goddess and the sacred sigils. Her father had a hidden library of sacred books where she used to play as a child and study sacred magic. Magic, she had forgotten as an adult. But those memories were etched into her mind forever. And now that the moon goddess herself had blessed her. She was going to use the same magic to defeat her oppressors.

For a few days now, she had preparing sacred runes and sigils, carving them with her nails on the prison floor. Each time a sigil was complete, it glowed faintly and dimmed again. Three sigils- three of them to regain her strength and break out of this prison. But the sigils would only come into full power during the Lunar Eclipse which was tomorrow. Tonight, a blood moon rose in the midnight sky, reminding her of the anger and revenge she had inside her.

Sylvia exhaled, her breath shallow but steady. She pressed her palm deeper into the rune. It shimmered now, responding to the blood moon’s slow rise far above.

The chains rattled at her wrists, but she no longer felt bound.

She closed her eyes and whispered to the Moon Goddess, “Let them bury me in stone and silver. I’ll still rise in fire.”

The sigil beneath her glowed, and her faint heartbeat matched the hum of ancient power.

“One more day to go… tomorrow I shall be free…and I will have my revenge!” she said to herself as she glared at the moon as it hid beneath the dark clouds.

Inside the wedding hall, hundreds of guests crowded the event. It was one of the most influential party held in decades. Alpha Thorian stood by his wife as he greeted the guests. He laughed and rejoiced and shook hands with everyone. But then Varun came sliding in and whispered something in his ears. Thorian’s face turned dark. He immediately excused himself and walked off into an empty room with Varun.

“Are you sure about this Varun?” Thorian asked slamming the door angrily behind him.

“Yes, I saw her- she’s different now- I saw the sigils- tomorrow’s the Eclipse and I fear-“ Varun mumbled.

“Summon the Elder Seer! I want to meet him right now!” said Thorian and sat down on a chair.



Varun immediately ran out.