Chapter Five: The Moon Child
769 Words
The red-eyed wolf stepped into the clearing, its silver scars glistening beneath the full moon.
Its crimson eyes never left Lena.
"So..." it growled, a cruel smile curling across its muzzle. "After all these years... we've finally found the Moon Child."
Lena's heart pounded so hard it hurt.
"I-I don't know what you're talking about."
The wolf laughed.
"Oh, but you will."
Kai stepped in front of her, shielding her with his body.
"You'll have to go through me first."
The scarred wolf's eyes narrowed.
"The Alpha's son... still playing the hero."
"You've crossed into Moon Pack territory, Viktor."
"So what?" Viktor sneered. "Your pack has grown weak."
The name sent a ripple of unease through the wolves gathered in the clearing.
Kai's grandfather stepped forward, his voice calm but commanding.
"Leave this place, Viktor."
"Or what?"
"You'll start a war."
Viktor chuckled.
"The war began eighteen years ago."
Silence fell over the clearing.
Lena frowned.
Eighteen years?
That was the year she was born.
Without warning—
Viktor lunged.
Everything happened at once.
Kai transformed into his black wolf form in the blink of an eye and slammed into Viktor before he could reach Lena.
The two wolves crashed through the undergrowth, snarling and snapping as they fought.
The ground shook beneath their weight.
Kai was fast.
Viktor was stronger.
The Blood Fang wolves rushed from the shadows, attacking the Moon Pack.
Chaos erupted.
Growls echoed through the forest.
Branches splintered.
Leaves swirled into the night sky.
Lena stood frozen.
She wanted to run...
But her legs refused to move.
A Blood Fang wolf charged straight toward her.
Just as it leaped—
A silver wolf tackled it aside.
Emma?
No...
It couldn't be.
The silver wolf turned its bright blue eyes toward Lena before chasing the attacker into the trees.
"Was that...?"
"Lena!"
Kai's voice broke through the chaos.
He had transformed back into his human form, a cut running across his cheek.
He grabbed her hand.
"We have to go!"
They ran.
Branches whipped past them as they raced deeper into the forest.
Behind them, the sounds of battle slowly faded.
Finally, they reached a small waterfall hidden between towering rocks.
A narrow cave lay behind the falling water.
Kai led her inside.
Only then did they stop.
Both of them were breathing hard.
For a long moment...
Neither spoke.
Lena looked at him.
Then, without warning, she shoved him lightly.
"You lied to me."
Kai lowered his eyes.
"I know."
"You're a werewolf."
"...Yes."
"And all those stories in the library..."
"They're true."
Lena turned away, trying to process everything.
"Were you ever going to tell me?"
"I wanted to."
"But?"
"I was afraid."
"Afraid of what?"
Kai's voice became quiet.
"That you'd look at me like a monster."
Lena slowly turned back to him.
"I did... for a second."
His expression fell.
"But then I remembered something."
"What?"
"You saved my life."
Twice.
"If you were really a monster..."
"You would've let that wolf kill me."
Kai looked at her in surprise.
"You don't hate me?"
She shook her head.
"I don't understand any of this."
She took a deep breath.
"But I don't hate you."
For the first time...
Kai smiled.
It was small.
Gentle.
But it completely changed his face.
Lena couldn't help smiling back.
A soft cough interrupted the moment.
Kai's grandfather stepped into the cave.
His clothes were torn from the battle.
"The Blood Fang Pack has retreated."
Kai nodded.
"For now."
The old man looked at Lena with kind but tired eyes.
"There are things you deserve to know."
Lena straightened.
"What is a Moon Child?"
The old man sighed.
"Eighteen years ago, during the Blood Moon Eclipse, a child was born with the Mark of Selene."
Lena frowned.
"The Mark of... Selene?"
"The Moon Goddess."
He continued.
"According to an ancient prophecy, the Moon Child will either unite every werewolf pack..."
"...or destroy them all."
Lena stared at him in disbelief.
"That's impossible."
The old man stepped closer.
"It is."
Then he gently rolled up the sleeve of Lena's left arm.
Near her wrist...
A faint silver crescent moon glowed beneath her skin.
Lena gasped.
"I've had that birthmark my whole life..."
"It isn't a birthmark."
The old man's voice echoed softly through the cave.
"It is the Mark of Selene."
Outside...
The full moon shone brighter than ever.
Far away, standing atop a cliff, Viktor watched the moon with a sinister smile.
"The Moon Child has awakened."
He turned toward the darkness behind him.
"Prepare the pack."
"This time..."
"We finish what we started eighteen years ago."
- Writer
