The Rejected Luna Queen 👸

Chapter 26

CHAPTER 26: THE BEAST BENEATH RAVEN HILL

The creature that emerged from beneath Raven Hill did not look fully wolf or fully spirit. It looked like death given claws. Black smoke twisted around its massive body as it climbed from the cracked earth, its glowing silver eyes burning unnaturally against fur dark as midnight. Bones jutted through parts of its skin like ancient armor, and every step it took sent tremors through the frozen ground beneath us. The air itself seemed to recoil from its existence. Wolves froze across the battlefield, even the Blood Hunters staring at the thing they had summoned with growing horror. Whatever they had expected, it was not this. My wolf pressed violently against my skin, panic and fury colliding inside me at once. The creature’s gaze moved slowly across the clearing before finally settling directly on me. And when it did, every ounce of warmth left my body.

“Aria,” Kael said quietly, stepping even further in front of me. “Run.” I stared at the creature, unable to look away. “What is it?” Kael’s jaw tightened hard. “A Wraith Alpha.” The name alone carried enough weight to send fear through every wolf in the clearing. Lucien’s expression had gone pale beside us. “Impossible,” he muttered. “Those spirits were destroyed centuries ago.” “Apparently not all of them,” Kael answered grimly. The creature released another low growl, deep enough to vibrate through the forest itself. Several Blood Hunters took fearful steps backward immediately. One of them shouted nervously, “Control it!” But no one moved. No one could. Because the creature was not listening to them. It was staring at me. Then suddenly it moved. Fast. Far too fast for something that massive. The Wraith Alpha lunged across the clearing with terrifying speed, black smoke exploding behind it as wolves scattered instantly. Kael shoved me backward seconds before the creature slammed into the ground where I had been standing.

Earth shattered beneath the force of the impact. “Move!” Lucien roared. Chaos erupted again. Wolves and Hunters alike ran as the Wraith Alpha tore through the battlefield with pure destruction. One Blood Hunter screamed as the creature’s claws ripped through him effortlessly, throwing his body across the clearing like broken paper. My stomach twisted violently. This thing wasn’t fighting. It was feeding. “It’s consuming energy,” Lucien shouted over the chaos. “Every death makes it stronger!” Another hunter tried attacking it with a silver blade, but the weapon shattered instantly against black bone protruding from the creature’s chest. The Wraith Alpha turned slowly toward him before tearing his throat out in one brutal movement. Blood sprayed across the ritual stones. My wolf snarled violently inside me. We need to kill it. “How?” I shouted desperately. Kael grabbed my wrist roughly before I could charge forward. “Not like this.” His amber eyes locked onto mine with fierce intensity.

“Listen to me carefully. Wraith Alphas cannot be killed through force alone.” “Then what?” Another violent roar shook the clearing before he could answer. The creature lunged toward a group of wolves near the ridge, and Darius barely managed to pull one of them out of the way before massive claws crushed the earth beneath them. “Kael!” Lucien shouted sharply. “If it reaches the forest border, ” “I know!” Kael released my wrist reluctantly, his expression dark with calculation. “The ritual connected it to Aria somehow. That’s why it keeps targeting her.” My stomach dropped instantly. “Because my name was in the circle.” “Yes.” Fear slid coldly through my chest. The creature turned toward me again as if hearing the conversation itself. Those glowing silver eyes locked onto mine with terrifying recognition. And then something impossible happened. A voice echoed inside my head. Daughter of Luna blood. I froze completely.

The voice was ancient. Broken. Male. My wolf recoiled instantly beneath my skin. “Did you hear that?” I whispered. Kael frowned immediately. “Hear what?” The creature stepped closer slowly, black smoke curling around its body. The entire battlefield seemed to pause with every movement it made. Daughter of Selene, the voice echoed again inside my mind. Free me. Pain exploded suddenly behind my eyes hard enough to nearly drop me to my knees. Kael caught my arm immediately. “Aria!” I gritted my teeth against the pressure building inside my skull. Images flashed violently through my mind. Ancient wolves. Massive battles beneath blood-red moons. A silver-eyed Alpha kneeling before a woman glowing with Luna power. Chains. Darkness. Betrayal. Then screaming. Endless screaming. “What’s happening?” Lucien demanded sharply. I struggled to breathe through the visions flooding my head. “It’s talking to me.” Silence hit instantly. Kael’s grip tightened on my arm. “That’s not possible.” “Well, it’s happening!” Another wave of pain struck me as the creature took another step closer. The voice inside my mind grew louder now.

They chained me beneath the earth. They betrayed the old blood. My wolf whined uneasily beneath my skin. Something about the voice felt wrong… but not entirely evil. More like pain twisted into madness over centuries of imprisonment. “Aria,” Kael said carefully, “don’t listen to it.” The creature growled deeply. LIAR. The single word slammed through my skull hard enough to make me gasp. Kael’s eyes widened slightly. “It can hear us.” “Wonderful,” I muttered weakly. Around us, wolves continued fighting the remaining Blood Hunters, but even the Hunters seemed terrified now. Several had already tried fleeing into the forest, only for the Wraith Alpha to slaughter them instantly. Whatever this creature was, it no longer cared who had summoned it. It wanted freedom. And somehow, I was connected to it. Lucien stepped closer carefully, his gaze fixed on the creature. “Wraith Alphas were once guardians,” he said quietly. “Ancient protectors tied directly to Luna bloodlines.” Kael’s expression darkened. “Until they became corrupted.” “Corrupted how?” I asked.

Lucien hesitated briefly. “Long ago, some wolves believed Luna blood should rule absolutely. Others feared that power. War followed.” The voice inside my head laughed softly. A terrible sound filled with bitterness. They feared us because we were stronger. More images flashed violently behind my eyes. Massive wolf armies tearing each other apart. Ancient Luna Queens burning entire territories in silver fire. And standing among them all, this creature. Before it became monstrous. He had once been enormous even in human form, silver-eyed and terrifyingly powerful, standing beside a Luna whose face I could not fully see. “His name was Varok,” Lucien whispered, almost like he had pulled the memory directly from my mind. Kael looked sharply toward him. “How do you know that?” Lucien’s face tightened. “Because I’ve heard the legends.” The creature’s glowing eyes narrowed. I AM NO LEGEND. The ground shook violently beneath us as power exploded outward from the Wraith Alpha’s body. Wolves stumbled backward while trees cracked around the clearing. The creature’s gaze remained fixed entirely on me. FREE ME. My wolf whimpered uneasily. “What does it want?” I whispered.

Kael answered immediately. “You.” Fear curled through me instantly. “Why?” But before he could answer, a Blood Hunter suddenly burst from the trees holding a silver spear glowing with dark symbols. His face was twisted with desperation. “Kill the Luna!” he screamed. Everything happened at once. The hunter threw the spear directly toward me. Kael moved instantly, shoving me sideways just as the weapon struck him directly through the shoulder. My breath caught painfully. “Kael!” He staggered backward with a sharp hiss of pain while black energy spread instantly around the wound. Poison. Rage exploded through me so violently my vision flashed silver. My wolf surged fully to the surface with furious power. The Wraith Alpha roared in response. The Blood Hunter barely had time to scream before I hit him. Silver energy exploded from my body as I slammed into him with enough force to shatter bone. The ground cracked beneath us while pure rage burned through my veins. I grabbed the hunter by the throat.

“You touched him.” My voice barely sounded human anymore. The hunter’s eyes widened in fear. “Monster,” he choked out. Maybe I was. Silver fire burst from my hands instantly. His scream lasted only seconds. Silence crashed over the clearing afterward. Heavy. Violent. My chest rose sharply as power continued burning beneath my skin. The wolves around me stared carefully now. Not fearful exactly. But aware. Kael was breathing hard behind me, black poison spreading slowly from the wound in his shoulder. I turned instantly, panic cutting through my anger. “Kael.” He tried standing fully upright but winced immediately. “I’m fine.” “That’s clearly a lie.” The poison symbols around the wound were spreading too quickly. Lucien cursed softly under his breath. “Bloodbane poison.” My stomach dropped. I knew that name. Every wolf did. Bloodbane poison was designed specifically to weaken Alphas from the inside out. “How bad?” I demanded. Lucien’s silence answered for him.

Fear hit me harder than any battle ever had. Kael looked at me steadily despite the pain tightening across his face. “Aria.” “Don’t,” I snapped immediately. “You’re not dying.” A faint smile touched his lips despite everything. “You sound angry.” “Because you got stabbed!” “Technically speared.” “This is not the time for sarcasm!” Surprisingly, that actually made him laugh weakly. Then the Wraith Alpha growled again. Every head snapped toward it instantly. The creature had gone completely still now, its glowing eyes fixed on Kael’s wound. Hunger flickered across its monstrous expression. My wolf immediately stepped forward protectively. “No.” The creature tilted its massive head slightly. The Alpha weakens. Let him fall. Rage flashed through me instantly. “Touch him and I’ll tear this entire hill apart.” Silence followed my threat. Then unexpectedly, the Wraith Alpha laughed softly inside my mind. Fierce little Luna. Kael frowned slightly. “What did it say?” I kept my eyes locked on the creature. “It’s mocking me.” “Good,” Kael muttered painfully. “That means it’s distracted.”

Lucien suddenly stepped closer, his expression sharp with realization. “Aria… the creature responds emotionally to you.” I blinked. “What?” “Your anger. Your fear. The bond between you and the spirit strengthens every time your emotions spike.” Kael’s face darkened immediately. “That’s bad.” “Very bad,” Lucien agreed. Another wave of pain hit behind my eyes as the creature stepped closer again. Daughter of Luna blood… release me fully… and I will destroy your enemies. My wolf snarled instantly. I straightened slowly despite the fear gripping my chest. “No.” The creature’s glowing eyes narrowed dangerously. You would refuse power? “I would refuse becoming you.” Silence spread across Raven Hill. Then the Wraith Alpha roared with enough force to shake the entire forest. Trees splintered. Wolves stumbled backward. The sky itself darkened unnaturally above us. And deep inside me, I realized something horrifying. This creature wasn’t the real enemy. It was only the beginning.