THE LAST MOONFANG

The Rogue's Daughter

Nineteen Years Later

The forest was silent.

Too silent.

Daisy froze halfway through drawing her hunting knife.

The rabbit she had been tracking only moments before had disappeared into the undergrowth without warning. Birds no longer sang. Even the wind seemed to have abandoned the Whispering Forest.

Something was wrong.

Very wrong.

Slowly, Daisy lowered herself into a crouch behind the thick trunk of an ancient oak.

Her silver-blue eyes swept across the shadows.

Nothing.

Yet every instinct told her she was no longer alone.

Marcus had drilled that lesson into her since she was old enough to hold a wooden sword.

"Trust your instincts before your eyes. Your eyes can be deceived. Your instincts rarely lie."

She tightened her grip on the knife.

"Northern wind..." she whispered to herself.

"...three strangers."

She couldn't smell them clearly because the breeze carried their scent away.

Whoever they were...

They knew what they were doing.

Not far away, three enormous wolves crept silently through the trees.

Each wore dark leather armor reinforced with silver plates.

One of them sniffed the air.

"She's close."

Another nodded.

"The Alpha was right."

"The girl comes here every full moon."

The leader smiled beneath his hood.

"This time..."

"She doesn't leave."

Daisy slowly reached into the satchel hanging from her shoulder.

Instead of another weapon...

She pulled out a small handful of dry leaves.

She crushed them between her fingers.

A sharp herbal scent filled the air.

Immediately...

The wind shifted.

The strangers' scent rushed toward her.

Werewolves.

Three.

No...

Four.

One had stayed behind.

Waiting.

A trap.

Daisy smiled faintly.

"Too predictable."

Without hesitation, she sprinted deeper into the forest.

The wolves burst from cover.

"There!"

"Don't let her escape!"

Branches snapped beneath powerful paws.

The chase began.

Daisy ran with astonishing speed.

Years of surviving alone had taught her every hidden path through Whispering Forest.

She vaulted over fallen trees.

Slid beneath tangled roots.

Leaped across narrow streams.

Behind her came furious growls.

The hunters refused to fall behind.

One wolf launched itself through the air.

Daisy twisted at the last second.

The beast crashed into a tree hard enough to split the trunk.

She didn't stop running.

Another wolf circled ahead, cutting off her escape.

Daisy suddenly changed direction.

Exactly where she wanted him.

His paw landed on soft ground.

Click.

Hidden beneath the leaves...

A rope trap snapped tight.

The wolf shot into the air upside down, hanging helplessly from a massive oak branch.

His furious howls echoed through the forest.

Daisy laughed.

"You should watch where you step."

The remaining wolves growled angrily.

"Split up!"

Miles away...

A group of mounted riders entered Whispering Forest.

At their head rode a tall man dressed in black traveling armor.

A long sword rested across his back.

His sharp grey eyes studied every broken branch along the trail.

Alpha Hogan Blackwood.

Beside him rode his Beta.

Lucas.

Lucas frowned.

"Fresh tracks."

Hogan dismounted.

He knelt beside the muddy ground.

"Three Nightfang scouts."

Lucas looked surprised.

"Inside our border?"

Hogan nodded slowly.

"They're hunting someone."

Lucas glanced toward the forest.

"Should we intervene?"

Hogan stood.

"If Victor's men are here..."

His voice became cold.

"Someone is in danger."

He drew his sword.

"Move."

Meanwhile...

Daisy reached a narrow cliff overlooking the raging Silver River.

She stopped.

Not because she was tired.

Because someone already stood there.

An old woman wrapped in a dark blue cloak.

She leaned upon a carved wooden staff decorated with silver wolf carvings.

Her cloudy white eyes turned toward Daisy.

"You've grown."

Daisy frowned.

"We know each other?"

The old woman smiled.

"I knew your mother."

Daisy's heartbeat skipped.

"My..."

Before she could finish—

An arrow flew from the trees.

The old woman slammed her staff against the ground.

A pulse of silver light exploded outward.

The arrow shattered into splinters before reaching them.

Daisy stared.

"What..."

The old woman sighed.

"They've found you sooner than I expected."

Growls surrounded the clearing.

One.

Two.

Three.

Ten.

Nightfang warriors emerged from every direction.

Their leader stepped forward.

Unlike the others, he remained in human form.

A scar ran across his left eye.

His lips curled into a cruel smile.

"So..."

"There really is a guardian."

The old woman whispered to Daisy without taking her eyes off the soldiers.

"Listen carefully."

"You must run."

Daisy shook her head.

"There are too many."

"I know."

"What about you?"

The old woman smiled sadly.

"My journey ended long ago."

"Yours..."

She touched the silver pendant hidden beneath Daisy's shirt.

"...is only beginning."

The leader's eyes widened.

"The pendant!"

He raised his sword.

"Take the girl alive!"

Every warrior charged at once.

Daisy instinctively reached for her knife.

The old woman's staff suddenly burst into brilliant silver light.

The entire forest shook.

Far above...

The full moon emerged from behind the clouds.

And the silver pendant around Daisy's neck began to glow for the first time in nineteen years.

The silver light burst from the pendant like a star falling to earth.

A wave of power rippled through the clearing, bending the tall grass and sending dead leaves spiraling into the air. Every Nightfang warrior staggered, shielding their eyes from the brilliant glow.

Daisy instinctively grabbed the pendant beneath her shirt.

It was warm.

No...

It was burning.

Pain shot through her chest and spread across her entire body.

"What... is happening?" she gasped.

The old woman stepped between Daisy and the advancing soldiers, planting her staff firmly into the ground.

"I prayed this day would come later," she whispered. "But destiny waits for no one."

The scarred commander recovered first. His amber eyes widened as he stared at the glowing pendant.

"It really is the Moonfang Seal," he breathed.

His expression transformed from curiosity into excitement.

"She's the heir."

He pointed his sword directly at Daisy.

"Capture her alive! Alpha Victor wants her breathing."

The warriors charged.

The old woman lifted her staff.

"Go!"

"I won't leave you!" Daisy shouted.

"You must!"

The staff struck the earth.

Silver energy erupted in every direction, throwing the first wave of attackers backward. Several warriors crashed into nearby trees, while others rolled across the forest floor.

But there were too many.

More soldiers poured from the shadows.

The old woman knew she could not hold them for long.

"Daisy!" she called. "Run toward the river. Don't look back."

Daisy hesitated.

Every lesson Marcus had ever taught her told her never to abandon someone in danger.

Yet the fear in the old woman's eyes said something else.

She wasn't trying to save herself.

She was trying to save Daisy.

With a reluctant nod, Daisy turned and sprinted into the forest.

"After her!" the commander roared.

Half the soldiers broke away from the battle.

The hunt resumed.

Miles away, Hogan Blackwood stopped abruptly.

His horse snorted nervously.

Lucas frowned.

"What is it?"

Hogan slowly looked toward the eastern forest.

"Did you feel that?"

Lucas nodded.

"It was like..."

"...an Alpha’s aura?"

Hogan shook his head.

"No."

"It was older."

"Stronger."

He had never experienced anything like it.

For only a heartbeat...

He had felt an overwhelming presence, ancient and commanding, as though the forest itself had awakened.

Without another word, Hogan spurred his horse forward.

"Ride!

Daisy's lungs burned as she ran.

Branches whipped against her face.

The pendant still glowed faintly beneath her shirt.

She could hear the hunters closing in.

One of them leaped from a rocky ledge.

She ducked.

The warrior sailed over her head before crashing into a thorn bush.

Another emerged from behind a tree, swinging a silver blade.

Daisy twisted sideways.

The blade sliced through her sleeve, drawing a thin line of blood across her arm.

She hissed in pain.

The soldier grinned.

"You're slowing down."

Daisy answered with a kick to his knee.

Bone cracked.

The warrior screamed and collapsed.

She didn't wait to see if he would stand again.

The river was only a few hundred meters ahead.

If she could reach it...

She might escape.

Then a deep growl echoed behind her.

She turned just in time to see an enormous black wolf burst from the trees.

It was larger than any wolf she had ever seen.

Its grey eyes burned with fierce intelligence.

For one terrifying moment, Daisy thought another enemy had found her.

The black wolf ignored her.

Instead, it launched itself at the nearest Nightfang warrior.

The impact sent both wolves tumbling across the ground.

Another black wolf emerged.

Then another.

No.

Not wolves.

Werewolves.

Blackwood warriors.

The forest exploded into battle.

Steel clashed.

Wolves snarled.

Trees splintered beneath powerful bodies.

Daisy stood frozen.

The largest black wolf shifted smoothly into human form.

A tall man stood before her.

His black hair was damp with rain.

A long scar crossed his chest.

His grey eyes met hers.

"Are you hurt?" he asked.

Daisy blinked.

He was handsome.

Calm.

Completely unlike the men chasing her.

She tightened her grip on her knife.

"I don't know you."

A faint smile touched his lips despite the chaos around them.

"I'm Hogan Blackwood."

Her eyes widened.

The Alpha of Blackwood.

Marcus had spoken of him only a handful of times.

A leader known for honor.

A man who rarely involved himself in the affairs of other packs.

"What are Victor's soldiers doing in my territory?" Hogan asked.

"I don't know."

It wasn't entirely a lie.

She still had no idea why they wanted her alive.

Before Hogan could question her further—

An arrow whistled through the air.

He reacted instantly.

Drawing his sword in one fluid motion, he deflected it with a sharp metallic clang.

The scarred commander stepped into the clearing, surrounded by a dozen surviving Nightfang warriors.

His expression darkened when he recognized Hogan.

"Alpha Blackwood."

"Hogan."

"I wasn't expecting to see you."

Hogan rested his sword on his shoulder.

"Likewise."

The commander's gaze shifted to Daisy.

"Hand over the girl."

"No."

"She doesn't belong to you."

"She belongs to Alpha Victor."

Hogan's voice became ice.

"Then tell Victor he has no authority in Blackwood territory."

The commander laughed.

"You have no idea who you're protecting."

Hogan didn't move.

"I don't need to."

"Anyone hunted like an animal deserves a chance to defend themselves."

For the first time in years...

Daisy felt something unfamiliar.

Someone had chosen to stand beside her.

Not because they knew her.

Not because they owed her.

But because it was the right thing to do.

The feeling unsettled her more than the battle itself.

The commander raised his sword.

"Kill anyone who stands in your way."

The Nightfang warriors charged.

Hogan slowly exhaled.

Without taking his eyes off the enemy, he spoke quietly to Daisy.

"When I say run..."

She frowned.

"What about you?"

A confident smile appeared on his face.

"I'll make sure they can't follow."

The first warrior reached him.

Hogan moved.

His sword flashed like silver lightning.

The battle had truly begun.

Hogan moved before the first Nightfang warrior could finish his charge.

His sword flashed in a silver arc, meeting the attacker's blade with a deafening clang. The force of the impact threw the man backward, his weapon spinning from his hands before he crashed into the trunk of a towering pine.

Two more warriors attacked from opposite sides.

Hogan pivoted smoothly, ducking beneath one strike while driving his elbow into the second attacker's ribs. The man gasped in pain just as Hogan's sword swept across his chest, tearing through his armor and sending him sprawling across the forest floor.

The remaining Nightfang soldiers hesitated.

Their commander narrowed his eyes.

"So the stories about the Blackwood Alpha are true."

Hogan lowered his sword into a defensive stance.

"I warned you."

"I have no quarrel with Blackwood."

The commander sneered.

"Our quarrel is with the girl."

He pointed toward Daisy.

"Hand her over, and none of your warriors need to die."

Hogan's expression remained unreadable.

"I don't trade innocent lives."

The commander's lips curled into a cruel smile.

"Innocent?"

"You have no idea who she is."

Daisy's heart skipped.

What did he mean?

Before she could speak, Hogan answered.

"It doesn't matter."

His calm voice carried through the clearing.

"She's under my protection now."

The words struck Daisy harder than she expected.

No one had ever said something like that about her.

Marcus had protected her because he had raised her.

But this man...

This Alpha...

Barely knew her.

Yet he had chosen to stand between her and an army.

The commander sighed.

"Then you leave me no choice."

He raised his hand.

Archers hidden among the trees immediately nocked their arrows.

Hogan's eyes widened.

"Down!"

He lunged toward Daisy.

A storm of silver-tipped arrows filled the air.

Hogan wrapped one arm around Daisy's waist and threw both of them behind a fallen oak just as arrows slammed into the trunk with sharp, splintering cracks.

Wood chips exploded around them.

Daisy found herself pressed against Hogan's chest.

For a brief second...

Everything else disappeared.

She could hear only his heartbeat.

Strong.

Steady.

Completely fearless.

Their eyes met.

Neither spoke.

The moment lasted only an instant before another volley struck the tree.

Hogan released her immediately.

"Can you run?"

She nodded.

"I'm not leaving you."

A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"You're stubborn."

"I've been called worse."

Despite the danger, Hogan almost laughed.

Then Lucas slid behind the fallen tree, breathing hard.

"We've got a problem."

"I counted at least thirty more wolves moving in from the east."

Hogan frowned.

"Reinforcements."

Lucas nodded grimly.

"They've surrounded the forest."

Daisy's stomach tightened.

Thirty more?

There was no escaping that.

The scarred commander stepped forward again, his voice echoing through the clearing.

"You cannot win."

He slowly drew a small black horn from his belt.

"If I sound this..."

He smiled coldly.

"...every Nightfang patrol within ten miles will be here before sunrise."

Lucas muttered under his breath.

"That's bad."

Hogan looked toward Daisy.

"Is there another way out?"

She hesitated.

"There is..."

"But no one uses it."

"Why?"

She looked toward the roaring river below the cliffs.

"The bridge collapsed years ago."

Lucas stared.

"So we're trapped."

"No."

Daisy shook her head.

"There used to be a rope crossing."

"If it's still there..."

"It's our only chance."

Hogan made his decision instantly.

"We head for the river."

The commander heard him.

"Stop them!"

The forest erupted into chaos once more.

Blackwood warriors formed a protective circle around Hogan and Daisy as they fought their way through the trees.

Steel rang.

Wolves snarled.

The scent of rain mixed with blood.

Daisy kept pace beside Hogan, occasionally throwing knives with deadly accuracy whenever an enemy broke through their line.

One blade struck a charging wolf squarely in the shoulder.

Another buried itself in a warrior's thigh.

Hogan noticed.

"You've had military training."

Marcus's face flashed through Daisy's mind.

"I had a good teacher."

She offered no further explanation.

They burst from the forest onto a rocky cliff overlooking the Silver River.

The water churned violently far below.

Mist rose into the cool night air.

Across the gap stood the remains of an ancient rope bridge.

Most of the wooden planks had rotted away.

Only a few thick ropes still stretched between the cliffs.

Lucas stared in disbelief.

"You call that a bridge?"

"It'll hold," Daisy replied.

"I hope."

Lucas groaned.

"I don't like the sound of that."

Behind them came the pounding footsteps of Nightfang warriors.

The commander emerged from the trees.

His face lit up with satisfaction.

"You've cornered yourselves."

Hogan looked from the collapsing bridge to the approaching soldiers.

There was no time to argue.

He turned to Daisy.

"Can you cross it?"

She nodded.

"I've done it before."

"Then go."

"What about you?"

"I'll be right behind you."

She wanted to protest.

Instead, she trusted the certainty in his voice.

Without another word, Daisy stepped onto the swaying ropes.

The ancient bridge creaked beneath her weight.

One plank snapped.

She caught herself before falling.

Below...

The Silver River crashed against jagged rocks.

She forced herself to keep moving.

Halfway across, she looked back.

Hogan and the Blackwood warriors had formed a final defensive line at the cliff's edge.

The commander smiled cruelly.

He slowly lifted the black horn to his lips.

Hogan's eyes narrowed.

"If he blows that horn..."

Lucas finished the sentence.

"...we're finished."

The commander inhaled.

And the horn touched his lips.