Rise of the broken Luna

The Dark Prophecy Selene Blackthorn Though tonight the woodland appeared calm, that silence was misleading. The air was dense with an uncanny cold, shadows slung across the old trees like long, clawed fingers. I could sense something approaching. Something that would fundamentally alter everything. I had worked in stealth for years, gradually gaining pack authority and controlling Darius to keep Elara in the dark. But the prophecy was always there, like a noose stranding around my neck. Her raspy whisper still echoed in my memory as the seer described the "Half-Blood Luna," a lady who would bring devastation and rejuvenation to the pack. Her presence always seemed perilous to me. Her human blood made her feeble; nevertheless, her latent abilities were erratic. I would lose all I had worked so hard to acquire—Darius, the pack, and my position as the proper Luna—should she ever embrace her natural ability. Not, however, if I acted first. Everything was already moving under my direction. Darius's rejection of her was easy to coordinate. His pride and his dread of weakness were easy to feed those insecurities for. Now, with Elara gone, I was more sure I would be Luna. Still, the prophecy of the seer tormented me. It murmured that Elara would come back, and when she did, she would rise more powerfully than before with a force capable of wiping off all of us. But that is not what would happen. I would make sure of it. I had dark forces at hand; if Elara dared to return, she would not walk away this time. I turned to face the dark figure stalking behind me. "Are you ready?" The voice responding was low, nearly a snarl. Indeed. The Shadow Clan is primed. When time comes, we shall attack." I grinned even though the weight of the prophecy still pressed down on my chest. "Good." Elara will not know what struck her. Still, a glimmer of uncertainty entered my heart even as I spoke the words. She was only one weak, half-human woman. Still, the prophecy addressed her as though she were more than that. Is that accurate? She truly may be the one meant to destroy everything I had created. I could not afford to gamble that risk. I would find her and make sure Elara Weston would not live when she returned. Walking the well-known road back to the boundaries of the Moonshadow Pack, the Northern Highland felt colder than I had remembered; the wind bit at my flesh. Every stride delivered me thrills of expectation and fear. I had left this town, embarrassed and broken five years ago. Now I was coming back, not the girl Darius Thorn had once loved. Now I was another stronger person. someone with goals. As recollections of that evening poured into my head, my hands curled into fists. His icy, far-off eyes reflected his denial before the whole pack. The voices that trailed me out. Though it still boiled under my skin, the guilt and the suffering changed their nature now. Right now, it was gasoline. I looked down at Kael, walking next to me, his huge violet eyes curiously staring up the tall trees. son of mine. The son of Darius. He knew nothing about the importance of this location or the risk we would be facing. Though I couldn't, part of me wanted to turn back and carry him far from here. There was too much online. We were getting close just now. The parklands' front lines ran just ahead. My bones felt it, the familiar pull of the pack link I had previously shared. It drew at me like a healed cold sore, but I pushed it away. I felt as though I belonged nowhere now. Not one of them. "Mom?" Kael's voice cut through my ideas. "Are we practically there?" I nodded and tried to grin. Yes, darling. Quite nearly. But something changed in the air as we got to the edge of the woodland. A weighty, stifling presence descended upon us, causing the hairs on my back of neck to rise up. Stopped, heart thumping in my chest. I was not isolated. I said to Kael, "Stay close to me," as I looked over the woods. Then I spotted him, a shadow too rapid for human movement between the trees. My body stiffened as my instincts took over and I moved in front of Kael. Whoever it was, they had not come to greet me home. From the shadows came a tall, broad figure with keen blue eyes that appeared to cut through the gloom. Rhys is The Beta of Darius. His eyes strayed between me and Kael, reflecting a mixture of shock and mistrust. "Elar?" His voice was sharp, doubt woven in every syllable. "You returned? I straightened my back and squarely met his eye. "We did." Rhys's gaze narrowed, but as he considered Kael's look—the dark hair, the violet eyes—I could see the gears whirl in his mind. Unquestionably, there was a similarity to Darius. His voice low and almost menacing, he questioned, "Who is the boy?" My heart beating, I hesitated momentarily. Kael was a secret I had held for five years; exposing him now would transform everything. I couldn't hide him entirely though. Not if I intended to challenge Darius. Not if I aimed for the truth to surface. At last, my voice steady, "This is Kael." "He's my son". Rhys's face tightened, and his jaw closed. "Your boy? Darius's?" There was stillness between us, tense enough. I understood his implication, what he was asking for. Although I had no intention of lying, I also owed him no explanations. I answered, my voice icy, "He's Darius's son." With fists twitching at his sides, Rhys seemed as though he may attack me momentarily. Then he backed off, his eyes blazing with something I couldn't quite identify—anger. Confusion? Remorse? His voice sharp, he hissed, "You need to leave." Darius can't see you. Not currently." I burst out in a sour laugh. "I left not to hide, Rhys. I returned to stand before him. To contend with all of this. Rhys shook his head, his face deepening. "Elara, you just do not understand. The times have changed. You are unaware of some threats here. The pack is tense, and Selene—" "Selene?" "Her name struck me like a kick to the gut, the usual rage rising inside me. "She is still here?" Rhys's eyes flicked once again, this time with a sliver of something darker. "She's Luna now. Darius made her his mate once you left. The words twisted the scar that never completely healed like a dagger in my chest. Now the Luna of the pack, Selene, the one who had disseminated lies about me and poisoned Darius's mind, was But I had expected this. I had heard it would be her. I had gone back to retrieve what was properly mine for this reason as well. I answered, my voice tight, "That doesn't change anything." "I really must see Darius." For a long minute, Rhys fixed me with an unfathomable gaze. He sighed resignedly then moved aside to signal me to follow. "Wonderful. But refrain from saying I failed to warn you." I felt dread when we crossed the boundaries of the pack. I came back for justice, for answers, and for retribution. But I couldn't get rid of the sensation that I was headed straight into the center of something considerably darker than I had expected as we neared the pack's stronghold. We entered the area of the pack, the stronghold's soaring stone walls visible in the distance. With wide eyes, Kael clung to my side and absorbed the sight of the pack he never knew existed. He did not, however, probe questions. He never followed through. He trusted me even though I wasn't sure I trusted myself. I could see the group staring at us as we got near the main gates. Whispers abound, and as they identified me, I could sense amazement and inquiry on their faces. The eccentric. the fractured Luna. Rhys guided us beyond the gates into the great hall, and my heart hammered in my chest. I knew Darius was here. No matter how hard I had tried, I could sense his presence—a tug I had never been able to release. I then observed him. Darius stood at the far end of the hall, his big shoulders tight and his back turned to face us. The years had been friendly to him—too friendly, in fact. He seemed far more deadly and strong than I could recall. I was not here, though, to respect him. "Darius," Rhys said, his voice slicing through the tension in the room. Darius turned slowly and locked black eyes on me. The earth seemed to pause for a time. The weight of the past slammed down between us, heavy and stifling. I would not allow it, nonetheless, break me. I moved forward, my chin kept high. "We ought to have a conversation.