The Luna's Revenge

Chapter5

The fire in Mara’s den sputtered, its dying embers igniting in the dance of the morning wind. I sat hunched on a pile of furs, knees pulled tight to my chest, fingers tracing the frayed edge of Lily’s tunic, a fragile remnant, soft and blood-flecked, the last piece of my daughter. My scars ached, a dull pulse beneath my skin from Kaid’s claws and the rogue attack, but the deeper wound gnawed at my soul. Grief for Lily, rage for Kaid and Ava, a fire that refused to fade. Kaid’s rejection replayed in my mind, his voice cold as he banished me, his claws tearing my flesh as Ava smirked, her son Torin paraded as the heir. Lily’s screams under that blue moon haunted me and reminded me that I had to make them pay.

The door creaked open, jolting me from the abyss. Ares stepped in, his broad frame shadowed by dawn, shaggy black hair clinging to his forehead with mist. His green eyes met my eyes. Behind him trailed Lynn, his pinched face tight with unease, brown eyes flickering like a cornered hare’s. I straightened as he stopped a pace away, hands tense at his sides.

‘’I forgot to ask for your name,’’ he said to me, watching me and the fire intermittently.

‘’Kaira,’’ I said, simply.

“Kaira,” he said, voice rough as gravel. “I’m heading to the southern border tomorrow. I need you to come with me.”

I frowned, his words sinking slow, heavy. “The southern border? What’s that to me?” My voice cut sharp. His pack’s borders meant nothing to me. Mine was gone, burned to ash with Lily’s last breath.

He crouched, leveling his gaze with mine, steady and unyielding. “It’s a chance. Mara’s got something to say to you. Hear her out.”

She emerged from the shadows, her gaunt frame bent over a weaker staff. She’d stitched me back from death’s edge, her hands sure as she mended my torn flesh. Now she fixed me with a stare that pierced too deep, and my skin prickled. Lynn shifted behind Ares, his breath catching as she spoke.

“Your wolf spirit’s fading, Kaira,” she rasped, voice brittle as dry twigs. “A spell’s got its claws in you that has been weakening you since before the rogues struck.”

The air fled my chest, a cold fist closing around my heart. “A spell?” My voice cracked. I knew that my power had been dwindling for a while now but I had thought it was the moon goddess punishing me. I hadn’t thought it could be a spell.

“Who—how?”

“Old magic,” she said, tapping her staff with a sharp thud. “Dark rites. It saps your spirit slow, keeps your howl caged. You’re lucky it didn’t kill you outright.”

Rage surged, a wildfire in my veins. Ava? Did she cast the spell on me before she was banished?’’

She held my hand and raised it to my face as though there was something to see on it. All I saw was a scar.

‘’Your blood turns blue under the moonlight,’’ she said. ‘’A sign of spirit poisoning.’’

I gasped. I had never noticed it before. Ares was nodding in agreement. I looked at her. “How do I break it?”

“The Moonwell,” she said, her gaze unwavering. “Sacred water, deep in the wilds. Bathe in it under the moon. It will unravel the spell.’’

Lynn stepped forward, voice sharp with alarm. “The Moonwell? That’s beyond the territory lines. Rogue land! Ares, you’re not taking her there!”

Ares turned, a grin flickering, but his eyes were steel. “It’s on the way to the southern border. Breaks her spell, then I scout the rogues. Two hunts, one trail.”

Lynn’s jaw dropped, his face twisting with disbelief. “You’ve lost it! Torvald’s already snarling. You skipped the council, dodged the Mating Ball. And now you’re hauling a stray into rogue territory? He’ll strip your Alpha claim for this!”

He shot me a glance, wary and accusing. “She’s trouble. Mara already said it before.’’

“She’s no stray,” Ares snapped, voice dropping low, dangerous. “She’s with me. Father doesn’t need to know.”

Lynn paced, hands raking his hair. “This is madness. You’ve got no spirit howling for a mate. Torvald’s words, not mine. And you’re dragging us into this? If the rogues catch us out there—”

My eyes snapped to Ares. No spirit? His lunar essence pulsed steady and strong. Why would Lynn say that? But Ares waved him off, unfazed. “Keep your nose out of it, delta. I’ve got this.”

Lynn’s glare lingered, his unease thick as the smoke, but he retreated to the wall, muttering under his breath. I studied Ares, suspicion coiling tight. He’d saved me, pulled me from the dirt when the rogues fled, but this eagerness was questionable. Yet the Moonwell called, a lifeline to my power, to the vengeance I’d sworn under every moon since Lily’s blood soaked my hands. “I’m in,” I said, standing, voice firm despite the tremor inside. “I need my spirit back. Then i’d leave.’’

Ares nodded and Lynn remained silent.

---

We waited for nightfall before we started our journey. The waxing moon hung low, its silver threading through twisted pines, casting ghosts across the trail. Ares led, his stride sure, blade glinting at his hip when the light caught it. I followed, Lily’s tunic pressed against my chest like a shield. My mind was still occupied with what Mara had said. A spell? I was thoroughly convinced this spell was from Ava. I should have known and sought for its reversal all those years.

“You should know who I am before we go any further,” I said, walking to Ares’ side while keeping my voice low. I felt I could trust him.

He turned, green eyes narrowing, waiting. The words spilled like blood from an open wound. “I am Kaira, Alpha Kaid’s banished Luna,’’ i said, watching his reaction.’’I’m no stray.’’

His jaw tightened but he said nothing.

‘’Does that change anything?’’ I asked. He shook his head, but I saw something in his eyes.