The Luna is a Witch

Chapter 13: Draven

The ceiling caves in and the world slows. Moon-silver dust explodes into the air as wooden beams splinter downward. The creature drops through the ruined roof — long limbs, too many joints, talons glowing with sickly dark flame. It smells like rotted magic. Like decay. Like it crawled out of the grave of a dead god.

It spreads its wings, because of course it would have f*****g wings, and lets out a loud screeches straight toward Claire and Carter. My vision goes red. I leap towards the creature with my claws out and teeth bared. Every muscle exploding with the force of my wolf and my fear. I meet the creature mid-air with a snarl that shakes the walls. My claws sink into its shoulder. Its talons rake across my ribs. We hit the ground in a violent crack.

I'm strong but it's stronger. It pins me down and it's teeth are dangersouly close to my throat. A scream comes from the corner. Just barely loud enough to hear but obvisouly I heard it. Carter.My head whips toward him and the sight nearly knocks me breathless even mid-battle.The tiny boy is glowing like a star exploding.

Silver light pours from his chest, his eyes, his tiny hands gripping Claire’s shirt. His magic surges outward toward me. Like a firecracker aimed right at me.His power reached for the only shield it recognized.

Claire screams, “CARTER, NO—DON’T—” But it’s too late. His magic hits me like a tidal wave of moonlight. My body jolts. My claws crackle with silver sparks. My half-shifted form ignites with lunar fire that is NOT mine. For a heartbeat —one terrifying, beautiful heartbeat —Carter and I are connected. Two powers. Two instincts. Two heartbeats. The Luna’s child, and the wolf who swore to protect him.The creature shrieks as Carter’s magic slams through my veins, amplifying every instinct, every muscle, every ounce of strength I possess. I feel—Everything. Claire’s terror. Carter’s desperation and my wolf’s singular, powerful command: PROTECT. THEM. ALL.

The creature thrashes. I grab its skull and slam it into the floor so hard the tiles crack. It screeches again, shadows pouring from its mouth, but Carter’s light scorches them away before they can reach Claire. Silver lightning erupts from the boy again, flowing through me like holy fire. My claws glow white-hot. I drive my claws straight into the creature’s throat. Shadow bursts. Dark magic hisses. The creature convulses. Its body collapses beneath me.

Dead.

Burned by moonlight. Burned by the Luna’s child. I stagger backward, chest heaving, still half-shifted, claws dripping with black blood and silver light. Carter sags against Claire’s chest, exhausted from the blast. His glow dims. Claire is shaking so hard she can barely hold him. Her wide eyes meet mine. She sees the silver in my claws. She sees the connection that just happened. She sees what her son did.

She whispers, voice cracking:“Draven… what did he—what did he DO to you?”

I don’t know how to answer. Because my heart is still racing with Carter’s heartbeat. Because my veins still hum with moonlight. Because the child’s magic recognized me. Chose me and my wolf. Chose us as his protector and father figure. My wolf kneels in awe. I swallow hard, shifting my claws back into hands, but the silver burn lingers.

“Claire…” My voice is rough, scraped raw. "I'm not sure how but whatever Carter just did, it protected us.”

Her mouth falls open. Carter curls closer to her, small and sleepy, a faint silver crescent glowing under his shirt. For the first time since I met him, since I met them, I’m not afraid of the prophecy. I’m afraid of failing it.

⸻

The world goes quiet. Too quiet. Carter is sleep in Claire’s arms, glowing faintly. Claire is pale, shaking, her eyes locked on me like she’s seeing a ghost or a prophecy or both.I look over at LJ. Frankly, I forgot she was here. LJ is vibrating. Not with fear. With rage. Her eyes are wide, her curls wild, her entire body trembling with adrenaline and whatever demon juice fuels her on a daily basis. She stares at me. I stare back. I am not in the mood for whatever she has to say. We don’t speak. 3-2-1...

“YOU—” She points at me like she’s about to smite me in the name of ALL THINGS PETTY AND HOLY. “WHAT THE ACTUAL HELLS WAS THAT?!” There it is.

I blink. How the f**k am I supposed to know? Before I can answer, she storms forward—past the dead creature, past the broken ceiling, past the shattered couch—and shoves me. Hard. I stumble back a step, mostly because I’m too stunned to resist.

“You—overgrown—glitter-eyed—FERAL WOLF DEMON!” LJ yells, jabbing my chest so hard my ribs actually ache. “You scared the LIVING SOUL RIGHT OUT OF ME!”

“LJ—” Claire tries weakly.

“No! No, do NOT LJ me right now!” LJ screams. “I just watched you half-shift like a freaking Marvel villain and LAUNCH YOURSELF AT A CEILING MONSTER!”

“I killed it,” I say flatly.

“WELL CONGRATU-f*****g-LATIONS, ALPHA BARBIE!”

Alpha Barbie? I have NO idea what that means.

LJ kicks the dead creature. “Do you know how many near-death experiences I’ve had TODAY?!”

She ticks them off on her fingers, “One! Claire collapsing! Two! A goddess popping up like a Greek pop-up ad! Three! Carter glowing like a toddler nuke! FOUR! A DEMON THROUGH THE DAMN ROOF! FIVE! YOU!”

I raise a brow. “Me?”

“YES YOU!” She punches my shoulder. Punches. Me. An Alpha.

“You, sniffing around the door like a tragic romance wolf! You, making Claire panic! You, half-shifting like the world’s angriest furry! WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO WITH THAT INFORMATION?!”

Despite everything—despite the danger, the fear, the creature’s corpse cooling at my feet—A laugh nearly escapes me. Nearly.

Until LJ launches herself at me again.This time I brace.She slaps my chest, tears streaming.

“Don’t—EVER—scare—us—like—that—AGAIN!”

I gently catch her wrists before she injures herself.

“I wasn’t the threat,” I say quietly. She stops. Glares up at me through furious tears.

“YOU WERE A THREAT TO MY BLOOD PRESSURE!”

I actually huff out a breath at that. Claire whispers hoarsely from behind her, “LJ… maybe let him go…”

“NO!”

LJ turns on Claire.

“This man needs CONSEQUENCES!”

“LJ—” Claire tries again.

“No! You don’t get it! I thought—Claire, I thought you were dead. I thought you and Carter—” Her voice cracks.

I feel something twist inside me. LJ grabs me by the shirt and shakes me like I’m a ragdoll.

“You protect them,” she hisses.“You hear me? You protect them. Or gods help you—”

I nod once. “I will.”

LJ stares. It’s the anger that fades first. Then the adrenaline. Then the fear. She lets go of my shirt and collapses to her knees, sobbing in relief. Claire crawls to her and pulls her into one arm, Carter still tucked in the other.

Claire meets my eyes, wide and trembling. “Draven… thank you.”

A warmth surges through me so quickly I nearly forget how to breathe. Before I can reply Carter stirs, looks at me and mumbles, half-asleep:“Woof… safe.”

I nearly break