The Luna is a Witch

Chapter 20: Draven

I have fought beasts older than kingdoms. I have bled on battlefields so soaked in magic they hummed beneath my feet. I have stood before prophecy stones that whispered my death. None of that prepared me for LJ holding a notepad like she’s minutes away from assigning homework.

She clicks her pen.“Okay, Wolf Daddy. Hit us with the prophecy.”

I pinch the bridge of my nose. “I told you not to call me that.”

“And yet here we are,” she says sweetly.

Claire snorts into her sleeve. Carter snores against my chest. I inhale slowly. Fine. If fate is forcing my hand, I’ll open it. I shift my weight on the ruined floor and begin: “The prophecy starts with the moon split in two.”

LJ raises her hand.

“Yes?” I sigh.

She points at Claire.“So she’s one half and the baby’s the other?”

“…Not exactly.”

“Mmhmm…Continue,” she says, scribbling nothing useful on her paper.

I continue, ignoring the headache forming behind my eyes.“The old texts say: When the veil tears and shadow crawls, The Moonborn child shall rise or fall.”

Claire stiffens.

LJ waves her pen dramatically.“Okay, very ominous. Keep going.”

“The prophecy goes on: The Luna chosen, unawakened, hides Until danger cracks the sky.”

Claire’s breath catches. I look at her, but she avoids my eyes. I swallow hard. “Then it says: Wolf and witch, bound by light. Shall shield the spark from endless night.”

LJ’s jaw drops, “Oh my GOD,” she whispers.

Turning to Claire: “Girl, you’re THE main character.”

Claire groans into her hands.

“For once,” I mutter, “could you not interrupt?”

LJ pats my knee. “Sweetheart, narrating is my coping mechanism. Proceed.”

I swear the goddess is laughing at me. I continue: “The last line is the one that scares every pack elder alive.” I hesitate. Then let the truth fall: ‘But if the spark is left unguarded, The moonlight dies, And all realms with it.’

Claire pales. LJ gasps, slams her notebook down, and yells: “DO YOU MEAN TO TELL ME MY NEPHEW IS A MAGICAL NUCLEAR REACTOR?!”

I rub my temples.“That is… a very dramatic way to put it.”

“It’s accurate!” LJ screeches.

“That is a CHILD! A BABY! A tiny human jelly bean who thinks dogs say ‘woof woof rawr’!”

“To be fair, he’s not wrong,” I say before I can stop myself.

Claire shoots me a look — half panic, half embarrassment. LJ points at me again. “And YOU— big fuzzy protector guy — need to explain something.”

I really don’t want to know what is about to come out of her mouth.

“Are you his wolf or Claire’s wolf or BOTH? Because the prophecy is pretty casual about the whole ‘bound by light’ thing.”

I close my eyes.“LJ…”

“No, Draven, because if my best friend is fated to a man, I need to know if I hate him or buy him a Christmas present—”

“LJ,” Claire hisses, face bright red.

Carter shifts against me, tiny fingers curling in my shirt. I look down at him. I soften.

“…I’m his wolf,” I say quietly. “Because he chose me.”Both women freeze. Everything in me feels exposed — throat open, chest carved out. “And Claire,” I continue, looking right at her even as her cheeks flush, “is the Luna that magic tied me to. Whether she wants it or not.”

LJ stands up like she just heard gossip from the gods.“SO YOU ARE IN LOVE WITH HER—”

“What?!” Claire squeaks.

My jaw drops. “No— that’s not— the prophecy doesn’t— LJ—”

“Oh come ON,” she yells, pointing at us like an angry wedding officiant. “You look at her like she’s the last star in the damn sky, and she looks at you like you’re a walking existential crisis. MATCH MADE IN MOON HEAVEN.”

Claire throws a pillow at her. LJ screams dramatically.

I mutter, “This is not how Luna bonds work.”

“THEN EDUCATE ME,” she demands.

Claire buries her face in a pillow and mumbles, “Please stop.”

I exhale, try to find my piece of mind and finally answer: “A Luna bond isn’t romantic,” I say softly.“It’s spiritual. Magical. Ancient. It connects magic and instinct—nothing more. It can be, but that’s in rare cases.”

LJ narrows her eyes. “So you’re saying you’re NOT in love with her?”

I choke.Hard.Carter lifts his head, blinks at me, then pats my cheek like he’s checking to make sure I was still there. “I— that’s not— the prophecy—” I can feel my ears turning red.

Claire stares at me, wide-eyed. LJ smirks like the devil herself. “Ohhhh, interesting. VERY interesting.”

I glare at her. “I hate this family meeting.”

"You get used to it. Eventually. She calls family meetings for every situation, but she cares. In her own way." Claire says rolling her eyes at LJ.

"You don't think I care? Of course, I care. I obvisouly care. How dare you say I don't care." LJ looks so offended. She turns towards me. "I just process things differently than everyone else."

You can say that again.