The Luna They Rejected

Chapter 9: The Heart of Selene

The moment the hunter raised his blade, everything exploded into motion.

“Protect Aria!” Kael roared.

The Warriors lunged forward instantly.

The hunters attacked at the same time.

Steel clashed against claws as chaos erupted across the courtyard. Wolves shifted midair, snarls echoing through the storm while silver weapons flashed beneath the moonlight.

I stumbled backward, my heart pounding violently.

The lead hunter came straight for me.

Fast.

Deadly.

But before he could reach me, Darius intercepted him with brutal force.

The impact cracked the stone beneath their feet.

The hunter slid backward several feet, shock flashing across his face.

“You’re stronger than rumors claimed,” he muttered darkly.

Darius rolled his shoulders calmly. “And you’re slower.”

The hunter snarled and attacked again.

Their movements were terrifyingly fast now, almost impossible to follow. Silver blades sliced through the rain while Darius dodged with unnatural precision.

Kael shifted beside me suddenly.

A massive silver wolf burst forward with a thunderous growl and slammed another hunter into the courtyard wall.

The entire pack erupted into battle.

Screams echoed everywhere.

Blood stained the rainwater flowing across the stones.

And through all the chaos, my mark kept burning.

Hotter.

Hotter.

As if something inside me was waking completely.

“Aria!”

Lucas grabbed my arm and pulled me away from the fighting. “Stay behind us.”

Another hunter appeared from the smoke suddenly and swung a silver dagger toward me.

Instinct took over.

Power surged through my body violently.

The hunter froze midattack.

Not physically.

Completely.

Like an invisible force held him still.

My eyes widened in shock.

What did I just do?

The hunter looked terrified now.

“So it’s true,” he whispered.

Before I could react, Nina smashed a metal tray across his face from nowhere.

The hunter collapsed instantly.

Nina blinked at herself. “Okay… that actually worked.”

Despite everything, I almost laughed.

Then another scream tore through the courtyard.

I turned sharply.

Selene.

She stood near the healer’s wing while two hunters advanced toward her. Fear filled her face as she backed away trembling.

“Kael!” she cried.

Kael immediately tried reaching her, but another hunter blocked his path.

Everything happened too fast.

One hunter grabbed Selene violently while the other pressed a blade to her throat.

“Stop fighting,” he shouted.

The courtyard froze.

Rain poured heavily around us.

Selene’s breathing came in panicked gasps.

“Kael…” she whispered weakly.

The lead hunter slowly stepped away from Darius, blood running down his arm now.

“Interesting,” he murmured while staring at Selene. “So this is the chosen Luna.”

Kael’s wolf growled low and lethal.

“Touch her again,” he snarled, “and you die.”

The hunter smiled coldly. “You’re in no position to threaten anyone.”

His gaze slid toward me again.

“Trade.”

My stomach dropped instantly.

Kael stiffened.

The hunter’s smile widened slightly. “The marked girl for your Luna.”

Silence crashed over the courtyard.

I felt everyone’s attention shift toward Kael.

Waiting.

Watching.

My chest tightened painfully.

Not again.

Please not again.

Selene’s terrified eyes locked onto Kael desperately.

“Don’t let them take me.”

The lead hunter tilted his head slightly. “Choose carefully, Alpha.”

Every heartbeat felt painfully loud.

Kael’s silver wolf slowly shifted back into human form, rain soaking his dark clothes instantly.

His eyes found mine.

And for one terrible moment…

I already knew the answer.

Because he had chosen before.

Selene.

Always Selene.

Darius moved closer to me quietly. “If he hands you over, I’ll kill every hunter here.”

The calm certainty in his voice sent a chill through me.

But my attention stayed fixed on Kael.

Waiting.

Hoping despite myself.

Kael looked torn apart internally.

Good.

Let him feel it.

Let him understand what it felt like to stand there wondering if someone who once claimed to love you would sacrifice you.

The hunter tightened his grip on Selene slightly.

She whimpered in pain.

Kael closed his eyes briefly.

Then,

“No.”

Everyone froze.

The hunter frowned. “Excuse me?”

Kael stepped forward slowly.

“I won’t trade Aria.”

Shock rippled through the courtyard.

Including through me.

The hunter laughed softly. “You’d let your Luna die?”

Kael’s silver eyes turned deadly.

“I said no.”

Selene stared at him in disbelief.

Pure disbelief.

And suddenly…

Something finally clicked in my mind.

She never expected him to refuse.

Not even for a second.

The realization hit hard.

Because if Selene truly loved Kael, wouldn’t she believe he’d save her?

Instead, she looked almost panicked by his answer.

Like something had gone wrong.

Darius noticed too.

His golden eyes narrowed sharply toward Selene.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

The lead hunter sighed dramatically. “That’s unfortunate.”

Then he smiled at me.

“You see why people die around you?”

Before anyone could react, he sliced his blade across Selene’s arm.

She screamed.

Kael lunged instantly.

Chaos exploded again.

The hunters released smoke bombs across the courtyard while warriors attacked from every direction.

Visibility vanished beneath black smoke and rain.

I coughed violently, trying to see.

“Aria!” Nina shouted somewhere nearby.

Then suddenly,

Someone grabbed me.

A hand clamped over my mouth before I could scream.

I was yanked backward into darkness.

Panic surged instantly.

A hunter.

I struggled violently, but another sharp pain exploded from my mark.

Visions crashed into me again,

A hidden chamber beneath stone ruins.

Moonlight shining over a silver crystal heart.

Voices whispering ancient vows.

Then,

A symbol carved into the floor.

A map.

I gasped as the vision vanished.

The hunter dragging me froze suddenly.

“What was that?”

His grip loosened just enough.

I reacted instantly.

Power burst through my body again, stronger than before.

The hunter flew backward violently into the courtyard wall.

The smoke around me shifted unnaturally.

Then stopped.

Every moving shadow froze midair for one impossible second.

The entire battlefield went silent.

All eyes turned toward me.

My mark blazed silver beneath my skin.

And slowly…

Moonlight broke through the storm clouds overhead.

The hunters looked horrified.

One dropped his weapon entirely.

“No,” he whispered shakily. “She’s awakening too fast.”

Power pulsed around me wildly now.

Uncontrolled.

Ancient.

Terrifying.

Even Kael stared at me in shock.

Darius looked far less surprised.

Which somehow scared me more.

The lead hunter backed away slowly for the first time tonight.

Fear filled his eyes now.

Real fear.

“The Heart is calling her,” he breathed.

Then suddenly he shouted,

“Retreat!”

The remaining hunters disappeared instantly into the storm.

The courtyard fell silent except for heavy breathing and distant thunder.

Bodies littered the shattered stones.

Blood mixed with rainwater.

And everyone stared at me like they no longer knew what I was.

My chest rose unevenly as the silver glow around my mark slowly faded.

The silence became unbearable.

Then softly,

“She’s dangerous.”

Selene.

Still clutching her injured arm.

Fear and hatred burned in her eyes now.

“She’ll destroy all of us.”

The words sliced through the quiet courtyard sharply.

Several wolves shifted uneasily.

And I realized with sudden cold clarity,

The hunters weren’t the only ones afraid of me anymore.