THE SEALED MOON

THE ROYAL SEER’S POV The night Mooncrest Kingdom fell, I knew the Moon Goddess had begun weeping long before the first drop of blood touched the ground. The war horns echoed across the kingdom; then came the screams. I hurried through the palace corridors with my white robes gathered in my hands as the walls trembled around me; every explosion shook dust from the ceiling, and the scent of smoke drifted through the halls, mixing with blood and fear. It had begun; the vision I had dreaded for months was finally unfolding before my eyes. When I reached the palace balcony, King Alaric stood motionless, staring down at the kingdom he had spent his life protecting; our beautiful Mooncrest was burning. Homes disappeared beneath flames, the market square had become a battlefield, and royal guards fought with everything they had, but the enemy kept coming. There were simply too many of them. Queen Elena stood beside her husband, her hands gripping the stone railing so tightly her knuckles had turned white. “They have breached the eastern gate,” the queen whispered. The king didn’t answer immediately; his eyes never left the battlefield below. When he finally spoke, his voice carried more sorrow than anger. “They opened the gates from inside, we were betrayed,” the king replied. I closed my eyes for a brief moment; I had feared this day, the missing patrols, the intercepted letters, the servants who vanished without explanation, and the whispers inside the palace walls. Someone had sold Mooncrest to its enemies; now we were paying the price. A violent explosion shook the palace beneath our feet; stone cracked, and the windows shattered. Queen Elena gasped. “They’re here,” she announced. The king looked at her; neither of them needed to speak; the truth was already written across their faces. Without wasting another second, they ran toward the royal nursery. I followed close behind; servants rushed through the corridors carrying frightened children toward hidden passages while wounded soldiers limped past us, refusing to abandon their posts despite the blood running down their armor. No one expected to survive this night. King Alaric pushed open the nursery doors. The moment I stepped inside, my heart broke. Little Princess Hailey sat inside her crib, completely unaware that her world was ending; she looked up and smiled. “Mama,” Hailey called out with her tiny voice. Queen Elena let out a broken sob before rushing to her daughter; she lifted the child into her arms and held her so tightly I thought she might never let go. “My sweet moon,” she whispered, kissing the top of Hailey’s silver curls again and again. The little princess laughed softly; she was too young to understand why her mother’s tears covered her tiny face. King Alaric walked over slowly, his large hand gently brushed against Hailey’s cheek. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. Queen Elena looked at him desperately. “There has to be another way,” she cried out. The king slowly shook his head. “If they find her,” His voice failed him. “They will kill her,” he explained. Silence settled over the nursery; only the distant sounds of battle reminded us that every passing second brought death closer. I stepped forward. “The tunnel is still secure,” I suggested, trying to keep my voice steady despite the fear clawing at my heart. “But we don’t have much time,” I warned. Queen Elena immediately held Hailey even closer. “No,” she said. I moved until I stood before them. “Your Majesty, if we wait any longer, none of us will leave this palace alive,” “It is time,” king Alaric said, looking at the queen. The queen stared at him as if he had asked her to stop breathing. “No,” the queen whispered, tears streaming down her face. “She is only two; I can't let go.” “I know, but you must,” King Alaric pleaded. Fresh tears streamed down her cheeks; little Hailey reached up with her tiny hand and clumsily wiped one away. “Don’t cry, Mama,” Hailey said. I had witnessed countless births and countless deaths, but nothing had ever shattered my heart the way those three innocent words did. Queen Elena buried her face against her daughter once more. “I’m so sorry.” You deserve so much more than this,”the queen whispered over and over. Hailey simply smiled. “I love Mama,” she said. King Alaric turned away for a moment; even the strongest king was still a father. When he looked back, he knelt before his daughter. “My brave little wolf,” he said. Hailey clapped her hands happily. “Wolf,” she repeated. A faint smile touched the king’s face despite the tears gathering in his eyes. “Always remember one thing, you are loved,” he said calmly. Hailey tilted her little head; she repeated the last word without understanding. “Loved,” she said. Another explosion thundered through the palace, the nursery walls shook violently, dust drifted from the ceiling, and I looked toward the door. “They’re inside the palace,” I started. King Alaric stood. With trembling fingers, he removed the royal moon pendant from around his neck and gently placed it into Hailey’s tiny hand; the ancient heirloom disappeared inside her little fist. I slowly stretched out my arms. “Give her to me.” Queen Elena froze; every mother’s instinct begged her to keep holding her child, to run, to fight, to die together, but if she did, the Mooncrest bloodline would end before sunrise. Finally, with hands trembling beyond control, she placed Princess Hailey into my arms; the little girl immediately reached back toward her parents. “Mama, dada,” Hailey called out. Queen Elena covered her mouth to silence the cry threatening to escape; king Alaric leaned forward and kissed his daughter’s forehead one final time. “Live,” the king commanded. Only one word, yet it carried the hopes of an entire kingdom. I wrapped my silver cloak around the little princess, hiding her from anyone who might see us, then I turned toward the hidden doorway concealed behind the nursery wall. Before stepping inside, I looked back one last time; the king and queen stood side by side, not as rulers, not as legends, simply as two parents preparing to die so their daughter could live, tears blurred their vision. “I swear upon the Moon Goddess my life for hers.” I assured them as I tightened my hold on the child. The stone door slowly rumbled shut between us; darkness swallowed the hidden passage. I heard the unmistakable sound of swords being drawn. The last king and queen of Mooncrest were ready to make their final stand, and I prayed their sacrifice would never be forgotten. The hidden passage stretched deep beneath the palace, lit only by ancient moonstones embedded in the walls. I held Princess Hailey tightly against my chest as I ran; every step felt heavier than the last. Behind me, the sounds of war echoed through the tunnel: the clash of steel, the roars of wolves, and the screams of dying soldiers. Each sound reminded me of one painful truth, Mooncrest was breathing its last. Little Hailey had fallen asleep in my arms, her tiny fingers still clutching the royal moon pendant her father had given her. She had no idea she had just seen her parents for the last time; I prayed she would never remember this night. The tunnel finally opened into the sacred Moon Chamber; moonlight poured through the circular opening high above, illuminating the old altar at the center of the chamber. This place had witnessed the birth of every Mooncrest ruler for centuries, and tonight it would witness the disappearance of its last princess. My hands trembled as I gently laid Hailey upon the cold stone altar. “I’m sorry, little one, but this is the only way,” I whispered. I lifted both hands toward the moonlight and began speaking the ancient language of the Moon Goddess; power answered immediately, the chamber shook, and white symbols rose from the floor and circled around Hailey’s tiny body. Tears blurred my vision as I spoke the forbidden spell. “I seal your memories.” The glowing runes melted into her forehead. “I seal your royal aura.” White light wrapped around her heart. “I seal your wolf until the day destiny calls you home.” Hailey whimpered softly; a single tear rolled down her little cheek before the magic finally settled. The princess of Mooncrest was gone; before me lay nothing more than an ordinary child, a wolfless orphan. Invisible to those hunting the royal bloodline. I leaned down and kissed her forehead. “When the moon chooses its queen, every chain placed upon you tonight will break,” I whispered” I wrapped her in an old travel cloak, hiding every trace of royalty, then carried her through another hidden passage leading toward Crescent Forest. By the time dawn painted the sky, flames had swallowed the palace behind us. I watched from the edge of the forest as smoke rose above the kingdom I had served all my life. Mooncrest had fallen. Silently, I laid the sleeping child beneath the shelter of an ancient oak tree; it was the hardest thing I had ever done. I brushed a strand of silver hair away from her face. “Forgive me, I could not stay,” I whispered. If the enemy found me with her, everything the king and queen had sacrificed would be meaningless. “My life was promised for yours, and I intend to keep it,” I said, tears falling freely down my face. With one final look, I disappeared into a nearby bush. Hours passed; hidden among the trees, I watched from a distance so she wouldn't wander off. Patrols from the Dark Wood Pack rode along the edge of Crescent Forest; my heart pounded. The little princess still sat beneath the ancient oak where I had left her, weak from hunger and exhaustion. One warrior suddenly pulled his horse to a stop. “Alpha Victor,” he called out. Alpha Victor dismounted immediately, he slowly approached the frightened child and knelt before her; his voice was gentle. “Little one, where is your family?” Hailey looked up with frightened blue eyes; she opened her mouth to answer, but nothing came, only tears, her tiny body swayed before she collapsed forward. Victor caught her before she struck the ground as darkness claimed her once again. I disappeared into the forest knowing that the princess is safe and Alpha Malachi has concerned Mooncrest kingdom