The Injured Luna

Shadows beneath the roots

Chapter 27 – Shadows Beneath the Roots

The room was still cloaked in night, but Anna was already halfway across it, slipping into her robe as though the walls themselves were watching. Richard followed silently, throwing on pants and a tunic, his body still humming from their connection—but now laced with the familiar edge of battle-readiness.

“They’re not just dreams anymore,” Anna said, her voice tight. “They’re messages. Warnings.”

Richard’s eyes narrowed. “From who?”

Anna didn’t answer at first. She moved to the altar in the corner of their chamber—the one built from obsidian and moonstone, where the first Luna of the Blue Moon Pack once called the stars down to dance. She placed both hands on its surface, closed her eyes, and whispered into the void.

“Show me.”

The vision hit her like a storm.

A forest, burning at the roots. Not from fire—but from something deeper, blacker. A rot. Trees screaming silently as something crawled from beneath them. Dozens of glowing eyes. Clawed limbs dragging across sacred soil.

Children running. A girl with eyes like mirrors. A boy with blood on his hands. A marked beast with a broken chain.

And over it all, the cloaked figure, its mouth still sewn shut—but now its hands were free.

One was made of ash. The other, bone.

Anna staggered back, caught by Richard’s steady arms.

“They’ve broken something,” she whispered. “A seal. A prison. It wasn’t supposed to open yet.”

He guided her to sit. “Tell me what we need.”

Anna’s breath trembled. “We summon the Council. The Elders. Every Luna, Alpha, and mystic still loyal to the Light. We need all of them.”

Richard nodded. “I’ll send the hawks.”

She grabbed his wrist. “And we’ll need the children protected. No matter what. The marked ones—they’re being hunted.”

Richard’s jaw clenched. “Then let them come. Let them try to take what’s ours.”

A pulse of energy spread from Anna’s chest, the bond between them flaring again. Her child kicked once—sharp, urgent.

Anna met Richard’s gaze. “It’s already begun.”