The Alpha Cursed Luna

Chapter 4 The Howl Before Dawn

Layla

The night had swallowed the house whole. Silence pressed in around me, as I sat with Carmen’s body. The low flicker of the fire was the only thing that reminded me there was still life outside the void of grief. The pain of losing her was a gnawing ache in@ my chest, but it was only the beginning.

It hurt even more when I thought back to those hard days of training. The endless hours Carmen had made me endure—teaching me to control my wolf, to harness the power I didn’t know I had inside me. She’d pushed me past every limit I thought I had. Every painful shift, every bruise, every exhausted tear, had been part of a plan. A plan to make me strong enough to survive what fate had in store for me. Strong enough for this moment. But now she was gone, and I could hardly remember how to breathe without her guidance.

I couldn’t stay here. Not anymore. The anger building up inside me clawed at my insides, forcing me to move, to do something—anything—but remain still.

I dragged myself to my feet, my body stiff and trembling, and stumbled toward the door, still gripping the charm she’d given me. It was a small thing, unassuming—just a smooth stone tied to a thin leather cord. But it felt like her, like a piece of her soul lingering with me. And for now, it was all I had.

The cold night air hit me, and I sucked in a sharp breath, my wolf’s instincts roaring to life. But it wasn’t the forest I needed right now. It wasn’t the wild, the safety of the trees, or the calming whispers of nature. It was him. Kael. The pack. They were still out there.

I had no plan, no real direction.

I reached up, tracing my fingers over the charm, trying to summon some sense of purpose.

The body’s coldness still gripped me, but something else flickered in my chest. It wasn’t grief. It was rage. A fire that threatened to consume me whole.

I moved toward the barn, where I had hidden the small bag I’d packed months ago—when I’d first run. The bag still had the scent of Carmen’s herbs mixed with the musty air. I grabbed it and slung it over my shoulder, my gaze flicking to the woods.

They wouldn’t be far. Silverfang wouldn’t be far.

I turned away from the safety I’d tried to build, the walls of Carmen’s house now feeling like a prison. My wolf growled low in my throat, eager to chase down the scent of those who had stolen everything. The night was thick with danger, and it called to me.

I was done running.

I moved into the woods, letting the familiar sounds guide me. The crunch of leaves underfoot, the distant hoot of an owl, the rustling of branches in the wind—all of it felt like the calm before a storm.

I wasn’t just looking for answers anymore.

I was looking for revenge.

I followed the scent of war.

Until I found it at daybreak

What irony.

Kael and I had to meet like this—not with words, not with answers, not even with that scornful look he used to throw like a blade.

But here.

On a battlefield.

Two armies stretched out below me like spilled ink on cracked earth—dark, restless, waiting to bleed.

I stood at the edge of the cliff, watching it all. The wind tore through my hair like claws, but I didn’t feel the cold.

Not anymore.

I could have let them fight. Let them tear into each other, fur and blood and bone flying. I could have waited until only a few remained, then stepped down and finished the rest.

But I felt it.

Kael.

I hadn’t seen him in two years. Not since the rejection. Not since he broke the bond and left me to rot.

But now, even from up here, I could feel his presence. And he was weak.

Not just tired or worn down — no. Weak in a way that made my chest tighten. Like his body was struggling to hold his wolf together. Like this shift might be his last.

And for a moment... For an unmentionable reason — Maybe love— I didn’t want him dead.

Not yet.

He owed me more than that.

He owed me answers. Why did his men kill Carmen? Why now, after all this time, did he send wolves to find me? And why the hell was he standing out there like a man ready to die?

I let the rage burn through me, hot and clean. My hands curled into fists, and the bond — that weak, half-dead thing between us — pulsed once, like it knew I was near.

I stepped forward. One foot over the cliff's edge, then another.

I shifted mid-air, and the wind howled with me as I dropped into the middle of the chaos.

Wolves turned. They backed up fast when they saw me.

Didn’t matter.

I landed in a crouch, teeth bared. My voice was still mine, even with my wolf in control.

“Enough!”

It rang out. Loud, sharp and final.

Everything froze.

Dozens of wolves froze — mid-growl, mid-step. Something in them obeyed, not words, but instinct. Maybe it was the rage in my voice. Or maybe it was the death they saw in my eyes.

“You’re free to kill each other,” I said, loud enough for both sides to hear. “But first, you’ll have to get through me. Retreat now, or die before your battle even begins.”

"Who is she?" some whispered. Confusion rippled through both sides like a wave. Doubt followed.

The commander of the left camp raised a hand, silencing his ranks. “Charge at her,” he ordered coldly. “Obey your Alpha. Or face the consequences.”

His men looked at each other, unsure. No one moved. Fear kept them still.

Then one of them broke the line.

He shifted and leapt at me, teeth bared, full speed, full strength. I didn’t flinch.

He reached me — and I ended him with a single swipe.

Claws, blood, bone. One swing. He hit the ground in pieces.

“Who’s next?” I asked, voice low.

Silence.

Then fear spread like wildfire.

His men started backing away, their eyes wide, ignoring his orders. Some turned and ran.

“Retreat,” I warned, “or I will make you.”

He stared at me for a long second. “i'm alpha Adrian of the Crescent Moon pack. Who are you?”

“You dont need to know,” I said.

And then he turned away. No more words. Just rage in his eyes as he led the retreat, his men dragging the fallen behind them.

I shifted back, bones snapping one by one, but I stayed on my feet. n***d. b****y. Unshaken. What was left of my clothes hung in torn pieces, barely enough to cover me.

Kael's army remained, a wall of bodies and steel—but some of his men shifted, tense, ready to block my path.

Some of them stepped forward.

Before he could speak, Kael’s voice cracked through the air like thunder. “Let her through.”

They froze. Then, slowly, they stepped aside, parting like water before a storm.

I walked through the opened path, every gaze burning into me, but none daring to move.

Kael stood at the center of his warriors. His face was pale. His eyes, darker than I remembered, flickered with confusion. He looked... older.

Tired.

His wolf churned just beneath the surface — I saw it in his trembling hands, in the way his shoulders strained like he was holding back a shift that no longer respected his will.

When I stopped in front of him, silence gripped the field like a held breath.

“This isn’t how we end,” I said, voice steady.

He stared at me — not with recognition, but with awe, suspicion, maybe even guilt. Like a man who had glimpsed a ghost in the moonlight.

“You stopped them,” he murmured. “You saved us from war.”

I said nothing.

He took a cautious step forward. “Who are you?”

At first, I was shocked that he didn't recognize me. But in the end, it was better this way. A faint smile touched my lips. “Does it matter?”

His brows furrowed. “I owe you… whoever you are.”

I nodded once. Then turned,

my cloak catching the wind like a shadow peeling away from the night. The bloodshed was over — for now.

But this wasn’t forgiveness.

And it wasn’t the end.