The Luna who lived twice

THE BLOOD OATH

The council chamber was colder than usual.

Caden stood at the head of the long, crescent-shaped table, flanked by Beta Elias and Gamma Theo. On the far end sat Elder Garrick, eyes narrowed. Across from him, two new council members whispered between themselves. Suspicion hung in the air like mist before a storm.

Wren sat to the side, feeling out of place. She wasn’t Luna anymore, at least not officially, but her presence was no longer being ignored. Ever since the rogue’s confession and the second death threat, even the doubters had begun to whisper: Could it really be her?

“She looks just like Seraphina,” murmured one councilwoman. “The same eyes…”

“She was supposed to be dead,” Garrick snapped. “We cannot make decisions based on guesses and ghosts.”

“She bleeds,” Elias said darkly. “She breathes. And someone wants her dead. That makes her our problem whether we like it or not.”

“We can’t protect her without proof,” Garrick insisted. “Not against the Shadowclaw remnants. If we’re wrong,”

“We’re not,” Caden interrupted, voice sharp. “You think this is a coincidence? That a rogue who knew Seraphina’s secrets shows up, followed by a body and a threat letter marked with the Flame Crest?”

The room fell silent.

“We will invoke a Blood Oath,” he continued.

Gasps echoed.

“You can’t be serious,” said Garrick. “That’s outlawed in most regions.”

“It’s still binding,” Elias countered. “If she accepts it, it proves she is who she says she is. Or at least… who her blood remembers.”

Everyone looked at Wren.

She felt like the air had been knocked out of her lungs. “What does it mean?”

Caden turned to her, softer now. “A Blood Oath binds your essence to this land, to your bloodline. If you are truly Seraphina of Silverfang, it will awaken every truth your soul holds, even if your memories don’t.”

“And if I’m not?”

The silence that followed was answer enough.

“Will it hurt?”

Caden hesitated.

“Yes,” Elias admitted. “But only if you’re lying.”

“I’m not.”

The room tensed.

“Then you have nothing to fear,” Caden said quietly.

They prepared the ritual circle before nightfall. Beneath the old moonstone archway in the sacred grove, Wren stood barefoot, her hands trembling at her sides.

Elder Myra began the chant. “By the power of the ancestors, by blood and bone, the truth shall be known.”

A shallow bowl was placed before her. Caden stepped beside her, knife in hand.

“May I?” he asked.

She nodded.

He made a swift cut across her palm, just deep enough. Her blood dripped into the bowl, mixing with the herbs and ash.

The moon above pulsed brighter.

The ground trembled.

Her vision blurred.

She gasped as a surge of heat exploded in her chest.

Suddenly, flashes.

A golden-haired woman in Luna robes… standing in the Council chamber, raising her voice.

“I will not bow to fear. I will not be silenced!”

A hand dragging her backward. Darkness.Flames. Screaming.

Then a voice. Not her own.

“Make sure the body is burned beyond recognition. Let them think she’s gone.”

Another image. The scent of blood. Chains. She was crying, screaming, and someone whispered her name.

“Seraphina.”

She fell to her knees, chest heaving.

Caden caught her before she hit the ground.

“Are you okay?”

“I… I saw it,” she whispered, tears spilling down her cheeks. “I was betrayed. Someone inside… They planned it. They wanted me gone.”

Gasps came from the watching crowd.

Elder Garrick stood. “This proves nothing.”

“Then maybe this will,” came a voice from behind them.

Everyone turned.

A figure stepped from the trees. A woman in grey healer’s robes.

Maren.

“I kept it quiet until I knew for sure,” she said, lifting a scroll. “But these are Seraphina’s medical records. Her birthmark, her shifting cycle, her wolf’s color. Everything matches. I ran the comparison last night.”

She turned to the crowd. “She is Seraphina.”

Shock rippled through the gathered pack. Stillness held the grove for a heartbeat.

Then Caden stepped forward.

And knelt.

All around him, warriors and elders followed.

Bowing.

Acknowledging.

Wren; Seraphina, covered her mouth with a shaking hand.

She wasn’t a ghost.

She was the Luna.

Back in the packhouse, Caden escorted her up to her new quarters, the old Luna suite, cleaned and restored.

“Do you want me to stay?” he asked, voice rough with restraint.

She met his eyes. “I don’t know what I want. But I know I’m not alone anymore.”

He nodded and stepped back. “Rest. We’ll talk tomorrow.”

She closed the door behind him and leaned against it, eyes burning.

But peace didn’t last long. A minute later, there was a knock.

She opened the door, expecting Caden. But it wasn’t him. A hooded figure stood there. Before she could speak, they shoved something into her hands.

A note.

Then disappeared down the hallway like a shadow.

Heart pounding, she unfolded the paper. There were only five words written on it:

“You trusted the wrong Alpha.”