Night returned quietly, as if the forest itself mourned the blood spilled at dawn.
Torches flickered around the clearing where the wounded rested. Maria moved among them, her hands glowing softly as she healed torn flesh and shattered bones. Each wolf she touched bowed their head in reverence, gratitude shining in their eyes.
She was no longer just the rejected mate.
She was their Luna.
When the last wound closed, Kael guided her away from the fires toward a hidden stone alcove carved into the mountainside.
Ancient symbols etched the walls, worn smooth by time.
"The Moon Sanctum," Kael said. "Very few are allowed here."
The air inside was cool and heavy with power.
At the center of the chamber stood a massive stone slab, its surface etched with silver runes that pulsed faintly as Maria approached.
"They're reacting to you," she whispered.
Kael nodded. "They always do."
As she reached out, the runes ignited, flooding the chamber with silvery light. The symbols shifted, rearranging themselves before her eyes.
Words formed.
Maria read them aloud, her voice trembling.
When the rejected one rises beneath the Moon,
And the Lycan bends not by force but by choice,
The balance shall break and be remade.
Blood will stain the forest.
Crowns will fall.
And the Luna shall stand between ruin and rebirth.
Silence followed.
Maria's breath came shallow. "It doesn't sound like a blessing."
"It isn't," Kael said quietly. "It's a warning."
She turned to him. "About me?"
"About what you'll be forced to become."
Her chest tightened. "Do they think I'll destroy everything?"
Kael stepped closer, cupping her face gently. "Prophecies don't decide who you are. They only show the crossroads."
Tears burned in her eyes. "What if I fail?"
Kael rested his forehead against hers. "Then I fail with you."
The runes flared again brighter this time.
Another line appeared.
Beware the shadow that wears a crown of bone,
For he seeks the Luna not to kill.
But to claim.
Maria recoiled. "Who is that?"
Kael's expression darkened. "The Ashen King."
She swallowed. "I've never heard of him."
"Because his name was erased," Kael said.
"He was once Lycan royalty until he rejected the Moon and carved power from death itself."
A chill ran through her.
"He's real," she whispered.
"And he knows you exist now," Kael replied.
The runes dimmed slowly, leaving the chamber in shadow.
Maria straightened, resolve hardening in her gaze. "Then we prepare."
Kael studied her, pride unmistakable. "You were never meant to hide."
She took his hand, gripping it firmly. "If the Moon chose me to stand between ruin and rebirth then I will."
Above them, unseen but ever watchful, the Moon glowed brighter as if in approval.
And far beyond the forest, a skeletal crown turned toward the light.