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Fifteen years ago…
The night of the royal hunt began under the wrong moon.
A silver moon.
Its pale light shone across the kingdom of Valtheris, washing the palace and the forest beyond in an eerie glow. It was a moon rarely seen, never welcomed.
People whispered. Doors were barred. Even warriors felt it, that quiet, crawling unease beneath their skin.
For the silver moon was more than a rare spectacle; it was a gateway. A portal between the spiritual realm and the world of werewolves.
It's an inauspicious night when evil creatures, banished long ago by ancient kings, return to exact revenge.
Those born under the silver moon's light were said to harbor an evil spirit within them, a curse that marked them for life.
Yet, in the midst of fear and superstition, one restless girl refused to heed the warnings. Her mind was made up; she would not be told no.
"Big brother, please take me with you." Princess Kenzie's small hands tugged at Kieran's sleeve, her bright eyes full of stubborn hope.
At nine, she knew nothing of omens or curses. To her, the hunt was just a game, and games were meant to be shared.
Prince Kieran looked down at her, his expression hard as stone. At thirteen, there was already something unnatural about him, something that made grown men lower their gazes.
"I said no." His voice was calm but firm. "It's dangerous."
Kenzie pouted, then quickly replaced it with a grin.
"You always say that."
Kieran didn't smile. He rarely did.
He had been a silent child once, a child who looked through people rather than at them, scaring even the midwives who delivered him with his unnerving stillness.
A boy who watched the world without speaking, without reacting. Until Kenzie was born.
She had changed everything. For her, he spoke. For her, he softened. And for her… he feared.
Everyone in Valtheris knew: the princess was the prince's heart, even in the spiritual realm.
"I won't let you get hurt," he said quietly.
Kenzie rolled her eyes.
"Fine. I just like annoying you anyway." A flicker of something almost warm passed through Kieran's gaze before it hardened again.
"I know that look," he warned. "Stay inside. Do not leave the castle. Not tonight."
"Of course, big brother," she said sweetly, bowing her head. But the moment he turned away, her lips curled. Her eyes drifted to the golden bow and arrow resting in the corner, his gift to her.
'If he won't take me… I'll go myself.'
Before leaving, Kieran paused. He reached out, ruffling her hair in a rare, gentle gesture.
"Be good," he murmured. "When I return, I'll bring you a black stag… and a wild boar."
Kenzie's face lit up.
"Really?"
Kieran nodded.
"Anything you want from them is yours."
Kenzie smiled softly.
"I trust you, big brother."
For a moment, something tightened in Kieran's chest. Then he left.
That night, as the forest swallowed its hunters whole, the palace… grew too quiet.
When Kieran returned, he knew something was wrong. The silence. The smell of grievance. The way the guards wouldn't meet his eyes.
"Kenzie?" he shouted, but no answer came. His steps quickened. Then broke into a run.
The doors burst open… And the world stopped.
Kenzie lay on the cold floor, too still, too small. "Kenzie…?" His voice cracked for the first time in years.
He dropped to his knees beside her, his hands trembling as he reached out, then froze.
Her skin was dry and hollow. Like something had drained her from the inside out, leaving behind nothing but a fragile shell of the girl who once laughed too loudly and smiled too brightly.
"No…" His breath hitched. "No, no, no—" His fingers brushed her cheek. Cold. Lifeless. Gone.
And then he saw it. The words carved into her forehead. Jagged. Ancient. Mocking.
"I once again succeeded in taking my revenge on a royal bloodline."
Something inside Kieran broke.
The air around him turned violent, suffocating, as if even the world recoiled from what he was becoming. And by dawn…
The prince was gone.
Weeks later, the truth spread like wildfire. Prince Kieran had crossed into the human realm. To prevent anyone from following, he destroyed the bridge connecting the two realms.
For fifteen years… no one could pass.
Fifteen years later, the wounds of that day still haunted Valtheris…
"I can finally go to the human realm and find my son." Luna Evangeline's voice trembled with hope that had been buried for far too long.
But Alpha King Thorne shook his head.
"Not now."
Evangeline's heart sank.
"But Thorne, the bridge has been fixed after fifteen years. I need to—"
"The war begins in two days," Thorne said, his tone leaving no room for argument. Silence stretched between them.
"I will fight with you, my king," she broke the silence.
"You will not." Thorne's gaze softened, but his voice did not. "You are the Luna. The mother of this kingdom. If I fall, Valtheris will still have you."
Evangeline's chest tightened at his words.
"Don't say that."
"You will stay. That is an order," he finished. And this time… she couldn't fight him.
The night before the war, the kingdom celebrated. Bonfires roared. Warriors laughed. And she-wolves danced beneath the blood moon around the bonfire, as if tomorrow wasn't waiting to swallow them whole.
Dawn came quickly.
The king marched his men to the front. Days blurred into blood, fangs, claws, and steel. One after another, neighboring kingdoms crumbled into ashes, but Valtheris stood strong. Unbreakable. Unyielding. Victorious.
Until it happened. No warning.
A silver blade, sliding through flesh, through bone, through the heart of a king.
Thorne's breath left him in a sharp, broken exhale. His body stilled as the sword pierced through his chest from behind. For a second, no one moved.
"Ahhh!" the king dropped to his knees, and chaos exploded.
"Retreat! The king has fallen!"
By the time they brought him back to the palace, he was already slipping away. Evangeline cradled his face, her hands shaking.
Her beloved husband was too pale.
"No…" her voice broke. "You promised to return victorious. Not like this," she weeps, pressing her face against his.
"I love you, my Evangeline," Thorne whispers. Even in agony, his voice holds the weight of a king. "Live well."
"No, Thorne, I can't." Evangeline's tears spilled freely now. "Don't do this. Don't leave me, please…"
"Listen to me. Find our son." His voice was weaker now. Evangeline's breath caught. "The war isn't over. Only he can finish it."
Her heart shattered all over again. She knew the bitter truth: the same blade that brought her this pain is the very reason her king is alive.
"I will find him." Evangeline wipes her eyes, her resolve hardening into something sharp and cold. "Tell Kenzie… her mother misses her."
Thorne smiled faintly, then the pain returned. Evangeline's hands moved to the sword.
But she froze.
The moment it came out, her love would leave her.
"I can't…" she whispered as her grip tightened, her entire body trembling. "I can't lose you too…"
Thorne's gaze softened.
"You already have," he murmured, and that broke her.
A broken sob tore from her chest as she leaned down, pressing her lips to his in a desperate, lingering kiss.
"See you soon… my king."
And then… She pulled the blade free. His body jerked. A breath. A final one.
And then… nothing.
Thorne went still, a faint smile resting on his lips.
Silence fell. Heavy. Final. Like the whole kingdom felt the lost.
Far away…
Beyond the bridge. In the human world. Something stirred in the chest of a presence long buried.
A power waiting.
The lost prince… would return.
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