Chapter 2 Moonheart Clan

As Luna followed Ethan through the woods, the night air heavy with tension, she couldn't shake the feeling that her life was about to change in ways she could neither understand nor prepare for. With every step, the weight of her past seemed to pull her deeper into a web of mystery and danger.

Her wolf was ill at ease, feeling the terrors that lurked in the dark, yet for the first time in a long time, she did not feel utterly alone. And that terrified her all the same as it comforted her.

The journey had barely started. The secrets of her past waited for her to find them.

Luna had always considered herself a shadow: something that slipped between the cracks in the world, unnoticed, unseen, falling through the fingers of the life to which she once belonged. Yet as night wore on, the sounds of the forest diminished, so her thoughts took on a darker cast. The Sablefangs, her pack, her family. Were they gone forever? Or was it possible that some were still alive? She could not stand the thought, the hope churning in her gut, like a beast she couldn't escape.

Ethan's steady pace beside her was a reminder of how little she understood about the world to which she had once belonged. Her memories, fractured and scattered, were like a puzzle with missing pieces. Every time she thought she might be close to fitting the pieces together, the picture shifted.

Ethan, who up to this time had led her through this part of the forest in silence, spoke softly as they moved. "We're not very far away from the old territory. You remember the Crescent Pack's lands? You used to run here when you were a pup.

Luna stiffened, her body instinctively reacting to the mention of the pack, of home. She wanted to ask him how he knew all that, but the words stuck in her throat. There was something about his tone that just signaled he wasn't some random stranger with half-baked rumors. He knew more than he was saying, and Luna wasn't sure whether to trust him more or distrust him more.

"I remember the smell of the trees," she said quietly, her voice far away. "And the howl of the Alpha at night. But. I don't remember much beyond that."

Ethan's face remained impassive as he looked at her, but she could see the flicker of something behind his gaze. Compassion? Regret? She couldn't tell, but whatever it was, didn't help her feel any safer.

"You were young when it happened," Ethan said. "It's not your fault. None of it."

Luna wanted to argue, wanted to shout at him to stop speaking like he knew her, like he knew what was buried in her soul. But the words never came. Instead, her mind slipped away to the memory of her family. Her mother's gentle voice. Her father's gruff but loving presence. Her mind, which once held their faces in perfect clarity, had faded them into indistinct silhouettes over the years. And yet, there was a gnawing sense of loss, like an open wound that has never healed.

They reached a small clearing; the ground was bathed in the silver glow of the full moon. The air was heavy with the scent of pine and moss but beneath that was a trace of something more sinister. A lingering trace of death.

"This is it," Ethan said softly, his voice breaking through her reverie. "This is where the attack happened. The last place the Crescent Pack stood together before it fell."

Luna looked around, her heart heavy. The trees seemed to whisper in the wind, and the ground beneath her feet felt wrong, as if something dark still lingered in the soil. She hunched down, brushing her fingers against the earth. It was colder here, colder than the rest of the forest, as if the land itself had been scarred by the violence of what transpired.

"It doesn't feel right," she whispered, almost afraid to utter the words aloud.

Ethan's eyes flashed narrow as he knelt beside her, his voice low. "Because it's not just the land that's scarred. The pack's old territory is still a battleground, in a way. The betrayal that tore your family apart runs deeper than anyone knows. The Alpha who did this wasn't just after power. He was after something else. Something that involved you.

Luna stiffened as if the words had been a fire alarm ringing in her ears. "What do you mean? What was he after? And why me?"

Ethan stood, offering his hand to help her up. Luna hesitated for a beat before taking it. His hand was warm, steady, but there was something about his touch that still felt foreign to her. Still uncertain.

"He wanted your bloodline, Luna," Ethan went on, his gaze turning distant. "Your family was never just another pack. You were descendants of the Moonheart Clan, a line older than most packs. Your blood holds power-more than any of the other wolves realize. And the Alpha who betrayed you was after that power.

Luna's heart skittered; the pieces of her memory moved once more, this time in a far clearer fashion. The Moonheart Clan. The name was familiar to her, from the whispered hints in passing, from the old stories her mother used to tell her, but she had never grasped what the term meant. Older than most lines of packs? Power coursing through her veins? Power of what nature?

The Moonheart Clan. But why would he need me?" Luna asked, her voice trembling under the weight of his words. "What is so special about my blood?

Ethan turned to face her fully now, his eyes darker than the night itself. "Because you're the key. The one who can either restore the Crescent Pack to its former glory or destroy it entirely. Your power-your connection to the land, to the moon itself-is something that even the strongest Alphas fear."

Luna's heart was racing as his words finally began to sink in. The wind suddenly whipped up, swirling around them like a prelude to some coming storm.

"I don't feel powerful," she admitted softly. "I feel empty. Like I'm just a shadow of who I used to be."

Ethan's face softened for a second. "You might feel that way now, but deep inside you, Luna, there's a strength that's waiting to be unleashed. And I'm here to help you find it."

Suddenly, a sharp howl cut through the air, its razor-like edge cleaving across the clearing. Immediately, Luna's body went taut, her instincts flaring to life. She knew the sound well-an Alpha's call. The same call that, as a pup, had comforted and kept her safe. Yet, now it sounded wrong, the howl too sharp, too filled with aggression, and beneath, Luna detected the presence of more wolves-more hunters.

Ethan's eyes narrowed, his hand moving instinctively toward the blade sheathed at his side. "We're not alone. Stay close to me."

Before Luna could respond, the first figure emerged from the shadows-a large, dark wolf with glowing yellow eyes. His fur was matted with dirt, and his stance was predatory. Luna's body reacted before her mind could process, her wolf side surging to the surface, pushing her toward the fight.

The dark wolf's eyes locked onto Luna. A growl rumbled from deep within his chest. "The Lost Luna," he snarled, his voice low and guttural. "You should have stayed hidden. Now, you will join your family in the grave.

Luna's claws extended, her muscles coiling. The scent of the wolf - the stench of blood and death - sent a surge of anger through her veins. She had heard of rogue wolves, but this one felt different. He wasn't just any rogue.

"He's one of them," Ethan said, his voice tight with tension. "One of the traitor wolves. The ones who sided with the Alpha.

Luna's eyes flashed with anger. This was it. The moment she had been running from.

Without warning, the rogue launched himself. But Luna was ready.