Chapter 5 A New Beginning

"No. No." she muttered under her breath, Selene wouldn't let this happen. Her legs carried her faster than she had ever moved before, closing the distance in seconds.

Magnus saw her coming and he smirked. Selene leaped and unleashed her power and just then a silver firestorm erupted from her, blasting Magnus back.

He howled in pain, his fur scorching under the celestial fire.

Selene stood between him and Ronan, her power raging around her.

"This is over," she said, her voice echoing with the strength of the bond.

Magnus staggered back, his crimson eyes filled with something she had never seen before. Was that fear?

He snarled, but he didn't attack, but instead, he turned and fled.

Selene exhaled, the battle finally won.

She turned to Ronan, kneeling beside him. His golden eyes met hers, filled with relief... and love.

"You saved me, again," he murmured.

Selene smiled, brushing a hand through his bloodied fur. She didn't say anything as the words didn't form, the war was over.

But she knew this was just the beginning.

The battlefield was eerily silent.

The Bloodfang warriors had fled, their forces broken. The ground was littered with bodies, the scent of blood thick in the air. Smoke curled from the remnants of the battle, the air still vibrating with the aftershocks of Selene's unleashed power.

She barely had time to process it.

Her chest heaved, her body trembling from the energy still coursing through her veins. Silver fire crackled around her hands, the raw celestial energy refusing to dissipate.

Ronan groaned beside her, and she turned instantly.

He was badly injured. His black fur was soaked in blood, his breathing uneven. Deep gashes marred his sides where Magnus had torn into him.

"Ronan," Selene whispered, her heart clenching.

He forced a smirk, even through the pain. "Still standing," he rasped.

But not for long as his legs buckled, and he collapsed.

"No!" Selene dropped beside him, pressing her hands to his wounds. Panic clawed at her chest.

He was bleeding out too fast.

"Stay with me," she begged, her hands shaking.

The mate bond throbbed between them, warm and pulsing. Instinctively, Selene focused on it, reaching for the power that had erupted in her earlier.

If the bond could heal his soul, maybe...

Maybe it could heal his body, too.

She closed her eyes, pouring everything she had into him.

The silver fire that had erupted in battle spread from her fingertips, sinking into Ronan's wounds.

The effect was immediate.

Ronan's body jerked, his breathing hitching. The wounds on his side began to close, the torn flesh knitting back together before her eyes.

Selene's eyes lit up, it was working.

She pushed harder, willing every piece of her energy into him. Her bond with Ronan burned bright, a radiant light wrapping around them. Then, suddenly his eyes snapped open.

Golden, alive, strong.

He inhaled sharply, as if he had just returned from the brink of death.

Selene sagged with relief, her forehead pressing against his.

"Never do that to me again," she whispered.

Ronan chuckled weakly, his arms tightening around her. "No promises."

She punched his shoulder softly. "I mean it."

His expression turned serious. He touched her cheek, his thumb tracing over her skin.

Selene swallowed, her throat tight. For a long moment, they just held each other. The battle was over, but their war wasn't won yet.

A rustling sound caught Selene's attention. She whipped around, her hackles rising.

It was one of Magnus's warriors, a survivor.

Selene braced herself, but the wolf dropped to his knees.

"We surrender," he rasped. "Magnus is gone. The Bloodfang Pack is broken."

Selene exchanged a look with Ronan.

But... where was Magnus?

Her gut twisted.

He shouldn't have fled. He was too ruthless, too prideful to run. Unless-

Ronan growled lowly, coming to the same conclusion. "This isn't over."

Selene shivered. The battle may have ended, but a war was coming.

The days following the battle were a blur.

Selene worked alongside the Shadowfang wolves, helping bury their fallen, tending to the wounded, and reinforcing their borders. Every muscle in her body ached, but she refused to rest.

Because something was wrong.

The mate bond should have left her feeling whole, complete but there was a constant unease in her chest. A whisper in the wind, a warning deep in her bones. Magnus was still out there. And worse-he was planning something.

Ronan noticed immediately.

"You haven't stopped moving," he murmured one night, finding her staring over the valley where the battle had taken place.

Selene exhaled sharply. "I can't shake the feeling that this isn't over."

Ronan stood beside her, silent for a long moment. Then he said, "It's not."

She turned to him. He looked tired, worn from the fight, but there was something fierce in his golden eyes.

"I did some digging," he said grimly. "Magnus wasn't just after you for the mate bond."

Selene frowned. "What do you mean?"

Ronan hesitated, then exhaled. "It's your bloodline, Selene."

Her stomach dropped.

She had always known she was different, but... "Explain."

Ronan ran a hand through his hair. "There's a prophecy about the Lunaris Bloodline."

Her heart pounded.

She had heard whispers of the Lunaris wolves before. A lost bloodline. A legend. But she had never imagined.

"The prophecy says that a Lunaris wolf will either save or destroy the werewolf race," Ronan said.

"And Magnus... he thinks you're the one who will destroy it."

Selene's blood turned to ice.

It made sense. Why Magnus had hunted her. Why he had tried to claim her. He hadn't just wanted power-he had wanted to eliminate her before she became a threat.

Ronan's grip on her wrist tightened. "We have to be ready, Selene."

She nodded, her resolve hardening. She had never asked for this fate, but it was hers now.

She wouldn't let Magnus win.

She wouldn't let the prophecy define her.

"I'm not running anymore," she said firmly. "Whatever's coming, we face it together."

Ronan's golden eyes softened. "Together."

And for the first time in her life, Selene felt ready.

A war was coming.

But she was ready to fight.