Chapter 5 The Luna's Secret

Chapter 5: The Luna's Secret

Saria Calden stood in the shadowed corner of the Calden estate's library, her fingers tracing the worn leather of her diary, its faint glow still pulsing in her memory.

The word Time had shimmered from its pages hours ago, a cryptic warning that stirred the luna within her; a hidden identity she'd buried beneath scars and silence.

Veyrholt's neon-lit skyline glowed beyond the library's floor-to-ceiling windows, a city of corporate towers and gritty clubs that hid its werewolf mythology like a blade in a velvet sheath.

At twenty-eight, Saria was no stranger to cages; her father's controlling traditions, her blindness from a brutal attack years ago, her role as the eldest daughter bound to marry first.

But the diary, a system-like relic from an alternate universe, was her rebellion, her underdog rise against a cursed city.

The library was her sanctuary, its shelves lined with ancient tomes on Veyrholt's werewolf packs and mystical prophecies.

She couldn't see the words, but she felt their power, her luna senses attuned to the primal energy woven into the estate. Her scars; jagged lines across her face and neck itched, a reminder of the night she'd been ambushed by a rogue pack, a betrayal orchestrated by her father's enemies.

Or so she'd been told. The truth was murkier, tied to the diary's visions and the curse that haunted Veyrholt.

She clutched the diary tighter, its leather warm against her palm. It had come to her after the attack, left on her bedside table with no explanation, its pages filled with cryptic entries that shifted like dreams.

Glimpses of a future where Veyrholt burned, of a sword in her hand, of a crimson-eyed alpha and a rogue pilot bound by fate. Time travel, or something close, a system that whispered of an alternate universe where she wasn't just Saria, the shy, scarred daughter, but a luna destined to break a curse.

Her father, Lord Calden, didn't know about the diary's power, but his manipulative schemes; marrying her off to secure alliances felt like pieces of the same puzzle.

Footsteps echoed, pulling her from her thoughts. She tucked the diary into her belt, her badgirl edge surfacing as she sensed Elyse's presence. Her younger sister's tomboy energy filled the room, a mix of gamer bravado and hidden regret.

"Saria," Elyse said, her voice tight.

"You dropped this earlier. In the garage." Saria's heart skipped. The diary, she'd been careless, and Elyse's sharp eyes missed nothing. "Thanks," she said, keeping her tone shy, a mask she'd perfected.

"Just, notes." Elyse snorted, stepping closer. "Notes that glow? Come on, sis.

What's the deal? And don't give me that secrets are worth keeping' crap."

Saria's lips twitched, a rare smile. Elyse's fierce heroine vibe, her ability to cut through Veyrholt's bullshit, was why Saria had protected her all these years.

Elyse's secret; disguising herself as a boy to save Saria from a brutal clan still hung between them, a secret baby of pain Elyse carried alone.

Saria's protective instincts flared, but so did her fear. The diary's visions had shown Elyse in danger, tangled in a forbidden love with a dangerous man.

"It's complicated," Saria said, her voice low. "

This diary; it's not just a book. It shows things; visions, warnings. Things about Veyrholt, about us."

She hesitated, her luna senses tingling as Elyse's scent; citrus and steel sharpened with tension. "It's dangerous, Elyse. If Father finds out, or worse, if Kael does"

"Kael Draven," Elyse cut in, her tone sharp with a mix of defiance and unease. "That alpha who rolled in like he owns the place? What's his deal with you, calling you luna like it's a challenge?"

Saria's chest tightened. Kael's crimson eyes, his ruthless charisma, had stirred something in the estate's air; a power struggle brewing, a dangerous attraction she couldn't ignore.

He'd called her luna in the garage, his obsessive gaze cutting through her shy facade. She wasn't ready to tell Elyse everything, not about the diary's time-travel glimpses, neither about the mystical prophecy tying her to Veyrholt's curse.

But Elyse deserved some truth.

"He knows something," Saria admitted, her fingers brushing the diary's edge.

"About me, about the packs. He's not just here for Father's deals. He's hunting for power, maybe. Or answers."

Elyse's hazel eyes narrowed, her gamer instincts kicking in. "And Toren? The pilot you keep staring at when you think I'm not looking? Is he part of this?"

Saria's face heated, a steamy spark at the mention of Toren Varrick. The rogue pilot's gray eyes, scarred hands, and fated mates pull had unsettled her, his curse resonating with her own hidden luna powers.

She'd felt it in the courtyard, his protective stance against Kael, his angsty defiance mirroring her own rebellion. "He's quite

complicated," she said, echoing her earlier words. "He's got his own secrets. A curse, like mine."

Elyse crossed her arms, her tomboy swagger hiding a flicker of regret. "Great. So we're all screwed, huh? Me with Father's marriage plans, you with your glowing diary, and Toren with whatever baggage he's hauling. This city's a damn cage."

Saria reached out, her hand finding Elyse's arm. "We'll get out, Elyse.

Together. I've got allies; people in Veyrholt's underworld, rogues who want change. But we need to be careful.

Father's manipulative, and Kael's worse."

Elyse's gaze softened, a rare moment of vulnerability. "You've been protecting me since that clan deal, Saria. When you almost got taken instead of me. I haven't forgotten."

The memory hit Saria like a blade. Elyse's disguise, her sacrifice to keep Saria from a brutal king. It was a betrayal by their father, who'd sold them out to secure his empire.

Saria's luna powers had awakened that night, a rebirth in the dark, but she'd kept them hidden, her diary her only confidant.

"You're my sister," she said, her voice thick. "I'd do it again." Elyse pulled her into a quick hug, her gamer toughness cracking. "Don't. I'm not losing you to this city's bullshit."

The library's silence was broken by a sharp knock. A guard's voice called through the door: "Miss Saria, Miss Elyse.

Lord Calden requests your presence. Dinner with his associate. Now."

Elyse groaned, pulling back. "Here we go.

Another of Father's games. Bet it's Kael."

Saria's heart thudded, her diary warm against her hip. Kael's presence meant trouble; a power struggle, a hunt for her luna secrets.

She followed Elyse through the estate's marble halls, the wolf carvings seeming to whisper warnings. They entered the dining room, a glass-walled space overlooking Veyrholt's skyline.

Calden sat at the head of a long table, his silver hair gleaming, his king-like aura suffocating. Toren stood by the window, his leather jacket out of place among the crystal and silk.

Kael Draven lounged opposite, his crimson eyes glinting with ruthless intent.

"Welcome, daughters," Calden said, his voice smooth but controlling. "Toren, Kael, join us. Tonight, we discuss Veyrholt's future."

Saria's luna senses flared, sensing a trap. Kael's gaze locked on her, a dangerous attraction that made her skin prickle. Toren's eyes flicked to Elyse, a steamy tension sparking, but his scarred hands clenched, his curse a silent storm.

Elyse's jaw was tight, her tomboy defiance barely hiding her fear of the betrothal Calden had mentioned.

"Saria," Calden said, his smile sharp. "As the eldest, your marriage is key. Tradition demands it. Kael has expressed interest."

Saria's blood ran cold, her diary pulsing like a heartbeat. Kael's obsessive stare confirmed it. He wasn't just an alpha; he was a predator, hunting her luna powers.

Elyse's hand brushed hers under the table, a protective gesture, but Saria felt the weight of her hidden identity, the curse tying her to Veyrholt's fate.Toren spoke, his rogue voice cutting through.

"And Elyse? What's your play, Calden?"

Calden's eyes narrowed, a bully's anger flickering. "Elyse's betrothal is set. A powerful man, not here tonight. Tradition, Varrick. You'll learn."

Elyse's face paled, her secret baby of pain surfacing. Saria's heart ached. She'd protect Elyse, even if it meant wielding her luna powers, risking everything. The diary's visions flashed: a sword, a burning city, a portal to an alternate universe. A mystical prophecy she couldn't ignore.

Kael leaned forward, his voice low. "Tradition's a cage, Calden. The luna knows that. Don't you, Saria?"

Her breath caught, his words a challenge. Toren's curse growled, a shared primal energy linking them. Elyse's gamer instincts kicked in, her eyes darting between them, sensing a power struggle.

The dinner was no meal; it was a battlefield, and they were all players in a game of betrayal and revenge.

As the dinner table falls silent, Saria's diary slips from her belt, hitting the floor with a soft thud. A faint glow pulses from its pages, and a vision sears her mind: Elyse, pregnant and desperate, fleeing through a neon-lit alley as a portal opens behind her, whispering The curse binds you all.