Reign of the Forgotten Luna

Mira's POV

I whispered, "Please... don't leave me here," but my voice sounded as dry and cracked as a bunch of old leaves.

Nobody responded.

I tried to see through the blur in my eyes by blinking a lot. I wasn't moving, but the trees above me whirled as if they were dancing. The forest floor felt cold against my body. I was unable to sense my fingers. I had a heavy, stone-like gait.

The wind blew slowly and softly through the branches. It was the only thing I remembered. The one thing that was truthful.

My hand flopped back down next to me when I attempted to raise it. I had pale skin. Under it, I could see the blue veins that resembled spider webs. Spiders were something I detested. I detested feeling weak and insignificant.

No one could hear the screaming that was going on inside of me. No longer.

"Why, Dane?"

I felt like ice when I heard that name. Dane. My friend. My Alpha. My spouse.

He assured me that he would keep me safe. I was his Luna, his light, his forever, he said. But the day I discovered the bitter herbs concealed in my tea was finally over. The day I saw him gaze at Lyra as if she were everything.

I initially believed I was ill. My chest ached. My head was burning. I had trembling hands. I was unable to run. I was unable to move. I was unable to even scream.

Then his eyes revealed the truth to me.

He had no regrets.

He was aware of the poison's effects. He did nothing while he saw me get weaker every day. Even worse, he grinned.

He left me to perish here, beneath the chilly sky. Not a pack. No name. No house.

Nothing but quiet.

Something moist touched my lips as I coughed. It had a metal taste. Blood. I was going to die.

A gentle paw moved close to me. A tiny gray wolf was staring at me when I blinked. It wasn't afraid. It simply appeared... intriguing.

"Go," I muttered. "Stop wasting time on me."

The wolf, however, did not flee. It did nothing but sit. observing.

I chuckled. It was more akin to a gasp.

"Like him, even you won't turn away."

I felt a tear slide down my cheek. It was the only area of me that was still pain-free.

I remembered my former room. The white drapes. The cozy bed. The spot where Dane declared me his Luna and planted his first kiss on my forehead.

The day he stood in front of the pack and declared me unfit came to mind. feeble. A burden.

They didn't ask him any questions. Nobody inquired about my whereabouts. They took him seriously. Because I was fortunate to be selected as an Omega.

Something deeper than the poison caused my stomach to turn.

To them, I was nothing.

And now, just as I was born, I would die alone.

Once more, the trees swayed. My breathing slowed.

"Is this it?" I muttered. "Is this the true conclusion of my story?"

The gray wolf rose to his feet. Its ears perked up. It walked away after turning.

It wasn't my fault.

I shut my eyes.

The chill grew stronger.

I had a floating sensation. No more suffering. Quit making noise. Just quiet, soft, nothing.

Then there was a noise.

feet.

No paws. feet.

slow movements that apply pressure to the leaves.

I was unable to open my eyes, even though I wanted to.

My forehead was touched by a hand.

Real, firm, and warm.

A deep voice said, "She's still alive."

Not Dane. It was an older voice. Weary. but powerful.

"She shouldn't be alive," said a different voice. A female. Sharp. Startled.

The man bent down. His hands smelled like herbs. Additionally, there's something odd. like a mixture of snow and firewood.

"Death marks this one, but death didn't take her."

The woman asked if we could save her.

"Not in the typical manner," he answered. However, there is an alternative. One that is darker.

My mouth quivered. I wanted to talk. My mouth was too dry, though.

The man said, "Bring the blood of the wolf."

The woman let out a gasp. "You mean-?"

Indeed. Today is not her day to die.

The man put his hand on my chest.

He said, "Sleep now, Luna." "You won't be the same person when you wake up."

Then everything turned dark.

And I noticed something odd in that darkness.

Silver eyes flashed.

A forest fire is burning.

And Dane, who was standing on the edge, was staring at me as if he had forgotten who I was.

My breathing became even slower.

It all seemed so distant.

I had doubts about my survival. However, a tiny, irate thing inside of me refused to leave.

What made them want to save me now?

Why not earlier?

My chest held the man's hand. Something warm pulsed through his palm, and I could feel it. Like fire slipping into frozen crevices, it moved inside me.

Then I experienced a sting.

It had a sharp edge. chilly. similar to ice slicing through bone.

I wanted to scream, but I was unable to do so. My entire body trembled. My heart pounded, paused, then began anew.

quicker.

more powerful.

Warm.

Too warm.

Fire. within me.

I was immobile. However, I noticed things. faces I was unfamiliar with. forests that I had never traversed. In the moonlight, a white wolf stands. Snow and blood. A hand with gold chains reaching out.

Then I caught sight of him.

Dane.

He was standing above a tomb. My tomb.

He wasn't crying, though.

He had Lyra's hand in his.

I'm laughing.

My own deep, wild growl reverberated in my ears.

My internal fire grew brighter.

The woman's voice was near my head, whispering.

"She is evolving."

Calm and steady, the man replied.

"She is not going to die. She is evolving.

What is it becoming?

I didn't inquire.

I was unable to.

However, I had already made up my mind.

I would never again be the helpless girl.

Never the pathetic Luna who pleaded for affection.

I would return if I lived.

Not for him. Not for the group.

However, for me.

Like a bone snapping, a loud crack sounded in my ears.

Then there was quiet.

Then a sigh.

My breath.

However, it no longer felt like mine.

And I sensed a movement beneath my skin just before the darkness engulfed me. Something that was out of place.

*Mira's body starts to change as she passes out-something strong and old awakens inside of her. and it's not only wolves.

Mira's POV

The chilly wind brushed my skin as I stood in the center of the pack house courtyard, but I felt nothing. Even though my legs were trembling, I managed to stay upright. I was forced to. I could hardly hear the people around me because my heart was beating so loudly. They were all staring at me, watching and waiting, like wolves circling a dying thing.

Alpha Dane, tall and proud in his black coat, was a few paces ahead of me. His hands behind his back, his eyes vacant, his jaw clenched. I looked for a single indication of love in them. A single glimpse of the man I once knew. However, nothing was present.

Lyra was standing next to him, her long red dress flowing, a gentle smile that she didn't bother to hide pressed against her lips. She touched Dane's arm as if she was already there. She avoided eye contact. She was not required to. She was already victorious.

By raising his chin, Dane made his words audible to all ears.

"I declare my bond with Mira, a daughter of no rank, broken in my capacity as Alpha of Black fang."

The crowd let out a gasp. Someone murmured my name. Some of the wolves averted their gazes. People looked at me as if I were filth. Just an Omega who fell after flying too near the moon.

Dane's voice remained steady. He didn't appear apologetic. Not once.

He declared, "She is no longer Luna." "This pack no longer includes her. She loses her place, mark, and title.

My knees gave way. Before I fell, I managed to catch myself. However, I was powerless to stop the sharp breath from leaving my lungs. I had the impression that someone had ripped my breath away. It was as if my heart had been torn out and shattered in public. He took a step forward. Make a grab for me.

To rip the Luna mark from my collarbone, not out of kindness. I recoiled as his firm, cold fingers touched my skin. Silently, the pack observed his hand glowing with Alpha energy. It burned through my flesh. Then it vanished.

Everything-the mark-our bond. I was nothing. Nothing.

I swallowed the low growl that bubbled up from deep within. I wouldn't allow them to enjoy my breakdown. Not in this place. Not right now.

Dane looked out at the throng. Let this serve as a reminder that weakness is not the foundation of strength. We have to go forward together.

Lyra took a step next to him. The message was obvious even though she didn't touch him this time. From my ashes, the new Luna would emerge.

Once, the wolves bowed to me, and I looked at them. Their faces became indistinct. A few turned their heads away. A few grinned. Nobody came forward.

Nobody stood up for me.

Even so, I refrained from crying.

Not even when the guards arrived to remove me.

"By Alpha's order," one said in a flat voice. They will escort you out of the area. You're not welcome here anymore.

They did not push me. They were not required to. I walked by myself.

My heart was burning, but my steps were weak.

It felt like glass with every breath.

But I'll live.

I had no idea where, how, or why.

However, I would.

Lyra laughing was the last sound I heard before they closed the gates behind me.

Days went by. Weeks, perhaps.

After that, I didn't remember much. My body began to wane. I lost my train of thought. Long before the divorce, I had been slowly and silently poisoned. My tea contains a few herbs. Dane's gentle smile whenever I took a sip.

Like a forgotten dream, I was supposed to fade away.

However, something kept me alive.

I woke up in agony, in flames, in unfamiliar hands, somewhere in the middle of the forest.

And now I was lying on soft moss in a dark cave as my eyes opened again, really opened.

Something new stirred, but the fire in my veins had subsided.

This time, my body complied with my attempt to sit up.

A figure sat next to a fire on the other side of the cave. covered in furs. Faintly glowing eyes in the darkness.

The man's voice was calm and low as he said, "You woke faster than I expected."

I blinked. I had a dry throat. "Where am I?"

"Nowhere," he replied. "What? Now, that is the actual query.

I gazed at him. I spoke in a whisper.

"What am I?"

He approached slowly as he stood up. His face appeared. older than Dane. powerful. Like a carved stone's eyes.

"You were flawed," he remarked. "But now, you're changing into something different."

"What made you save my life?"

"I didn't," he answered. "The woodland did."

I gasped. I examined my hands.

Beneath the skin, my veins glowed dimly.

And for the first time since my expulsion...

I experienced strength.

actual power.

But the cave shook before I could say another word.

The man stiffened and faced the door.

Then I heard it.

A howl.

Sharp.

Known.

Dane's.

He was close.

He was trying to find someone.

Once more, the cave trembled.

The ceiling was covered in dust. The elderly man remained motionless, but I could see his jaw tighten.

He whispered, "He shouldn't be this close."

Confused, I pushed myself up on my elbows. My heart was beating more quickly, but my legs were still hurting.

"What brings Dane here?" I inquired. I pushed the words out even though my voice cracked.

He slowly turned his head in my direction. "Because something is taking place in the Black fang territories." He is unable to fix it.

I went cold.

"What took place?" I gripped the fur under my hands.

The elderly man turned his gaze to the fire. Wolves are becoming ill. Crops are dying. Breaking magic. Additionally, their Alpha gets weaker the more it spreads.

I opened my mouth. "You believe it has something to do with what he did to me?"

The man gave me a knowing look rather than one of sympathy.

"Every bond severed in a cruel way has a price. particularly one connected to the Luna of a lineage as ancient as yours.

I blinked vigorously. "My ancestry?"

Now he turned completely and knelt next to me.

"You are more than simply an Omega. The first healer in the forest is your ancestor. A long-gone gift idea. That's why you survived the poisoning. And for that reason, Dane is terrified.

My throat tightened with breath.

The man said quietly, "He doesn't even know who you are." "But he will soon."

Through the trees came another howl. Nearer. Angrier.

The man got up. "You can't confront him just yet. The poison is still ingrained in your body. You require time.

I made myself sit up straighter and said, "I don't want time." "I need answers."

"Then pay close attention." His eyes grew gloomy. "You're not his anymore. The person he left behind is no longer you. In contrast, if you approach him too soon, he might shatter what remains of you.

My chest ached sharply all of a sudden.

I clutched my ribs as I gasped.

Silver light glowed at my fingertips in brief bursts before fading.

The elderly man nodded slowly as he watched. "It is just getting started."

"What is it?" I muttered.

However, a second howl split the air before he could respond.

Dane didn't have this one.

The volume was higher.

rougher.

Wilder.

The elderly man's expression darkened.

"It isn't a warning," he muttered. "That is a cry of death."

*A terrifying howl that is not Dane's rips through the forest as Mira's new powers start to awaken. There's more on the horizon-something lethal.

Mira's POV

Once more came the cry of death.

This time it was closer and louder.

My legs shook beneath me as I attempted to stand. Silver veins lit my skin like soft fire, then faded, and my hands glowed dimly once more. The agony from earlier came rushing back into my chest like a wave. I remained up, though, gritting my teeth.

The old man drew a long blade from under his cloak and hurried to the entrance of the cave. He spoke without glancing at me.

"They left you here to die," he remarked. "But death had a change of heart."

A second howl responded to the first. My back ached. That one wasn't even a wolf in its entirety. It was contorted. Empty. Hateful.

"What are those items?" Breathing heavily, I asked.

"Nothing," he answered. "Wolves... destroyed by evil magic." cursed. A wolf goes insane if they allow retaliation to fester too deeply. They transform into something irreparable.

My stomach turned over. "Are they trying to find me?"

The elderly man then turned to face me. He had keen eyes. "No. They're trying to kill you. And it makes no difference to them how many they rip through to locate it.

I balled my hands into fists. I spoke in a low voice.

"Allow them to arrive."

A faint grin appeared on his lips. "Not just yet, Fireblood." You don't know how to burn.

Just outside, a loud crack split the air of the cave like a tree breaking in two.

Both of us froze.

Then there was the scraping of stone by claws.

One, two. And more.

They were ascending.

The elderly man handed me a tiny pouch after reaching into a sack by the fire. Dust from ashroot. Massage it into your arms. It will temporarily dull the pain.

I didn't ask him any questions. I covered my skin with the coarse powder after pouring it into my hands. After a quick sting, the pain subsided to a low throb.

He gave me another look. "Remain behind me. Run east if I fall.

"I am not running," I uttered, my teeth clenched.

He didn't dispute.

Near the cave mouth, the shadows grew darker. Just beyond the light came the sound of a snarl.

Then I caught sight of them.

Two wolves appeared, big and gnarled, their eyes blazing like coals. Their mouths foamed, their fur was patchy, and their bones were too sharp. Their scent was not that of wolves. They had a rotten smell.

One gave a low growl and advanced.

The elderly man took a position. "Go back, damned people. It is not your wolf.

The animal made a lunge.

He moved quickly, slicing the thing's neck with his blade. It sprayed the stones with black blood. However, the other one remained unflinching. It bounded past him-in my direction.

I had no time to reflect.

I held up my hands.

The silver light burst out of my hands.

A wind-like pulse threw the creature back against the wall in midair. It thumped to the ground and remained motionless.

I gasped. I had trembling hands.

That's what I had done.

I had no idea how to do it.

With a look of surprise in his eyes, the elderly man turned. "All right, then."

However, a deeper growl rumbled from outside before we could exchange words again.

With his blade up, he took a step back toward the entrance.

There were five, six, maybe more glowing eyes.

The temperature dropped.

He remarked, "They're after your spark now."

I muttered, "I thought you said I wasn't ready."

"You aren't," he stated somberly. "But they don't give a damn."

One of the animals entered the light.

larger than the others.

Its eyes were silver, but its fur was midnight black. similar to mine.

It spoke after giving me a direct look.

Not with words.

in my mind.

"Mira, you ought to have remained dead."

"Mira, you ought to have remained dead."

Like icy fog, the words slithered inside my head.

I stumbled back and almost fell. I stared at the black wolf with silver eyes as my back struck the cave wall. It had a grin-like curl to its lips, but it wasn't one. It was unkind. As if it knew things about me that I was unaware of.

"Have you heard it?" My voice trembled as I asked the elderly man.

He took a while to respond. He was staring at the beast. "Just you," he stated. "That one-it's a genetic trait."

My heart twisted. "What is meant by that?"

He slightly lowered his blade. It indicates that you were the target of this one. made out of your suffering. It came from your death.

With its gaze fixed on me, the black wolf took a single stride forward. For a moment, I believed I caught a glimpse of someone else's hate-twisted face as its fur shimmered oddly in the firelight.

"Who are you?" I muttered.

Anger, betrayal, and hunger were the emotions that hit me in the chest instead of a sound. It desired retribution. It desired me.

The silver light flickered under my skin once more as I clenched my fists. It seemed too small in the cave. Too near. I was having trouble breathing.

"You're not real," I uttered. "You simply are a cursed thing."

The wolf chuckled. My skull echoed with the sound.

It told me, "I am what your love created." "What your passing evoked. I am the aspect of you that he ruined.

Then it lunged before I could get away.

The elderly man's blade sliced across its shoulder, blocking it in midair. It hissed and retreated, but it didn't scream. However, more cursed wolves snarled and snapped as they poured in behind it.

"We are unable to contain them," he yelled.

I frantically looked around. The back of the cave, a narrow tunnel that curved into darkness, was the only exit.

I said, "We run."

"No," he yelled. "You take off. You're not prepared to battle this. Not just yet.

His eyes were fierce as he turned. The Moon root Tree is located. In the middle of the forest. Your blood will reveal the truth there.

"How about you?" I sobbed.

He didn't respond.

Rather, he raised his blade and faced the wolves once more.

Then I took off running.

I didn't stop even though the tunnel cut my feet and scraped my arms. My heart thumped hard against my chest. I heard stone cracking, metal clashing, and snarls behind me.

Then there was silence.

Too quiet.

Halfway through the tunnel, I froze.

Ahead of me, something moved.

Not quickly. Not too loud.

A shadow. Awaiting.

Through the darkness, a faint murmur made its way to my ears.

"Mira, you can't escape yourself."

A darker presence-a whisper in the darkness that knows her name... and wears her voice-blocks Mira's path as she flees the cursed wolves through a small tunnel.