Novels by Elizabeth Taiwo

The war bells stopped after an hour.But the fear they left behind remained.The Crimson fortress had changed.Only that morning, Elara had walked through its halls believing she was entering enemy territory.Now she watched warriors from both packs prepare side by side.Ashen soldiers stood beside Crimson fighters.Two groups who had spent generations believing the other was their greatest threat.Yet now they shared the same enemy.The Hollow Crown.Elara stood outside the council chamber, listening to voices rise inside.“We cannot send her.”Kael.His voice was controlled, but she could hear the anger beneath it.Riven answered immediately.“And we cannot leave her behind.”“You are suggesting we take the Moon Heir into enemy territory.”“I am suggesting we take the person who has the strongest connection to what they are searching for.”The doors opened.Both men stopped speaking.Elara stepped inside.“Good.”They looked at her.“Now I don’t have to repeat myself.”Kael closed h

The border between Ashen and Crimson territory was not marked by walls.There were no gates.No guards standing with raised weapons.Only a line of ancient trees that seemed to know exactly where one world ended and another began.Elara stared into the darkness beyond the border.For generations, the Ashen Pack and Crimson Pack had been taught to fear each other.Two sides.Two beliefs.Two enemies.Yet now she was about to step into the home of the people she had been warned about her entire life.And the strangest part was…She wasn’t afraid.Not of the Crimson Pack.Not anymore.She glanced behind her.Kael noticed.“You don’t have to do this.”Elara looked at him.“Yes, I do.”“They are not our allies.”“Neither are they our enemies.”The words surprised him.Kael studied her carefully.“You trust him.”She knew exactly who he meant.Riven.“I don’t know him.”“That wasn’t my question.”Elara looked away.“I think he knows more than he’s saying.”“So do I.”“Then why are you again

The order came before sunrise.Elara knew something was wrong the moment she saw the Ashen warriors preparing their weapons.They were not packing for travel.They were preparing for conflict.The camp that had once been filled with uncertainty was now filled with quiet determination. Soldiers moved with purpose, checking armor and sharpening blades beneath the pale morning sky.Elara stepped out of her tent and immediately found Kael waiting.His expression told her everything.“What happened?”Kael looked toward the eastern forest.“The Hollow Crown has moved again.”A cold feeling settled in her chest.“Another attack?”“Worse.”He handed her a folded piece of parchment.Elara opened it carefully.The message was short.Too short.The Crimson border has been breached.Unknown forces are moving through their territory.The Moon Heir may be their next target.She looked up.“Why does this involve me?”Kael gave her a tired look.“You know why.”“No.”Her voice sharpened.“I know ever

Morning arrived reluctantly.The crimson glow of the Blood Moon had finally faded, leaving behind a pale silver dawn that cast long shadows across the Ashen camp. Mist drifted between the towering pines, wrapping the forest in a veil of silence.Elara had barely slept.Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the burning halls of Moonfall Keep.Her mother’s face.The silver pendant.The banner of the Hollow Crown.The memories felt incomplete, like pages torn from the middle of a book. She knew they would return eventually, but she wasn’t sure she wanted them to.She stepped away from the camp before sunrise, following the sound of the river.For the first time in days, there were no warriors surrounding her.No Council.No Crimson Pack.No Guardian watching her every breath.Just the quiet murmur of flowing water.She knelt beside the riverbank and dipped her fingers into the icy current.The water shimmered.Then, without warning, her reflection changed.It wasn’t her face staring ba

Chapter EightThe Council’s Judgment The Blood Moon hung low over the valley, staining the night sky a deep crimson.No one moved.The Ashen Pack stood shoulder to shoulder, weapons drawn but lowered. Across from them, the Crimson Pack waited with equal patience, their wolves pacing silently through the tall grass. Between them stood the Moon Council, their silver cloaks catching the moonlight like polished steel.For the first time in centuries, three powers that had spent generations avoiding one another stood on the same ground.And every pair of eyes rested on Elara.She hated it.She wasn’t a queen.She wasn’t a prophecy.She wasn’t the answer to anyone’s prayers.She was just a girl who had discovered that everything she’d ever believed about herself had been a lie.The Council leader stepped forward.His silver hair stirred gently in the cold wind, though his expression remained unreadable.“My name is Aldric,” he said. “High Chancellor of the Moon Council.”Elara didn’t bow.

Chapter SevenThe Heir Between Two MoonsThe valley had changed.Not because the trees were different.Not because the river had moved.Because everyone was looking at Elara differently.Before tonight, she had been a girl searching for answers.Now she was something else.Something ancient.Something dangerous.The Crimson Pack stood across from the Ashen warriors, but neither side attacked.Because both sides understood the same thing.The Blood Moon had chosen.Elara looked between them.“I’m not a symbol.”Her voice was quiet.But everyone heard it.“I’m not a weapon.”The mark on her hand glowed.“And I’m not something you can fight over.”The Crimson leader studied her carefully.“You sound like someone who still believes she has a choice.”Elara stepped forward.“I do.”A strange expression crossed the woman’s face.Almost sadness.“You don’t understand what you are carrying.”“Then tell me.”The valley became silent.The woman looked toward the mountain.“The Forgotten Moon wa