Beneath the blood moon

Chapter 24– Beneath the Blood Moon.

The rain had stopped.A cold silence settled over Mooncrest, broken only by the distant cry of an owl somewhere deep within the forest. The celebration from the Moon Festival felt like a distant memory now. Every lantern had been extinguished, every laugh replaced by uneasy whispers.

The Alpha Manor no longer felt like a home.

It felt like a fortress waiting for war.

Inside the council chamber, the mysterious traveler sat quietly before the crackling fireplace. His weathered hands rested on the ancient scroll spread across the oak table. The faded parchment looked older than anything Liam had ever seen. Strange silver markings glowed faintly whenever the firelight touched them.

Liam stood with his arms folded, studying every line.

"There has to be more than this," he said.

"There is," the old traveler replied calmly. "The scroll was divided centuries ago."

Victor looked up sharply.

"Divided?"

The traveler nodded.

"The Elders feared the truth. They believed no Alpha should possess complete knowledge of the prophecy."

Ryan frowned.

"So they destroyed it?"

"No."

The traveler shook his head slowly.

"They hid it."

Silence settled over the room.

Lia glanced toward Elena, who sat quietly beside Ethan. Since the vision during the Moon Festival, something about her daughter had changed.

She was listening.

Not to the people around her.

To something else.

Something no one else could hear.

"Elena," Lia said gently.

Her daughter blinked.

"Yes?"

"Where did you go just now?"

Elena hesitated before answering.

"I heard someone calling again."

The room became still.

Liam knelt beside her chair.

"What did the voice say?"

Elena looked toward the dark window overlooking the forest.

"It keeps saying the same words."

"What words?"

"'Come before the moon disappears.'"

A chill passed through everyone.

The traveler closed his eyes.

"It has begun."

Hours later...

Most of Mooncrest had gone to sleep.

Guards doubled their patrols around the territory while Ryan personally inspected every entrance.

No one trusted the peaceful silence.

Not anymore.

Liam stepped onto the balcony outside his room.

The Blood Moon hung low above the mountains, painting the forest in crimson light.

Beautiful.

Yet unsettling.

He rested both hands on the stone railing.

His thoughts drifted to Ethan and Elena.

They had survived Magnus.

They had fulfilled the prophecy everyone knew.

But now another prophecy was unfolding.

One no one had prepared for.

A gentle hand rested against his shoulder.

Lia.

"You should be sleeping," she said softly.

"So should you."

She smiled faintly.

"I've never been good at following my own advice."

Liam turned toward her.

Moonlight reflected in her eyes.

For a moment, neither spoke.

The silence between them had changed over the years.

It no longer carried pain.

It carried understanding.

"You've been carrying this alone," Lia whispered.

"I'm the Alpha."

"And you're my husband."

His expression softened.

"You don't always have to protect everyone by yourself."

He reached for her hand.

"I know."

She intertwined her fingers with his.

"We survived impossible odds once."

He smiled.

"We did."

"We'll survive this too."

Liam looked at the Blood Moon again.

"I hope you're right."

Far below the balcony...

Ethan couldn't sleep.

He wandered through the quiet training grounds with his hands in his pockets.

Ever since the battle with Magnus, training no longer felt like a game.

Every scar on his body reminded him how close he had come to losing everything.

He stopped beside the old sparring circle where Liam had first begun teaching him.

"So this is where you've been hiding."

Ethan turned quickly.

Kaiden stepped from the shadows.

His silver eyes gleamed beneath the moonlight.

Ethan immediately tensed.

"What are you doing here?"

"I came alone."

"That doesn't answer my question."

Kaiden smiled slightly.

"I needed to warn you."

Ethan remained silent.

"The Forgotten Alpha is awake.

"I know.

"No."

Kaiden's expression grew serious.

"You don't."

He stepped closer.

"My father feared Magnus.

Ethan frowned.

"Magnus is dead."

"Exactly."

Kaiden's voice lowered.

"And the man my father feared... is alive."

The words settled heavily between them.

Before Ethan could ask another question,

A violent gust of wind swept across the training grounds.

Every torch went out.

Darkness swallowed the courtyard.

Kaiden's smile disappeared.

"He found us."

"What?"

A deep voice echoed through the darkness.

"I have searched for centuries..."

Neither Ethan nor Kaiden could see where it came from.

"...and at last..."

The voice seemed to come from every direction.

"...the Moon Heirs stand before me."

Ethan's heart pounded.

"Who's there?"

No answer.

Only silence.

Then…

A figure slowly appeared beyond the edge of the training grounds.

Tall.

Wrapped in black robes that moved without wind.

His face remained hidden beneath a hood.

Only two glowing silver eyes could be seen.

Eyes older than time itself.

Kaiden instinctively stepped in front of Ethan.

His voice was barely a whisper.

"Run."

The hooded stranger smiled.

"You still believe you can protect them, Kaiden?"

Ethan stared in confusion.

"You know him?"

Kaiden never looked away from the stranger.

"I wish I didn't."

The hooded figure lifted one hand.

The ground trembled.

Ancient runes burst into silver light beneath the earth.

The air itself became heavy.

Every wolf in Mooncrest suddenly stopped.

They all felt it.

Power.

Ancient.

Unimaginable.

Inside the Alpha Manor, Elena's eyes flew open.

She sat upright in bed, breathing hard.

Then she whispered one terrifying sentence-

"He's here….