6. The Lost Luna

Alice's POV

My consciousness returned slowly—my body felt as if it were being pulled back by a force I couldn’t control.

I didn’t open my eyes straight away. My thoughts were clouded with fear, or perhaps exhaustion. Every part of me felt shattered. My breathing was short and shallow, but not suffocating. Warmth surrounded me—steady, grounding, strangely comforting.

Thin air, mingled with a familiar scent, filled my lungs. Beneath it lingered a bitter note—herbs, roots, and something unfamiliar yet not dangerous. My tongue felt sharp and acrid, as if someone had forced a potent potion down my throat.

I coughed softly.

Footsteps stopped immediately.

“She’s awake.”

The voice was low. Deep. Calm—yet carrying a tension that wasn’t even slightly concealed.

My eyelids fluttered before finally opening.

A wooden ceiling greeted me. Ancient beams loomed overhead, etched with crescent moons and old wolf symbols carved deep into the grain, as if they were watching from the shadows—some worn down by time, others still sharp with intent. Candlelight glowed softly from several corners of the room, casting warm, slow-moving shadows along the walls. The modern world felt impossibly far away. No mechanical hum. No intrusive noise. Even the weight pressing on my chest seemed to fade.

The room felt old—steeped in silence, as if it existed at the very heart of stillness itself.

I tried to move—

Pain shot up my throat, sharp and burning, like thousands of blades slicing through every nerve.

I hissed, instinctively clutching my neck.

“Don’t move yet.”

Draven’s voice.

He sat on a wooden chair beside the bed, his body leaning forward as if bracing himself, his hands resting on his knees. His face was pale—too pale—and achingly familiar in a way that tugged at something buried deep in my memory. The gold of his eyes, which had been so striking during Jason’s trial, now appeared darker than usual. Claw marks were still visible along his neck and arms, some wrapped in black cloth embroidered with silver wolf sigils. The scent of dried blood clung to him, mingling with the herbal aroma.

He wasn’t fully healed.

“Where… am I?” My voice came out hoarse, barely audible.

“Neutral territory,” he answered quietly. “The ancestral home of the Chevalier Wolf.”

Chevalier de Lune—a pack steeped in legend, known as the Guide’s Wolf.

And now, a truth revealed far too clearly: none of this was a coincidence. It was fate, carefully woven. Perhaps this was the real reason Draven had always placed himself between me and danger without hesitation.

The name struck my chest like fragments of a past life—but my mind found no memory to anchor it to. Still, something inside me reacted instantly. Instinct, perhaps. The hairs on my arms stood on end.

I tried to sit up, but Draven immediately pressed a hand to my shoulder. His touch was gentle… yet firm.

“Alice,” he said, his voice firm but low. “You nearly lost your airway. Your throat is badly bruised. If you push yourself now, it could reopen.”

I knew I couldn’t leave the bed.

But one name crashed through my thoughts, drowning out everything else.

Jason wasn’t here.

“Jason!” I jolted, panic tearing through what little clarity I had left. “Where is Jason?!”

Draven went still.

And that silence—too long, too heavy—answered more than a thousand words ever could.

“He…” I swallowed hard, the pain flaring up again. “He was captured again?”

Draven’s jaw tightened. A muscle in his temple twitched.

“No.”

A fragile spark of hope ignited in my chest—so delicate it almost hurt to feel it.

“He managed to escape,” Draven continued. “But he’s in critical condition. The last time I sensed his aura… he was severely wounded. He lost a lot of blood. He vanished towards the northern territories.”

My chest felt as though it were being crushed from within. My breath caught in my throat.

“If Alpha Redius finds him first—”

“I won’t let that happen,” Draven cut in sharply. For a brief moment, his Alpha aura flared—just enough to make the air around us feel heavier. “I’ve already sent my people. But that region is crawling with Black Moonstone scouts.”

I closed my eyes. Guilt gnawed at me with every breath I took.

Jason was hurt because he’d protected me.

He always had.

Then Draven stood up.

He crossed the room towards a wooden table in the corner and picked up something that made my whole body tense before I’d even fully seen it.

The bracelet.

Or rather—a piece of parchment bearing a detailed black sketch.

At the top, written clearly: Arcane Moon Bracelet.

Candlelight reflected off the drawn metal surface, highlighting the crescent engravings and unfamiliar symbols—patterns rarely seen on any known artefact. I could feel it even now. A subtle vibration in the air, strong enough to still a heartbeat.

“I failed to retrieve the bracelet from Redius,” Draven said. “He lost control when it didn’t respond the way he expected.”

“Why didn’t it work?” I whispered, almost afraid of the answer.

In the past, the bracelet had reacted—clearly—just not in the way it should have.

Draven turned towards me. His gaze was heavy—like someone bearing centuries of secrets, sins, and unspoken oaths.

“The first reason,” he said, “is that Alpha Redius is not the key.”

I frowned, confusion mingling with fear.

“Chevalier Wolf,” he continued, “isn’t just a family name. For centuries, we’ve been guardians. Keepers of balance.”

He sat down again, his voice shifting—measured, deliberate—as if he were unsealing a long-buried truth. His breathing slowed, as though he were opening a door that had been locked for far too long.

“The legend of the Luna Infinite tells of a Luna who belongs to no single pack. She is claimed by no one… yet her existence protects them all. She is the axis of balance—the bearer of pure moonlight. The Arcane Moon Bracelet was created to protect her… and the werewolf world itself.”

I shook my head weakly. “It’s just a legend.”

“A legend that killed dozens of ambitious Alphas,” Draven replied flatly. “They tried to force it. Break it. Steal power that was never theirs.”

My chest began to tighten.

“The bracelet cannot be activated by just any Alpha,” he went on. “Not even the strongest one.”

I already knew what he was going to say.

And I hated it before the words had even left his mouth.

“There is only one who can activate it,” Draven said slowly. “The true mate of the Luna Infinite.”

A broken laugh escaped me—hollow, empty, almost pathetic.

“Don’t,” I whispered. “Please don’t say that.”

Draven’s gaze locked onto mine. I couldn’t look away—but he wasn’t forcing me either.

“Alice—”

“I already had a mate,” I cut in quickly. My breathing turned ragged, old wounds tearing open. “Alpha Redius. I felt it. The bond was real. I trusted it. I trusted him—”

My voice faltered. My throat burned again.

“He nearly killed you,” Draven interrupted quietly.

I didn’t deny it. I didn’t defend him.

Draven’s voice softened, his eyes gentler. “A mate bond can be falsified,” he said. “Twisted by dark forces. Warped by ambition.”

I shook my head vigorously. “No. I don’t want to hear this.”

My hands trembled as I clutched the blanket. “I will never be a Luna again. Not for any wolf. And certainly not for fate or some ancient legend.”

Draven rose slowly, then knelt down beside the bed—bringing us face to face. We were close enough that I could see emotions flicker across his face, unreadable yet intense.

“I’m not asking you to accept it,” he said quietly. “I’m asking only one thing.”

I looked at him through wet lashes.

“Live,” he said. “Because as long as you’re alive… the bracelet is safe. And this world remains in balance.”

Silence stretched between us.

Beyond the wooden window, the moon hung low—pale and watchful, as if observing me from afar.

And I felt something terrifying settle into my bones—

This legend… this fate…

It wasn’t finished with me yet.