Chapter one

The night was filled with the thick scent of smoke that swallowed the whole of the Crestwood kingdom.

The palace which was once a peaceful place was now stained with blood and stench of the brave bodies of wolves who had perished defending their Luna. From a distance away, you could hear haunting howls that replaced the eerie silence, the clash of steel and the growls of those still battling for the throne.

But In the heart of the all these chaos, Luna Selene stood strong and unwavering.

Her silver hair whipped wildly, following the direction of the wind, stained with dirt and streaked with blood. The hem of her once-innocent gown was torn and drenched in the blood dripping from a deep wound in her arm. Her golden crown gleamed dimly in the firelight, her eyes sharp as the very moon casting shadows above. She was weak but she wasn't going to give up…not when all was at stake.

“Crestwood does not fall tonight!” she roared, raising her blade high.

A mocking laugh shattered her words.

“Even the moon cannot save you, Selene!”

Emerging from the dark side of the dying courtyard was Darius, a wicked wolf cloaked in madness. His sword dripped with blood, his dark red eyes burned with jealousy and envy. His once-perfect armor was battered and cracked .

“Your reign of mercy ends tonight Selene!” he snarled, his voice hoarse.

Selene tightened her grip on her blade, unshaken. “Mercy is what separates us from beasts like you.” 

Darius sneered, pacing around her like a predatory wolf relishing its prey. “Your mercy is weakness. And weakness has no place on the throne.”

“You mistake ambition for strength,” she shot back despite the pain running through her. “But wolves who betray the moon never triumph.”

His lip curled into a mischievous smile. “Then watch as I prove you very wrong.”

With a swift movement, he lunged.

Selene growled as their blades clashed, sparks flying into the firelit night. Selene felt the force of his strike nearly buckle her knees, but she held firm, teeth gritted, muscles screaming in protest. She retaliated, her sword slicing across his arm, leaving him with a cut and drawing out blood.

Darius howled, but his anger only increased . His blade swung in furious strikes, each strike aimed at killing her will rather than disarming her. Selene dodged, twisted, and fought through the pain coming from her wound, refusing to submit.

She had promised herself that her daughter would never grow up under the chains of tyranny, that Crestwood would not fall into fear.

That vow, with the help of the moon goddess, gave her the strength she needed as she faced Darius.

“My father was the Alpha, he gave me this throne, it's rightfully mine ” Selene hissed as their swords locked. “You are a disgrace to the Wolf clan….how dare you turn your blade against your Luna.”

His fury surged, eyes blazing like wildfire. “A woman cannot rule Crestwood. It’s a betrayal to our bloodline! I'm supposed to be Alpha…no one but me”

“And yet, here I stand.” She pushed against him, forcing him back a step. “The Moon Pendant chose me. The crown chose me. You will never take what was never yours.”

“Hand it over now and I'll let everyone go” he said.

Selene knew Darius would not let his enemies live even if he wins. “Never!” She voiced.

Darius’s grin turned dark. “Then I shall carve it from your corpse!”

With a roar, he charged at her, his blade slipping through her defenses. Pain erupted in her chest, as the sword pierced it's way in.

Selene gasped, staggering backward. Her sword fell from her hand 

‘No…I won't let this happen’ she said to herself and with the last strength in her, she transformed into a white wolf. She charged at Darius but it was already too late, he stabbed her again but this time left the sword in her body.

Darius stood over her with triumph in his eyes. “It should have been me,” he growled, reveling in the moment. “Always me.”

She morphed back to her human form, the stab wounds were so deep that there was no stopping the blood flowing from them. As her crown slipped from her head, she laid on the floor in her own pool of blood, refusing to surrender. Then she turned and began crawling toward the palace doors.

”Please protect her, protect my daughter” she silently prayed to the moon goddess.

 Darius dragged her back and pulled her up, he bent down and reached for the pendant hidden under the collar of her dress with a smirk but when he pulled it out, his face fell instantly — it wasn't the pendant. “Where is it? Where is the moon pendant!” he fumed, his breath quickened.

Selene gave him a low laugh, she spat out blood and reached for his arm, holding it tight. “Someplace…where…you…you can never…find it” she managed to say, spitting out more blood.

Furious, Darius pulled out the sword from her body. Selene slumped to the ground, she gave her last breath and her eyes closed forever.

Just then, one of Darius' warriors staggered in, heavily bleeding. He knelt down on one knee, his head bowed. “My lord please forgive me but they got away…we did everything we could but —”

“Who got away?” Darius asked between gritted teeth.

“The …child” he stuttered 

“How was a baby who cannot even walk able to escape your grip!” Darius yelled.

The warrior fell face flat “ It was Aldric, he took the baby, the father and aunt away. I barely managed to return alive”.

“You should have never returned, I told you to only return when they were all dead!” He raised his sword to kill the warrior.

“My Lord…the girl…she had the moon pendant”. The warrior said quickly, trying to avoid death.

“The pendant?” Darius whispered to himself.

“Spare my life and I will bring it to you” The warrior begged.

Darius clenched his fist “ I have no use for a worthless wolf like you” he said and pushed the sword into the warrior.

He turned to stare at Selene’s lifeless body

“The throne is mine, it belongs to my family and I must get it at all cost . Even if it means prying it from your dead child's hand”.