MasukSeveral Years LaterThe pack no longer counted time by war. No one spoke about battles as markers of history anymore. Instead, they spoke about the seasons of how the farms yielded better crops each year, how new life filled the land, and how the rivers rose gently when the rains came instead of crashing through the borders like they used to.Peace had settled into the land in a way many had never experienced before. Children now ran freely through the courtyards of the Alpha mansion, their laughter echoing against walls that had once known only tension and watchfulness.Banners hung high above them, carrying the marks of both claw and crescent, symbols that now meant more than strength alone. They stood for balance, guidance, and unity between Alpha and Luna. From the highest balcony, Aria stood quietly, watching it all.She had changed over the years, but not in a way that made her distant from the people she led. If anything, she felt closer to them now. Her power had grown stronge
At that point, everyone had left the room. It was just the two of them and their confidence in the marking that just happened."Damien…" she called softly, her voice carrying more than just his name.He did not answer immediately. His hand came up, slow and careful, as though he were afraid that moving too quickly might break the moment. His fingers brushed her cheek before settling there. It was warm and steady, grounding both of them.“I told myself I would wait,” he said quietly, his voice rougher now, touched by everything he had been holding in. “No matter how hard it got… I wasn’t going to take this from you.”Aria looked at him, really looked at him, and her insides softened completely.“You didn’t take anything,” she said. “You gave me the space to choose.”Her hand slid up to rest over his, holding it against her face.“And I’m choosing you.” The words did something to him.She saw it in his eyes. The shift, the release, the way the last bit of restraint he had been holding o
Damien did not wake screaming. He woke like a man slipping away.His breathing came in short, uneven pulls, as if each breath cost him more than the last. His skin could not decide what it wanted to feel. One moment it burned under Aria’s touch; the next it turned cold like it had drained the warmth out of him completely.The strength that once filled him, the presence that made warriors lower their heads without question, was now buried under a dark and stubborn spell. The curse was not loud and did not tear him apart in a way anyone could see.It worked quietly and slowly as if it had all the time in the world. Aria never left his side. From the moment he collapsed into her arms, she stayed with him. Day turned into night, and night into another day, but she did not move from where she sat beside him.Her hand rested over his chest most of the time, her silver light flowing steadily into him, pushing back against the darkness that clung to him.At first, she thought it would be enou
Selene did not waste a second after Aria left her room.The door had barely closed when the calm look on her face slowly disappeared. She remained standing in the same spot for a while, but her mind was already moving quickly. There was no fear in her, no panic, just a confirmation and realization that things had gone further than she expected.Aria has changed everything, and she’s not backing down. The way she came to challenge her made it obvious that she wanted a fight.Selene had always known the girl was not ordinary, but she did not expect her to grow this fast or this strong. The blessing from the Moon Goddess had given her more than status. It had given her power that could no longer be ignored or controlled from a distance.And Damien…she has lost her hold on him completely. Something she worked for all her life.Selene’s lips pressed together as she thought about him. She had spent years shaping him, guiding him, making sure he never stepped out of line. Every choice, react
Aria woke up with a sharp breath, her body jerking against the sheets. For a moment, she did not know where she was.The darkness in the room felt thicker than usual. The air was filled with tension, almost like something had been there watching her the whole time.Her heart pounded as she pushed herself up, her fingers gripping the edge of the bed. The memory of the cold touch on her leg came rushing back, sending a shiver through her entire body.“What was that…?” she whispered into the silence.Everywhere fell silent at first, with no answer, but after a soft voice spoke, she remembered that she wasn’t alone.You felt it too, her wolf’s voice echoed softly in her mind, causing a slight stir.Aria closed her eyes briefly, grounding herself. “Yes.”It wasn’t just fear or her own imagination. It was real, and she felt it.It carried the same scent, her wolf continued, low and certain. The same dark magic from Selene.Aria’s jaw tightened as she heard the name ‘Selene.’ Everything poin
Aria closed her eyes at the drawing of Damien’s birth star. It was one of a kind, the revelation that he wasn’t an ordinary child.She had studied a bit of astronomy while she was in the human world. What she couldn’t understand was why everything was being hidden. However, she knew Selene was the one behind the foul play.A regular wolf would have just seen another word in the book and thought it was another book. She could open the real world because of her power. This was how Selene had successfully kept the history of her life and her son in a book and left it in the archive.She probably thought no one would find it or decode it as long as she’s alive. She couldn’t care less about whatever history says when she’s gone after all.On the night of Damien’s birth, it was recorded that the ground trembled hard and the moon was the brightest ever seen. All the priestesses couldn’t keep up with their surging energy and ran out of their temples.They all knelt and bowed to the ground til







