Chapter 5

I found myself in a cell. The air was damp and heavy, and the faint smell of iron clung to the walls. I wasn’t alone. She was there, the priestess girl. Gina. She was already awake, sitting across from me, her gaze fixed on me in a way that made me uneasy.

“What is happening? Where are we?” I asked, my voice was unsteady.

“Someone kidnapped us,” she replied calmly. “I knew you weren’t alone when you came. They followed you, they must have been watching you.”

“Who? Who are they?” I pressed, but before she could answer, footsteps echoed down the corridor. A sudden flash of light cut through the darkness, and my heart sank.

Elliot.

He moved closer, the torchlight flickering across his sharp features. His expression hardened the moment his eyes fell on us. Without hesitation, he unlocked the door and stepped inside.

“I knew it,” he said coldly, his voice laced with triumph. “You really are consorting with witches. I’ve caught you red-handed. Now you and your little witch friend will undo whatever spell you’ve cast.”

I stared at him in shock. His words made no sense.

“Elliot, you’re mistaken... she’s not...”

“Shut up, Liora!” he snapped, his eyes glowing with fury. “I knew you were up to something. That’s why I had you followed. And where did you lead them? Straight to her.” He flicked his gaze toward Gina.

“You were caught with Gina, a girl who once served as a priestess, sworn to the Moon Goddess, until suddenly she was released from duty to care for her mother. No one questioned it, but the rumours… the rumours said she had dabbled in dark magic. That she was spared exposure only to protect the sanctity of the priestesshood. And now,” he sneered, “she plays at helping others with her so-called mating gift.”

“You," he faced me. "Liora Ashwood, the daughter of a woman who was caught consulting with Witches and got her and her family demoted to Omega rank." He paced, smiling to himself as though he’d unraveled some grand mystery. "And now, the two of you together? The connection is obvious. You both reek of dark magic. So listen carefully, if you know what’s good for you, you’ll undo your spell.”

His voice dropped lower, vibrating with anger as his eyes flared brighter. “If not… I’ll see the both of you burned at the stake. Either way, I’ll have my reprieve.”

With that, he turned sharply and strode away, leaving only the echo of his threat and the darkness closing in around us.

When Elliot’s footsteps faded and silence settled again, I turned to the girl. She sat with her knees drawn up, the flickering light from the torch outside barely catching her features.

“What’s your story?” I asked softly. “What did he mean, those rumors?”

She lifted her eyes to mine, and for a moment, I saw a flicker of old pain in them. “The rumors are false. I never dabbled in dark magic. I was a devoted priestess, one of seven who served under the High Priestess herself. She favored me the most, though I never sought it. I was… different. The Moon Goddess spoke to me more clearly than she did to the High Priestess at times. I could see visions, messages, warnings, fragments of what was to come. Even the High Priestess leaned on me, though she rarely admitted it.”

Her voice tightened, her hands clenching in her lap. “It was I who first saw the prophecy of the union between the two packs. But when I told her, she confirmed it and declared it as her own vision. I did not mind. I only wanted to serve.”

She paused, her gaze distant, haunted. “Then I saw something else. I foresaw the coming attack of the rogues. I wanted to warn the pack. I told my closest friend, Lana, but before I could bring it before the High Priestess, I was accused of practicing dark magic. They searched my room… and found a book of forbidden spells.”

My chest tightened. “But...”

“It was not mine,” she whispered bitterly. “I don’t know who planted it, but it was enough. The High Priestess loved me too much to see me publicly shamed. So she released me quietly, told me to go care for my sick mother… and never return.” She looked down at her hands, her voice hollow.

Guilt flooded me. “I’m sorry,” I murmured. “I dragged you into my problems.”

Her lips curved into a faint, sad smile.

I studied her, remembering she had wanted to tell me something earlier. “You said you saw something earlier., before we were taken. What was it?”

She hesitated. “Would you even believe anything I say now?”

I nodded. “If you foresaw the rogues’ attack before it happened… then yes. I believe you.”

Gina’s eyes glimmered with quiet intensity. “Then listen. When I first told the prophecy of the packs’ union, my words were not what the world was told. I said: ‘A Luna shall rise, born of a rival pack, scarred by trials, yet she will endure. She will bear the mark of the Moon and, through her union, bring peace to the divided packs.’”

Her expression hardened. “But when the High Priestess declared it, she changed the wording. She claimed it meant that Prince Elliot and Ariana would unite the packs through marriage. That was the story everyone believed. But that was not the vision I saw.”

I swallowed, my heart racing. “Then what was the true meaning?”

Gina held my gaze, her voice steady but reverent. “The Luna in my vision… every sign I saw belongs to you, Liora. You are the one destined to unite the packs.”

“What did you just say?” I blinked at her, stunned. A Luna?