LOGINThe basin had stopped screaming.
That was the first thing Elena noticed.The second was Marcus’s hand tightening around hers.Black veins spread across the stone surrounding the basin, branching like cracks in a dead tree. The silver water that had shown them Eryon’s face only moments ago was gone. In its place lay a darkness so complete that even the light from Elena’s palm seemed reluctant to approach it.Nobody spoke.Caelan stood closest to theThe basin had stopped screaming.That was the first thing Elena noticed.The second was Marcus’s hand tightening around hers.Black veins spread across the stone surrounding the basin, branching like cracks in a dead tree. The silver water that had shown them Eryon’s face only moments ago was gone. In its place lay a darkness so complete that even the light from Elena’s palm seemed reluctant to approach it.Nobody spoke.Caelan stood closest to the basin, his expression frozen in disbelief. His son was alive. After centuries of grief without even knowing the full shape of what he had lost, he had finally heard Eryon’s voice.And then the connection had been ripped away.“Eryon,” Caelan whispered.He reached toward the basin.“Don’t touch it.” Aric caught his wrist.Caelan turned on him with such fury that the air trembled.“Do not tell me what I can and cannot do when my son is trapped
For several minutes after the archive went dark, nobody moved.The words remained burned into Elena's thoughts.BRING ME THE BEARER OF FIRST LIGHT.OR I WILL OPEN THE DOOR MYSELF.Caelan stood beside the ancient book, one hand braced against the table. He had spent centuries believing his family history was painful but complete. Now he had learned that a son had been taken from his memory, another had been sealed away, and the world he had helped protect might have been built upon a lie.Aric watched him without approaching.Perhaps he knew no apology could repair the years stolen from his brother's life. Perhaps he feared that Caelan would never forgive him for failing to save Eryon.Elena understood both possibilities.She also understood that they had little time to dwell on them.“Can the message be traced?” she asked.Liora's voice came from the doorway. She had arrived with Adrian and Ser
Aric did not move when Elena approached him.Around them, the capital was slowly emerging from its terror. Families embraced in the square. Guardians spoke with their people, confirming that the silver network still held. Above the palace, the new barrier shimmered like a web of stars, stretching across the seven territories without a throne at its center.They had done what generations before them had feared to attempt.Yet Elena could not celebrate.The voice from beyond the barrier had called her the daughter of the first Luna. It had spoken of Aric as her brother. And it had accused him of doing something to First Light that Elena still did not understand.She stopped a few steps away from him.“What did you do?”Aric kept his gaze on the sky.“Whatever you heard, you shouldn't trust it.”“That's not an answer.”“No.”“Then give me one.”He finally looked at her. His expre
The voice beyond the barrier did not fade. It lingered in the sky above the Moon Kingdom, pressing against the world like a hand against glass. Every wolf in the capital felt it. Some covered their ears, while others dropped to their knees as the silver threads connecting the territories trembled. Elena stood in the center of the square, holding Marcus's hand. The darkness above the palace had swallowed the moon. For the first time since awakening First Light, she felt something on the other side that did not merely want her power. It knew her. “Elena,” Marcus said softly. She looked at him. “Whatever that thing says, don't answer it just because it knows your name.” “I wasn't planning to.” “Good. I dislike competing with ancie
Chapter 75 —Elena released Marcus's hand only long enough to approach the doorway. Below, the capital had become a sea of silver lanterns and frightened faces. Wolves crowded the palace square. Some wore the colors of their territories; others had come without armor, carrying children or helping the injured walk. At the center of the square, a column of moonlight rose from the ground. Within it stood a vision of Elena. She wore a crown of silver branches and a gown that shimmered like moonlit water. Her face was calm, almost gentle. The vision lifted one hand, and the crowd fell silent. “I AM YOUR QUEEN,” the false Elena declared. “KNEEL, AND I WILL PROTECT YOU.” A murmur passed through the people. Some knelt. Others hesitated. Elena gripped the stone railing. It was not merely copying her appearance. The throne had taken the sound of
Elena had never hated the dawn before.She stood beside the bedroom window, watching pale light spread across the Moon Kingdom, while Marcus fastened the clasp of his sword belt behind her. Neither had slept much after the vision of Seraphine. Every time Elena closed her eyes, she saw her mother kneeling before the Moon Throne, black veins creeping across her face as an unseen force placed a crown above her head.Your queen has been chosen.The words had followed Elena through the night.“What if the vision wasn't a threat?” she asked.Marcus came to stand beside her. “What do you mean?”“What if the throne has already begun the choosing? What if my mother is being used to complete the process?”“Then we'll get to her before it finishes.”She turned toward him. “You say that as if we can simply walk into the throne chamber.”“We could.”“Marcus.”“I'm not saying we should.” His mouth t







