Chapter 131: The Blood Moon’s Whisper

The Blood Moon glared down like a cursed eye—crimson and cruel, bleeding its light across the forest. Everything beneath it seemed sharper, darker. And for the first time in a long time, Selene felt truly afraid.

The energy Lilith left in her still hummed beneath her skin like a restless beast, clawing at the inside of her ribcage. She stood frozen in the clearing while Elias paced like a wolf caged in a collapsing world.

“She said the gate would open,” Selene murmured. “What gate?”

Elias stopped and turned to her, his face etched with worry. “There are many gates. But only one matters tonight.”

He didn't elaborate. Selene didn’t push. The truth was already gnawing at the edges of her mind: something ancient, buried for centuries, was stirring—and she was its unwilling key.

“I felt her inside me,” Selene whispered. “Not just magic. Memories. Darkness. My blood answered hers.”

Elias reached for her hand. “Then we’ll sever the tie. Whatever she did, whatever she wants from you—we'll undo it.”

But before his fingers could touch hers, a loud crack tore through the trees like a whip of thunder.

They both turned sharply.

From the shadows between the trees, a figure stumbled into the clearing—bloodied, panting, but unmistakable.

Selene’s breath caught.

“Lyra?” she breathed.

Her oldest friend collapsed to her knees.

Selene ran to her, heart pounding. “Gods—Lyra!”

Her once-vibrant hair was matted with blood and ash. Her armor, the same lightweight set she wore the night she disappeared, was torn in places, charred in others. And her eyes—wild and glassy—met Selene’s with a spark of something between horror and relief.

“You’re alive,” Selene gasped, wrapping her arms around her. “I thought you were—”

“They kept me,” Lyra rasped, voice raw. “They knew I was close to you. They wanted me to break.”

Elias moved closer, already crouched low, examining her wounds. “Where were you? Who held you?”

Lyra’s head turned slowly. Her lips trembled. “Lilith. And Theron. They’re working together.”

Selene pulled back, stunned. “What? But… Lilith said Theron would kill me if I didn’t go willingly.”

“She lied,” Lyra spat. “She doesn’t want to protect you. She wants to use you. Just like him. They need your blood, Selene. Both of them. For different reasons.”

Elias’s jaw clenched. “What does Theron want?”

Lyra laughed bitterly. “To wake the First Wolf. And Lilith… she wants to bind him.”

The clearing turned silent.

Selene’s head spun.

The First Wolf—the primal entity of all werewolves, long buried beneath the ashes of war and myth. He wasn’t just legend. He was apocalypse wrapped in a crown of fangs.

“She said something about the gate opening,” Selene whispered. “Is that what she meant?”

Lyra nodded slowly. “The gate is under Shadowgrave. It’s sealed in blood and moonlight. You are the last living bloodline with access to both. They need your essence—your wolf and your will.”

“And if I refuse?” Selene asked.

“They’ll rip it from you,” Lyra said simply.

Elias stood slowly, his hands curling into fists. “Let them try.”

But Selene could feel it in the air. The forest was watching. The Moon itself had turned. This night was no longer about strategy or power plays. It was about survival.

She helped Lyra to her feet. “Why now? Why appear tonight?”

“I escaped,” Lyra said. “Barely. They left me for dead in the Scorched Woods when I wouldn’t cooperate. I followed the pull of your magic. That’s what they used against me—your scent, your pain, your dreams. I felt everything they did to you.”

Selene’s throat tightened. “They used a bond.”

Lyra nodded. “Twisted it. Made it feel like you were calling me, even when you weren’t.”

Elias looked between them. “We have to get back. The council needs to know she’s alive. And what Lilith is planning.”

But Selene shook her head.

“No. If we return now, they’ll start fighting each other. The elders will accuse Elias of protecting a traitor. The packs are on the verge of splitting already.”

“Then what do you suggest?” Elias asked.

Selene turned to Lyra, who looked like she was about to collapse again. Her friend was strong, but she was unraveling fast.

“We hide her,” Selene said. “Somewhere safe. Let her heal, let her remember everything clearly.”

“I remember enough,” Lyra said suddenly, gripping Selene’s hand. “There’s something else. Something I heard while they thought I was unconscious. Lilith… she’s not after your blood alone. She’s after your child.”

Selene blinked. “What?”

“You carry the bloodline of the Eclipse. And she knows it. If you and Elias ever conceive—if you haven’t already—your child will be the first of the Chosen. More powerful than the First Wolf.”

Selene staggered backward. “That’s not possible. I’d feel it…”

Lyra’s gaze dropped to her stomach, then back up to Selene’s stunned expression.

“Would you?” she whispered.

The silence that followed was cold and absolute.

And somewhere in the distance, a wolf howled—not a cry for battle, but a warning.

The Blood Moon was no longer watching.

It was waiting.