Chapter Forty-eight

Light Before the War

The world we returned to wasn’t the same.

The moon hung low, tinted faintly red even before its time. The forests were quieter, the rivers slower, as though the land itself waited for something terrible.

I could feel her everywhere — Mona’s power humming through the earth like a warning.

Lucien walked beside me in silence, his shadows curling around us like a second skin. Behind us trailed the few who had survived Derrick’s collapse — wolves who had chosen resistance over corruption. Their loyalty was unsteady, but their fear of Mona was greater.

We had reached the edge of the old temple ruins — a place where the veil between realms still shimmered. Here, Lucien could anchor his power without destroying the mortal soil.

He stopped, glancing at me. “This is where we make our stand.”

I looked around at the cracked stones and overgrown trees. “Doesn’t look like much.”

Lucien’s eyes glinted faintly. “Neither did you, once.”

Despite the tension, I smiled. “And yet, I keep proving you wrong.”

A faint smirk curved his mouth. “You’ve been doing that since the day we met.”

The wind shifted, carrying the scent of smoke and blood. Far to the east, I saw the faint red glow of Mona’s spreading influence — creeping toward us like wildfire.

“She’s close,” I said.

“She’s feeding on your link,” Lucien replied. “Each time she expands her domain, she tugs at the bond, testing its strength.”

I glanced down at the mark on my palm — it pulsed faintly silver, fighting against the crimson threads that still lingered beneath my skin. “Can we use it against her?”

Lucien nodded slowly. “Yes. But you’ll have to open yourself to it.”

I met his gaze. “You mean, let her in.”

He hesitated. “For a moment. Long enough to draw her attention, to force her to strike here.”

“And when she does?”

His tone darkened. “We end her.”

The silence between us stretched. I could feel the weight of his words — final, absolute.

I turned toward the horizon. “She won’t stop, Lucien. Not until one of us is gone.”

He stepped closer, his voice low. “Then be the one who remains.”

For a moment, the world seemed to still. The shadows around us pulsed softly, as if responding to his words. His power reached for mine — not as a command this time, but as a bond.

“Together,” he said.

“Together,” I echoed.

He released a slow breath. “Then it begins.”

Lucien lifted his hand, and the air shimmered. From the darkness rose his army — not of men, but of shadows. Thousands of them, silent and fluid, their eyes like dim stars. They knelt as one before him.

I summoned my light. It burst from within, spilling silver across the ruined temple. The wolves behind me lowered their heads, their instincts bowing to the combined power that rippled through the air.

Lucien watched me, his expression unreadable. “You’ve changed,” he said quietly.

“So have you,” I replied.

He gave a faint, humorless chuckle. “Maybe that’s the curse of the moon — it never leaves anything untouched.”

A rustle interrupted us. One of the wolves — an older Beta named Kael — stepped forward. “If she’s building her army, we’ll need more than light and shadow. The packs that remain loyal will follow you, Kimberly. But they’ll need a sign.”

Lucien glanced at me. “He’s right.”

I raised my hand, and moonlight gathered at my fingertips. The mark on my palm glowed bright, then burst outward in a wave of silver light that rippled across the clearing. Every wolf that stood beneath it shuddered — their eyes flashing briefly silver before settling into calm focus.

Kael dropped to one knee. “We follow you, Luna.”

The title hit like a spark in my chest.

Lucien’s gaze lingered on me — proud, almost reverent. “Looks like you have your sign.”

Before I could answer, the ground beneath us trembled. The wind shifted, carrying the faint sound of howls — low, guttural, endless.

Mona’s army.

I could feel her approach through the bond — her fury burning like fire. The air thickened, red clouds swirling above as the moon began to bleed fully into view.

Lucien’s hand brushed mine briefly. “She’s coming.”

I nodded, my heart steady. “Then so are we.”

He turned to his shadow army. “Prepare the veil. Once she crosses, she won’t leave alive.”

The shadows dispersed, melting into the ruins to form barriers of black flame. The wolves circled closer, their claws digging into the dirt, their growls vibrating through the ground.

I faced the horizon, my blades forming in my hands — forged from light and dark.

For the first time, I didn’t feel afraid.

I felt ready.

Because this wasn’t just about revenge anymore.

It was about balance — about ending the chaos that began the night the moon first bled.

Lucien stood beside me, his aura crackling. “When she appears, don’t hesitate. No matter what she looks like.”

I swallowed, gripping my blades tighter. “Even if she looks like my sister again?”

His gaze softened, almost human. “Especially then.”

The crimson light on the horizon flared, splitting the sky.

Mona’s laughter echoed through the wind — cold, triumphant, unstoppable.

I raised my blades, the silver glow slicing through the darkness. “Let her come.”

The world trembled.

And as the blood moon rose fully

above us, I whispered a silent promise into the night.

This time, I won’t run.

This time, I’ll finish it.

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