Semua Bab The Luna He Lost: Bab 31 - Bab 40

SeleneThe battlefield fell deathly silent.The clang of weapons, the roar of warriors, even the howling wind—all stilled under the weight of her presence.The Oracle.Saerin of the Moon Temple descended slowly, her feet not quite touching the blood-soaked earth, her silver robes whispering as if woven from starlight. The winged beasts—griffins, ancient and sacred—circled above, their cries echoing like a forgotten hymn.I lowered my blade instinctively, my heart pounding.She looked at me as if she’d known me all my life.“Selene Nightwind,” she said again, voice layered with something old and infinite. “Daughter of prophecy. Vessel of flame. Your time has come.”My mouth was dry.I wasn’t ready.Not for this.“What prophecy?” I managed, the bloodstone pendant pulsing faintly against my chest.The Oracle glanced at Armand, still sprawled at my feet, bloodied but breathing.“Your father was meant to protect the flame,” she said coldly. “Instead, he betrayed it. Just as he betrayed the

SeleneThe ride back to the stronghold was silent.Not because there was nothing to say—but because none of us knew how to say it.The crown pulsed against my skin where I’d wrapped it in cloth and tied it to my belt. I didn’t dare wear it yet. It didn’t feel earned. Not fully. I could still feel the weight of my mother’s words echoing through my bones.“Power will demand sacrifice. Love will demand faith.”As if my heart hadn’t already been torn in too many directions.Killian rode beside me, his gaze sharp and protective, but I could feel his tension just beneath the surface. Since the Catacombs, he hadn’t asked questions, hadn’t pried. He simply watched me like he was waiting for me to break.But I wouldn’t. I couldn’t afford to.We crossed the threshold of Moonbound just before sunset.The stronghold had changed since I first arrived.The walls were reinforced, warriors training in every corner of the courtyard. A quiet, relentless rhythm of preparation pulsed through the pack lik

SeleneThe moon hung low and swollen, casting a pale glow over the moss-laced stones of the forest path. Each step I took was deliberate, measured, quiet—not because I feared the meeting ahead, but because everything about tonight felt like standing on the edge of a blade.The Ironclaw Alpha had chosen a place called Dead Man’s Hollow. A ceremonial clearing, sacred under the laws of parley. Neutral ground where no violence could be initiated without consequence. But laws were only words if the ones who invoked them lacked honor. And the Council had long since shown they had none.The trees thinned as I reached the clearing. It was colder here, the air sharp with pine and earth and a tinge of something older… something metallic. A stone altar stood at the center of the hollow, overgrown with moss and etched with ancient glyphs. Around it, the space was silent, save for the rustling of distant leaves.And then he appeared.Tall. Imposing. Dressed in midnight-black armor engraved with th

SeleneThe forest cloaked us in darkness as we moved—silent shadows weaving through the trees under the cover of a waning moon.Killian was at my side, every step calculated, senses alert. Aric, Cassian, and three Ironclaw scouts followed, forming a loose diamond formation. I’d chosen only the best for this mission—not just warriors, but wolves who could think, who could improvise, who knew how to disappear into the shadows and come back with blood on their fangs.We had twenty-four hours.That’s all Ronan had bought us with his border raid—a masterstroke of chaos that had already rattled half the Council’s northwestern front. And while they scrambled to reinforce their lines, we slipped through the southern flank like ghosts.But even as we neared the ruined Oracle temple—hidden deep in the northern glades, buried beneath thorn and vine—I felt the magic in the air shift.“Do you feel that?” Aric whispered, his hand resting lightly on the hilt of his dagger.“I feel it,” I murmured. “

SeleneWhen the wind shifts in the forest, it carries more than just the scent of pine and damp earth. Sometimes, it carries warnings.We left the riverside clearing that afternoon, making our way deeper into the territory surrounding the Moonbound stronghold. Tess insisted on walking, even though her steps were slow and shaky. I watched her carefully, not out of pity, but protection. She was still healing—from magic, from pain, from memories that had been twisted into nightmares.Killian walked on my left, silent but present. I could feel his energy humming beneath the surface like a storm being tightly held back. He hadn’t said much since Tess confirmed the prophecy. But he didn’t need to. His silence was heavier than words.“Did you ever believe in destiny?” I asked him quietly as we walked.He glanced sideways at me. “I used to think it was just a story people told themselves to make pain feel purposeful.”“And now?”He hesitated. “Now I think pain might be the path to it.”I nodd