All Chapters of Echoes of Moonfire: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

~EiraThe room was a blur of silver light and hushed movement when I stirred. My body felt strange—light, as if I had been floating for hours and only just returned to earth. The familiar arches and moonstone columns of Queen Seraphina’s healing chamber curved around me, their elegance soft and cold. But my eyes didn’t rest on the ceiling for long. They landed on him. Ryan sat in a velvet-backed chair, leaned so far back I thought it might tip over. One leg propped up, arms crossed, head tilted lazily against the wall like he hadn’t a single care in the world. Except he was watching me. Closely. “How long was I unconscious for?” I asked, my voice hoarse. “Not long,” he said, his expression changing to one of shock because of my sudden awake. “How are you feeling?” “I’m fine, surprisingly. I expected my head to be aching but… no. Nothing.” Ryan wanted to speak but a voice from behind him overshadowed his. “That’s good because you’re going to undergo more intensive trainin

~Omniscient The tunnel was breathless. Cold, damp air curled around the jagged edges of stone, and every exhale of the hiding men felt like thunder in the silence. Aeron sat propped against the wall, his limbs sluggish as he adjusted to the weight of his own body again. He could still feel the echo of the dream realm in his bones, like a haunting melody he couldn’t shake. Commander Claud who was kneeling beside him was the first face he saw, his armor scuffed and dulled by dirt and ash. Lorian and Brim, the two lower ranked soldiers who had carried him and Caelum through the tunnels, crouched nearby, trying to keep quiet while listening for footsteps. “You’re safe now, Alpha,” Commander Claud whispered. “But barely.” Aeron rubbed his temples, then his eyes, and looked toward Claud, his voice gritty from disuse. “What happened? How did I get here?” Claud took a breath, as if choosing which truth to reveal first. “Obsidian has fallen, Alpha. Your brother, Kade arrived the nigh

~Omniscient The fall was like being swallowed by a god. Aeron plummeted through the roaring throat of the waterfall, the air tearing from his lungs. Water smashed into him from every side, his body twisting like a leaf in a storm. He hit the pool below with a force that shattered stars behind his eyes. Something cracked. His vision blackened. Silence. Then, breath. Cold and painful. He choked, coughing river water from his lungs as a hand gripped his shoulder, shaking him gently. “Alpha… Alpha, wake up.” His eyelids fluttered open. He saw a face—mud-streaked, worried, familiar. Brim. Aeron coughed again, propping himself up on shaky elbows. The air smelled of wet moss, pine, and the faint sweetness of flowers blooming wild. They were in a clearing. Towering trees reached skyward, their canopies casting soft emerald shadows over them. Birds chirped cautiously from somewhere high above. The ground was slick with dew, the river they had emerged from cutting a winding path

~Omniscient The flickering torchlight painted strange shadows along the dungeon walls as Lyric stood facing Kade. Her wrists, still raw from the shackles, rested loosely at her sides. Her eyes were narrowed, sharp with unspoken fury, but her body remained still—measured. “I want you to be my Luna,” Kade said simply. Lyric blinked. Once. Twice. Then scoffed, a low sound like steel scraping stone. “I’m already a Luna. To Aeron.” “The same Aeron that’s in my custody?” Kade laughed. “He needs more things than a Luna right now.” “It doesn’t change that fact that I’ve been claimed by him.” Lyric said simply. “In the days of old. The strongest wolves get to pick the best females through combat. The one that wins will get the girl of his choice. I won the combat and I pick you.” Kade said. “Why do you want me? You know I will never be loyal to you.” Lyric stiffened. “I like power and you—my dear… have an enormous amount of it. Power like that isn’t locked away. It’s util

~OmniscientThe courtroom still reeked of ritual magic. The air was damp with the scent of old ash, spiced blood, and fresh incense. Lyric sat silently on the marble floor at the center of the ritual circle, her fingers trailing along the carved runes beneath her as if she was tracing secrets into her memory. Her golden eyes—once wild with clarity and fire—were now muted, filled with quiet wonder. At a distance, Kade stood with the sorcerer, speaking in hushed tones behind one of the throne’s pillars. “What happened? Why is she like that?” Kade asked, tension curling around his voice. The sorcerer examined his staff, the runes pulsing dimly. “The ritual severed her connection to the previous Alpha. That part was successful. But something interfered… a backlash of magic.” Kade turned his head slightly to glance at Lyric. She was crouched by one of the golden-braided tapestries, brushing her fingers against the intricate threadwork, mesmerized. “Why did that happen?” Kade