All Chapters of The Luna’s last breath : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

The end of the battle did not feel like victory.Torches burned low across the broken courtyard clinging to stone and blood. Bodies of Council soldiers and corrupted beasts alike lay where they had fallen in battle.The Alpha Guardian stood motionless at the gates of the fortress, its molten veins dimmed, as if tired from what it had witnessed.Aria stood among the ruins, numb.Elias’s corpse had been wrapped in black cloak and laid beneath an old oak at the center of the courtyard. Someone she didn’t know had placed a single silver dagger by his side as a symbol of a warrior’s farewell.She couldn’t look at him.If she did, she would break down again and appear weak.The packs arrived at dawn.Not armies.They were Small groups, scouts and Alpha’s who had followed rumors of a forbidden fortress that stood against the Council and lived.They stopped when they saw her.Not with hatred.With fear.And something else like admiration.Whispers filled the air like wind through tall grass.“

The prophecy was alive.Aria stood trembling in the lowest chamber of the fortress. Torchlights leaned trembling over the walls, ancient ruins lay across them, etched into the ribs of something massive. The remains of an Alpha Guardian. A shrine built from what was once alive.Her heart pounded.“This place is older than the Council,” she remembered Elias once telling her. Older than the laws and those who made it.She now understood.The Guardian had led her there in secret, heavy footsteps echoing behind her like war drums. Dax also followed closely, his presence bringing her comfort.The child stirred.Not gently—urgently.“Do you feel it too?” Dax asked.She nodded. “Yes I do. The closer we get, the stronger it becomes.”They eventually reached the center of the abandoned chamber.A single slab of moonstone floated slightly above the ground. In the center of it lay a crack. There lay a skeleton no larger than that of a child's, being preserved by ancient magic.Its skull was crow

The challenge came at noon.Aria felt a sharp and warning itch beneath her skin far before the horn was blown. The fortress stirred uneasily.Wolves paused mid-step. The Alpha Guardian suddenly shifted, its stone claws scraping against the stone floor.A rebel had crossed into their territory.“An Alpha,” Dax whispered behind her. “And he doesn’t look like he is here to negotiate.”The horns blared—three long blares. An official call for an audience.Aria stepped forward into the stone balcony.Beneath her, wolves assembled in the courtyard. Fear, doubt and curiosity mixed in the atmosphere.A man stepped out of the forest boldly. He was tall, broad chested and powered. He had the red mark of an Alpha burned on his forehead.Marek Blackvein.Alpha of the Iron claw pack. Known for being a rebel.He stopped at the edge of the courtyard and shouted, “ I demand an audience with the one they call Sovereign.”Whispers instantly filled the crowd.Aria walked down the stairs gracefully. She d

Aria woke up with her hands pressed to her chest, almost unable to breath.For a moment, she thought it was a nightmare. The kind that left you puzzled and worried for a long time. Then she felt it.The second heartbeat.It was strong and alive.She pushed her body upright. It was not yet dawn. Shadows still clung to the stone walls of the fortress like secrets that refused to be revealed.“You’re awake now,” Dax’s voice came from the door.Aria turned sharply. He stood alone at the door, arms crossed, shoulders rigid. He looked like a man who had been fighting battles within himself.“How long have you been watching me?” She asked.“Long enough to realize you are not at peace even in your sleep,” he said quietly.Something in his tone stirred fear in Aria.She swung her legs over the bed to get up.“Say it.”Dax bowed his head. This alone made her more frightened.“The Guardian requests your presence,” he said finally.“It said the truth can’t wait any more.”The word truth sent chil

A wolf approached the fortress gates. His side was soaked in blood—dark and slick—against his tattered clothes. Every step looked like a punishment, breath tearing from his chest harshly. The falling sun hung pale above him, a cruel witness to his struggle.“Help him while I go report to the Sovereign at once,” one of the three guards at the watchtower said to the others.He rushed into the fortress, through the great hall and the corridors. He found Aria having a conversation with Dax in the courtyard. “Sovereign…there is a wolf at the gate and he is badly injured,” said the guard.“Bring him to me at once—”“That might be one of the Council’s traps—” Dax warned.Aria hesitated, “At least let's find out who he is.”Dax nodded. The guard rushed back to the gates.After a short time, he returned to the courtyard with another guard and an unconscious wolf.Aria gasped at the sight of the wolf. “Lior!” She whispered.“You know him?” Dax asked.“He is Lior, Elias’s younger brother,” sh