The forest beyond the northern ridge was cloaked in fog as Selene crouched at the edge of the trees, her cloak drawn tightly around her. Behind her, Jace, Saria, Daemon, and a dozen of the elite warriors waited in perfect silence.
Ahead, just beyond the treeline, the flickering torchlight of a Shadow Fang supply caravan illuminated the narrow mountain path. Dozens of wagons loaded with weapons, enchanted chains, and crimson-tinted armor trundled forward, guarded by battle-hardened soldiers in dark cloaks.
This was the supply line fueling Damien's uprising.
And tonight, it would fall.
Selene's wolf stirred within her, its energy burning hot beneath her skin. She didn't need to speak—her warriors knew what was coming.
Jace leaned in beside her. "Five guards on the left flank, two mages in the rear, archers overhead."
"Good," Selene whispered. "We hit fast. No survivors."
Daemon gave a grim nod. "They'll never see it coming."
Saria stepped forward, lifting both hands to the sky. A soft, blue shimmer spread over the group like a wave of mist—her cloaking enchantment. Under it, their scents vanished, and their footsteps made no sound.
Selene waited until the lead cart passed a narrow bend in the path—boxed in by rock walls on both sides. A perfect ambush point.
She raised her fist.
Then dropped it.
The forest exploded into chaos.
Moonfire sliced through the air, glowing with searing silver light as Selene leapt from the shadows and landed atop the first cart.
She moved like lightning, cutting down two guards before they could draw their swords.
Jace appeared beside her, dual blades flashing as he tore through the left flank.
Daemon and three warriors crashed into the rear, where the mages had begun to conjure protective shields.
Too slow.
Daemon's claws raked through one, while the others finished off the second before his spell could take form.
Saria chanted from behind, sending magical pulses that ripped through the archers overhead, scattering them from the cliffs.
Selene didn't stop.
She cut down enemy after enemy, every movement precise and brutal.
She had trained for this moment.
She had burned for it.
Her wolf howled within, wild and victorious.
Within minutes, the caravan was in flames.
Wagons toppled, crates of weapons splintered and burning, bodies lying strewn across the path.
Only one soldier remained, crawling away, blood trailing behind him.
Selene stepped over him, pressing her boot to his back.
"Where is Damien moving next?" she demanded.
The soldier spat blood, defiant. "You can kill me. But you'll never stop him."
Selene narrowed her eyes.
"I don't need to stop him. I just need to get there first."
She drove Moonfire into the ground beside him—a warning, not a kill.
Then she turned.
"Burn the rest."
By morning, the forest was silent again, the smoke rising into the clear sky.
The elite squad returned to camp victorious—but cautious.
Selene walked beside Jace, her mind racing.
"That was too easy," she said. "Damien never leaves his supply lines unguarded."
Jace nodded. "It felt like bait."
Saria approached from behind, concern in her voice.
"There were Shadow wards on the crates. Disguised."
Selene stopped in her tracks.
"Wards? For what?"
Saria hesitated. "Tracking."
A chill slid down Selene's spine.
"They know where we are."
Elsewhere, deep within the Blackfang Spire, Damien stood before a burning scrying pool, watching the battle unfold in shimmering images.
Beside him, Elira chuckled softly.
"She played right into it," she said. "Just like we planned."
Damien's expression was unreadable.
"Now we strike."
Back at the summit, Selene gathered her council.
"They knew we were coming," she said. "We've been marked."
Korren snarled. "Then we fight them here. Let them come."
Selene shook her head. "No. We lure them farther away. Make them think they've got us cornered."
She looked around the room, eyes fierce.
"We end this on our terms."
That night, under a full blood moon, Selene stood beneath the Moon Tree.
Her wolf's energy surged in her veins.
Every battle brought them closer to the final war.
And she would face it not as a forgotten Luna.
But as the Alpha Queen, chosen by the moon and forged in fire.