Chapter 42: The Luna Rise
The moon hung low over Artesian, its pale glow spilling into the stone corridors of the mansion. The world was quiet, save for the faint howl of wolves in the distance. Yet inside, both silence and storm brewed in equal measure.
Amber sat by the window of her chamber, her knees tucked close to her chest. The memory of what had happened earlier—the floating teacup, the trembling flame—still replayed in her mind like a haunting dream. Only this time, she knew it was no dream.
Her gift was real.
But was it a blessing? Or a curse waiting to unravel her?
The door creaked softly, pulling her from her thoughts. She turned to see Zachary Artesian entering, his tall frame casting a familiar shadow across the room. His eyes—icy yet warm when they fell on her—softened immediately.
"You're still awake," he said gently, closing the door behind him.
Amber tried to smile, but it faltered. "I couldn't sleep."
Zach moved closer, his steps heavy with exhaustion but his presence grounding her. When he reached her, he knelt beside her chair, his hand finding hers. The warmth of his palm against her trembling fingers was enough to break the wall she had built inside her.
"I've missed you," Amber whispered, her voice barely audible.
Zach's chest tightened at her words. He cupped her face, tilting her chin so she would meet his gaze. "And I you. More than you know."
Her eyes glistened. "Then why does it feel like you're slipping further away from me? You leave before the sun rises, you return when the stars are fading... and when you're here, it feels like your heart is still out there."
Zach drew in a sharp breath. He had no defense for her words, for they were true. His duties as Alpha had consumed him, and in protecting her, he had unknowingly left her to face a different kind of battle—loneliness.
"I thought keeping you safe meant building walls around you," he admitted softly, his thumb brushing her cheek. "But I didn't realize I was becoming one of those walls myself."
Amber leaned into his touch, closing her eyes. "I don't want walls, Zach. I just want you."
The silence that followed was tender, heavy with unsaid words. He pulled her close, pressing his forehead against hers, the steady rhythm of his heartbeat calming her trembling soul.
For a moment, the world disappeared. There was only him and her—the Alpha and his Luna, bound by more than destiny, bound by the choice to hold on to each other despite the storm.
⸻
Later that night, after Zach had fallen into a restless sleep beside her, Amber stirred quietly. She slipped out of bed, her bare feet touching the cold stone floor as she moved toward the small table.
On it lay the same teacup from earlier. She stared at it, her heart pounding.
Was it truly me?
She raised her hand slightly, focusing her gaze on the cup. Her breathing grew shallow as she summoned the memory of longing she had felt before. The ache of missing Zach, the emptiness that had cracked her open.
The cup trembled. Slowly, it lifted from the table, suspended in the air.
Amber gasped softly, her hand trembling. But this time, she did not drop it. She focused harder, her brow furrowing, her will pressing forward. The cup rotated, turning once, twice, before gently settling back onto the table without a sound.
Her lips parted in awe. "I... I did it."
_____
A sudden voice behind her made her flinch. "Amber."
She turned quickly. Zach stood by the bed, watching her with widened eyes. He had woken to find her practicing—witnessing the truth of what she had just discovered.
"You... saw that?" she asked nervously.
Zach's face was unreadable as he stepped closer, his gaze locked on hers. "Since when?" Zach's eyes softened, already reading the truth in her mind before she spoke."
Her shoulders slumped. "It started earlier today. I thought I was imagining it, but... Zach, I can move things. Control them. I don't know how or why, but it feels like the world bends when I will it to."
Zach reached for her, gripping her shoulders firmly. "Amber... do you understand what this means? If anyone outside this room learns of this—"
"They'll come for me," she finished, her voice breaking. "I know."
His jaw tightened. The fear in his chest was sharp, because he knew the Embers Council would see her not as a Luna to be cherished, but as a threat to be extinguished.
Yet when he looked at her, trembling yet unyielding, he also saw something else. Strength. A fire that had only just begun to burn.
"I don't care what they think," Zach whispered fiercely. "You are mine. And no council, no rogue, no pack will take you from me."
Amber's eyes watered as she threw her arms around him. "Then promise me you won't leave me in the dark anymore. If this gift is part of me, I need you to face it with me, not away from me."
Zach tightened his hold, pressing a kiss to her temple. "I promise."
⸻
Far from the safety of the Artesian mansion, deep within the frozen halls of the Northern Keep, the council convened. The chamber was vast, its walls etched with ancient runes, lit by torches that burned with an eerie blue flame—an eternal fire said to represent their unyielding power.
The Northern Embers Council was feared across all regions. Its members were not chosen by loyalty or strength, but by bloodline and cunning. Each bore a title older than memory itself, each a shadow capable of bending fate.
At the head sat High Seer Malrik, a man with hair like silver ash and eyes clouded by visions. Beside him was Lady Serapha Veilthorne, a woman cloaked in black feathers, her beauty as sharp and dangerous as a blade. On the opposite side sat General Darius Blackmane, broad-shouldered, scarred, and ruthless in battle. The final seat was taken by Eldric Veynor, the Whisper of Chains, whose voice was rare but whose words could sway the fate of kingdoms.
Their voices echoed across the chamber, heavy with malice.
"She is the daughter of the hybrid Luna," Malrik said, his tone icy and certain. "What of her?"
Darius slammed his fist onto the table, making the blue flames leap. "She must be ended before her roots dig too deep! We all remember what happened when Seraphine defied us. We cannot risk a repeat."
Lady Serapha's lips curled into a cruel smile. "Ah, yes. The forbidden Luna who bears the child of the forbidden prophecy. The one we failed to cut from the womb. And now she walks in our lands, loved by an Alpha too blind to see the fire he protects."
Eldric leaned forward, his voice low, rasping, and chilling. "If Amber discovers the full extent of her abilities, she will not merely rival us... she will annihilate our bloodlines. Every ember we have nurtured will be consumed by her light."
Malrik's gaze swept the chamber, sharp as the edge of a blade. "Then it is decided. Amber the Daughter of Elimor Caelum must not live to see her gift reach its peak. The Moon-child must fall, or the Northern Embers Council will burn in her light."
A tense silence settled over the council, broken only by the crackle of the eternal blue flames.
Lady Serapha's eyes gleamed with malice. "We must act quickly. The Alpha is protective, yes, but he cannot control the storm that she carries within. One misstep... and she could rise beyond his reach."
Darius's jaw tightened. "We should send scouts immediately. Watch her movements. Study her every thought, every step. If she so much as flickers with her power, we strike."
Malrik nodded slowly. "And Eldric... ensure our spies within the southern and northern territories are ready. Amber must never realize the full scope of our reach until it is too late."
Eldric's lips curved in the faintest smirk. "They will fall into our net like moths to a flame. And when she struggles... oh, she will struggle... we will be there to snuff out her light before it ignites fully."
Malrik's voice cut through the chamber like ice. "Prepare everything. By the next full moon, we will either control her—or destroy her. The prophecy will not succeed. Not on our watch."
As the council members rose, their robes swirling like shadows, a single thought united them: Amber Artesian—the Luna child of legend—was no longer hidden. She had awakened, and the Northern Embers Council would stop at nothing to snuff out her light before it became a blaze they could not contain.
Outside, the wind howled against the frozen keep, as if echoing the council's intent. Somewhere, far away in the warmth of the Artesian mansion, Amber's power stirred, growing stronger with every beat of her heart. The storm had begun, and the world would tremble beneath the rise of the Luna.
____
Far away, as Zachary held Amber close, neither of them knew that in the shadows of the North, her fate had already been sealed by those who feared the power she was only beginning to understand.
To be Continued