The battlefield burned. Smoke choked the clearing, fire devouring the hunters' camp as wolves and men clashed in a storm of blood and steel. Screams and howls tangled together in the night, but at the center of it all, there was only silence between three figures.
Aria. Damien. Viktor.
The rival Alpha moved with terrifying ease, his black armor glinting with streaks of blood that wasn't his own. His silver blade sang as it cut through the air, forcing Damien back with every strike. Damien's golden eyes burned with fury, his wolf snarling beneath the surface, but Viktor's strength was monstrous. He had fought too many battles, survived too many wars. He was more than an enemy, he was a nightmare made flesh.
Aria circled them, heart hammering in her chest. She could feel the pull of her wolf, the storm inside her clawing, demanding release. She had shifted before, half-shifts, moments of power she could barely control. But now, as Damien stumbled under Viktor's crushing blow, she felt something inside her break wide open.
"Aria, no!" Damien's warning rang out as Viktor swung for her.
But it was too late.
The silver blade grazed her arm, searing her flesh like fire. She screamed, the pain ripping through her body yet instead of falling, she rose. The agony became fuel, the burn becoming a spark. Her bones cracked, her muscles tore, but there was no fear, only fire.
And then she shifted.
Not halfway. Not broken. Fully.
Her wolf exploded from her skin in a rush of gray and silver, taller, fiercer, glowing faintly under the blood moon's light. Her fur shimmered as if kissed by stormlight, her eyes blazing with the same sharp gray as thunderclouds.
The battlefield stilled. Wolves and hunters alike froze, staring. Even Viktor faltered, his cruel grin fading into something colder fear.
Aria threw back her head and howled. It wasn't just a sound it was a command, a promise, a declaration of war. The earth trembled with it, the pack answered in unison, and for the first time, she wasn't just Damien's mate. She was Luna.
Viktor's snarl cut through the air as he lunged at her, silver flashing. Aria met him head-on. Her claws raked across his armor, tearing through metal like paper. His blade slashed at her side, but she spun, jaws snapping shut on his arm, drawing blood. His scream was pure rage, not pain.
Damien joined the fight, his wolf surging with Alpha fury. Together, they became a storm gold and silver, fire and thunder. Viktor fought like a demon, every strike fueled by hatred, but for the first time, he was outmatched.
Aria's power surged with every heartbeat. She could feel the pack through the bond, their strength flowing into her, their hope burning in her chest. This was more than a fight. It was destiny.
Viktor staggered under her assault, his chest heaving, his eyes wild. "You think you can kill me?" he spat, blood staining his lips. "You are nothing but a cursed child!"
Aria's growl rumbled low, her voice echoing in the minds of every wolf present. I am Ravencrest's Luna. And you are finished.
She lunged, her fangs tearing into his throat.
Viktor thrashed, his blade clattering to the dirt, but it was too late. Aria's jaws closed, ending him in a storm of blood and silence.
The rival Alpha fell.
The battlefield held its breath. And then an eruption of howls, victorious and fierce, rose into the night. The hunters fled, broken without their leader, their numbers crushed beneath the wolves' fury.
Aria released Viktor's body, lifting her blood-streaked muzzle to the sky. The pack bowed around her, their howls rising with hers. Damien stood at her side, golden eyes burning with pride, his wolf brushing against hers in silent devotion.
She had done it.
Not just shifted. Not just fought. She had become.
The Luna of Ravencrest.