The wind bit through the trees like knives of ice. Luca was heavy in my arms, half-conscious, his pulse fading in strange rhythms — too fast, then too slow, like something inside him couldn't decide whether to live or give up.
We left the ruins behind before dawn. Smoke rose in the distance where Malachai's shadows had burned the forest, curling into the gray sky like a warning.
I didn't know where I was going. Only that my instincts tugged me north — toward the mountains that clawed at the clouds.
Luca stirred weakly. "You should… leave me," he rasped.
"Not happening," I said.
"You don't know what's coming."
I adjusted my grip on him. "I know what already came. You took the worst of it."
A faint, broken laugh escaped him. "You talk too much."
"Then you'll live to complain about it."
---
By midday, the mountains split into a narrow pass hidden by layers of fog. I almost missed the entrance — a stone arch carved into the rock, half-covered in moss.
A faint hum echoed as I stepped through. Not dangerous — familiar.
The fog thickened until it swallowed everything, and then it simply… fell away.
We emerged into a valley untouched by decay. The air shimmered with a soft silver glow, rivers reflecting the light like liquid glass. Ancient trees surrounded the clearing, their roots wrapped around broken statues — wolves, humans, and something in between.
Luca stirred. "You found it…"
"Found what?"
"The Sanctuary," he murmured. "Where the first wolves buried their dead."
---
I laid him near one of the statues — a wolf with human eyes. His breathing steadied, but he was still weak. The runes from Malachai's ritual burned faintly on his skin.
I brushed my hand across one, and pain shot through me — his pain, bleeding into mine.
He flinched. "Don't."
"I can help—"
"You'll kill yourself trying."
"I've done worse things by accident."
His lips twitched in a ghost of a smile. "You're stubborn."
"Comes with being hunted."
I closed my eyes and focused on the mark. Light pulsed beneath my skin, and warmth spread through my palms. The black sigils smoked, sizzled — and then vanished.
Luca gasped, body jerking once before going still. The marks were gone, replaced by faint silver scars.
When he opened his eyes, they were clear again — pure, sharp silver.
"You shouldn't be able to do that," he said quietly.
"I shouldn't be able to do a lot of things," I replied.
---
The day passed in uneasy quiet. I built a small fire, more for comfort than heat. Luca sat across from me, wrapped in his torn cloak, eyes reflecting the flames like mirrors.
Finally, he said, "You want to know what you are."
I met his gaze. "I think I already do. I just don't understand why."
He nodded slowly. "Long before the wolves, there were the Lunaris — beings born from the moon's breath and shadow's heart. They were balance made flesh. Light and dark, mercy and wrath. But their power frightened even the gods."
"So they destroyed them?"
"Not all," he said. "Some escaped. They mingled with wolves and humans, hiding their bloodlines. Your family must've been one of them."
I sat back, heart racing. "So I'm part god?"
"Not exactly." His voice softened. "You're what comes after gods — the part they feared would outlive them."
---
The words hung between us, heavy and dangerous. I looked down at my hands, the faint shimmer beneath the skin. "And this prophecy… it says I'll end everything?"
"End, or change. Prophecies never tell the difference."
The fire cracked. The silver glow of the valley deepened, casting strange shadows across his face. He looked older in that light — weary, but somehow at peace.
"I should hate you," he said suddenly.
I blinked. "What?"
"For what you are. For what you could become." His eyes lifted, meeting mine. "But every time I look at you, I see the part of me that still believes in redemption."
Heat rushed to my face before I could stop it. "You're really bad at accepting gratitude."
"Comes with being cursed."
"Then I guess we're both disasters in progress."
He chuckled — soft, genuine — and for the first time in days, the air around us didn't feel heavy.
---
But peace never lasts long in our world.
As night fell, the valley grew restless. The light dimmed, and whispers drifted through the trees — low, melodic, ancient. The statues began to glow faintly, and one by one, their eyes lit with silver fire.
Luca stood instantly, muscles tensing. "They've woken."
"Who?"
He didn't answer, only stepped in front of me as the first statue cracked open. Stone gave way to flesh and fur — a massive wolf with silver fur streaked with black. Its eyes were almost human.
When it spoke, the sound echoed through the valley like wind over graves.
> "Daughter of the broken moon. You walk in the sanctuary of your blood."
My heart pounded. "You're—"
"The First," it said. "The one who carried both light and sin before your kind forgot our names."
Luca bowed his head. "Great One, she means no harm."
The wolf's gaze flicked to him. "And yet harm follows her."
---
The ground trembled, roots shifting beneath the soil. The air shimmered again, and more statues began to move. Dozens of them — wolves of all sizes, shapes, and scars — rising from their stone sleep.
The First stepped closer to me. "Your blood calls storms, child. You've woken what was buried. Tell us — why have you come?"
"I didn't mean to," I said. "I just needed a place to hide."
The wolf's eyes glowed brighter. "There is no hiding from destiny."
Its voice softened slightly, though still edged with something primal. "The moon's light will burn soon. When it does, you will choose — to bring balance… or ruin."
"I don't understand."
"You will," it said. "When the red moon rises, and the bloodlines kneel before their maker."
Before I could ask more, the light flared — blinding — and when it faded, the wolves were gone, their statues whole again.
Luca exhaled shakily. "They don't wake for anyone."
"Guess they didn't get the memo," I said softly, staring at the now-still statues.
Somewhere deep inside, I could still feel their voices echoing in my blood — low, ancient, patient.
The red moon.
The choice.
And for the first time, I wasn't sure which side of destiny I was meant to stand on.