The journey began before sunrise.
Mist clung to the forest like a warning, thick and cold, wrapping around Luna's ankles as she followed Kael and Rhea through a narrow trail that barely looked used. The air felt older here, heavier, as if the land itself remembered things the world wanted forgotten.
Luna adjusted the strap of the small backpack Rhea had handed her earlier. Inside were only the basics. Water. Food. A knife she did not fully trust herself to use yet.
No charms. No talismans.
"No magic trackers," Rhea had said. "The old territories eat spells."
That sentence alone had sent a shiver down Luna's spine.
"How far is it?" Luna asked quietly.
Rhea did not turn around. "Far enough that the council won't follow easily."
"That's comforting," Luna muttered.
Kael glanced back at her. "You okay?"
Luna nodded, though her legs already ached from yesterday's training. "Just… thinking."
"Dangerous habit," Rhea said dryly.
They moved in silence for a long while. The forest slowly changed around them. Trees grew thicker, their trunks twisted and scarred. Roots clawed at the ground like skeletal fingers. Even the birds were quieter.
Luna felt it again.
That subtle pull.
Not the moon.
The land.
She slowed, pressing a hand to her chest.
"You feel it," Kael said softly, not a question.
"Yes," Luna replied. "This place knows me."
Rhea stopped walking.
She turned, studying Luna with new intensity. "That's not normal."
Luna swallowed. "I'm getting used to that."
Rhea exhaled. "We're close."
They emerged into a wide valley surrounded by jagged cliffs. Stone ruins littered the ground. Broken pillars. Cracked archways. Symbols carved into rock so worn they barely looked intentional.
The air hummed faintly, like the echo of a heartbeat.
"This was a sanctuary," Kael said quietly. "Before the councils. Before the treaties."
Luna stepped forward slowly, drawn to a half-collapsed structure at the center. The moment her foot crossed an invisible line, the world shifted.
The sound vanished.
No wind. No birds. No breath.
Her vision blurred.
She gasped, clutching her head as images flooded her mind.
Not memories.
History.
Wolves kneeling beneath a silver sky. Vampires burning at the edge of a warded circle. Humans standing frozen, watching gods walk among them.
And at the center of it all—
A woman.
Silver hair. Calm eyes. A crown of moonlight resting on her brow.
Luna.
Not her.
But her.
"No," Luna whispered, dropping to her knees.
Kael rushed to her side. "Luna!"
She grabbed his wrist, eyes wide. "She was real. The first Moonbound."
Rhea stiffened. "You saw her?"
"She wasn't a monster," Luna said breathlessly. "She was a judge. She kept balance by choosing who lived and who didn't."
Kael's jaw tightened. "That's what the council never tells anyone."
Luna shook her head. "They didn't overthrow her because she was cruel. They did it because she wouldn't obey."
The ground beneath them trembled.
The ruins responded.
Stone shifted. Symbols flared faintly, glowing silver.
Rhea cursed under her breath. "Luna, you're activating the site."
"I'm not trying to," Luna said, panic creeping into her voice.
Kael placed both hands on her shoulders. "Breathe. Stay here. Now."
Luna forced herself to inhale slowly.
The glow dimmed.
The ruins stilled.
But the silence did not return.
Footsteps echoed from the far end of the valley.
Rhea's head snapped up. "We're not alone."
Figures emerged from behind the broken pillars.
Hunters.
Humans.
Armed with rifles etched in runes, charms hanging from their belts. Their eyes were hard. Determined.
"Targets confirmed," one of them said into a device.
Kael stepped forward instinctively, positioning himself between them and Luna. "You're trespassing."
The lead hunter scoffed. "Funny coming from a werewolf on restricted land."
Luna stood slowly, her heart pounding. "This doesn't have to turn violent."
The man's gaze locked onto her. "You're the Moon anomaly."
"I'm a person," Luna replied.
He laughed. "Not according to our files."
Rhea growled. "Back away. Now."
The hunters raised their weapons.
Luna's pulse roared in her ears.
No moon.
No killing.
She closed her eyes.
Think.
Control.
She stepped forward, past Kael's outstretched arm.
"Luna," Kael warned.
"I won't hurt you," Luna said to the hunters, her voice shaking but steady. "But you can't take me."
The lead hunter smirked. "Watch us."
They fired.
Not bullets.
Energy nets.
Silver-blue arcs snapped through the air, wrapping around Luna before anyone could react.
Pain slammed into her body, sharp and electric. She screamed, collapsing to the ground as the net tightened.
"Luna!" Kael roared.
He lunged, but another net caught him mid-air, slamming him into the dirt.
Rhea shifted instantly, bones cracking as she transformed, but charms detonated at her feet, forcing her back with a howl of pain.
Luna lay gasping, vision swimming.
The net burned her skin, but something else happened too.
The ruins reacted.
The ground pulsed.
The symbols flared brighter than before.
The hunters froze as the valley answered Luna's pain.
Stone walls rose from the earth, cutting off escape routes. The air vibrated with pressure.
"What did you do?" one hunter shouted.
Luna struggled to her knees, shaking. "I didn't do anything."
But the land had.
The net around her loosened, then shattered.
The hunters backed away in fear.
"This place is unstable," the leader barked. "Fall back!"
Too late.
A wave of force rolled outward, knocking everyone off their feet.
Luna screamed as the power surged through her, not lunar, not violent, but commanding.
"Enough!" she cried.
The ruins fell silent.
The hunters lay stunned but alive.
Kael pushed himself up, eyes wide as he stared at Luna. "You didn't kill them."
"I didn't mean to do anything," Luna whispered.
Rhea approached slowly, eyes sharp with something like awe. "You didn't draw from the moon."
Luna looked down at her hands. They glowed faintly, not silver.
Stone-gray.
"I drew from the land," Luna said.
Kael swallowed. "That's older than the moon."
Fear and wonder tangled in her chest.
The hunters scrambled to retreat, dragging their wounded, terror clear on their faces.
"This isn't over!" one shouted as they fled.
When they were gone, the valley settled.
Luna sank to the ground, exhausted.
Kael rushed to her, pulling her into his arms. "You did it. Without breaking your vow."
She laughed weakly against his chest. "I didn't know I could."
Rhea crouched in front of her. "You just changed the rules again."
Luna wiped tears from her face. "I don't want to rule anyone. I just want them to stop hurting people."
Rhea studied her for a long moment. "Then you're more dangerous than any tyrant."
Luna looked around at the ruins, at the land that had answered her call.
She felt it now.
A different connection.
Not demanding.
Not punishing.
Patient.
"This place remembers," Luna said softly. "And it chose me."
Kael tightened his hold on her. "So did I."
Above them, clouds parted briefly.
The moon watched.
Still silent.
But no longer distant.