The celebration did not last.
The last of the howls faded into the trees, and the gathered packs began to disperse, but the forest never truly relaxed. Maria felt it first, a sharp prickle along her spine, a cold unease that didn't belong to fear.
"Something's wrong," she murmured.
Kael stilled beside her.
He followed her gaze to the treeline, silver eyes narrowing as the air shifted. The forest darkened unnaturally, shadows stretching too long, too thin.
"They waited," Kael said grimly. "Smart."
A scream cut through the quiet.
A scout burst from the trees, blood streaking his arm. "Rogues!" he shouted. "They breached the eastern border!"
The clearing erupted into chaos.
Maria's heart raced, but she did not freeze. She stepped forward instinctively, power stirring beneath her skin like a waking tide.
"How many?" she demanded.
"Dozens," the scout panted. "Led by something unnatural."
Kael's jaw tightened. "Dark-blooded wolves."
Gasps rippled through the gathered Alphas.
Maria had heard the name in whispered legends, wolves who had forsaken the Moon, drawing power from forbidden rites. They were not loyal to packs or kings.
They were loyal only to destruction.
Before orders could be given, the forest exploded.
Rogues poured into the clearing, eyes glowing sickly red, movements too fast, too sharp. Steel flashed. Claws tore. The air filled with snarls and screams.
Kael shifted in a blur.
The Lycan burst free, massive and terrifying, his roar shaking the ground as he slammed into the enemy line like a living storm.
Maria felt the pull to hide, to retreat.
She refused it.
She raised her hands.
Moonlight surged outward, forming a radiant barrier that slammed into the advancing rogues, throwing them back with bone-crushing force.
"Hold the line!" she commanded.
The words carried power.
Wolves obeyed without hesitation, rallying around her as her magic flowed instinctively, guided by something older than thought.
A dark figure stepped from the shadows taller than the others, its aura cold and empty.
"The Luna returns," it hissed. "Just as the prophecy promised."
Maria's blood ran cold. "What prophecy?"
The creature smiled, teeth blackened with corruption. "That the Moon's chosen would rise and drown the world in war."
Kael reappeared at her side, blood staining his claws. "Step away from her."
The creature laughed. "She is already ours to hunt."
Power exploded.
Maria felt it then,not just strength, but clarity. She stepped forward, eyes blazing silver.
"No," she said. "I am no one's prey."
She lifted her hand and the Moon answered.
A beam of pure silver light tore through the clearing, striking the dark wolf head-on. It screamed, dissolving into ash beneath the Moon's judgment.
Silence fell.
The remaining rogues fled, howling in terror as the forest reclaimed itself.
Maria swayed, drained but standing.
Kael caught her instantly, holding her close.
"You did well," he murmured.
She looked up at him, shaken but resolute. "This was just the beginning."
Kael nodded. "Yes."
And as the Moon watched from above, Maria understood one truth with terrifying certainty.
Her reign would not be peaceful.
It would be legendary.