Chapter 120 Full Moon Showdown
POV: Luna
The full moon rose three days later.
I'd spent those days training harder than ever. Professor Thorne was ruthless, pushing me through defensive magic drills until I could barely stand.
Cole was there every morning, watching and occasionally jumping in to help demonstrate techniques.
The claim mark on my wrist hadn't faded. If anything, it seemed to be getting darker.
"It's feeding on the full moon energy," Sienna had explained yesterday. "Whoever placed it is planning something tonight."
So we prepared.
My friends and I had spent the afternoon setting up defensive positions around the Academy's perimeter. If something was coming, we'd be ready.
Now, as the moon climbed higher in the sky, we gathered at the Moon Circle.
The entire student body was there for the monthly ceremony, but my group stayed at the edge, watching.
"You feel that?" Nova whispered.
I did. The air was charged with more than just moon magic. Something else was building, pressing against the wards.
"They're coming," I said quietly.
"Who?" Aria asked.
"I don't know. But something bad."
Cole appeared beside me. He'd been coordinating with the faculty, making sure defenses were in place.
"The wards are holding," he said. "But barely. There's a lot of pressure on the eastern perimeter."
"That's where the rogues attacked last time."
"I know. I've got senior students stationed there, but—"
He was cut off by a howl. Long, eerie, and completely wrong.
Every wolf on campus felt it. The wrongness of it. Like nails on a chalkboard for our instincts.
The ceremony stopped. Students looked around nervously.
Professor Cael stepped forward. "Everyone remain calm. This is likely just—"
The wards shattered.
The sound was like glass breaking, but a thousand times louder. Magical energy exploded across campus in visible waves.
Chaos erupted.
Rogue creatures poured through the broken wards. Dozens of them, all glowing with unnatural red light.
"Defensive positions!" the Headmaster roared.
Students scattered. Some shifted immediately, others started casting protective spells.
I was already moving, my wolf surging forward.
"Luna, wait!" Cole grabbed my arm. "We need a plan!"
"The plan is stop them before they reach the younger students!"
I shifted fully, my wolf form emerging smooth and powerful. The otherworld connection flared to life automatically now, synced perfectly with my instincts.
Nova, Aria, Sienna, and Lyric were right behind me.
We hit the first wave of rogues head-on.
These were stronger than before. Faster. More coordinated.
I dodged a set of snapping jaws and raked my claws across the rogue's flank. It dissolved into smoke, but two more took its place immediately.
"There's too many!" Aria shouted.
She was right. For every rogue we took down, more appeared.
"They're being summoned!" Sienna yelled. "Someone's actively pulling them through!"
I looked toward the broken wards and saw it. A figure standing just outside the perimeter, hands raised, magical energy pouring from them.
The dark figure.
"Cover me!" I shifted back to human, needing my voice. "I'm going after the summoner!"
"Luna, no!" Cole was suddenly beside me. "That's exactly what they want!"
"I don't care! We can't win if they keep summoning more!"
I shifted again and ran.
Straight toward the dark figure, my friends and Cole following.
Rogues tried to block our path. We tore through them.
The dark figure saw us coming and laughed. That same distorted sound from before.
"Finally," they said. "The Eclipse wolf comes to me."
I shifted back to human as I got close, my mark blazing with power.
"Who are you?" I demanded. "What do you want?"
"I already told you. Your power." The figure's form solidified slightly. I could almost make out features now. "And tonight, under the full moon, I'm going to take it."
They raised a hand and the claim mark on my wrist burned.
I screamed and dropped to my knees.
"Luna!" Cole rushed forward.
The dark figure waved a hand and he was thrown backward, slamming into a tree.
"Don't interfere, boy. This is between her and me."
My friends tried to help but magical barriers appeared, trapping them outside the circle.
Nova was pounding on the barrier. "Luna! Fight it!"
I tried. The claim mark felt like it was burning from the inside out, spreading through my whole arm.
"Just give in," the dark figure coaxed. "Let me take the power and the pain stops."
"No," I gritted out.
I reached for the otherworld connection. It responded immediately, flooding through my mark.
The burning lessened slightly.
"Interesting." The figure tilted their head. "You're stronger than the others were. But not strong enough."
They increased the pressure. The claim mark pulsed, pulling at my power.
I could feel it leaving me. Draining away.
No. Not like this.
I closed my eyes and did something crazy.
Instead of fighting the drain, I followed it. Let my consciousness flow along with the power, toward the dark figure.
And I saw them.
Really saw them, behind all the shadows and distortion.
It was a woman. Middle-aged, with hard eyes and a twisted smile. She was covered in Eclipse marks, dozens of them, all glowing faintly.
She'd done this before. Taken power from other Eclipse wolves.
And she was planning to add mine to her collection.
Rage filled me.
I grabbed the otherworld connection and reversed the flow again, just like I'd done with Cassandra's trap.
But this time, I didn't just drain the spell.
I drained her.
The woman's eyes widened. "What are you doing?"
"Taking back what's mine."
Power flooded into me. Not just my own, but the stolen essence of every Eclipse wolf she'd consumed.
Their voices whispered through my mind. Angry. Vengeful. Free.
I pulled all of it back, tearing it from her magical core.
She screamed.
The claim mark on my wrist shattered. The barriers around my friends dissolved.
I stood, power crackling around me in visible waves.
"You made a mistake," I said. My voice echoed with all the voices of the fallen Eclipse wolves. "You thought I was weak. Alone."
I wasn't alone.
Miguel's essence pulsed in my mark. The stolen power of my ancestors flowed through me. My friends were at my back. Cole was getting to his feet, ready to fight beside me.
I was never alone.
I raised my hand and released everything.
The otherworld energy exploded outward in a massive wave. It washed over every rogue creature on campus, dissolving them instantly.
The woman tried to run, but I was faster.
I shifted and caught her, my jaws closing around her arm.
She fell, bleeding and powerless.
"Please," she gasped. "I was just trying to survive. The power was fading, I needed more—"
"You killed people. Stole their power. Destroyed their families."
"They were already dead! I just used what was left!"
"They were people!" I shifted back to human. "And you murdered them!"
Professor Cael and the Headmaster appeared, along with several other faculty members.
"Luna, step back," Cael said gently.
I didn't want to. Every instinct said to finish this, to make sure she could never hurt anyone again.
But I stepped back.
The Headmaster gestured and magical bonds wrapped around the woman. "Morgana Kaine. You're under arrest for the murder and consumption of Eclipse wolves."
Kaine. The same last name as Darius.
The woman saw my expression and laughed bitterly. "Yes. I'm his aunt. The shame of the family. Cast out for trying to survive."
"You weren't trying to survive," I said coldly. "You were trying to steal power that didn't belong to you."
They dragged her away.
The moment she was gone, I collapsed.
Cole caught me before I hit the ground. "I've got you. You're okay."
My friends crowded around, all talking at once.
"That was incredible!"
"Are you hurt?"
"Did you really just absorb all that stolen power?"
I looked at my wrist. The claim mark was gone, but my Eclipse mark was different again. Brighter. More complex.
"What happened?" I asked weakly.
"You freed them," Sienna said softly. "The other Eclipse wolves. I could feel it. Their essence isn't trapped in her anymore."
"Where did it go?"
"I think it went back to the otherworld. To rest."
That was good. They deserved peace.
The Headmaster approached. "Miss Eclipse. What you did tonight was remarkable. And dangerous. You could have lost yourself in that much power."
"But I didn't."
"No, you didn't." He actually looked impressed. "Come to my office tomorrow. We need to discuss your training going forward."
He left, taking the other professors with him.
Students were scattered across the Moon Circle, some injured but mostly just shaken.
The rogues were gone. The immediate threat was over.
Cole helped me to my feet. "Can you walk?"
"I think so."
I was wrong. My legs gave out immediately.
He caught me again and just picked me up. "Never mind. I'll carry you."
"I can walk."
"Sure you can."
My friends followed us back toward the dorms. Nova was practically bouncing with nervous energy.
"That was insane, Luna. You were glowing. Like, actually glowing. And your eyes were silver. Did you know your eyes were silver?"
"I didn't, actually."
"It was kind of terrifying," Lyric admitted. "But also really cool."
We made it to the infirmary. The nurse took one look at me and immediately started running diagnostic spells.
"Magical exhaustion," she said. "And some residual dark magic contamination from the claim mark. But nothing permanent."
"When can she leave?" Cole asked.
"Tomorrow morning. After I'm sure the contamination is cleared."
He looked like he wanted to argue but just nodded.
My friends said goodnight, promising to visit in the morning.
Cole stayed.
"You should go," I told him. "Get some sleep."
"I'm fine here."
"Cole—"
"Luna." He took my hand. "I watched you almost get your power stolen tonight. I'm not leaving."
I didn't have the energy to argue.
He pulled a chair close to the bed and sat down, still holding my hand.
"That was terrifying," he said quietly. "Watching you face her alone."
"I wasn't alone. You were all there."
"Behind a barrier. Unable to help."
"You helped by being there. By making me fight harder to survive."
He looked at me, his dark eyes intense. "When she tried to take your power, all I could think was that I hadn't told you enough. Hadn't made sure you knew—"
"I know," I interrupted softly.
"You do?"
"Yeah." I squeezed his hand. "And for what it's worth, I feel the same way."
Hope flickered across his face. "Yeah?"
"Yeah."
"So does this mean—"
"It means I'm tired of fighting it. Fighting us." I smiled, exhausted but genuine. "Miguel told me to let you in. To trust you. And I do. I trust you more than almost anyone."
Cole leaned closer. "Can I kiss you?"
My heart stuttered. "Yeah. You can."
He kissed me gently, carefully, like I might break.
When he pulled back, he was smiling. "I've wanted to do that for weeks."
"Me too."
"Get some sleep." He brushed hair away from my face. "I'll be right here."
I closed my eyes, feeling safer than I had in days.
The full moon shone through the window, no longer threatening.
For tonight, at least, we'd won.
Tomorrow would bring new challenges. New threats. The dark figure was gone but there would be others.
But tonight, I had this.
Peace. Safety. Cole's hand in mine.
And that was enough.
My mark pulsed gently. I swore I felt Miguel's approval in it, warm and content.
Sleep took me under, and for the first time in weeks, I didn't dream