Chapter 47 CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

Chapter 47 CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
Hellen's POV

The first light of dawn crept across the walls, soft and golden, kissing my eyelids until they fluttered open. For a heartbeat, I thought I was still trapped in the dream, the whisper of the prophecy still humming faintly in my ears.
"When the Luna's blood touches the moon's flame, balance shall be restored."

The words echoed like a song I couldn't forget. My hand moved instinctively to my side, where the wound once burned through flesh and soul. The pain was gone, but in its place, faint silver veins shimmered beneath my skin, glowing softly, pulsing in rhythm with my heartbeat. It wasn't just healing. It was a transformation.

I drew in a shaky breath, feeling power hum under my skin, quiet yet confident.
And then, I felt him.

Matt.
Through the bond, his emotions poured into me heavy, raw, tormented. Guilt, frustration, sorrow… love. It throbbed like an open wound in my chest. I closed my eyes, letting the connection ground me.

"No more hiding," I whispered to the silence. "No more fear."

For too long, I'd let weakness define me. But weakness was gone, burned away by blood, fire, and truth.

The door creaked.
The healer stepped in, the same woman whose presence had once made my stomach twist. She carried her usual coldness until her gaze landed on me.

Her eyes widened.
"You… you're awake."

I straightened, my voice steady. "You sound surprised."

Her lips parted, but no words came. She dropped her gaze, pretending to check the vials beside my bed.
"You shouldn't move yet, my Lady. Your body is still..."

"Lying won't save you now," I interrupted, the calm in my tone sharper than any blade. "Tell me. What did you and Laura do to me?"

She froze. The air between us shifted. I didn't raise my voice; I didn't need to. Something in me, something ancient, flared. My aura rippled through the room, invisible but suffocating. The healer's hands began to tremble as she clutched her chest.

"Please… Luna… I..."

"You will tell me everything," I said softly. "Or you'll feel what I've felt for weeks."

Her breathing grew ragged under the invisible weight pressing down on her. My fingers twitched, the silver veins beneath my skin glowing brighter. The room itself seemed to darken around her.

The healer broke. Tears filled her eyes as she sank to her knees.
"It wasn't me alone!" she gasped. "Laura forced me! She...she promised protection from the Alpha if I obeyed!"

I leaned closer, my voice low. "Protection from Matt?"

She shook her head, eyes wild. "No… from another Alpha. One she swore would take control once this pack fell."

My stomach tightened. "Who?"

She hesitated, tears streaking her face. "Raven."

The name struck like thunder. For a moment, I couldn't breathe. "That's impossible. Raven died in the last war."

The healer's voice trembled. "That's what everyone was made to believe. But Laura's been meeting him in secret, using me to drain your strength so you'd never stand against her. She promised him the Crescent Pack's sacred relics… in exchange for his protection and power."

A thousand images flashed through my mind: Raven's burning eyes in old war memories, his deep laugh before betrayal, and the night Matt returned from battle covered in his blood. He had sworn Raven was dead.

But the prophecy…
'When the wolf of shadows threatens the moon's flame…'

My chest tightened. Raven wasn't dead. He was waiting.

I gripped the bedpost, grounding myself as the healer's words sank deep. "Where is she now?"

"She's gone to meet him," the healer whispered. "Before sunrise."

Rage boiled inside me, sharp and cold. The power pulsing in my veins responded with faint tendrils of silver light curling around my fingers.

"Then may the Goddess help anyone who stands in my way," I murmured.

By the time I stepped out into the corridor, the air was heavy with tension. The packhouse was too quiet. My bare feet met the cold stone floors, the faint hum of energy vibrating beneath each step.

Through the bond, I could feel Matt again, his rage, his guilt. He was near.

I followed the pull.

Outside, the sun had just begun to rise, washing the training grounds in a haze of gold and ash. There he was, shirtless, sweat-soaked, fists bloodied from striking the wooden post until splinters scattered around him.

"Matt."

He froze.
When he turned, his eyes widened in disbelief, relief, and guilt swirling together.

"Hellen…" His voice was hoarse. "You shouldn't be out here."

"Neither should you," I countered softly, stepping closer.

He looked away, jaw tight. "I failed you. Again. You almost..."

"Stop." I reached for his hand, and he let me. His knuckles were raw, bloodied. "You didn't fail me, Matt. You were fighting ghosts I couldn't see."

He laughed bitterly. "Ghosts I thought I'd buried. Raven…”

I nodded. "I know."

His head snapped toward me. "How?"

"The healer told me everything. Laura. The poisoning. Raven's survival. All of it."

His shoulders sagged. For the first time in a long while, I saw the Alpha stripped of his armor, vulnerable, broken, human.

"I thought I killed him, Hellen. I watched him fall. I burned his body." His voice cracked. "But he's back. And he's using her using us as his weapon."

I cupped his face gently. "Then let him come. Because this time, he won't face the same Luna he tried to destroy."

For a heartbeat, the world stilled. The mate bond pulsed stronger, brighter, alive. His hands found my waist, pulling me closer until our breaths mingled.

"Damn it, Hellen," he whispered, voice shaking. "Every time I think I've lost you, you come back fiercer than before."

I smiled faintly. "Maybe it's the Goddess reminding you who you belong to."

He kissed me fiercely and desperately, a collision of love and fear and promise. The world could burn, but in that moment, we were fireproof.

The sound of hurried footsteps shattered the calm.
A young warrior, barely in his twenties, stumbled into the yard, panting.

"Alpha!" he gasped, clutching his side. "The border patrol they were ambushed!"

Matt spun around instantly, instincts snapping back. "By who?"

The warrior swallowed hard. "They saw him… the Alpha of Shadows. He's alive."

A chill raced down my spine. Matt's expression darkened, fury igniting behind his eyes.

Raven.

I felt his name like a curse in the wind, the bond between Matt and me tightening painfully. The scent of smoke and blood seemed to hang in the air even before the battle began.

Matt turned toward me, his voice low and dangerous. "He wants me."

I shook my head slowly. "No, Matt. He's coming for me."

The silver light beneath my skin flared once more, brighter than before. I didn't know what it meant, but deep down, I understood one thing: the prophecy was unfolding.

And I was no longer the Luna who needed saving.