Chapter 18 Chapter 18

Chapter 18 Chapter 18
Chapter 18
Nova stood frozen in the longhouse, Selene’s revelation still echoing like thunder in her bones. Moon Goddess reborn. The words felt too vast, too impossible for the scarred girl who had spent her life scrubbing floors and hiding in shadows.
Alaric’s hand tightened on her shoulder, grounding her. “Whatever this means,” he said quietly, voice steady, “we face it together.”
Selene opened her mouth to speak again when the air in the room grew heavy, thick with moonlight and something sharper—ozone and old blood. The fire flickered wildly. A woman stepped out from the far corner where no door existed, her presence unfolding like a blade from its sheath.
She was tall and regal, with the same dark hair as Nova and eyes that glowed with inner silver light. Power rolled off her in waves, ancient and hungry.
“Morgana,” Selene hissed, stepping protectively in front of Nova. “You dare show yourself here.”
The woman—Morgana—smiled, beautiful and terrible. “Aunt Morgana, actually.” Her gaze locked onto Nova with fierce hunger. “My sister’s daughter. The last true heir of our bloodline. I’ve been searching for you since the night they murdered your mother.”
Nova’s breath caught. Family. After years of being an orphan, the word hit like a lifeline thrown into a storm. “You… knew my mother?”
Alaric shifted closer, a low growl building in his chest. “Explain yourself. Now.”
Morgana ignored him, focusing entirely on Nova. “There is so much you don’t know, child. The Moon Goddess did not simply choose you—she is you. But your power is unstable, fractured. I can help you master it. Come with me to the sanctum. Let me show you who you truly are before Graham’s dogs tear you apart.”
The golden mate bond pulsed urgently in Nova’s chest, warning her. Yet the lonely girl inside her ached to follow. A real aunt. Answers. A place where she might finally belong without fear.
Alaric’s voice was steel. “She’s not going anywhere with a stranger who appears from thin air.”
Morgana’s smile sharpened. “Then you’ll die with the rest when Silverfang arrives.” She flicked her wrist. A wave of moonlight energy slammed into Alaric and Selene, hurling them against the wall. Not lethal—but enough to stun.
Nova cried out and rushed toward Alaric, but Morgana caught her arm. The touch burned with familiar power.
“Come, niece. Before it’s too late.”
Outside, howls rose—Silverfang scouts closing in fast. Nova looked back at Alaric’s struggling form, then at Morgana’s outstretched hand.
Desperate for truth, for family, for a way to control the monster inside her, she took it.
Golden sparks clashed with silver as the mate bond screamed in protest. Morgana pulled her through a shimmering rift of moonlight, and the longhouse vanished.