Chapter 101: Rise of the Luna

Chapter 101: Rise of the Luna
Claire POV

Standing at the top of the stone steps, the girl—Fenric's daughter—loomed over us in her enormous wolf form. In the moonlight, her silver eyes shone brightly. Power glinted in her fur. She did not even snarl. She did not have to.

Every wolf who had defended Fenric turned to her. They lowered their heads in deference. A new force had come in, even though we had just overthrown their leader. One more powerful. A colder one. Another risky one.

Derek staggered over to me, a cut above his eye dripping blood. He was barely able to stand. The condition of the others was not much better. Even though we had sacrificed everything to win this battle, it was far from over.

He muttered, "She's... something else." "She is more than just a wolf."

"No," I concurred. "There is something darker about her."

The valley became cold as the wind increased. The young she-wolf remained motionless. With the composure of someone who already thought she had won, she observed us.

Then she moved.

Bones cracked. Her body shrank. Light shimmered. In seconds, the giant wolf was gone, and a young girl stood in its place. She looked about sixteen. Pale skin. Silver hair. Eyes too ancient for someone so young.

Barefoot in the snow, she took a step forward.

She introduced herself as Astrid. Fenric's daughter. I was descended from him. However, I am his retribution.

Mira lifted her sword. "I do not give a damn about your identity. You’re next.”

Astrid tilted her head. “No. I’m not here to fight… not yet. I want to make a deal.”

I stepped forward. "A bargain? Following all of this death? Following your father's attempt to demolish everything we had constructed?

She gave me an unblinking look. He was the past. The future is me. You defeated him. Fine. Take your victory. But know this—I carry a stronger gift. A deeper connection to the moon. I was chosen long before you were even born.”

Derek growled. "What are you looking for?"

"A challenge," Astrid remarked. Individually. Claire, you and I.

The air went still.

“If I win,” she continued, “I take leadership of all the packs. Redwater. Riverfang. Even the Lunar Council. You all belong to me.”

"What if I win?" I enquired.

She grinned.

Then I am gone. I disappear into the mountains after taking what is left of my father's wolves. Forever.

It was a trap. I was aware. But we were too weak for another full battle. Our warriors were injured. Tired. Many wouldn’t survive another fight.

A challenge was the only way.

I turned to Derek.

He looked me in the eye, and I saw the pain there. Not fear, but love. Worry. Trust.

“You don’t have to do this,” he said.

“I do,” I replied. “For them.”

Then I turned back to Astrid.

“I accept.”

The circle was drawn in the snow.

Everyone stepped back. No magic. No weapons. Just strength and instinct.

The moon emerged from the clouds as I entered the centre. Full and heavy, it shone down on us both. It pulled at my bones.

Once more, Astrid moved more quickly than any wolf I had ever seen.

I followed.

My body changed shape and cracked. In the moonlight, my fur gleamed silver. I dug my paws into the snow. My pulse slowed.

We circled each other.

She was the first to strike.

Quick, vicious, and strategic.

I barely dodged. Her claws scraped across my shoulder. Pain shot through me, but I stayed on my feet. She attacked me once more and snarled at my throat.

I turned and struck her side. She stumbled but didn’t fall.

Our bodies crashed together again and again, each blow harder than the last. She moved like smoke, but I had something she didn’t—rage. I hope. Love. For the future, I fought. She battled for retribution.

She gave my leg a sharp bite.

I screamed and pushed her away. My blood stained the snow, hot and red.

But I didn’t fall.

Instead, I dug deeper. Into the place where my wolf lived. The place where Luna's strength came from. Not through power. Not from authority.

But from the heart.

I sprang forward, quicker than ever.

I knocked her down hard.

I held on to her even as she twisted and howled.

She was pinned by me.

She had trouble.

Then I took an unexpected action.

She was not killed by me.

I took a step back.

Startled, she blinked.

She gritted her teeth and said, "You could have ended me."

"I could have," I replied. “But that’s not the kind of Alpha I am.”

She looked around. At the silently observing wolves. Above us, the full moon was shining.

"You believe that kindness is strength?"

"No," I replied. "I believe love is."

She breathed heavily as she transformed back into a human. "I was brought up by wolves who thought that only the strong made it through." I learnt to destroy from my father.

I whispered, "And now he is gone." "You have other options."

Astrid looked at me for a long moment.

Then she knelt.

Not out of defeat, but choice.

“I yield,” she said. “Claire of Redwater… Luna of the packs.”

The valley was filled with gasps.

A few wolves fell to their knees. Others lowered their heads. It was finished.

I was victorious.

But before I could breathe in victory, something in the air shifted.

Derek stepped toward me, his expression tense.

“What is it?” I asked.

He pointed behind me.

In the distance, the ground split open.

A dark mist poured out of the earth, rising into the sky like smoke.

Then a voice, deep and ancient, echoed through the mountains.

“The Alpha blood awakens. The true war has just begun.”

The mist took shape.

A massive shadow with glowing eyes.

Older than Fenric.

Older than Astrid.

I turned back to the others.

“This isn’t over.”