Chapter 169 The Gathering

Chapter 169 The Gathering
Ethan’s POV.

By the fifth day of lockdown, Crescent Valley officially disappeared from the outside world. No internet, no signal, and no media helicopters.
Nothing got in anymore and nothing got out.

The government told the world a chemical disaster had occurred. But inside the town…People stopped pretending. They knew monsters existed now.
And the worst part…
Some of them were becoming monsters too.
I stood atop the abandoned water tower overlooking Crescent Valley as smoke curled through the streets below. The town looked dead.

Military checkpoints burned near the southern highway. The hospital overflowed with moon-sick victims. And the forest…

Jesus.

The forest had nearly swallowed half the town now. Roots wrapped around buildings and massive silver trees erupted through concrete.
Animals moved in packs through empty streets watching people with almost human intelligence. The seal breaking had infected everything.
“You feel it now, don’t you?”

The voice inside me sounded clearer every day. Less distant and more real.
I gripped the ritual blade tighter.
The black markings below my skin spread farther up my arms now. Soon I wouldn’t be able to hide them anymore.
“I feel her,” I admitted quietly.

And I did. Luna.
The bond between her and Kai had become so strong that even the supernatural currents in town reacted to them now. Wolves gathering, moon-sick victims calming near her territory, and pack instincts reforming around her naturally.

They were becoming exactly what Selene wanted. King and Queen.
And somehow…
That terrified me more than the creature below the town. Movement behind me broke my thoughts. I turned instantly.
Three figures emerged from the shadows of the water tower platform.
They were hooded and silent. The same ancient beings from the ritual ruins.

The hidden force I’d aligned with. Or maybe the force is using me.
Hard to tell anymore. One stepped forward slowly. “The Heir awakens faster than expected.”

I swallowed hard.
“What happens when she fully transforms?”

Silence. Then…
“She opens the path.”

A cold spread through my stomach. “The First Wolf escapes.”

“Not escapes,” another corrected softly. “Returns.”

Thunder rolled overhead. The sky above Crescent Valley looked permanently storm-dark now and the moon glowed faint red behind the clouds even during daylight. That was wrong. Everything about this town felt wrong.

I looked back toward the spreading forest. “There has to be another way.”

The hooded figures exchanged glances. Then the tallest one spoke.
“There was.”

My jaw tightened instantly. “What does that mean?”

“It died with her mother.”

Pain hit unexpectedly hard at those words. Because deep down…
I knew Luna’s mother had been the last thing holding this together.
And now Luna inherited a war she never asked for. One of the hooded figures stepped closer.
“The bond must be broken before the awakening completes.”

Again with that. I looked down at the ritual blade.
The thing practically vibrated whenever Luna and Kai got close now. Like it recognized them and hated them.
“If I use this on Kai…”

“The Alpha bond collapses.”

“And Luna?”

Silence. Too much silence. My chest tightened painfully.
“What happens to Luna?”

Finally….
“She survives.”

Lie. I heard it instantly. Not through sound, but instinct. Whatever these things were, they manipulated the truth carefully.

And suddenly, I realized something horrifying. They feared Luna too.
Not just the First Wolf below the town. But her. The Heir.
The one thing none of them could fully predict anymore. A scream echoed from below suddenly. Then another. I moved to the edge of the tower instantly and chaos erupted near the town center.

People running. Moon-sick victims are attacking civilians openly now.
And in the middle of it..

Luna.
Even from this distance, she stood out immediately. With her silver hair whipping violently in the storm wind and golden eyes glowing with Kai beside her.
Wolves gather around them naturally. Not attacking, but following. The hierarchy was forming in real time. One moon-sick creature lunged toward a child and Luna reacted instantly. Her hand lifted unconsciously….
And the creature froze mid-attack and submitted immediately.

The entire street went silent and humans watched in horror. Because Luna didn’t look human anymore. Not fully. And the wolves around her bowed.

My chest twisted painfully. “She never wanted this.”

“No,” the hooded figure agreed quietly.

“But power rarely asks permission.”

Then suddenly…The ground shook hard and was far stronger than before. Every wolf in Crescent Valley immediately looked toward the forest. Including Luna.
A pulse erupted below the town. It was ancient, hungry, and awake.
And then….
The earth split open near the old church ruins and people screamed as massive silver roots burst from underground tearing buildings apart.
The sky darkened unnaturally and lightning flashed blood-red.
And from deep below Crescent Valley….
A roar erupted. It was not a wolf and not a human. It was something far older.
The hooded figures immediately stiffened.
“The chamber is opening.”

My pulse spiked instantly. “No.”

But deep down, I knew we had reached the climax.
Everything accelerates now to Luna’s transformation, the bond with Kai, the spreading infection, the First Wolf awakening, Selene’s plan, and my betrayal.
All roads were finally colliding.
Down in the streets, Luna suddenly lifted her head sharply. Even from here, our eyes met. And somehow…She knew.
Not everything. But enough. Enough to realize I’d crossed too far into darkness to come back cleanly. The pain on her face nearly destroyed me.
Then the bond between her and Kai surged violently across the town.

The wolves around them howled and the storm intensified.
And below Crescent Valley, something enormous began climbing toward the surface.