( Kael – Shadows of the First Oath)
The rain dripped from the edges of the Moonborn Hall, but Kael didn't notice.
He stood in the darkness of the sacred chamber, hands clenched at his sides, eyes fixed on the sword mounted on the wall—a relic from the First Luna War. Its blade still shimmered with the blood of cursed wolves.
Behind him, Alpha Soren's voice echoed. "You shouldn't have let her train with the vision still fresh in her mind."
Kael didn't turn. "She needs to be stronger. Faster. Prepared."
"She's already exhausted."
"She's not ready."
A silence. Then the Alpha stepped closer.
"She reminds you of her, doesn't she?"
Kael finally turned—jaw tight, eyes stormy. "She reminds me of what I failed."
Fifteen years ago.
The forest burned with cursed fire. The rogue camp was in ruins, and Kael—then barely twenty—stood over the body of a wolf pup, torn open at the chest. His hands were covered in blood. Not his. Hers.
Lilith.
He hadn't known who she was at the time—only that she was powerful, wild, and scared. He had orders to bring her back alive, but the pack feared her growing strength.
"She's the cursed twin," they'd whispered.
He'd been told to eliminate her if she showed signs of the Blood Wolf awakening.
He didn't.
He hesitated.
And because of that, she escaped.
That was the day Kael made a secret oath to the Moon Goddess:
"If she returns, I'll protect the other twin. No matter the cost."
Now…
Selene walked into the chamber behind him, silent but strong.
"You're hiding something," she said. "About her."
Kael didn't look at her at first.
Then, with a heavy breath, he faced her.
"I met your sister once. Before I met you."
Selene's eyes widened.
"She was younger. Hurt. Hunted. I was supposed to bring her back, but… I couldn't do it."
"Why?"
"Because for one second, I saw you in her."
Selene didn't speak.
Kael stepped forward. "You asked me why I care so much about protecting you. It's not just duty, Selene. It's guilt. I let your sister fall into darkness. I won't let you follow."
She absorbed the words, chest rising and falling.
"Then stop training me like I'm breakable," she said. "Because I'm not. And if she's coming for me… I need to be ready to face her."
Kael stared at her.
Then nodded. "Tomorrow, we start with something stronger."
That night…
Selene stood alone in her chamber, staring at the locket again.
It pulsed faintly—like it knew the truth now.
Like it heard Lilith's howl across the mountains.
And for the first time, Selene whispered to the shadows:
"I'm sorry, Lilith… I didn't forget you. I just didn't know."
Outside, the moon began to turn red.
Far away…
Lilith stood before a stone altar, surrounded by wolves in black armor. Her hand hovered over an ancient relic.
A clawed tooth bathed in dried blood.
"The Blood Wolf sleeps beneath the temple," the Marked Wolf said. "You'll need a sacrifice."
Lilith didn't hesitate.
She cut her palm and let her blood drip onto the altar.
"Let it wake. Let it remember the name… Lilith."
(Selene – Awakening the Moonfire)
Kael had promised stronger training.
He wasn't lying.
Selene was bleeding from her forearm, panting on her knees in the heart of the training grounds. The moon above was full, but it offered no mercy tonight. Around her, the arena flickered with torches as the elite warriors of the Moonborn pack stood watching—not as allies, but as witnesses.
"Get up," Kael said coldly.
Selene growled low under her breath. Her legs shook, but she forced herself upright.
"I'm trying—"
Kael moved again.
Fast. Too fast.
He struck her shoulder, flipping her onto her back. Pain shot through her ribs.
"Trying is what gets you killed."
Selene's eyes burned. "You said you'd teach me. Not destroy me."
"I said I'd prepare you. That means I need to see what you're hiding."
She glared at him.
"I'm not hiding anything!"
Kael stepped forward, his own energy rising like smoke.
"Then stop fighting like a girl scared of her own shadow."
"I'm not scared—"
"Then show me the wolf who's meant to be Luna!"
---
The wind howled.
Selene screamed as she lunged—her claws slashing forward, her teeth bared.
Kael blocked her, but just barely.
For a second, their eyes locked—her golden, his silver—and something shifted.
Her power cracked open like a dam.
A sudden surge of silver-blue energy exploded from her body, sending Kael flying across the ground. The earth beneath her feet cracked, the torches extinguished, and the very air began to hum.
The warriors gasped, backing away.
Selene stood at the center of the storm.
Eyes glowing.
Hair floating.
Her breath came in harsh, animal-like rasps as symbols—ancient lunar runes—burned faintly across her arms and collarbone.
"Moonfire," one of the elders whispered in horror. "It hasn't awakened in over two centuries…"
Kael rose slowly, blood trickling from his mouth. His gaze was sharp—but not with anger.
With fear.
"Selene… stop. You have to control it."
She couldn't hear him.
Her heart pounded like war drums, and the power kept growing. The Moonfire—pure lunar energy—was something no one alive had ever seen. It was said to come only when the balance between the twin souls was broken.
Only when one must defeat the other.
"This is what the Goddess feared…" another warrior muttered. "The power that burns everything… even fate."
---
Selene screamed and dropped to her knees, slamming her fists into the ground.
A shockwave rippled out in a perfect circle.
And then—
Silence.
The light faded.
The fire vanished.
And Selene collapsed into Kael's arms, unconscious.
---
Hours later…
She woke up in the healer's hall, moonlight pouring through the stone window. Her body was sore, but intact. Her pulse slow. Kael was sitting beside her.
She whispered hoarsely, "What was that?"
Kael looked at her, quietly. "Something that hasn't existed since the first cursed Luna."
Selene blinked. "But I thought the Moonfire was just a myth—"
"It's not. It's the weapon the Goddess buried within the stronger twin."
Selene's heart skipped. "You mean… me."
Kael hesitated.
"No. Not just you. The last time it awakened, it destroyed half the pack."
She gripped the sheets tightly. "Then why give it to me?"
"Because the Moon Goddess knew this war was coming. And she knew… you'd have to choose."
Selene swallowed hard. "Choose what?"
Kael stood.
"Whether to save your sister… or end her."
---
Elsewhere…
In the temple of bones, Lilith opened her eyes.
She felt it—like a punch to her soul.
The Moonfire had awakened.
She stood slowly, rage twisting her lips.
"She's stronger than I thought."
The Marked Wolf looked concerned. "We may need more time."
Lilith's voice turned cold.
"No. We attack before she learns to control it."