Chapter One: After the Ashes
In a world divided by blood and moonlight, werewolves and humans have been locked in a bitter war for generations. The fragile balance shatters completely when humans steal a sacred artifact known as the Moon Scroll—a powerful relic tied to the werewolves' origins and lunar magic,
Under the command of their fearsome Alpha, Adolphus, the werewolf pack launches a covert raid into human territory.
They successfully reclaim the Moon Scroll, but their actions don't go unnoticed. A lone witness alerts the leader of the werewolf hunters, igniting a brutal war,
Humans gathered weapons upon weapons, one sharper than the other, the were-wolves needed no armours or weapons, they werent boastful with teeth ready to bite, they were stronger and more unified.
The war was bloody with each sides giving thier all but the were wolves conquered and decimate the human forces, what was left was blood, ashes and ruins of the human villages.
The moon hung heavy and blood-red above the smoldering human ruined village, smoke curled into the night sky as the werewolf pack gathered in the clearing, their breaths steaming in the cool night air, around them, the fires of battle flickered out and silence crept in slowly,
Alpha Adolphus stood at the center, the Moon Scroll clenched tightly in his clawed hand, his silver eyes gleamed with triumph, his broad frame towering and proud,
A chorus of howls answered him, fierce, victorious, feral cause they had won, victory was theirs, they were on thier way back to the Den Dynasty where they habited as a pack,
But the celebratory moment shattered when one of the wolf member stepped in holding something strange in his arms,
"Its a baby" he said, hesitant, "I found her under the rubble... a human",
The pack fell silent, and Adolphus turned sharply, his eyes narrowing,
"Why would you bring that here?" His voice was a low snarl, "She is human, an enemy, we do not cradle the blood of our foes" he stated,
"She's just a baby Alpha Adolphus" the young wolf protested, trembling beneath his Alpha's gaze,
Before Adolphus could respond, his mate Laura stepped forward, her long dark hair tangled from the chaos of the night, her amber eyes fell on the tiny infant swaddled in a dirt stained cloth, the baby's face was smeared with ash but she cooed softly with tiny fingers reaching for warmth,
"She's helpless", Laura whispered, emotion catching in her throat, "She has no one",
"She's human sister!!!", came a cold voice behind her,
It was Lydia, Laura's twin sister, stepping out of the circle, her tone was firm, her arms crossed over her chest, "You know what they've done, Laura, this child is a risk, she could grow to hate us and turn on us the moment she learns what happened" she was firm,
"I want to keep her, I can teach her how to love" Laura spoke as she acted like she didnt care,
"What are you saying sister, are you out of your mind?" Lydia's voice raised as she was confused by her choice,
"You have a child sister and you are heavy, expecting another..." Laura snapped, tears rising to her eyes, " I on the other hand can't have a child cause of my condition, Im baren and you know that, you all do so let me have her... please" she pleaded,
Lydia hesitated, but said nothing more,
Laura turned to Adolphus, her voice softened, "You know what it's like to have no choice, to be born into war, let me give her something better",
Adolphus's jaw tightened, his eyes flicked from the child to his mate, the pack watched in breathless silence,
Finally he spoke,
"Alright, you may keep her and raise her by yourself, but hear me clearly Laura, if she ever turns on you, if the blood of her people calls her back to vengeance, I will not stop her and I will not protect you from the consequences" he threathened,
Laura stepped closer, her heart full,
"She won't" she promised, "I'll raise her as my own with peace and love in her heart" she reassures,
A small sound came from the bundle, the baby opened her eyes, her beautiful brigjht blue eyes and smiled innocently,
Laura smiled back through her tears and cradled her gently in her arms,
"I'll name her Luna" she whispered, "Born from the ashes and bathed in moonlight, dont worry little one Ill take care of you",
Baby Luna giggled as Laura holds her carefully and plays with her,
Lydia stood to the side, arms folded tightly across her chest, her expression unreadable, though she had said nothing more, Laura felt the weight of her sister's disapproval like a chill in the wind.
Later, as the pack rested, Lydia walked alongside her first son Lucien, his black hair tousled and his dark blue eyes sharp and questioning, at 98 moons he just reached his twelfth year,
Curious and bold like his father, Rudi who was second in command after Adolphus, he wasn't one to hold his thoughts back,
"Mother, why is Aunt Laura keeping that baby?" he asked bluntly, glancing back over his shoulder where Laura cradled the human infant, "She's not a wolf, she's not even one of us" he added,
Lydia exhaled slowly, brushing a leaf from his shoulder,
"Because it's her choice son" she said quietly, "She can't have children, The Moonmother didn't bless her womb, a rare condition in our kind and her wolf sleeps but never stirs",
Lucien frowned, "But it's still weird mother, she should've let her go, that baby's not one of us, she's… she's the enemy", he exclaimed,
Lydia didn't correct him, but her gaze softened,
"Sometimes, love makes people hold on to things others would throw away and sometimes we don't get to change their minds, even when we want to", she sighed,
Lucien didn't respond he simply stared ahead, his jaw tight and in his young heart, something uneasy stirred, he didn't understand it fully, but something about that baby, Luna, made his instincts recoil, her presence didn't feel right, its not dangerous, not yet, but it was off, so wrong to him,
"She's going to cause trouble" he muttered under his breath,
Lydia didn't hear him or maybe she chose not to.
Later at the Dynasty, Laura rocked the infant in her arms, unaware of the shadows already beginning to form, Luna smiled up at her, oblivious to the tension she left in her wake,
And outside, beneath the full moon, Lucien stood still, watching the stars with narrowed eyes, his young heart filled with hatred for that human infant his Aunt seems to care so much for a human, he doesnt want her here but what could he do, his Aunt choice has been made, she wont even listen to him, his still young, his opinion wont matter.
All he knows in his concept of his own knowledge is that humans and werewolves are enemies so he promises to himself he will never accept Luna, never. . . . . . .