Thessa's POV
"How long do we have?" I ask, my voice shaking.
Erynd moves fast, grabbing weapons from the ice shelves. Knives. A bow. Strange blades that seem to be made of frozen light. "An hour. Maybe less. The closest packs will send their fastest scouts."
"Then we run—"
"No." He tosses me a thick fur cloak. "You can barely stand. You'd collapse within a mile. We make our stand here."
"You said 'they.' How many are coming?"
Erynd's jaw tightens. "Enough."
That's when I hear it. Howling in the distance. Not one wolf. Not two. Dozens of voices rising together in a sound that makes my blood freeze.
The hunt cry.
"They're already here," I whisper.
"Not here. At the border." Erynd straps a sword across his back. "The Frostlands have protections. Ancient magic that keeps most wolves out. But your power surge weakened those barriers. They'll break through soon."
"This is my fault—"
"This was always going to happen." He crosses to me and grips my shoulders, forcing me to meet his silver eyes. "The moment you were born with the Moon's essence, this became inevitable. Stop apologizing for existing."
His words hit harder than they should. I've spent my whole life apologizing. For being quiet. For not being strong enough. For being Moonless.
For existing.
"What do you need me to do?" I ask.
"Stay alive." He releases me and heads for the door. "And if anything gets past me, use this." He tosses me the ice-blade knife from earlier. "Aim for the throat or heart. Don't hesitate. Rogues and pack wolves won't show you mercy."
"Where are you going?"
"To remind them why they fear the Frostlands." His smile is cold and dangerous. "Stay in this room. The ice here is strongest. It will protect you even if—" He stops.
"Even if what?"
"Even if I fall." He says it simply, like it's a real possibility.
"Wait—" But he's already gone, the door sealing behind him.
I'm alone with a knife I don't know how to use and howls getting closer every second.
My hands shake so hard I almost drop the blade. I force myself to breathe. To think. Erynd is an ancient guardian. He's survived three thousand years. He can handle some wolves.
Right?
The howling stops.
Complete silence.
That's somehow worse.
I press my ear against the ice door, listening. Nothing. No sounds of fighting. No screams. Just eerie, terrible quiet.
Then—CRACK.
The whole structure shakes. Ice crystals rain from the ceiling. I stumble, catching myself against the wall.
Another impact. Harder. The door starts to splinter.
"No no no—" I back away, raising the knife with trembling hands.
The door explodes inward in a shower of ice shards.
A wolf stands in the opening. Not massive like Erynd's form. This one is lean and scarred, with patchy gray fur and yellow eyes that gleam with hunger.
A rogue.
"Well, well." The wolf shifts into a wiry man with wild hair and too many scars. "The divine little princess everyone's hunting for. And she's all alone."
"Stay back." I point the knife at him but it wavers.
He laughs, showing sharp teeth. "You don't even know how to hold that properly, girl."
Two more rogues push through the broken door. A female with cruel eyes and a massive male who has to duck to fit through the opening.
"Erynd said three packs were coming," the female says, circling me like prey. "Figured we'd get here first. Take the prize before those stuck-up Alphas arrive."
"Where is he?" I demand. "What did you do to Erynd?"
"The Guardian?" The big male snorts. "Fighting about fifty wolves at the border. He's good, but not good enough to stop an army and protect you. So here we are."
They planned this. Sent a huge force to distract Erynd while a small group snuck in the back way.
"You're making a mistake," I say, trying to sound brave. "I'm not worth anything. I'm Moonless—"
"You're a liar." The female lunges.
I swing the knife wildly. It catches her shoulder, cutting deep. She screams and falls back.
"She cut me! The little bitch actually cut me!"
The wiry male moves faster than I can track. He knocks the knife from my hand and slams me against the ice wall. Pain explodes through my back. His hand wraps around my throat, squeezing.
"Here's what's going to happen," he hisses in my face. His breath smells like rotten meat. "We're going to take you to the highest bidder. Maybe that's the priests who want you dead. Maybe that's your former mate who wants you back. Either way, we get rich and you get to suffer."
Black spots dance in my vision. I claw at his hand but he's too strong.
"Unless," he continues, "you want to make this easier. Tell us how to use your power. Share that divine essence. Maybe we let you live."
I can't breathe. Can't think. Can't—
Something inside me snaps.
Not physically. Something deeper. Like a dam breaking.
Heat floods through my body. Not normal heat. This feels like liquid starlight burning through my veins.
The rogue's eyes widen. "What the—"
Silver light explodes from my skin.
He flies backward, released by a force I don't understand. The light grows brighter, brighter, filling the room until I can't see anything but white-silver radiance.
I hear screaming. The rogues. But it sounds far away, muffled.
The light focuses on my hands. I look down and see my skin glowing like I've swallowed the moon itself.
"Impossible," the female rogue gasps from somewhere. "She's not trained. She shouldn't be able to—"
"RUN!" the big male roars.
I don't mean to do what happens next. I don't even know how I do it.
I just think: Get away from me.
The silver light shoots from my hands like arrows. It hits all three rogues at once. They scream as it burns them, brands them. The wiry male's skin actually smokes where the light touches him.
They scramble for the door, fighting each other to get out first. Within seconds, they're gone.
The light fades slowly, sinking back into my skin. I collapse to my knees, gasping. Every muscle in my body screams with exhaustion.
What just happened?
What am I?
The room spins. I catch myself on the wall, trying not to pass out. My hands still tingle with residual power.
Footsteps. Running. Multiple sets.
I grab the knife from where it fell, raising it with shaking arms.
Erynd bursts through the door. He's covered in blood—not his own, I think. His silver eyes scan the room, taking in the scorch marks on the walls, the lingering scent of burned flesh.
"What happened?" he demands.
"Rogues. Three of them. They broke in while you were—" I can't finish. The world tilts sideways.
Erynd catches me before I hit the ground. "You used your power."
"I didn't mean to. I just—they were going to kill me and something inside me—"
"Shh. You did well." His voice is softer now, almost gentle. "You survived. That's what matters."
"Are there more coming?"
His face goes grim. "Yes. The rogues were just the beginning. The real packs are at the barrier now. And they're not alone."
"What do you mean?"
"Your former Alpha is here, Thessa. Cadeirin brought fifty of his best warriors." Erynd sets me down carefully, checking my injuries. "And he's not asking for permission to enter. He's demanding I turn you over to him."
My heart stops. "No. You can't—"
"I won't." Erynd stands. "But he's not alone. Three other Alphas came with him. They've formed a temporary alliance. Over two hundred wolves, all demanding I surrender you."
Two hundred. Against one Guardian and one girl who can barely stand.
"We can't win," I whisper.
"No." Erynd's smile is sharp and cold. "But we don't have to win. We just have to survive until dawn."
"Why dawn?"
"Because at dawn, the barrier resets. Becomes stronger. They'll be forced out of the Frostlands whether they want to leave or not." He hands me a water skin. "Drink. Rest. You'll need your strength."
"How long until dawn?"
Erynd looks toward the shattered door, toward the sounds of wolves gathering outside. "Four hours."
Four hours. We have to survive four hours against an army.
I take a shaky sip of water. "What if we don't make it?"
"Then I'll die keeping my vow to the Moon. And you'll die free instead of in chains." He picks up his sword. "But I've survived three thousand years. I don't plan to die tonight."
He moves toward the door but I grab his arm. "Erynd. Thank you. For everything."
He looks down at my hand on his arm, then at my face. Something flickers in his silver eyes. "Don't thank me yet. The night is far from over."
He pulls away and walks out to face an army.
I'm left alone again, exhausted and terrified, holding a knife and a power I don't understand.
That's when I hear the voice.
Not out loud. In my head. Ancient. Feminine. Powerful.
"Daughter of my essence," the voice says. "The curse is broken. Now wake fully. Wake and remember what you are."
"Who—" I gasp.
The voice doesn't answer. Instead, memories flood my mind. Not my memories. Hers. The Moon Goddess. I see her life. Her love. Her death.
And I see something else. Something that makes my blood run cold.
The wolf who killed her three thousand years ago. The one who betrayed her love and shattered her essence.
He had the same blue eyes as Cadeirin.
The same face.
Because it was him.
Alphas don't live for three thousand years. But their souls do. Reincarnating again and again, always seeking power. Always betraying those who trust them.
Cadeirin is the reincarnation of the wolf who murdered the Moon Goddess.
And he's here. Right now. Outside these walls.
Hunting me.