The world cracked open.
That was the only way Luna could describe it.
Silver light exploded from her body, ripping through the ritual circle like a living thing. The carved symbols shattered, burning away into ash. Candles blew out at once, plunging the observatory into darkness lit only by the Blood Moon above.
Adrian was thrown backward, slamming into a stone pillar.
Kael wrapped his arms around Luna as she collapsed, her body shaking violently.
"Stay with me," he said urgently. "Luna, breathe. Look at me."
She tried.
But the moon was louder than everything else.
The sky pulsed red. The ground vibrated beneath her palms. Voices rose in her head, no longer whispers but commands.
Claim the power.
Take the throne.
End them all.
"No," Luna sobbed. "I won't."
Rhea shifted beside them, her bones cracking as fur burst across her skin. She stood between them and the shadows, teeth bared.
"They're coming," she growled.
From the trees, figures emerged.
Vampires. Rogues. Wolves with wild eyes and broken auras.
Adrian staggered to his feet, wiping blood from his mouth. His calm mask was gone now, replaced with hunger.
"You see?" he said hoarsely. "They answer you already."
Luna forced herself upright, Kael still holding her. "They don't answer me."
She lifted her head, staring straight at the moon. "They answer fear."
Something shifted.
The voices hesitated.
Adrian frowned. "What are you doing?"
Luna closed her eyes.
She thought of the dead girl in the dorm hallway. Of the fear on campus. Of her mother, dying under moonlight to protect her.
"I choose," Luna said, her voice trembling but clear. "Not you. Not the past. Me."
The silver mark burned, then cooled.
The red light of the Blood Moon dimmed slightly, as if listening.
A shockwave rolled outward.
The advancing vampires screamed, clutching their heads. The rogues fell to their knees, snarling in pain.
Adrian stared at Luna in disbelief. "You're resisting it."
"I'm mastering it," she whispered.
Kael felt it too. The pressure crushing his chest lifted. The air became breathable again.
Rhea glanced back at Luna, awe flickering in her feral eyes.
Adrian snarled. "You think this ends the prophecy?"
"No," Luna said softly. "But it changes it."
She stepped forward, slipping from Kael's grasp. Her legs shook, but she stood.
Adrian backed away. For the first time, fear crossed his face.
"You don't understand what you are," he warned.
"I understand enough," Luna replied. "You used blood to weaken the veil. I will seal it."
The moon flared silver-white.
Luna lifted both hands.
Light poured from her palms, racing across the ground like liquid moonfire. It surged toward the ritual site, repairing the damage in reverse. Symbols vanished completely. The ground healed.
The air snapped shut.
A deep, echoing boom rolled across the mountains.
Then silence.
The Blood Moon faded back into a normal full moon.
The vampires screamed as their bodies burned, shadows tearing free before dissolving into ash. The rogues fled into the forest, howling in terror.
Adrian dropped to one knee.
"No," he whispered. "It wasn't supposed to be this way."
Luna stood over him, exhausted but unbroken. "It never is."
Kael moved to her side, his hand brushing hers. "It's over."
Adrian laughed weakly. "For tonight."
He looked up at Luna, silver eyes dull. "You've chosen a side now. The council will come for you."
Luna met his gaze steadily. "Let them."
Adrian's body dissolved into mist, vanishing into the night.
The clearing fell still.
Rhea shifted back into human form, breathing hard. "You just declared war."
Luna swayed, suddenly dizzy.
Kael caught her before she fell. "Easy."
Her head rested against his chest. "I didn't mean to be a leader."
Rhea snorted tiredly. "Too late."
Kael looked down at Luna, something deep and fierce in his eyes. "You didn't choose power. You chose restraint."
Luna closed her eyes. "It still scares me."
"It should," he said quietly. "But you're not alone."
Sirens wailed in the distance. Campus security. Police.
Rhea glanced toward the sound. "Time to go."
Kael lifted Luna into his arms. She did not protest.
As they disappeared into the forest, Luna looked back once.
The observatory stood silent under the full moon, cleansed but marked.
This was not the end.
It was the beginning.
And the moon had chosen her.