+ Escape the Sacred Valley +

Luna's eyes snapped open at a soft rustling sound.

Although the forest was still enveloped in darkness, the first hints of sunlight began to creep over the distant horizon.

Every tiny noise heightened her senses. The faintest tiptoe on a damp leaf bed did not elude her.

Grasping a sturdy tree branch, her pupils dilated, and her gaze became razor-sharp. Her eyes glowed green, reminiscent of a cat's in the night.

Stealthily, she surveyed the ground below, ensuring she remained unseen.

As she suspected, the werewolves had arrived.

Her heart raced at the sight of five of them, circling and sniffing the ground in her vicinity. She had to remain cautious and concealed.

Suppressing her anger, she clutched her invisible cloak tighter and began ascending further. The tree she had chosen was one of the tallest. If the werewolves managed to trace her to its peak, she'd be trapped.

How were they so adept at tracking?

Her attempts to confound them with misleading paths had only bought her a few days at best.

From the moment she left the twin caves, her powers had been waning. In a mere twelve hours, the werewolves had covered the ground she hoped would grant her a longer reprieve.

They'd pursued her for ten relentless days.

Despite the dire situation, Luna took perverse pleasure in knowing she was a thorn in their side. She hoped their alpha fumed as much as she did about their game of cat and mouse.

To think, one of the maidens sworn to serve Goddess Artemis and safeguard the Sacred Valley had betrayed her for a mere werewolf Alpha. Luna sneered in revulsion. The maidens were meant to be untouched warriors. Yet Astarte had been beguiled by a male, leading others to follow in her misguided footsteps, seduced by desires they'd resisted for millennia.

How pitiful.

Now, with the bow of Artemis, the fountain of immortality, and the Sacred Valley — all symbols of Luna's kingdom — under enemy control, she was adrift.

Settling on a high branch, a small twig broke off beneath her, plummeting downwards. Luna counted the seconds, her heart sinking as it hit the ground below.

The werewolves' ensuing howls and growls confirmed her location. They clawed at the tree's base, marking the spot, eager to rip her apart.

Her immediate objective was clear: cross into enemy territory, move another quarter-mile or so, and enter the domain of the werewolves' fiercest adversaries.

The merciless predators.

The undead.

The vampires.

What better strategy than to align with the enemy of her pursuers?

Luna waited, hoping the werewolves below would not suspect she watched from above. She silently prayed to the Creator, wishing her powers and the associated energy would persist.

She continued waiting, hoping for a chance to escape.