chapter 9 The shadows beneath the moon

The Shadows Beneath the Moon;

Elias couldn't sleep. Lyria's words echoed in his mind—I chose you. But as he stared at the flickering fire, doubt crept into his bones.

Solana was alive.

And if Selene had kept him hidden all this time, there was a reason.

Elias tightened his grip on the dagger in his hand. The night felt too still, too quiet. Something was wrong.

Then he heard it.

A whisper.

Low, guttural, coming from the trees beyond their camp.

Elias turned just as the shadows moved.

And then the attack began.

---

The Assassins of the Blood Moon

Figures cloaked in black surged from the trees, their blades gleaming in the moonlight. They moved fast—too fast for ordinary men. Their eyes glowed red, their teeth sharp like wolves, but they were no ordinary wolves.

They were Moon-Blooded.

Elias barely had time to react before one lunged at him. He twisted, dodging the blade aimed for his throat, then countered with a powerful strike. His fist connected with the assassin's chest, sending him crashing into the trees.

Lyria woke in an instant, fire bursting from her palms. "We're under attack!"

Darian drew his sword, his expression dark. "Selene must have sent them."

But Elias wasn't sure. This wasn't just Selene's doing.

These assassins bore a different mark.

The sigil of a forgotten dynasty.

The sigil of Elias's foundation.

---

The Forgotten Legacy

Elias had never known where he came from. Orphaned, raised by humans, hunted when his wolf first emerged—he had never belonged anywhere.

But as he fought, as his body moved on instinct, something in his blood recognized these men.

A memory surfaced.

A cold stone room. A voice whispering in the dark.

"The boy bears the mark. He is the lost heir. If he lives, the Moon's Devotion will fall."

Pain flared in Elias's head, making him stumble. A blade sliced his shoulder, but he barely felt it.

Lost heir.

He had heard those words before, but he had never known what they meant.

Now, as he stood facing these assassins, the truth began to dawn.

He wasn't just bonded to the Moon's Devotion.

He was the rightful king of the Moon-Blooded.

---

Betrayal in the Dark

The battle raged, fire and blood staining the night.

But then, just as suddenly as it had started, it ended.

The assassins retreated into the shadows, leaving behind only silence.

Elias panted, his vision spinning. He turned to Darian. "Who sent them?"

Darian hesitated.

And then, he smirked.

Elias's heart stopped.

Lyria's eyes widened. "No…"

Darian stepped back, wiping blood from his blade. "I warned you, Elias. You don't even know what you are."

Elias's pulse pounded in his ears. "You—"

Darian's smirk deepened. "You think Selene sent those assassins? No. It was me."

Elias barely had time to process the words before pain exploded in his side.

Darian had stabbed him.

Lyria screamed.

Elias fell to his knees, blood pooling beneath him. His vision blurred, and Darian's voice became a distant echo.

"You were never meant to rule, Elias."

Then everything went black.