I knelt before the shrine, pressing my forehead to the stone.
“I failed you,” I whispered. “I thought if I could give Kael an heir, he would finally protect you. Protect us.”
The crystal flickered.
For the first time since the ritual, I felt something stir inside me—not warmth, not bond, but fury.
That night, I opened a sealed contact-scroll I had sworn never to use.
Nicero Blackfang.
The rival Alpha.
The wolf Kael had once tried to crush during the Northern Border Wars.
My enemy since academy days. The one who had always looked at me like I was something he wanted to own—not break.
I stared at the glowing sigil for a long time before activating it.
His voice came through low and amused. “So. The perfect Luna finally falls.”
“I need your help,” I said, my voice steady despite the blood roaring in my ears.
A pause.
Then a slow exhale. “I’ve been waiting for you to say that for years.”
“My father is dying,” I said. “His spirit is fading. The only way to bind him is through your ancestral altar. Your territory still holds the old Moon-root.”
Silence again.
“Do you know what you’re asking?” Nicero murmured. “Binding your bloodline to mine is not charity. It is a contract bond.”
“I know.”