That night, Adira couldn't sleep. The carved message and mysterious wolves kept spinning in her mind. Beside her, Lucian tossed restlessly, caught in dreams she couldn't see.
"Eclipse Pack," she whispered to herself. Why did those words feel important?
She got up and walked to the window. The moon hung fat and bright in the sky, bathing the sleeping pack grounds in silver light. Everything looked peaceful.
Too peaceful.
Adira frowned. Where were the night guards? Lucian always posted wolves to watch while the pack slept.
A flicker of movement caught her eye—a shadow darting between cabins. Then another. Her heart jumped into her throat.
"Lucian!" she hissed, rushing to the bed. "Wake up!"
His eyes snapped open instantly. "What's wrong?"
"Something's happening outside. The guards are gone."
Lucian was on his feet in seconds, peering out the window. His body went rigid. "Get down," he ordered, pulling her away from the glass.
"What is it?"
"Fenrir's wolves." His voice was deadly calm. "They've breached our borders."
A howl split the night—not the normal call of their pack, but something wilder, hungrier. An attack signal.
Lucian grabbed Adira's shoulders. "I need you to run to the meeting hall. It's the strongest building. Get as many of our people inside as you can."
"What about you?"
"I'll find my father and organize our fighters." He kissed her quickly. "Be careful."
Before she could answer, a crash sounded from somewhere in the pack grounds, followed by screams. Lucian shifted into his massive wolf form and leaped through the door.
Adira grabbed Eira's pendant for courage and ran out after him. The scene outside was chaos. Dark wolves with glowing eyes darted between buildings. Pack members fled in all directions. Some of their own warriors were already fighting, teeth flashing in the moonlight.
"The meeting hall!" Adira shouted to a group of terrified young wolves. "Go to the meeting hall!"
She ran from cabin to cabin, calling people out, directing them toward safety. A mother struggled with three small cubs. Adira scooped up the smallest one and helped them along.
"Luna Adira!" Magnus appeared beside her, blood dripping from a cut on his forehead. "You shouldn't be out here!"
"I'm helping our people," she replied firmly. "Where's Eira? The wounded will need her."
"Already at the meeting hall. Come on!"
They rushed forward, gathering more pack members as they went. Ahead, the meeting hall's lights blazed. Adira could see people huddled inside.
A snarl from their right made them freeze. A massive black wolf with a scarred face blocked their path. Its eyes gleamed with hatred.
"Run!" Magnus pushed Adira forward, turning to face the enemy wolf.
"Not without you!" She grabbed his arm.
The black wolf lunged. Magnus shoved Adira aside and shifted, meeting the attack with bared teeth. The wolves collided in a fury of snapping jaws and flying fur.
Adira scrambled backward, the mother and cubs behind her. Magnus was strong, but the enemy wolf was bigger. Already, red stained Magnus's light brown fur.
Without thinking, Adira grabbed a burning torch from a nearby post and thrust it at the black wolf. "Get away from him!"
The flame caught the wolf's fur. It yelped, backing away with angry eyes. Magnus took advantage of the distraction to sink his teeth into the enemy's leg. The black wolf howled in pain and retreated into the shadows.
"Nice move," Magnus said, shifting back to human form. Blood soaked his shoulder.
"You're hurt." Adira tore a strip from her nightdress to bind the wound.
"I'll live." He winced as she tied it tight. "Thanks to you."
They hurried on to the meeting hall. Inside, dozens of pack members huddled in fear. Eira moved among the wounded, applying herbs and bandages.
"Luna!" The old healer waved Adira over. "I need help."
For the next hour, Adira worked alongside Eira, cleaning wounds, holding crying cubs, calming the frightened. Outside, the sounds of fighting continued—growls, yelps, and the crash of breaking wood.
"Where's Lucian?" Adira asked repeatedly, but no one had seen the Alpha since the attack began.
"He'll be in the thick of it," Eira assured her. "An Alpha protects his pack."
As Adira bent to help a young wolf with a gashed leg, the main doors burst open. Alpha Darius staggered in, supported by two warriors. Blood covered his chest.
"Father!" Selene rushed forward.
Adira froze. Father?
"Help him!" Selene demanded, glaring at Adira.
Putting aside her shock, Adira hurried with Eira to treat the Alpha's wounds. A deep claw mark ran from his shoulder to his ribs.
"Fenrir," Darius gasped as they cleaned the wound. "He came for me himself."
"Where's Lucian?" Adira asked, trying to keep her voice steady.
"Fighting Fenrir." Darius grimaced in pain. "Near the north border."
Adira's heart clenched. Lucian was facing the enemy Alpha alone.
"I need to go to him." She stood up.
"Don't be foolish!" Selene snapped. "You'll only get in the way."
"She's right," Darius said weakly. "You can't shift. You can't fight."
"But I can heal," Adira said, grabbing Eira's medicine bag. "And Lucian might need that more than fighting right now."
Before anyone could stop her, she slipped out a side door. The pack grounds were a nightmare of smoke and shadows. Cabins burned. Bodies lay motionless on the ground—more enemy wolves than their own, at least.
Adira kept to the darkness, moving quickly toward the north border. The sounds of fighting grew louder. She crested a small hill and froze at the sight below.
Two enormous wolves circled each other in a clearing lit by flames. One was Lucian, his silver fur matted with blood but his eyes fierce and determined. The other was larger and darker—Fenrir, the rival Alpha.
Around them, wolves from both packs fought in smaller battles. The air rang with growls and yelps of pain.
Adira watched in horror as Fenrir lunged at Lucian, catching him on the flank. Lucian stumbled but recovered, tearing at Fenrir's ear.
Blood spattered the ground beneath them. Both Alphas were weakening. But Fenrir was less wounded, his attacks still powerful.
"Lucian," Adira whispered, clutching her pendant. It grew warm under her fingers, almost hot.
As if he heard her, Lucian glanced up at the hill. Seeing her, his eyes widened in alarm—a moment's distraction.
Fenrir struck, his jaws closing around Lucian's throat.
"NO!" Adira screamed.
Her pendant suddenly blazed with light, bright as the moon itself. The clearing flooded with silver radiance. Fenrir yelped in surprise, releasing Lucian.
All fighting stopped as wolves from both packs turned to stare at Adira. She stood frozen, the glowing pendant dangling from her hand, as shocked as everyone else.
Fenrir's yellow eyes fixed on her with strange intensity. Then, to everyone's surprise, he backed away from Lucian. With a sharp bark, he signaled his pack. The enemy wolves broke off their attacks and retreated into the forest.
The battle was over as suddenly as it had begun.
Adira rushed down the hill to Lucian, who had shifted back to human form. Blood flowed from wounds on his neck and side.
"You came," he whispered as she pressed herbs to his injuries.
"Of course I did." Tears slid down her cheeks. "I couldn't lose you."
Their own warriors gathered around, wounded but victorious. The enemy had fled.
"How did you do that?" Magnus asked, pointing to her pendant, now just ordinary metal again.
"I don't know." Adira shook her head. "It just happened."
As they helped Lucian back toward the pack grounds, a low murmur spread among the warriors. They looked at Adira differently now—with respect, even awe.
"Luna," they called her, not with reluctance but with honor.
Later, as dawn broke over the damaged pack grounds, Adira sat beside Lucian's bed. Eira had treated his wounds and promised he would recover.
"You saved us all tonight," he said, squeezing her hand weakly.
"I just wanted to help."
"You did more than that." His eyes were serious. "The pack saw your courage. Even Selene can't deny your place now."
Adira smiled, but a troubled feeling lingered. Why had her pendant glowed? And why had Fenrir looked at her that way?
A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. Magnus entered, his shoulder bandaged.
"Sorry to disturb you, but you need to see this." He held out a piece of paper. "We found it pinned to a tree at the edge of our territory. It's addressed to Luna Adira."
The note contained just five words: "Daughter of the Eclipse. Come home."
Adira's blood turned cold as a memory stirred deep inside her—a memory of yellow eyes exactly like Fenrir's, looking down at her from a face she had once called father.