Chapter 95
Chapter 95
The night hung heavy in the aftermath of battle.
The fires had been extinguished. The smoke had thinned. The echoes of growls and howls faded, replaced by quiet breathing, by pain, by relief.
And loss.
I stood barefoot on the ruined stone, dust and dried blood covering my skin. My muscles ached, my body sore and drained from the power I had unleashed.
But I was still standing.
We all were.
The rogues were gone–scattered or dead.
And Luca… had vanished into the shadows.
Yet this wasn’t victory. Not truly. Not yet.
“Ellaine!”
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Audrey rushed toward me, limping slightly, blood streaked on her shoulder. But her eyes were alive, bright with disbelief and something more–awe.
“You did it,” she breathed. “I don’t know what you did, but–goddess, El–you were glowing. I felt it. We all felt it. You saved us.”
I shook my head. “We saved each other. If you hadn’t acted so fast–if Francesco hadn’t-”
“Don’t downplay it,” she said firmly. Then, softer, “You’ve changed. And so has everything else.”
Before I could answer, I felt a gentle pulse in the air.
Magic.
Warm, ancient, and floral.
I turned, and there she was.
pay
Lira.
The pack’s healer and our only known true magic user–an old soul with long braids streaked with silver and a gaze that always looked too far ahead
She moved slowly through the rubble, wearing robes of pale lavender, her hands glowing with the soft green hue of healing energy.
In her other hand: a small leather pouch, filled with delicate glass vials.
“Lira,” Francesco called, walking toward her in human form, his shirt torn and blood–stained. “Are the humans…?”
She nodded. “Safe. Most are unconscious. I placed them under a mild spell for now to keep their minds quiet.”
Lira walked to us and opened the pouch, revealing small vials filled with shimmering blue liquid.
“This,” she said, lifting one, “is a memory wash. They’ll believe it was a powerful earthquake. A natural disaster. The kind that strikes and leaves only confusion in its wake.”
My chest ached with a strange, bittersweet relief.
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“Will they remember anything?” I asked softly.
She looked at me with old, kind eyes. “Maybe a few flashes. A strange light. A howl in the dark. But nothing more.”
Good.
They didn’t need the burden of this world. Not tonight. Not ever.
Francesco sent a few of our younger wolves to distribute the vials to those still breathing.
Within minutes, the auditorium was quiet once more–just the murmur of healing, the rustle of movement, the slow coming down from a storm.
I walked among the wounded.
Our warriors–our family.
Alfonso had three cracked ribs and a torn shoulder, but when he saw me, he straightened with visible effort.
“My Luna,” he said softly, bowing his head.
My breath caught.
The first time he’d said it. Truly said it with respect and proud.
I nodded, unsure what to say, until he added, “We thought we were lost. And then… I saw ypu. Shining like a star. You’re not just his Luna. You’re ours.”
He touched his heart, and for the first time, I truly felt the weight of it–what it meant to be theirs.
Not a title.
A promise.
One by one, others bowed their heads. Some touched their hearts. Some whispered my name like a prayer.
I didn’t need them to worship me. But I would die to protect them.
Later that night, after the wounded were stabilized and the humans escorted away safely, I found myself standing alone beneath the moon.
The ruins of the auditorium around us still whispered with ghosts of fire and magic.
But the stars above were clear.
And behind me… I felt him.
“Ellaine.”
Francesco’s voice, low and tired but full of affection.
I turned.
He was still bruised, a cut beneath his eye, but otherwise healed. His shirt was gone, replaced by a jacket, open and loose. His dark hair was mussed, his eyes glowing faintly gold in the moonlight.
He looked like a warrior.
But when he looked at me–he softened.
Like I was the only thing in the world that made sense.
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Chapter 95
“Are you alright?” he asked.
I nodded, then shook my head. “I don’t know. I feel… everything. So much pain. But also… I’ve never felt so alive.”
He stepped closer. “I saw you change.”
I looked down. “It wasn’t me. Not really. It was something older. Something deeper. Mika and I–we… became one. For the first time.”
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Francesco gently cupped my face, brushing his thumb along my jaw. “You were magnificent,” he whispered. “When you howled, I felt it in my bones. You woke something in all of us.”
I leaned into his touch, my eyes fluttering closed. “I thought we might die tonight.”
“So did I.”
He kissed my forehead, then leaned down until our brows pressed together.
“But we didn’t,” he whispered. “You’re here. I’m here. That’s enough for now.”
Tears pricked at my eyes. I wrapped my arms around his waist, pressing my face to his chest. He held me close, strong and safe.
For a long time, we didn’t speak.
We just stood beneath the moon, holding each other as if we were the last two souls on Earth.
After what felt like an eternity, he tilted my chin up and kissed me.
Slow. Tender. Real.
The kind of kiss that doesn’t ask for anything–just gives.
When we finally pulled apart, he whispered, “We still have battles ahead. But tonight, we survived. You survived.”
“And so did you,” I said, resting my hand over his heart.
He smiled softly. “I’ll always find a way back to you.”
My heart swelled.
In this broken, bleeding world–he was my peace.
And I… I would become the strength that held us all together.
AD
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