Through Fire And Blood

"No!"

The cry tore from my throat as I stumbled down the narrow stone staircase.

I reached toward my parents, but my mother's trembling hands pushed me farther into the tunnel.

"Run, Seraphina!" she shouted, her voice breaking.

"I don't want to go!" I sobbed. "Mama! Papa!"

The hidden stone door began to close.

The last thing I saw was my father standing in front of it, his massive sword gleaming beneath the flickering firelight. His Alpha aura exploded through the manor like a tidal wave, shaking the walls around us.

He wasn't just protecting his family.

He was protecting his entire pack.

Then...

The door slammed shut.

Darkness swallowed me.

"Mama!" I screamed, pounding my tiny fists against the cold stone. "Papa! Please!"

No one answered.

Only muffled sounds filtered through the thick walls.

The clash of swords.

The howls of wolves.

The roar of an Alpha fighting for everything he loved.

I sank to my knees, tears streaming uncontrollably down my cheeks.

"I don't want to leave..."

The silver pendant resting against my chest felt strangely warm, almost as if it were alive.

I wrapped my fingers around it.

"Please..." I whispered through my sobs. "Moon Goddess... don't take them away from me."

A deafening explosion shook the tunnel.

Dust rained from the ceiling.

The battle above was growing worse.

I remembered Father's words.

"You are going to be very brave for me."

My legs trembled as I forced myself to stand.

The tunnel stretched endlessly ahead, lit only by a few ancient torches fixed to the walls. Shadows danced across the rough stone, making every corner seem alive.

I was terrified.

But I couldn't stay.

I began to run.

The secret passage twisted beneath the mountain for what felt like forever.

My breathing became ragged.

My feet ached.

The sounds of battle slowly faded behind me, replaced by an eerie silence.

Then...

A distant rumble echoed through the tunnel.

Another explosion.

The ground shook so violently that I lost my balance and crashed onto the cold stone floor.

A painful cry escaped my lips.

The pendant slipped from my hand but remained around my neck.

I quickly grabbed it again.

It was all I had left of my parents.

"I have to keep going," I whispered to myself.

"I have to..."

The words felt empty.

I wasn't trying to convince anyone else.

I was trying to convince myself.

Far above me...

Silver Moon was dying.

Alpha Lucian stood in the center of the Alpha Manor, his silver eyes blazing like twin flames.

The enemy warriors surrounded him from every direction.

Their black armor bore no crest.

No pack symbol.

Nothing to reveal who they truly served.

It was deliberate.

Whoever planned this wanted no witnesses.

Lucian's sword sliced through the air with terrifying precision.

One warrior fell.

Then another.

Then another.

The marble floor became stained with blood.

"You'll never reach my daughter!" he roared.

His voice thundered through the burning manor.

Outside, the warriors of Silver Moon fought desperately to defend their home.

Beta Rowan led dozens of wolves into battle despite suffering deep wounds across his chest.

Warriors who had celebrated only an hour earlier now fought to protect their families.

The peaceful festival had become a massacre.

Not far away...

Luna Elara stood beside the entrance to the secret passage.

Her elegant white gown was stained with soot and blood.

In one hand she held a sword.

In the other...

A dagger.

Her blue eyes, once filled with warmth, had become those of a warrior prepared to die.

A masked attacker rushed toward her.

Without hesitation, she drove her blade into his shoulder before spinning gracefully and striking another.

She fought like the Moon Goddess herself.

Not because she wanted to survive.

But because every second she remained standing gave her daughter another second to escape.

"Find the girl!" someone shouted outside.

"Search every room!"

"They couldn't have gone far!"

Elara's heartbeat quickened.

"They're looking for Seraphina..."

Her grip tightened around her sword.

"They'll never find her."

Deep within the forest surrounding Silver Moon...

A lone rider sat atop a massive black wolf.

Unlike the warriors attacking the pack, he wore an elaborate dark cloak embroidered with silver markings.

His face remained hidden beneath a hood.

Beside him stood another man.

Ronan Voss.

He watched the burning village with unreadable eyes.

"It has begun," Ronan said quietly.

The hooded Alpha didn't answer immediately.

His gaze remained fixed on the Alpha Manor.

"Is the child alive?"

"We don't know yet."

The hooded Alpha's voice turned icy.

"You had one task."

Ronan lowered his head.

"The hidden passage wasn't on the maps."

The Alpha's fingers tightened around the reins.

"Then find her."

"And if Lucian escapes?"

A cold laugh echoed through the forest.

"He won't."

The mysterious Alpha slowly raised his hand.

From the darkness emerged hundreds more warriors.

Far more than anyone inside Silver Moon could possibly defeat.

His voice carried no emotion as he gave the order.

"Burn the pack to the ground."

Ronan hesitated.

"And the Bloodfang evidence?"

"It's already in place."

A cruel smile appeared beneath the Alpha's hood.

"When dawn comes..."

"The entire kingdom will believe Bloodfang committed this massacre."

Ronan nodded slowly.

"Then the two strongest packs will destroy each other."

The Alpha's smile widened.

"Exactly."

His eyes turned back toward the burning village.

"They'll spend years seeking revenge..."

"...Never realizing they were dancing exactly as I planned."

Back inside the tunnel, I finally saw a faint light ahead.

Hope surged through me.

The exit.

I ran as fast as my small legs could carry me.

But just as I reached the opening...

A terrifying howl echoed through the forest outside.

I froze.

It wasn't one wolf.

It was dozens.

They were searching.

And they were getting closer.

The howls grew louder one after another.

I pressed myself against the damp stone wall, my tiny hands covering my mouth as tears streamed down my face. Every breath felt too loud.

The tunnel ended only a few steps ahead.

Moonlight spilled through the opening.

Home...

I wanted to run back home.

But when I looked toward the hill where the Silver Moon Pack stood...

My heart shattered.

The village was burning.

Orange flames devoured the rooftops while thick black smoke swallowed the moon. The joyful music from the Harvest Moon Festival had vanished, replaced by screams that echoed across the valley.

I searched desperately for the Alpha Manor.

Instead, I saw part of the roof collapse into the fire.

"Mama..."

"Papa..."

A sob escaped my lips.

Then—

"Over there!"

My entire body froze.

Several black-cloaked warriors emerged from the trees.

One pointed directly toward the tunnel.

"The child escaped!"

"Catch her!"

I turned and ran.

Branches clawed at my face as I raced through the forest.

I couldn't think.

I couldn't breathe.

I only knew one thing.

I had to keep running.

Heavy footsteps crashed behind me.

They were getting closer.

Much closer.

"There!"

"I see her!"

A hand brushed the edge of my cloak.

I screamed and stumbled over a thick tree root, crashing hard onto the forest floor.

Pain shot through my knees.

Before I could stand, three masked warriors surrounded me.

Their swords glinted beneath the moonlight.

One of them slowly crouched in front of me.

"So..."

He tilted his head.

"You're the Alpha's daughter."

I crawled backward until my back struck a fallen tree.

There was nowhere left to go.

The warrior reached toward the silver pendant around my neck.

"Interesting..."

"So this is what our Alpha wants."

I grabbed the pendant protectively.

"Don't touch it!"

The warrior laughed.

"Feisty."

He reached for me again.

Suddenly—

A wolf's roar exploded through the forest.

Every bird took flight.

The ground itself seemed to tremble.

The warriors instantly looked around.

"What was that?"

A blur shot between the trees.

Before anyone could react, one of the attackers was thrown several feet through the air.

Another cried out as a sword flashed through the darkness.

Chaos erupted.

The mysterious warrior wore a long black cloak that concealed his face. Even beneath the moonlight, I couldn't see who he was.

He moved with impossible speed.

Every strike was precise.

Every movement deadly.

Within seconds, two warriors lay unconscious on the forest floor.

The third staggered back.

"It's him!"

Fear filled the man's voice.

"We have to retreat!"

"No."

The cloaked warrior's voice was deep and commanding.

"You'll leave one message."

The surviving attacker trembled.

"W-What message?"

The stranger stepped forward, his face still hidden beneath the hood.

"Tell your master..."

His voice turned cold enough to freeze the air.

"...the child is beyond his reach."

The warrior fled without looking back.

Silence returned to the forest.

The cloaked man slowly turned toward me.

For a long moment, neither of us spoke.

I clutched the pendant tightly.

"W-Who are you?"

He didn't answer.

Instead, he knelt until our eyes were level.

Although I couldn't see his face, something about him felt... familiar.

Not familiar because I knew him.

Familiar because I felt strangely safe.

He looked at the pendant around my neck.

Then he whispered,

"Protect it with your life."

My eyes widened.

"How do you know about this?"

He remained silent.

The sound of distant horns echoed through the forest.

More enemies were coming.

The stranger immediately looked toward the river roaring below the cliff.

His posture became tense.

There wasn't enough time.

He removed his cloak and wrapped it around my shoulders.

"The current will carry you south."

"I don't understand."

"You don't need to."

His voice softened.

"You only need to survive."

Tears blurred my vision.

"I want my parents."

For the first time, the mysterious warrior lowered his head.

"I know."

The sorrow in those two words made my heart ache.

He lifted me gently into his arms and carried me to the edge of the rushing river.

Behind us, the sounds of pursuing warriors grew louder.

"They're here!"

"Search the river!"

The stranger looked at me one last time.

"When the time comes..."

His hand rested briefly on my head.

"...learn the truth before you seek revenge."

Before I could ask what he meant...

He pushed me into the raging river.

The freezing water swallowed me whole.

As the powerful current dragged me away, I looked back one last time.

The cloaked warrior stood alone on the riverbank, drawing his sword as dozens of enemy wolves surrounded him.

The last thing I heard before the river carried me into the darkness was a furious voice shouting across the forest—

"She escaped!"

Then another, colder voice answered:

"Let her run."

A long silence followed.

"One day..."

"...she'll lead us to exactly what we're looking for."