Chapter 1

The cold night always pierced at the borders of the Nightclaw Pack's territory, yet no one had ever felt a cold as deep as that night. The north wind carried with it the scent of pine, snow, and, most terrifyingly, the smell of fresh blood. The patrol warriors, clad in thick cloaks and wolf fur, moved cautiously among the ice-covered trees, each breath puffing white in the freezing air.

That night, something alien tore through the silence. It wasn't the usual howl of wild wolves or the growl of an enemy pack they were accustomed to. This was a deeper, more primeval howl, a sound that could tear at the soul of anyone who heard it. From the dense darkness of the forest emerged savage creatures that seemed to be born from shadows themselves. Their bodies were thin, hollow, yet they emanated a terrifying, spirit-draining power. Their eyes, a pair of glowing red embers, radiated an unspeakable horror, and their claws emitted a cold aura that burned the skin.

Gamma Lena, a formidable female warrior with an honorable scar on her temple, felt her heart pound. This was no ordinary battle. She had led her patrol unit for years, facing all kinds of dangers, but these creatures... they defied understanding. “Hold formation! Don't let them break us apart!” she yelled, her voice hoarse, cutting through the creatures' howls and the wolves' defensive roars. She lunged forward, her silver-aura-coated claws striking one of the black shadows trying to slip past their ranks. The creature let out a high-pitched shriek, a sound not from an animal's throat, but from a phantom. However, that sound was soon swallowed by a more tangible cry of pain—the cry of one of her warriors.

A warrior named Joris staggered back, his shoulder torn, his blood freezing even before it touched the snow. His eyes widened in terror as he saw another creature pounce on him. Lena wanted to help, but she was surrounded herself. Her warriors, though tough, began to falter under the relentless assault. The creatures were too numerous, their movements too swift, and their black aura drained strength from every wolf nearby. Despair began to creep into Lena's mind. Victory felt like a distant dream, and death seemed like a cold certainty.

When hope was almost extinguished, when the dark sky seemed to mock their desperate struggle, a sudden change occurred in the air. The cold of the night seemed to sharpen, then boiled, filled with unseen electricity. The shadow creatures paused for a moment, growling, as if sensing something new and unexpected, far more threatening than the dying wolves. A silhouette emerged from behind the snow-covered pine trees, moving with a chilling silence. The figure stood between them and the dark creatures, an anomaly in the chaos.

Lena watched with bated breath. Her heart pounded, not from fear of the shadow creatures anymore, but from this new presence. The figure raised its hand. There was no ritual, no incantation spoken, just an explosion of raw energy that enveloped its body, emanating outwards in waves of pale silver. This silver light was not soft or calming. It was a destructive light, a light that tore through darkness itself, as if the moon had descended to earth in a fury.

The previously invincible shadow creatures now shrieked. Not a predator's howl, but a horrifying scream of agony, a sound that tore through space and time. Their bodies began to crack, not from physical blows, but as if forcibly ripped from existence, their essence sucked away until nothing remained. The silver light consumed them, evaporating them into nothingness, leaving behind a pungent smell of ozone and lingering echoes of despair in the air. In a matter of seconds, the battlefield, which had been full of horror, became silent, leaving only the cold wind, the swaying shadows of pines, and the warriors still reeling from fear and exhaustion.

The figure who had just unleashed such total destruction now turned towards them, its face slightly lifted towards the moonlight peeking from behind the clouds. Lena and her warriors could only stand frozen, watching with wide eyes.

“Alena?” A warrior named Kael, his legs trembling, voiced what was on everyone's mind. His voice was just a whisper, almost inaudible. “This... this is impossible. You... you were supposed to be...” he couldn't finish his sentence.

Alena didn't answer. She merely looked at them, her eyes as blue as the coldest ice, yet there was an echo of unspoken sorrow and power within them. Her aura was now calm, like the surface of a freshly frozen lake, yet the power she had just displayed still permeated the air, a warning.

Lena, though shocked to her very core, tried to collect her thoughts. She had to remain calm, lead her pack. “Alena... what are you doing here?” Lena asked, her voice filled with a mixture of fear and unconcealed curiosity. She gazed at Alena, trying to decipher if the figure before her was a savior or another, far greater threat.

Alena looked at Lena, her gaze cold and distant, as if she was looking past Lena, into a painful memory. “Doing what needed to be done,” Alena replied, her voice low and raspy, like dry leaves rustling in autumn. Every word was uttered without emotion.

“Those creatures... where did they come from?” asked another warrior, his voice trembling.

Alena sighed, as if the question annoyed her. “None of your concern,” she said curtly, and there was a tone of finality in her words that silenced them. They all knew Alena was the rejected Luna, exiled years ago. Seeing her here, alive, and with terrifying power, was a bitter irony.

Kael ventured a step forward, his courage somewhat restored by the fact that he was still alive. “But... you saved us. Why?”

Alena shifted her gaze to Kael, a fleeting shadow crossing her eyes. “Because you are at the border of Orion's pack. The threat here will soon become a threat there,” she explained, gesturing with her chin in the opposite direction, towards the heart of Nightclaw Pack's territory. “And I will not allow that to happen.”

Lena felt a whisper of danger creep into her mind. Alena's power... it was not a power they had ever seen. It was something older, more primordial, something that felt like an echo of the moon itself. Deep down, she knew this was something greater than a mere anomaly or ordinary wolf strength.

“Alpha Orion will want to know about this,” Lena said, trying to read Alena's expression. However, Alena's face remained unreadable, like the surface of a frozen lake.

Alena gave a soft snort, a sound barely audible, yet filled with bitter irony. “Let him wonder. After all, I didn't come to hide,” she replied, her gaze implying the weight of past and present. There was a deep weariness beneath this arrogance.

“Then, what did you come for?” Kael asked again, impatiently.

This time, Alena didn't answer immediately. She bowed her head for a moment, her slightly unkempt black hair covering part of her face. When she lifted it again, there was a glint of determination in her frozen eyes. A decision she had made long ago.

“I came for what is mine,” Alena said, each word uttered with cold precision, disregarding the fact that she was the once-rejected Luna. This was a claim, not a plea. An open challenge.

The warriors exchanged uneasy glances. They all knew what she meant. The fated bond. Her painful rejection. Everything that had happened years ago. And now, she had returned, with a power that could obliterate them all in the blink of an eye.

Lena stepped forward, bridging the distance between them, challenging Alena's cold aura. “You will come with us to the Alpha. You understand, don't you?” Lena didn't ask, she stated. There was an authority in her voice that, though slightly trembling, remained firm. She had to show control, for her pack, for the safety of them all.

Alena stared at Lena for a long moment, and for an instant, Lena felt as if she was being measured, analyzed, by something far older and wiser than she had imagined. A thin, almost imperceptible smile crossed Alena's lips, a smile that didn't reach her cold eyes.

“Of course. After all, I want to see how your Alpha handles a threat far greater than those foolish shadow creatures,” Alena replied, her voice sounding like a provocative whisper of ice. A provocation, an open challenge aimed directly at Alpha Orion.

The warriors flinched. No one dared to speak like that about or to their Alpha, let alone a former, exiled Luna. Lena knew that this was the beginning of something inevitable. Something that would change everything. Alena, the outcast, the rejected Luna, had returned. Not as a victim, but as a force. And she came with an undeniable claim, and an unspoken threat far more terrifying than any shadow.

As Alena began to walk, a long shadow stretched behind her under the moonlight, as if the dark power she had just banished had not entirely vanished, but merely slumbered, awaiting her call. Lena watched her go, a chilling premonition creeping into her heart. She knew, the journey to Alpha Orion would not be just a journey. It was the beginning of a long-held storm, a storm that would test not only their strength, but also their destiny.