Chapter 74
The silver fire burst from the carvings and shot straight up into the sky like a light column. As the flames wrapped around the Void Walker’s metal body, it screamed, but the sound wasn’t coming from its mouth.
It was coming from everywhere at once. “Sister?” The truth hit Elara like a punch, and she gasped and stared at Tobias. “You’re related to that thing?” “Was,” Tobias said with a stiff upper lip. The silver flames lit up his face.
“Before it chose darkness over family.” The binding fire hit the Void Walker hard, and its metal skin began to crack. “You cannot hold me forever, brother!” “I don’t need forever,” Tobias said. “Just long enough.” Above them, the moon began to change. The normal full moon slowly turned red, like blood spreading across white cloth. The Blood Moon was rising, and Elara felt strength surge through her veins unlike anything she’d ever experienced. “The ceremony,” she whispered. “It’s time.” Kael and Ronan’s spirit forms flickered, becoming more solid as the red light touched them.
Even Darian, who had been fading away, stopped disappearing and got stronger. “How is this possible?” Darian asked, looking at his hands in wonder. “The Blood Moon brings the dead back for one night,” Evelyn explained, her voice filled with hope and fear. “But only if they have unfinished business with the living.” The enemy packs surrounding the town started to howl in panic.
The red moonlight was burning them like acid, causing them to retreat into the shadows. But the Void Walker’s silver fire prison was fading. “Whatever you’re going to do, do it now!” Tobias yelled over the creature’s screams. Elara looked at her three mates—Kael with his steady strength, Ronan with his fierce loyalty, and Darian with his smart mind. All of them had died protecting her. All of them had chosen love over everything else.
“The bond ceremony,” she said. “We need to finish it under the Blood Moon. It’s the only way to make us strong enough to defeat that thing forever.” “But we’re dead,” Ronan pointed out. “How can we bond with you?” “The same way you came back,” Elara said, grabbing his ghostly hand. To her surprise, she could actually hold it. “Through love that’s stronger than death.” Marcus stepped forward, his face serious. “I know the words. I’ve studied the old traditions in case this day ever came.” “You’ll help us?” Kael asked his father suspiciously. “I’ve made many mistakes,” Marcus admits. “Let me make one thing right.” The pack made a circle around Elara and the triplets. Even Celeste joined them, her face pale but determined. “I’m sorry,” Celeste whispered to Elara. “For everything.” “We’ll talk later,” Elara answered. “If we survive.” Marcus began to chant in the old language, words that seemed to make the air itself vibrate with strength. The Blood Moon grew brighter, casting everything in red light that made their shadows dance like living things. “Join hands,” Marcus ordered. Elara reached out and took Kael’s hand, then Ronan’s, then Darian’s. The moment their fingers touched, lightning shot through all of them.
Not painful lightning—warm lightning that felt like coming home. “I bind my soul to yours,” Elara said, the words coming from somewhere deep inside her mind. “In life, in death, in the space between.” “I bind my soul to yours,” the triplets repeated together. “Through blood, through bone, through time itself.” The Void Walker’s screams got louder. The silver fire was starting to fade. “Hurry!” Tobias yelled. Power rushed through their united hands like a river. Elara could feel Kael’s determination, Ronan’s courage, and Darian’s love mixing with her own power. But something else was happening too—memories that weren’t hers began filling her mind. She saw herself as a baby, glowing with silver light while her parents did a ritual to hide her power. She saw the Void Walker speaking to Marcus, to Celeste, to Darian, feeding on their fears and jealousy. She saw the prophecy written in old text: When moon turns red and spirits rise, the Luna’s choice will break all lies. “The choice,” she gasped, understanding rushing through her. “I have to choose which brother to save permanently.” “What?” all three triplets said at once.
“The ceremony can only bring one of you back to life,” Elara realized with fear. “The other two will fade away forever when the Blood Moon ends.” The silver fire around the Void Walker flickered and went out. The creature stood up slowly, its cracked skin reforming. “Choose quickly, little Luna,” it teased. “Dawn comes in one hour. When the Blood Moon fades, two of your precious mates will die their final death.” Kael squeezed her hand. “Choose Ronan. He’s the best fighter.” “Choose Darian,” Ronan urged. “He’s the best. He can lead the pack.” “Choose Kael,” Darian said firmly. “He’s the oldest. He was born to be Alpha.” Tears streamed down Elara’s face. “I can’t choose between you. I won’t.” “You have to,” the Void Walker laughed, moving toward them as its army crept out of the shadows again. “Or lose all three when I tear them apart myself.” The ceremony circle blazed with red light as the Blood Moon reached its peak. Power hummed in the air, waiting for her choice. The pack watched quietly, knowing that whatever choice she made would determine their fate.
But as Elara stared at her three mates, each willing to sacrifice himself for the others, a crazy idea started forming in her mind. “What if there’s another way?” she whispered. “There isn’t,” the Void Walker snarled. “The ancient magic demands a choice.” Elara smiled, her eyes burning with silver fire. “Then I choose all three.” She raised their joined hands toward the Blood Moon and spoke words that had never been spoken before, words that came from her heart instead of any ritual. The ground began to shake. The red moon pulsed like a heartbeat. And somewhere in the distance, something old and powerful stirred to life. “Impossible,” the Void Walker breathed. “You forgot something important,” Elara said as silver light began pouring from her skin. “I’m not just any Luna. I’m the Moon Alpha. And I make my own rules.” The light burst outward, washing over everything. When it faded, Elara and the triplets stood together—all of them alive, all of them glowing with shared power. But the Void Walker was laughing.
“You stupid child,” it said. “By refusing to choose, you’ve doomed them all. Look at the moon.” Elara looked up and her heart stopped. The Blood Moon was turning black. “When the moon dies,” the Void Walker continued, “so does everyone you’ve
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