The road north was endless.
Miles of cracked asphalt, swallowed by vines and moonlight, stretched into forever. The pack moved in silence — their footsteps the only rhythm against the wind.
Kael led the way, his cloak dragging through the mud, his breath fogging the air. The silver lines beneath his skin still glowed faintly, tracing rivers of power that refused to fade. Each night they pulsed brighter, whispering with the voice he couldn't escape — low, ancient, almost familiar.
"Kael…" Selene's voice cut through the hum of the night. She rode beside him, her silver hair whipping in the wind. "You're hearing it again, aren't you?"
He didn't answer right away. The glow in his eyes flared, then dimmed.
"It's not just a voice anymore," he murmured. "It's a memory. Someone else's. Someone older than any of us."
Tarin frowned from the back. "You mean that thing — the First Wolf — is inside your head now?"
Kael's jaw tightened. "Not inside. Beneath. Like he's been sleeping under my skin since the night I was bitten."
The forest loomed around them — dark, heavy, ancient. The trees were so tall they swallowed the moonlight, and the air felt thicker here, like time itself slowed to watch them pass.
They reached the edge of the Lunaris Ruins by dawn.
Stone pillars jutted from the ground like broken teeth, carved with runes so old even Selene couldn't read them. The air smelled of iron and rain. The last remnants of the first pack — the birthplace of all werewolves.
"This is where it began," Kael said quietly. "Where the curse was born."
Selene dismounted, brushing her hand across the nearest stone. The carvings shimmered faintly under her touch — wolves circling a moon, their eyes hollow. "I thought it was just a legend," she whispered.
"Legends don't hum in your blood," Kael replied, his voice low.
The ground trembled.
A ripple spread across the clearing, the air bending as if reality itself exhaled. The pack drew weapons, their eyes darting to the shadows.
Then — a deep, resonant growl echoed from beneath the earth.
Kael dropped to his knees, clutching his head. The silver veins flared like molten fire. His breath came in ragged bursts.
"Kael!" Selene ran to him, gripping his shoulders. "What's happening?"
He gasped, eyes wide. "He's… waking up."
The stones cracked. A blinding light burst from the ground, throwing everyone back. When the light faded, the clearing had changed.
In the center stood a figure — tall, broad, carved from shadow and moonlight. His fur shimmered like liquid silver, his eyes molten gold. Every step he took made the air quake.
The First Wolf.
He looked at Kael with something that wasn't quite hate, but far from mercy.
"So," the creature rumbled, his voice echoing like thunder, "you're the vessel they chose."
Kael forced himself to stand. "You're the voice I've been hearing."
"I am the echo of what your kind destroyed," the First Wolf said, circling him slowly. "The Alpha who was betrayed by his own blood."
Selene stepped forward, defiant. "You cursed us. You turned our blood into a weapon!"
The First Wolf's gaze flicked to her, cold and knowing. "You call it a curse. I called it survival. They feared what I was — so they bound me in flesh, sealed me in the bloodline. Every bite, every howl… a fragment of me."
Kael's fists clenched. "And now you want out."
The First Wolf smiled — a slow, terrible thing. "I already am."
The silver glow in Kael's veins flared violently. He staggered, gritting his teeth.
"No," he growled. "You won't take me."
The First Wolf's voice boomed: "You were made for this, Kael. The night you fell, the moon chose you — because I needed a vessel strong enough to bear my power. You are not your own anymore."
Kael's roar split the air as his body convulsed.
The silver light surged, spilling from his skin, forming ghostly shapes — wolves, ancient and bound in chains of fire.
Selene reached for him, tears streaking down her face. "Fight it, Kael! You're stronger than him!"
Kael dropped to one knee, trembling, his eyes flashing between gray and gold. "He's inside… he's pulling me apart—"
Selene pressed her forehead to his. "Then I'll pull you back."
Something snapped — a spark of pure light between them. The pendant on her neck burst into a silver blaze, wrapping them both in moonfire.
The First Wolf staggered back, snarling. "What is this?"
Selene's voice rang out, filled with fury and love. "The bond you could never break."
Kael screamed — but this time it wasn't pain. It was power. His body arched, the silver fire twisting around him, devouring the shadows. When the light cleared, Kael stood tall again — his eyes burning with twin moons.
The First Wolf growled, lowering his head. "You think you've won?"
Kael took a step forward, his voice calm but cold. "No. I think I've remembered who I am."
He lunged.
The two collided — light and shadow tearing through the ruins. Every impact shattered stone, every roar echoed for miles. The ground itself split under their fury.
At last, Kael's claws found the First Wolf's chest. He drove his hand through the glowing core — a surge of blinding light exploding outward.
The First Wolf let out one last snarl, then dissolved into mist — his form scattering into the night like dust.
Kael fell to his knees, gasping, smoke rising from his body.
Selene ran to him. "Kael—!"
He looked up, his voice barely a whisper. "He's gone… but I can still feel him. A part of him… still inside."
Selene took his hand. "Then we'll fight it. Together."
Kael smiled faintly. "Always."
---
That night, the moon rose blood-red over Lunaris.
The pack buried their dead and stood in silence, staring at the horizon. The world had changed again — but for the first time, it felt like a new beginning.
Kael stood at the edge of the ruins, watching the moon.
And deep in his chest, something stirred
— a whisper, faint but real.
> "This isn't over, Kael…"
He looked up at the sky, eyes narrowing.
"I know."