CHAPTER 80: CHAPTER 80: ELARA UNLEASHED

Tobias stepped closer, his black eyes gleaming with hatred. "You’ve all been such perfect pawns," he said in that wrong voice. "Leading me right to the greatest collection of magical power in centuries." "Tobias?" Elara turned, confusion and deception hitting her like a physical blow. "What’s happening to you?" "He’s not Tobias anymore," Darian said, his truth-seeing eyes flashing gold.

"Something else is wearing his face." The thing wearing Tobias’s body laughed coldly. "Smart boy. I am the Shadow King, and I’ve been waiting inside this body for months, learning your weaknesses." "The rogue who helped me," Elara whispered, her heart breaking. "He was never trying to help. You were using him to get close to us." "Every warning, every piece of advice, every moment of trust—all lies," the Shadow King confirmed. "And now, thanks to your combined magical display, I can finally take what I came for." Dark strands shot from Tobias’s body toward each member of the pack. But they never reached their goals. Because Elara burst. Not literally—but her power exploded outward like a nuclear blast of pure silver light. The tendrils disintegrated quickly. The rising monsters froze mid-climb. Even the massive Devourer fell backward. "What is she?" the Shadow King gasped, his arrogant mask cracking. Elara floated three feet off the ground, her hair whipping around her face as energy poured from her skin. Her eyes blazed like twin suns, and her voice echoed with the force of a thousand thunderstorms. "I am not just Luna," she stated, her words shaking the very foundations of reality. "I am not just an omega with secret strength.

I am the Moon’s Chosen, the Balance Keeper, the one who decides whether worlds live or die!" The boys stared in awe. They’d known Elara was special, but this—this was beyond anything they’d imagined. "The prophecy," Evelyn breathed, understanding filling her face. "You’re not just part of the forecast. You ARE the prophecy." Silver light continued to pour from Elara’s body, but it wasn’t harmful. Instead, it was healing the world, mending the cracks, pushing back the darkness that had been spreading. "Impossible," the Devourer growled, its voice smaller now, less confident. "No single being has that much power." "She’s not single," Kael said, stepping forward. "She’s our mate. Our Luna. Our everything." "And we’re hers," Ronan added, his silver flames dancing higher. "Completely and forever," Darian finished. The three brothers joined hands and reached for Elara. The moment their fingers touched hers, the silver light burst again—but this time, it was controlled. Focused. Precise. The Shadow King screamed as the light hit him. "This cannot be! I am forever! I am—" "You’re nothing," Elara said calmly, her words carrying the weight of absolute authority. "You prey on fear and doubt and hate. But we have something you’ll never understand." "What?" he asked, his form already starting to crack apart.

"We have each other." The light increased, and the Shadow King’s stolen body began to dissolve. But as it did, his true form was revealed—not a person at all, but a twisting mass of pure darkness. "You think you’ve won?" it hissed. "I am just the beginning. The real threat is coming, and when it comes, your precious love won’t save you." "What threat?" Elara ordered, but the Shadow King was already fading away. "Ask her," it whispered, its voice like dying wind. "Ask the Moon Goddess herself what she’s been hiding from you." And then it was gone. But the battle wasn’t over. The old monsters were still climbing from their prisons, and the Devourer was gathering itself for another attack. "Elara," Evelyn called frantically. "You need to control your power. Too much at once will tear you apart." "I can handle it," Elara said, but her voice was stressed. The silver light was starting to flicker. "No, you can’t," Darian said gently. "I can see the truth, remember? You’re burning yourself out." He was right.

Elara could feel her strength ebbing, her life force being drained by the massive show of power. But the monsters were still coming, and the pack was still in danger. "I won’t let them hurt anyone," she said fiercely, pouring more energy into her shields. "You don’t have to do this alone," Kael said strongly. "We’re your mates. Let us help." "The triplet bond," Ronan realized. "We can share the load." They’d done it before, but never like this. Never with this much power at stake. If they got it wrong, all four of them could die. "Do it," Elara said, her silver light starting to fade. "I trust you." The brothers pressed their hands against her back, and suddenly Elara wasn’t carrying the weight alone. Kael’s shielding strength flowed into her. Ronan’s boundless spirit steadied her. Darian’s cunning mind helped her focus the power. Together, they turned toward the Devourer. "Your move," Elara said, her voice steady now, backed by her mates.

The Devourer roared and charged, its massive claws extending. But Elara was ready. She raised one hand, and a shield of pure moonlight stopped the creature cold. "How?" it gasped. "Because I’m not fighting for power," Elara explained. "I’m fighting for love. And love is stronger than hunger." She clenched her fist, and the moonlight barrier began to shrink, locking the Devourer inside. "You cannot cage me forever," it snarled. "I don’t need forever," Elara answered. "I just need long enough." "Long enough for what?" Elara smiled, and for the first time in the fight, she looked truly confident. "Long enough for the real cavalry to arrive." The sky above them began to glow with a different kind of light—not silver like Elara’s power, but pure white like starlight. Figures were falling from the heavens, each one radiating divine energy. "The Moon Goddess," Evelyn whispered in awe. But as the divine figure came into view, Elara’s smile faded. Because she could see the Goddess’s face clearly now. And she looked exactly like Elara. "Hello, daughter," the Moon Goddess said softly. "It’s time you learned the truth about who you really are." The Devourer’s eyes widened in fear. "No. No, this changes everything. If she’s—" "If I’m what?" Elara demanded, but she was afraid she already knew the answer.

The Moon Goddess landed gracefully beside her, and the family resemblance was obvious. "If you’re my girl. If you’re not just Luna, but the next Moon Goddess." "That’s impossible," Elara breathed. "Is it?" the Goddess asked sadly. "Haven’t you always felt different? Haven’t you always known you were meant for something greater?" "But I’m just—" "You’re not just anything," the Goddess interrupted. "You’re my son. My replacement. The one who will take over when my time ends." "When does your time end?" Darian asked, his truth-sight already showing him the answer. The Moon Goddess looked at her daughter with infinite love and infinite sadness. "Tonight.

The moment Elara accepts her fate, I will fade away forever." "No," Elara said strongly. "I won’t let you die for me." "You don’t have a choice," the Goddess said gently. "The balance must be kept. One Goddess dies, another is born. It’s the way it’s always been." "But I don’t want to be a goddess," Elara argued. "I want to be Luna. I want to stay with my friends, my pack, my family." "I know," the Goddess said sadly. "But the world needs you. And if you don’t accept your power soon, everything you love will be destroyed anyway." She pointed to the horizon, where new shadows were gathering.

"The Shadow King was telling the truth. Something much worse is coming. Something that only a true Goddess can stop." "What?" Elara whispered. The Moon Goddess’s face went pale with old fear. "The Void itself. The force that lives between worlds, that feeds on the destruction of everything good and beautiful. It’s finally found a way into our world." "How long do we have?" Kael asked. "Minutes," the Goddess answered. "Maybe less." The sky started to turn black at the edges, and the temperature dropped twenty degrees in seconds. The Void was coming, and when it arrived, it would unmake everything. "Choose quickly, daughter," the Moon Goddess said anxiously.

"Will you save the world, or will you let it die?" Elara looked at her mates, at her pack, at everything she’d fought so hard to protect. And then she looked at the coming darkness that would destroy it all. The choice was impossible. But she had to make it