CHAPTER 44: LUNA’S CHOICE

Luna POV

The shadow creature’s voice slammed into my mind like a hammer.

"Kill them all."

My body moved without my permission, my hands going for the knife at my belt. No, no, NO! I screamed inside my head, but my fingers wrapped around the handle anyway.

Around me, other wolves from my pack walked like robots toward the Sacred Grove where Lily was tied up. Their eyes were empty, just like mine probably looked. But inside, I was fighting harder than I’d ever fought in my life.

The shadow thing had been controlling us for three days now. Three days of being stuck in my own body while it made me do terrible things. Three days of watching myself hurt people I cared about and being unable to stop.

But something was different tonight. The control felt... looser somehow. Like the thing was distracted by whatever it was doing to Lily in that bright, scary light.

"Move faster," the voice ordered, and pain shot through my skull.

I stumbled forward with the others, but inside my mind, I was remembering. Remembering who I really was before this nightmare started.

My name is Luna Morrison. I’m nineteen years old. I used to think I was better than everyone else, especially Lily Carter. I was wrong about a lot of things.

The memories came flooding back - not the fake ones the shadow thing had been feeding us, but the real ones. How I’d been jealous when Lily got the Triple Moon Mark. How I’d worked with rogues to try to get rid of her. How ashamed I felt when she forgave me instead of letting the pack punish me.

Lily had given me a second chance. She’d helped me find my real purpose as a negotiator instead of just someone trying to steal power. She’d been kind to me when I didn’t deserve it.

And now this thing was making me march toward her to help destroy her.

The knife felt like it weighed a thousand pounds in my hand, but my body kept walking. Step after step, getting closer to the grove where that horrible light was getting brighter.

"She must die," the voice whispered. "The Triple Moon carrier threatens everything. Kill her, and you will be paid."

But I didn’t want prizes anymore. I wanted my friends back. I wanted my pack safe. I wanted to be free of this awful voice in my head.

The control slipped again, just for a second. Maybe because the creature was putting so much energy into whatever routine it was doing. In that tiny moment of freedom, I did something desperate.

I bit my own tongue. Hard.

The pain was sharp and real, and it gave me just enough power to fight back a little more. Blood filled my mouth, but I used that moment to think clearly.

If I couldn’t stop my body from walking, maybe I could at least tell someone.

We were getting close to the grove now. I could see other packs arriving - all walking the same robot way we were. The River Pack, the Mountain Pack, even some smaller groups I didn’t recognize. All of their wolves had the same empty look in their eyes.

But wait. Not all of them.

Through the woods, I spotted movement that looked different. Wolves moving with purpose instead of that dead walk. Free wolves, hiding in the dark around the grove.

Hope sparked in my chest. Some wolves were still fighting. Some had fled the control.

The dark voice pressed harder into my mind. "Faster. The ritual nears finish."

My legs moved faster against my will, but I focused all my strength on one thing. Communication. Pack ties. Even under control, wolves were still connected to their families.

I thought as hard as I could about Aiden, who had become my partner in political work. About Brock, who had taught me better fighting skills. About Lily, who had forgiven me when no one else would.

Trap, I thought desperately, trying to push the word through our pack link. Shadow power. Save Lily.

It was like trying to scream through thick mud. The shadow creature’s control fought against every word. Pain burst in my head, making me want to give up.

But I thought about all the times I’d been greedy, all the times I’d put myself first. This was my chance to do something right for once. To help instead of hurt.

Mind control, I managed to think toward the pack tie. Fighting... it... hurts...

The controlled dogs around me started moving faster, drawn by some signal I couldn’t hear. The ritual must be hitting its peak.

But just before we reached the edge of the grove, I saw something that made my heart leap. Three shapes moving through the darkness toward the free wolves hiding in the trees. Aiden, Brock, and Caleb.

They were living. They were free. And if I was right, they’d gotten my word.

"Now," the shadow voice ordered. "Surround the grove. Let none escape."

My body turned with the others, making a circle around the clearing where Lily was trapped in that terrible light. But inside, I was still fighting. Still trying to send messages.

The shadow creature appeared at the middle of the grove, bigger and more horrible than ever. It was feeding on the ritual, getting stronger with every second. Dark tentacles reached toward Lily, who was shining so bright it hurt to look at her.

But she wasn’t giving up. Even tied up and surrounded by enemies, she was fighting back somehow.

That gave me strength to fight harder too.

The creature raised its arms, and I felt its grip tighten on all of us. "Kill anyone who tries to interfere," it commanded.

My hand lifted the knife again, but this time I managed to make it shake. Just a little, but it was something.

More moving in the trees. The free dogs were getting into position. Whatever they were planning, it was about to happen.

The shadow thing began to chant in that awful language that made my bones hurt. The light around Lily pulsed brighter, and she screamed.

That scream broke something inside me. All my jealousy, all my old anger at her - it didn’t matter anymore. She was my friend, and she was in pain.

I fought the control with everything I had, not caring how much it hurt. Blood ran from my nose as I pushed back against the voice in my head.

Now, I thought as hard as I could toward the pack tie. Attack now.

The shadow creature’s singing reached a fever pitch. The light around Lily began to change, changing from silver to red. She was running out of time.

And then, just as I thought I might break free of the control completely, the creature’s voice slammed into my mind one more time.

But this time, it wasn’t giving me orders.

It was laughing.

"Did you think I didn’t know?" it whispered in my head. "Did you think I couldn’t sense your little rebellion?"

Horror filled me as I realized the truth. It had let me send the messages. It had wanted the free dogs to attack.

This was all part of its plan.

The creature’s laughter rang through my mind as shapes burst from the trees around the grove. The trio, Rivers, and dozens of other free wolves charged toward us.

Right into the trap I’d helped build.

"Thank you, little Luna," the shadow creature purred in my thoughts. "You’ve delivered them all to me."

And as the free wolves collided with our controlled army, as the fight I’d warned them about began, I realized the horrible truth.

I hadn’t saved anyone.

I’d doomed them all.