Eclipsed Destiny

The night had fallen dark and heavy, thick with silence that wrapped around the forest like a fog. Celia's breath caught in her chest as if she could feel a chill reaching into her very bones. Those words of the rogue lieutenant haunted her. They lived in the back of her mind like a shadow she could never shake.

"You will betray them before it is over."

Words twisted in her gut, hard to breathe, hard to think. Betrayal. It wasn't a word, but it was a nightmare.

"Celia?" Aziel's voice was soft but urgent, cutting through her whirling thoughts. He came forward, his presence a solid anchor that pulled her back to the present.

She turned to face him, her heart still racing. "I don't know if I can do this," she confessed, her voice strained with fear. "I can't shake what he said."

Aziel's gaze softened, his eyes filled with a mixture of concern and determination. "Celia, listen to me. He's trying to get inside your head. The lieutenant knows exactly where to strike to weaken you.

"But what if he's right?" Celia's voice trembled, the doubt threatening to overtake her. "What if I am the weak link?"

Aziel reached out, placing a firm hand on her shoulder. "You're not weak. You're the strongest person I know. The pack believes in you, and I do too. We won't let him turn you against us."

The bond between them pulsed with a steady, reassuring rhythm as if echoing through her heart. It was a small comfort, but it was enough to quell the panic that started rising.

"I just feel like I'm drowning," Celia whispered, looking away from the distant horizon. "This is all happening so fast, and I don't know if I am strong enough to stop it."

Aziel's voice was steady, grounding her. "We're all in this together, Celia. You're not alone in this fight. I'm with you, and so is the rest of the pack. We face this darkness together."

For a moment, Celia let herself believe him. The weight of the doubt lifted, just slightly, and she drew in a deep breath, feeling the cool air fill her lungs.

"I won't let him win," she said, her voice steady. "I won't let Kael divide us. I'll fight for the pack-fight for you."

Aziel smiled, his eyes warm. "That's my Luna."

1---

The fire at the heart of the camp crackled, sending long shadows dancing on the wind. The pack had assembled in the clearing, their faces tense, their movements sharp. Everyone could feel it-the promise of battle hung heavy in the air. Aziel stood at the front of the group, his authority as he spoke to the wolves was almost commanding. "Word's come from the southern perimeter," he said, his voice carrying across the gathering. "The rogues are on the move again. This time, they're not going anywhere without a fight.

She stood next to him, beating fast in her chest while watching the wolves stare into the faces around them. Respect shone in their eyes - laced with fear and hesitation- yet she met that unblinking stare as cool as ice. No use to have doubts

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"This isn't just survival fighting," Aziel pressed further. "This is fight for our future and that pack.

The wolves growled in agreement, their voices rising in a chorus of solidarity. Celia felt her chest swell with pride as she stood beside Aziel, ready to face whatever came next.

"We've been through worse," she said, stepping forward. "And we've come out stronger. Together, we'll face this."

Her words carried across the clearing, their impact rippling through the pack. The energy shifted, the air charged with a sense of unity, a renewed strength. She was no longer just Aziel's Luna in name-she was his equal, his partner in every

sense.

Aziel's

7---

gaze met hers, his expression softening. "Together," he echoed, his voice low. "We're stronger than they think."

As the night drew to a close, the pack finalized their preparations. Celia went through the camp, making sure the wolves were ready and that everyone was prepared. The moon hung heavy and low in the sky, casting pale light on the clearing. It was almost time.

She was standing at the edge of the camp, gazing up at the sky, heart thumping in her chest. It felt different tonight. Something. It wasn't just battle; the air seemed thick with the feeling that the world was holding its breath. And then she saw it.

The moon: red, stained as if by blood of the fallen. The blood moon.

Celia's mark flared with sudden heat, the pain shooting like a stab of sharp, searing knives up and down her arm. She gasped, clutching at her wrist as the energy shot through her, the blessing reacting to the moon above it with power-power too huge. She felt it inside her bones, as if the whole reality was shifting around her, moving.

"Celia."

Aziel's voice was frantic as he rushed to her side. "What's happening?"

The pain was unbearable, the blessing flaring within her, threatening to break free. "The blood moon," she whispered. "It's. it's reacting to me.

Aziel's eyes widened, and he took her by the shoulders, steadying her as her knees threatened to buckle beneath her. "This isn't just rogues," he said urgently. "Celia, fight it. Don't let it in control you.

But the energy within her was rising, swelling, and overwhelming her; she could feel it threatening to consume her. She needed to hold on-needed to maintain control-but this energy was too much to handle.

The pack was beginning to collect around her. Their eyes fixed on her, their tension palpable, Celia could feel the weight of those gazes combined with the fear and the hope they carried.

"Celia, listen to me," Aziel said, his voice shaking with urgency. "You control the blessing. Don't let it control you."

She nodded, forcing herself to focus, to ground herself in his words. But as the blood moon reached its peak, the blessing roared within her, and for a moment, it felt as though the power would tear her apart. "I can't do this," Celia whispered, her voice husky, the energy leaving her unable to think clearly.

Aziel's grip tightened on her shoulders. "Yes, you can. You are the Luna. The pack believes in you."

Celia closed her eyes, focused on his voice, on the steady rhythm of their bond. She slowly pushed back against the power, forcing it to obey her will.

It was the same flash of brilliance, this light, followed by an absence and slowly dissipating agony, with an un-resonant hum lingering inside of her chest. Opening her eyes, she found the blood moon had passed away; however, the energy remained within her.

Aziel's face was half amazement and half relief. "You did it," he said. "You mastered it."

She let her breath out shakily, her body shuddering at the exertion. "For now."

She knew that it wasn't over. The rogues would come, and when they did, they'd bring the truth of the blessing with them.

\---

As the fire crackled low, a howl cut through the darkness of night. Not the sound of a rogue, but something older-something more ancient.

The pack tensed and Celia's heart skipped a beat when a voice bellowed across the clearing:

"The blood moon is but only the beginning. The test really begins now.