Chapter 106: The Dead Luna’s Secret
Darian’s shadows went crazy. They twisted and writhed like live snakes around his feet. His mother was thought to be dead.
Had been dead for five years. "Mom?" Ronan’s voice cracked like a little boy’s.
The woman who looked like Luna Evelyn smiled. But it wasn’t right. Too big. Too sharp. "Hello, my boys. You’ve grown so much." Kael stepped protectively in front of Elara. "You’re dead. We buried you."
"Did you?" The fake Luna tilted her head. "Or did you bury what I wanted you to find?" Darian’s mind raced.
He’d always been the smart one. The one who noticed details. And right now, every detail screamed danger. No shadow. Eyes that reflected light wrong. And the way she moved - too smooth, like she was flying instead of walking.
"You’re not our mother," he said softly. "Aren’t I?" She laughed, and the sound made ice form on the cave walls. "I gave birth to you. I raised you. I died protecting your precious pack secrets."
"What do you want?" Elara asked. Her golden light grew brighter, making the fake Luna hiss. "I want what’s mine. What was always mine." Elder Vera raised her staff. "Impossible.
We felt you die. The pack mourned you." "The pack mourned a lie." The fake Luna’s form shimmered. "Just like everything else in your pathetic lives."
Suddenly, Darian understood. The forecast. The trials. The way everything had gone wrong. "You’ve been controlling it all," he breathed.
His brothers turned to stare at him. But Darian was focused on the thing wearing his mother’s face. "The trials were meant to separate us. Make us fight each other."
"Very good, youngest son." The fake Luna clapped mockingly. "You always were the clever one." "But why?" Ronan’s berserker power was rising again. "What do you gain?" "Everything." Her form began to shift.