The Alpha's Luna, A Destiny Divided

Chapter 16

Callum's POV

The world exploded in a blinding flash of silver light. I felt the ancient tome burn in my hands as I tore it apart, its pages disintegrating into ash. The air crackled with released energy, and a shockwave knocked everyone in the grove off their feet.

As the light faded and my vision cleared, my heart stopped. Luna lay motionless at the center of the ritual circle, her skin deathly pale.

"No," I breathed, scrambling to my feet. "Luna!"

I raced to her side, gathering her limp form in my arms. Her skin was cold to the touch, and I couldn't feel our mate bond.

"Luna, please," I begged, my voice breaking. "Wake up. Come back to me."

Around us, chaos reigned. Marcus's agonized screams filled the air as the backlash of the interrupted ritual tore through him. His pack members scattered, confused and leaderless.

Nora appeared at my side, her face etched with concern. "Callum, we need to go. Now. Before they regroup."

I nodded numbly, lifting Luna's unconscious form. As we fled the grove, I couldn't shake the feeling that I'd made a terrible mistake. Had I just sacrificed Luna to save everyone else?

Hours later, we were huddled in a cave deep in neutral territory. Luna still hadn't stirred, her breathing shallow and erratic. Mira worked tirelessly, using every healing technique she knew, but nothing seemed to help.

"I don't understand," Mira muttered, frustration clear in her voice. "The ritual was stopped. She should be recovering, not... this."

I paced the small space, my wolf howling in anguish within me. The silence where our mate bond should be was deafening.

Suddenly, Luna's body convulsed. Her eyes flew open, but instead of their warm brown, they glowed with that eerie silver light.

"The balance is disrupted," she intoned, her voice overlaid with something ancient and powerful. "The price must still be paid."

Then, as quickly as it started, the fit passed. Luna collapsed back into unconsciousness, leaving us all stunned.

"What does that mean?" I demanded, turning to Mira. "What price?"

Mira's face had gone ashen. "The ritual... it wasn't just stopped. It was interrupted at a critical moment. The energy has to go somewhere."

A chill ran down my spine as understanding dawned. "It's gone into Luna, hasn't it? She's become a vessel for the ritual's power."

Mira nodded gravely. "And unless we find a way to safely release that energy..."

She didn't need to finish the sentence. I knew what it meant. Luna was dying, consumed from within by the very power she'd tried to prevent from being unleashed.

"There has to be a way," I said, my voice hard with determination. "I won't lose her. Not now, not ever."

Nora, who had been keeping watch, suddenly tensed. "We've got company," she growled.

I moved to the cave entrance, ready to defend our makeshift sanctuary. But the figure that emerged from the shadows wasn't an enemy. It was Marcus.

The once-proud Alpha was a shell of his former self. His face was gaunt, his eyes wild with a mixture of pain and madness.

"You," he snarled, pointing a shaking finger at me. "You ruined everything. The power was mine!"

I stepped forward, placing myself between Marcus and the others. "The power was killing Luna. Killing all of us. It had to be stopped."

Marcus laughed, a hollow, broken sound. "Stopped? You fool. It can't be stopped. Only redirected." His eyes flickered to Luna's prone form. "She knows. She's always known. That's why she ran."

Before I could respond, Luna cried out in pain. I turned to see her thrashing, silver light pulsing beneath her skin.

"It's getting worse," Mira said, her voice tight with worry. "We're running out of time."

I looked from Luna to Marcus, my mind racing. There had to be a solution, a way to save Luna without unleashing the destructive power of the ritual.

As if sensing my thoughts, Marcus's lips curled into a cruel smile. "There is a way, you know. To save her. To save all of us."

"How?" I demanded, even as dread pooled in my stomach. I knew I wouldn't like the answer.

Marcus's eyes gleamed with a mixture of madness and triumph. "Simple. Complete the ritual. But this time, with a willing sacrifice."

The cave fell silent as the weight of his words sank in. A willing sacrifice. A life freely given.

I looked at Luna, my heart breaking. She had been willing to die to prevent this power from being unleashed. Could I do any less?

As if in response to my thoughts, Luna's eyes fluttered open. For a moment, they were clear, free of the ritual's influence.

"Callum," she whispered, her voice weak but determined. "Don't. Please. Not for me."

I took her hand in mine, bringing it to my lips. "I love you," I said simply. "I'll find another way. I promise."

As Luna slipped back into unconsciousness, I turned to face Marcus and the others. The path ahead was unclear, fraught with danger and impossible choices.

But one thing was certain. I would save Luna, save our pack, and stop Marcus once and for all.

No matter the cost.

## Luna's POV

I floated in a sea of silver light, caught between worlds. Pain lanced through me with every heartbeat, the ritual's power threatening to tear me apart from within.

Dimly, I was aware of voices around me. Callum's anguished pleas. Mira's worried muttering. And then... Marcus. His words cut through the haze of pain, filling me with dread.

*Complete the ritual. With a willing sacrifice.*

No. I wanted to scream, to fight, to make them understand. The price was too high. No one life was worth the destruction this power would bring.

But I was trapped, a prisoner in my own body. The ritual's energy coursed through me, seeking an outlet, demanding completion. It whispered seductive promises, offering the power to protect everyone I loved. All it asked in return was one small sacrifice...

*No*, I thought fiercely, clinging to my resolve. *Never again. No more death. No more destruction.*

Through the pain and confusion, I felt Callum's presence. His love washed over me, a beacon in the darkness. I clung to it, using it to anchor myself against the ritual's pull.

For a moment, I broke through. I saw Callum's face, etched with worry and determination. "Don't," I managed to whisper. "Please. Not for me."

His response, filled with love and resolve, both warmed my heart and filled me with fear. I knew Callum. Knew the depths of his devotion. He would tear the world apart to save me if he had to.

As I slipped back into the maelstrom of pain and power, I made a silent vow. I would find a way out of this. A way to end the ritual's threat once and for all, without sacrificing anyone else.

The power pulsed within me, growing stronger with each passing moment. I could feel it changing me, rewriting the very essence of who I was. But at my core, in the place where my love for Callum and my pack resided, I remained myself.

I had run once before, too afraid to face the consequences of what I'd learned. This time would be different. This time, I would stand and fight.

For Callum. For our pack. For a future free from the shadow of this cursed ritual.

As consciousness slipped away once more, one thought burned bright in my mind:

*I will end this. No matter what it takes.*

The battle for my soul, for the fate of all I loved, had only just begun.