Chapter 9.

The night air felt so heavy it was difficult to breathe. In the middle of the ancient stone circle, two figures transformed into fast-moving shadows. Claws clashed, fangs pierced the air, and roars echoed among the bones.

The ground shook every time they leaped at each other. Pieces of stone flew, blood spattered under the cold moonlight.

Axel moved like a storm. His large body shot forward, hitting Kael with almost unmatched force. Kael's body was thrown hard to the ground, creating a thick cloud of dust that swirled in the air.

Laura screamed from the edge of the arena, "Kael!"

But two guards immediately held her back to prevent her from stepping further. "Stay where you are!" one of them hissed.

Laura struggled, tears streaming down her cheeks. "He'll die! Let me go!"

No one listened. Before them, the law of the Alpha duel was absolute. No one was allowed to intervene.

Axel approached, his eyes glowing red under the light of the full moon. "Wake up, useless shadow," he said sharply, his voice echoing like thunder. "You think you're worthy of challenging me? You're nothing but a weak remnant of blood that even the elders rejected."

Kael coughed violently, blood flowing from the corner of his mouth. He tried to get up, though his legs trembled. His vision was blurry, but through the fog of pain, he could hear every taunt and every word felt like a knife stabbing him.

"Shadow," Axel continued coldly. "You always hide behind me. You will never be Alpha. You are nothing."

Kael lowered his head, his hands pressing into the ground. His breath was heavy. But behind the pain, something began to stir in his chest. Rage that could no longer be contained, mixed with old memories he had buried all this time.

Laura's scream echoed in his ears once more, and for the first time, he felt he didn't just want to survive. He wanted to fight.

"Never," his voice was hoarse but firm, "underestimate someone who has nothing left to lose."

He stood up again. Even though blood was flowing from his temple and the wound on his shoulder was wide open, his gaze was no longer wavering. That gaze made some of the audience who were watching unconsciously hold their breath.

Axel snorted cynically. "You're still standing?"

Kael did not answer. He just stared, then leaped forward. The two wolves collided again. Their claws tore through the air, their roars shook the ground.

The fight was brutal. Each of Axel's attacks seemed like the end, but Kael always got back up, slower, weaker, but with a gaze that burned even brighter.

Until finally, Axel managed to break through his defense. A hard blow struck Kael's chest. His body was thrown to the ground, hitting a large rock with a cracking sound that made the crowd wince in horror.

Silence.

Only Axel's heavy breathing could be heard, exhaling air amid the dust and blood.

Laura screamed hysterically. "KAEL!" She pushed past the guards with a strength she didn't even know she possessed. But two rough hands immediately pulled her back, holding her down by force.

"Let me go!"

"Impossible!" the guard shouted. "The fight isn't over yet!"

But in Laura's eyes, it was already over. Kael lay motionless, his body covered in blood, his eyes closed. Only a faint breath could be heard.

Axel approached, his steps heavy and calm, like an executioner about to complete his final task. "You lost," he said flatly. "You are no longer worthy of being called a brother."

That was when something trembled in the air.

The wind stopped. The moon, which had previously shone pale, suddenly emitted a brighter light. A white silver light danced among the mist.

Laura stared at the sky, her chest feeling tight. In the midst of her despair, she heard something... a soft whisper in her mind, gentle yet clear, as though coming from a distant and ancient place.

“Call my name, Moonblood…”

Laura froze. "Who are you?" she whispered, almost inaudibly. But the voice sounded again, this time like an echo from within herself.

"Call my name, and the blood bound by the moon will rise."

Her hands trembled. She looked at Kael lying on the ground, then at the moon, which now shone brighter, until the entire arena was filled with white light.

"Kael..." her voice broke, filled with pain, love, and fear.

"KAEL!"

Her scream echoed through the air.

The moonlight suddenly pierced her body, like a stream of life energy. The light swirled around Laura, enveloping her skin until her eyes glowed softly. In an instant, the light shifted, flowing from her body to Kael.

The sound of breathing stopped throughout the arena.

Kael's body, which had been motionless, began to tremble. His wounds glowed faintly under the moonlight. The blood on the ground was absorbed back into his skin, as if time had reversed.

Axel unconsciously took a step back, his eyes widening. "What is this—"

Kael opened his eyes. And those eyes were no longer the eyes of the Kael they knew. A silver light shone from within his pupils, radiating a primal power that no one had ever seen before. A cold yet majestic aura flowed from him, like the voice of the moon itself manifested in the form of a wolf.

The entire pack trembled. Some warriors even bowed their heads, their instincts forcing them to acknowledge something greater than just the Alpha.

Kael stood slowly, his body straight, his breathing calm. The wound on his chest was gone. The moonlight still danced around him, forming a strange symbol on the ground. An ancient symbol long forgotten, the mark of the mixed blood of two ancient lineages: Moon Blood.

Axel tried to hide his shock, but his voice trembled. "What are you… what kind of creature are you really?"

Kael looked at him, his voice deep yet calm. "I am merely your shadow… who has finally found himself."

In an instant, he shot forward. His movements were almost invisible, only the wind split and a rumbling echoed in the sky. Axel tried to hold on, but the force approaching him was no longer an ordinary force. It was the power of the living moon.

Kael's claws struck the ground, creating a large crack that emitted light. Axel was thrown backwards, falling hard at the edge of the arena.

A long scream echoed, piercing the darkness of the night. It was not a cry of victory, but a call to awakening.

Laura stared at him from a distance, her body trembling between awe and fear. In her heart, she knew that Kael was no longer the Kael she once knew. Something within him had awakened, something that could change everything.

Axel slowly rose, blood dripping from his lips. For the first time, Alpha seemed unsteady.

His eyes met Kael's silver-gleaming eyes, and there, in that reflection, Axel saw what he had feared all along. Not because of strength, but because of truth:

That Kael was not a shadow…

Kael was the lineage destined to lead under the moonlight.

And on that night, amidst the silent pack and the sky that shone too brightly, everyone knew. This battle was far from over. What had changed was who truly held the reins of destiny.