Chapter 75: Chapter 75: Battle BeginsThe black moon hung overhead like a dead eye, and Elara felt her power draining away with each passing second. The silver light that had been pouring from her skin flickered and faded. "What’s happening to me?" she gasped, falling to her knees. Kael caught her before she hit the ground. S~ea??h the N??eFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "The dying moon is killing her," he said, his voice tight with fear. "Not just her," Darian pointed out sadly. "Look around." The Blackwood Pack members were stumbling, their eyes rolling back as their life force was sucked away by the evil moon. Even the enemy dogs were affected, but they seemed to be getting stronger instead of weaker. "The Void Walker planned this," Tobias realized with fear. "It knew she would try to save all three boys. It wanted her to break the ceremony." The Void Walker laughed, its cracked armor glowing with stolen power. "When the moon dies fully, every supernatural being in this territory will die with it. Except for my staff, of course." "You’re killing your own allies," Ronan snarled. "I’m harvesting them," the creature amended. "Their death energy will make me strong enough to break free from this realm forever." A howl echoed across the valley—not from the enemy packs, but from somewhere much closer. Marcus emerged from the bush, but he wasn’t alone. Six huge packs ran behind him, their eyes glowing red in the darkness. "Father?" Kael stared in shock. "But you helped us with the ceremony." Marcus’s smile was cold and empty. "I helped you fail the ceremony. Do you really think I’ve changed after all these years?" "But the shadow-Marcus—" Elara started. "Was real," Marcus interrupted. "That thing showed you my true goals, my real plans. I’ve been working with the Void Walker since before you were born, little Luna." The enemy packs spread out in perfect order, surrounding the weakened Blackwood Pack.

    There had to be over two hundred wolves, all of them bigger and stronger than regular pack members. "You betrayed your own sons," Evelyn whispered, her face pale with disbelief. "I saved them," Marcus snapped. "By helping the Void Walker win, I’ve ensured they’ll survive. The creature promised to spare my family if I delivered Elara’s power." "And you believed it?" Celeste asked. "That thing has been lying to everyone!" "It’s been honest with me," Marcus said firmly. "We have a blood oath." The Void Walker’s laughing turned cruel. "Oh, stupid Alpha. Did you really think I would respect any oath with someone so weak?" Marcus spun around, confusion replacing his confidence. "What do you mean?" "I mean you’ve served your purpose," the creature said casually. "Your sons are about to watch you die along with everyone else." Black energy shot from the Void Walker’s hands, wrapping around Marcus like chains. He screamed as the dark power began crushing him. "No!" Kael lunged forward, but Ronan grabbed his arm. "It’s a trap," Ronan warned. "It wants us to waste our remaining strength." "I don’t care," Kael growled. "He’s still our father." The triplets moved as one, their bond allowing them to attack in perfect harmony despite being weakened. Silver light blazed from their hands as they struck the dark chains holding Marcus. The chains shattered, and Marcus fell to the ground, gasping for breath. "Why?" he wheezed, looking up at his kids with genuine confusion.

    "Why save me after what I’ve done?" "Because that’s what family does," Darian said frankly. "Even when family makes terrible choices." The Void Walker growled with rage. "Enough emotion. Kill them all." The six enemy packs charged forward with a roar that shook the earth. The Blackwood Pack, despite being outnumbered and weakened, made a defensive circle around Elara and the triplets. "Protect the Luna!" someone yelled. "Fight for our home!" another person called out. The first wave of enemies crashed into their barriers like a tsunami. Claws met claws, fangs met fangs, and the night air filled with the sounds of war. Beta Rivers fought beside his daughter Celeste, both of them moving with deadly precision. "Stay close to me," he ordered. "I can handle myself," Celeste answered, dodging a massive gray wolf and striking back with silver daggers. Evelyn transformed into her wolf form, her silver fur blazing with protective power as she tore through enemy after enemy. But for every wolf she beat, two more took its place. Tobias handled his silver blade like a master, carving through the attacking horde while keeping one eye on his sister’s dark form. "The binding symbols," he yelled to Elara. "If you can reactivate them, we can trap it again." "I can’t," Elara said softly. "The dying moon is blocking my power." A huge black wolf leaped straight at her throat. Ronan intercepted it in flight, his ghostly form becoming solid just long enough to snap the creature’s neck. "We can’t keep this up," he panted. "There are too many of them." "Then we change the game," Kael said grimly. He turned to Marcus, who was still lying on the ground. "You know something that can help us. What aren’t you telling us?" Marcus closed his eyes in shame.

    "The Void Walker isn’t just feeding on the dead moon. It’s feeding on broken ties, shattered trust, family betrayal." "What does that mean?" Darian ordered while fighting off three wolves at once. "It means," Marcus said slowly, "that the only way to stop it is to fix what’s been broken. Complete trust, unbreakable ties, perfect unity." "Between who?" Elara asked, though she already guessed the answer. "Between all of us," Marcus whispered. "The entire pack, acting as one. No secrets, no lies, no hidden goals." The Void Walker’s scream of rage told them it had heard every word. "Impossible! This pack is built on lies and hatred. You cannot achieve unity." "Watch us," Elara said, getting to her feet. She reached out her hands—one to Marcus, one to Celeste. "I forgive you both. We start over, right here, right now." Marcus stared at her offered hand in shock. "After everything I’ve done?" "Because of everything you’ve done," she responded. "You’re still family." Celeste took her hand immediately. "I’m with you, Luna." Marcus paused for just a moment, then grasped her fingers. The instant their skin touched, silver light began to flow between them. "Everyone join hands," Elara ordered. "Form the unity circle." The pack members began linking hands while still beating off the enemy. It was chaos—wolves attacking while trying to keep the chain, people falling and getting back up, blood and silver light mixing in the darkness.

    But it was working. The light was getting stronger. The Void Walker’s form began to flicker as its power source weakened. "No! I will not be defeated by emotion and hope!" It raised both hands toward the black moon, and suddenly the dead orb began to crack like an egg. "If I cannot have this realm," the creature screamed, "then no one can!" The moon split open, and something terrible began pouring out of it—not light, but the lack of light. Pure darkness that made the night seem bright by comparison. "What is that?" someone screamed. Tobias’s face went white with fear. "The Void. The space between places where nothing exists." The darkness touched the ground and everything it reached simply vanished. Trees, rocks, even the air itself disappeared into nothingness. "It’s going to consume everything," Evelyn gasped. The unity circle blazed with silver fire, but the coming darkness was faster. In seconds, it would reach them all. "There’s only one way," Marcus said quietly. "Someone has to go into the Void and seal it from the inside." "No," Kael said instantly. "We’ll find another way." "There is no other way," Marcus answered. "And it has to be me. I’m the one who helped cause this." He started to break away from the circle, but Elara held his hand tighter. "You’re not going alone," she said strongly. "Elara, no—" "We all go together," she continued, looking at each face in the group.

    "All of us, as one pack, as one family." The black was only yards away now, consuming everything in its path. "Together," the pack said as one. They stepped forward into the approaching Void, their joined hands blazing with silver light. But as the void swallowed them, Elara heard the Void Walker’s final, terrible laugh echoing from somewhere beyond reality itself.