Marked by Five Alphas: The Immortal Luna
Chapter 25: Evelyn: A Man With Emerald Eyes

Chapter 25: Evelyn: A Man With Emerald Eyes

Evelyn~

When I said I was surrounded by bad luck, I honestly just meant it as a metaphor, something dramatic to say whenever things went wrong.

However, it never once crossed my mind that my soul might actually be filled with misfortune, so much so that, the moment I stepped into the lake, the clear water slowly turned murky all around me.

"H-how can something like this happen?!" one of the elders cried out, frantically flipping through the full-moon ceremony book. "There’s nothing in here about the lake water turning murky!"

The guidebook was quickly passed from one hand to another, each person trying to see for themselves that, indeed, there was no mention of this strange occurrence in the sacred text.

Just moments ago, they all looked calm.

Sure, some of them still doubted whether I was really the Luna, but most of them believed the Moon Goddess would prove I was the true one eventually.

I guessed the maids who helped me dress must’ve already spread the word that I had the Luna mark on my body.

Unfortunately, whatever little faith they had in me shattered in seconds.

"I knew it! She’s just a fraud!" Balthor snapped, pointing right at me. "She must’ve painted that mark on herself! Or maybe even tattooed it!"

Another elder joined in. "Your Majesty, she’s clearly been fooling you this whole time!"

I ignored their accusations and slowly leaned back, letting myself float on the surface of the water.

Above me, the full moon looked so beautiful tonight.

"Maybe this is just a natural reaction," I heard the frustration in Theron’s voice. "There’s still time for the Moon Goddess to reveal that she’s my Luna."

I closed my eyes, letting the soft ripples of the lake fill my ears.

Still, I could faintly hear Theron arguing with the elders in the background.

Theron was furious, defending me fiercely, demanding the elders speak with respect.

At least ... someone was still on my side.

"Of course he’s defending you," my wolf said out of nowhere, completely ruining my moment of peace. "Others may think you’re a fake, but Theron knows better. He knows you’re the real Luna."

His body, his mind, his soul, even his wolf, they all reacted so intensely when I went into heat.

So even if he’s never seen my Luna mark with his own eyes, he must’ve already figured out that I’m his fated mate.

"Why hasn’t the Moon Goddess reacted to this damn ceremony yet?" I muttered out loud, not caring who heard me anymore.

Besides, it felt like the lake water was gently pulling me toward the center of the lake, even though I wasn’t moving at all.

"It’s not that she doesn’t want to," my wolf replied calmly. "It’s that she can’t."

My eyes shot open, and I frowned so hard I worried I might give myself wrinkles.

"What do you mean she can’t?"

"In order for the full-moon ceremony to work," my wolf said, "you need to be marked by all five of your mates."

"You knew something that important and didn’t tell me?!" I snapped.

"Well, what would’ve been the point?" she said, sounding oddly casual. "Even if I told you, the people in this palace still would’ve forced you to go through with it. Besides, I—"

She suddenly stopped speaking.

A few seconds passed before she spoke again, but this time, her tone was serious. "Evelyn ... look around you. Something’s coming."

"What? What’s going on?" I tensed up, my body going stiff as I slowly started swimming toward the edge of the lake.

"Can’t you hear that?" my wolf asked.

I stopped, holding still in the water. I tuned out the sounds of Theron and the elders arguing behind me and focused on something else.

"Footsteps," I whispered, closing my eyes to sharpen my hearing. "One ... two ... wait, how many?"

"They’re too many. I can’t count them either," my wolf replied quietly.

It seemed like I wasn’t the only one who noticed them.

Theron and the elders suddenly fell silent, a clear sign that they sensed something—or a group of something—was approaching.

Theron stepped closer to the lake and reached out his hand to help me up. He turned toward the soldiers and said, "Something’s not right. Find—"

Whoosh!

My eyes widened as an arrow came out of nowhere and pierced through Theron’s arm just as he was about to pull me out of the water.

"Damn it!" he growled, dropping to his knees. I watched in horror as dark purple lines began spreading from the wound, crawling up his arm like roots.

"It’s venom," I said, rushing out of the water and kneeling beside him. "I ... I think it’s from—ugh, sorry, I forgot the snake’s name."

I shook my head and focused on the injury. "It’s not deadly, but it’ll paralyze you for around ten hours. We need to get the antidote—"

"Go," Theron cut me off, his voice serious. "They’re werewolves from a notorious pack. You can’t let them catch you."

Right after he said that, a group of wolves leapt from behind the trees and bushes, charging at full speed toward the soldiers who were just about to shift into their wolf forms.

Theron gritted his teeth, his body shaking from the effort of trying to move.

He reached for the sword at his hip and grabbed it with so much force, his knuckles turned white.

"How ... how are you still able to move?" I asked, completely stunned.

I’d been poisoned by the same venom before—please, don’t ask how—and I couldn’t move a single muscle for ten full hours.

Worse, I had collapsed face-down in wet dirt, barely able to breathe, like a dying fish flopping on dry land.

"Don’t worry about me. Just go," Theron said, pulling the arrow out in one swift motion.

He bit down on his lip to keep from screaming, hard enough that blood started dripping down his chin.

I was just about to run when a loud, high-pitched whistle echoed from deep within the forest.

All of the wolves stopped mid-attack, lifting their heads in perfect sync and turning toward the sound.

Then, I heard slow footsteps from within the shadows of the forest.

With each step came the soft jingle of metal, like bells or chains swaying with movement.

Who in their right mind wears something that noisy?

Weren’t werewolves supposed to wear plain clothes and move silently, so no one could track them?

But this person ... he acted like he wanted to be seen.

No, like he demanded it.

He wanted people to know he was coming.

He wanted every single pair of eyes on him.

"Tch. That bastard again," Theron muttered, clearly annoyed the moment the jingling grew louder.

As the sound came closer, all the werewolves from the notorious pack lowered their heads, like they were welcoming someone holy.

I was supposed to run, but for some reason, the tension in the air made me freeze.

Maybe I was just curious, curious about the kind of man who could make such terrifying werewolves stop moving completely, or maybe ... maybe I just had to see him with my own eyes.

Once he stepped toward the moonlight, a pair of emerald eyes appeared from the darkness.

The moment I laid eyes on him, my body locked up.

I couldn’t breathe, like the air had been knocked right out of my lungs.

"It’s been so long since I saw you, Your Majesty."

That deep voice belonged to a man with fiery ginger hair, who was standing so far away from me.

He looked like he was about to throw up just from making eye contact with Theron, but the moment his gaze shifted to me, everything about him changed.

He smiled wide, so wide that I could see the small fangs peeking from the corners of his mouth.

His eyes sparkled like he had just discovered a rare gem buried in a pile of filth.

"It’s you!" he said, his voice trembling slightly, as if he could barely hold back the excitement in his chest. "I finally found you, my Luna!"