CHAPTER 7
656 Words
I feel like I'm going to pass out from the quiet.
Before, the moon was soft and silver. Now, it hangs in the sky like a cold eye, watching me in the dark. It feels like the air knows it's holding its breath because every nerve in my body is buzzing.
Kael stumbles back, his amber eyes wide and wary, still half-changed. He says in a low voice, "Selene, it's the Guardian Moon." "It doesn't judge lightly."
My legs shake, and I hold my arms tight. "Judge... what? Me?"
It's hard to read Draven's eyes because they are so wide open with fear. "Not just you. Everyone is here. Every plan. Every heartbeat."
Thorne stands next to Kael. He slowly loses his wolf form and turns back into a person. "It's..." "Looking at the Moonbound," he says slowly. "It tells you if you're ready and if you can handle the power you've woken up."
"I don't know if I can," I say softly. "I can't even control it yet!" I trip and fall backwards, looking at the glowing symbols on the floor that are still moving to the beat of my heart.""
"You already are," Draven says softly. That's why the moon is acting up: "Whether you know it or not."
The air gets colder and heavier, as if the night itself has weight, and the shadow above turns and moves closer. My body is buzzing, and all of my senses are about to go out. It feels like Kael is getting stronger, Thorne is being brave, Draven is focusing, and my own power is growing all at the same time.
Then one thought gets to the heart of everything. A word that isn't mine or theirs.
You must move forward, Moonbound, or you will be thrown away.
I stop. My throat gets tight. My legs feel like they're stuck on the floor.
"Selene..." Kael gets closer, but the air feels heavy to no one even he. "You have to do what the Moon says, no matter what. That's the only way to keep yourself safe." Keep us safe.
My heart is beating fast, and I want to run. But my fears tell me I'm not ready. I know that the Guardian Moon could kill me or hurt me badly if I make one mistake.
Still, something makes me move forward.
I move forward.
I'm hit with silver light from the moon as its shadow grows bigger. My body feels like it's been stretched so far that it might break.
"Do you accept the blood of your family? Do you claim the power that is yours?" asks a voice that sounds like wind blowing through mountains.
My head and body both shake. "I... I don't know..."
More and brighter light is being given off. I slammed into the ground. I scream and put my hands on my chest. It looks like the house, the trees, and even Kael, Thorne, and Draven are very far away.
"Choose," the Guardian Moon says. "Or else you will be lost."
I look at all three of them. Kael's wolf stance makes him tense up and ready to jump. Thorne's eyes are closed and his jaw is locked. Draven's eyes are like fire and ice, and they beg me to stay alive.
I closed my eyes.
Take one more step forward.
The Guardian Moon beats. Shades that are close to the house bend. I stay where I am because of a force like gravity.
Then a soft, dangerous, and familiar voice whispers.
* "You shouldn't have come alone, Moonbound."
I open my eyes quickly.
Darius is back at the forest's edge. That's not a smile this time. His eyes are fixed on me and are as bright as gold that has been melted.
In response, the Guardian Moon shines brightly and casts long shadows on him.
Everything stops. I am aware that the choice I make now will alter everything.
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- Writer
