THE LOST KINGDOM OF ELARA

The Moon Altar

(Aurelia POV)

I barely slept.

Every time I closed my eyes, I found myself standing beneath the Moon Altar while hundreds of strangers laughed at me. Then I'd wake up.

Stare at the ceiling, count the cracks in the wood, waiting for sleep that never came.

By the time dawn painted my bedroom in soft shades of gold, I'd already given up pretending.

I sat on the edge of my bed, rubbing tired eyes before looking around my room. A gentle knock sounded against my bedroom door, and snapped me up.

"Aurelia?"

Mom.

"Come in."

The door opened quietly.

She stepped inside carrying a neatly folded bundle of white fabric across her arms. The moment I saw it, my stomach twisted.

The Awakening robe. Every wolf wore white during their first transformation. White symbolized new beginnings, New life.

A clean slate beneath the Moon Goddess.

I wondered if anyone had ever worn one knowing they were about to disappoint an entire kingdom.

Mom walked over and placed the robe beside me.

For a long moment, neither of us spoke.

She reached up and tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear.

"You look exhausted."

"I feel worse."

"I know."

She didn't tell me everything would be alright. She'd never lied to me. Instead, she smiled gently.

"You should eat something."

"I'm not hungry."

"You should eat anyway."

"I think I'd throw it back up."

She laughed softly.

"I thought you might say that."

From the small basket she carried, she pulled out a warm honey roll wrapped in cloth.

"Then start with this."

I accepted it with a grateful smile.

"You planned for my stubbornness?"

"I've been your mother for twenty-two years."

"Fair point."

She looked around the room, her gaze lingering on the shelves filled with cracked Moonstones and broken dreams.

"I always hated this room."

I blinked.

"You did?"

She nodded.

"Not because of the mess."

Her eyes grew distant.

"Because every broken stone reminded me that you kept hoping."

I lowered my gaze.

"I couldn't stop."

"I know."

"You never asked me to."

"I never would."

Silence settled comfortably between us. It had always been like this with Mom. We didn't need endless words.

She simply reached for the robe and unfolded it. The fabric shimmered softly beneath the morning light.

"It's beautiful," I whispered.

"It belonged to my mother."

I looked up.

"What?"

She smiled.

"Every woman in our family wore it on her Awakening Day."

Her fingers carefully smoothed the delicate silver embroidery stitched along the sleeves.

"I always imagined helping you into it while you complained about how uncomfortable it was."

A small laugh escaped me.

"I was definitely going to complain."

"I know."

Her smile faltered for just a heartbeat.

"I just wish..."

She stopped herself. I knew how that sentence ended. I just wish you didn't have to carry all of this alone.

I stood and wrapped my arms around her. For a moment, she simply held me. When we finally pulled apart, there was moisture in both our eyes.

"I'll go make tea," she said, clearing her throat.

"You get dressed."

As she reached the door, she paused. Without turning around, she spoke quietly.

"No matter what happens at the altar today..."

She finally looked back at me.

"...you come home with us."

My chest tightened and I smiled. The door clicked shut behind her. I looked down at the white robe resting on my bed.

Then at the shelves lining my walls. Today would either become the beginning of a new chapter or, taking a deep breath, I reached for the robe.

* * *

The walk to the temple felt shorter than it ever had before.

Maybe because I was trying not to think.

Or maybe because every pair of eyes in Ashmoor seemed determined to remind me where I was going.

The village streets, usually filled with merchants calling out prices and children chasing each other between market stalls, had fallen strangely quiet.

People weren't working today, everyone was to sit in the auditorium, while the priestesses stood at the moon altar waiting for the ceremony to begin.

Mom walked on my left, Dad walked on my right, as we entered the auditorium. Neither of them said much.

"You don't have to look at them," Dad said quietly.

I glanced at him, he gently squeezed my hand, and I smiled.

I was about to take my place at the altar when Mom grabbed my hand, and I turned.

"Remember, no matter what happens tonight, we love you," I smiled. Sometimes, I feel she's the only one who knows exactly how I feel, maybe because she is without a wolf too, even when she was the Luna of Ashmoor.

The temple bell rang, signaling the arrival of the representatives and the beginning of the ceremony.

I could see the moon altar from where I stood, it was at the center of a vast clearing surrounded by towering ash trees older than any kingdom.

Massive white pillars circled the ancient stone platform.

Moonstones were carved into every surface, glowing faintly beneath the bright moon.

"The High Alpha." He was wearing a dark coat with a silver wolf crest. Behind him were the Alphas of the four kingdoms with their flags flying in the air.

The crowd bowed, as they got to their seats. The High Alpha removed his coat in an unhurried movement. And when he finally lifted his head, for reasons I couldn't explain my breath caught.

He wasn't looking at the crowd, he wasn't acknowledging the other Alphas, his sharp blue eyes slowly swept across the gathering until, for the briefest moment, they met mine.

The world seemed to pause, then someone stepped in front of him, breaking the moment.

I let out a breath. I hadn't realized I'd been holding. Weird, very weird.

"That's Alpha Kael Valen," I heard someone whisper.

"The High Alpha of Valenor." I tore my gaze away.

"So that's him," I whispered to myself.

"The youngest High Alpha in our history," another said.

"They say he united the five kingdoms after years of conflict."

The Moon Priest stood at the center of the altar, his silver robes dancing in the evening breeze.

The ceremony had begun, and I swallowed hard.

There was no running now. Every heartbeat seemed louder than the whispers surrounding me.

I could feel the watchful and judging gaze of everyone present.

The Moon Priest stood at the center of the ancient stone circle, his silver robes rippling gently in the wind. Around him, twelve priestesses held polished Moonstones that glowed with a soft white light.

He smiled kindly as he approached me.

"Aurelia Ashbourne."

I forced my legs not to bolt, the very second he called my name.

When I reached the center of the altar, I turned to face the crowd.

That was a mistake, thousands of faces stared back at me. Some were curious. Some were afraid. Others looked almost disappointed already.

I lowered my gaze, but not before I caught fragments of whispers drifting through the crowd.

"If she awakens, the prophecy begins." My fingers curled against my palms, and another voice answered.

"And if she doesn't?" There was a pause.

"Then perhaps the kingdoms can finally sleep."

My chest tightened.

Of course, that was why they were here. Not because they cared whether I finally got my wolf.

They wanted an answer.

For twenty-two years, the prophecy had hung over the five kingdoms like a shadow. Aurelia Ashbourne would be born beneath a rare celestial alignment.

She would possess a power greater than any Alpha, and when she awakened, the balance of the wolf kingdoms would be broken.

Some believed I would unite the kingdoms. Others believed I would destroy them. Most simply believed I was dangerous. And now they had all come to watch me prove which one was true.

The Moon Priest's voice pulled me back from my thoughts.

"Do you come willingly before the Moon Goddess?"

"I do."

"Do you accept whatever fate she has chosen for you?"

The question lodged in my throat, did I? After twenty-two years, did I really? I closed my eyes.

"I do."

The priest nodded. He raised an ancient silver staff toward the sky.

"The Moon has watched."

"The Moon has judged."

"The Moon shall now reveal."

The priestesses began to chant. Their voices rose and fell together, ancient words flowing through the clearing like a song older than memory.

The Moonstones surrounding me brightened. A soft silver glow spread across the altar.

I waited, Come on, just this once, please. A warm breeze brushed against my face. The light grew stronger, and someone gasped.

Hope flared inside my chest, this was it, I knew it.

Finally, the moon goddess heard my prayer.