Chapter 12: Whispers in the Hall
1131 Words
The ceremonial hall glowed in golden hues, chandeliers flickering like starlight overhead. Velvet banners embroidered with silver wolves hung from towering pillars, and the scent of pine and myrrh filled the air. Everywhere Avery looked, werewolves—some in human form, others partially shifted—moved in quiet rhythm, their voices a murmur of tension and awe.
She stood near the edge of the crowd, her fingers unconsciously trailing the embossed symbols etched into the marble wall. They pulsed faintly beneath her touch, almost like a heartbeat.
Ben hadn’t left her side since they entered Roselake Pack territory. His eyes scanned the room with quiet vigilance, his jaw clenched.
“You’re acting like I’m going to get ambushed,” Avery said under her breath, watching a pair of she-wolves whisper behind their hands.
Ben’s lips curled in a humorless smile. “You wouldn’t be the first outsider to vanish at a Luna ceremony.”
“Oh, comforting. Thanks.”
He sighed and looked down at her, his expression softening. “Sorry. I just… I don’t trust this pack. Leonidas doesn’t like surprises. And you? You’re a walking prophecy wrapped in mystery.”
Avery rolled her eyes. “Gee, thanks. That totally calms my nerves.”
Before Ben could reply, a regal woman with silver hair, dressed in deep navy robes, approached. Her gaze was sharp, as if she saw straight through skin and soul.
“You must be Avery Summer,” she said, her voice laced with authority and interest.
Avery straightened. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Come. Alpha Leonidas requests your presence.”
Ben immediately stepped in. “She doesn’t go anywhere alone.”
The woman gave him a withering glance. “Then you’d best keep up.”
They followed her across the hall, the crowd parting in hushed murmurs. Avery caught snippets:
“That’s the girl?”
“She’s not even marked.”
“I heard she touched the Luna Stone…”
“Great,” Avery muttered. “I’m famous.”
“You’re a storm in a pretty dress,” Ben replied. “They feel it.”
They were led down a corridor into a fire-lit study, its walls lined with scrolls and relics. The hearth roared, casting dancing shadows. Behind a massive oak desk stood Leonidas, Alpha of Roselake. His presence filled the room—not just with size, but with power.
His eyes met Avery’s, and for a moment, time seemed to stretch.
“You’re the one,” he said simply.
“The one what?” Avery asked, her voice cracking slightly.
Leonidas studied her, then gestured to the pedestal behind his desk. Upon it rested a glowing crystal—icy blue with a soft silver light swirling inside.
“The Luna Stone,” he said. “Ancient. Sacred. Only those tied to fate can touch it without going mad.”
Avery swallowed hard. “And you want me to touch it.”
“No,” Ben said sharply. “This wasn’t the deal.”
Leonidas raised a brow. “There is no deal, boy. She must choose.”
Silence settled. Avery looked from the stone to Ben, then stepped forward.
“Aves—” Ben started.
“I need to know,” she whispered. Her fingers hovered over the stone, then made contact.
Pain. Light. Fire.
Images slammed into her: a forest burning, a silver wolf torn in battle, her own reflection—older, crowned, eyes glowing like stars. A voice echoed: “Only she who walks between shadow and flame shall rise.”
She gasped and stumbled. Ben caught her before she hit the floor, cradling her tightly.
“What did you see?” he whispered.
Avery clutched his arm. “A future… a war… me, but not me.”
Leonidas nodded solemnly. “You are not here by chance, Avery. You are tied to the Luna. To this pack. The question is—how much of it will you claim?”
Ben glared at the Alpha. “She’s not your weapon.”
Leonidas met his gaze evenly. “No. But she might be our only salvation.”
Avery looked between the two men—one furious, one calculating—and suddenly felt the weight of the world press down on her.
And deep inside her, something ancient stirred.
Later that night, back in her guest room, Avery sat on the edge of her bed, her legs shaking. The events from earlier kept replaying in her mind. She kept picturing the vision: the flames, the wolf, and herself with glowing eyes that weren’t quite her own.
Ben was pacing. Again.
“Ben, if you keep walking a trench into the carpet, they’re going to bill us for damage.”
He stopped, turning to face her. “You scared the hell out of me today.”
“I scared myself,” she admitted. “That stone... I didn’t expect it to react like that.”
Ben sat beside her, his voice softer now. “What exactly did you see?”
“I saw a war. The land was torn apart. There were wolves fighting—ones I didn’t recognize. Then I saw me… older, like I’d changed. I was leading people, Ben. And I was glowing.”
Ben’s brows furrowed. “That’s not just the Luna Stone’s magic. That’s prophecy. That’s power.”
“I don’t want power,” she whispered. “I just want to know who I am.”
Ben reached for her hand. “And you will. But you need to be careful. Leonidas... he sees you as a piece in his game.”
Avery nodded slowly. “I can feel it. He looked at me like I was a weapon.”
“You’re not. You’re Avery Summer. You’re smart, stubborn, and stronger than you know.”
A small smile tugged at her lips. “Is that your way of giving me a pep talk?”
He smirked. “Don’t get used to it.”
She leaned her head on his shoulder. “Ben?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you think I belong here?”
A long pause. Then: “I think you’re meant to change here. And whatever happens, I’m not leaving your side.”
The promise in his voice anchored her more than any magic stone ever could. She closed her eyes, letting the silence settle.
But just as sleep began to tug at her, she heard it again—a whisper, barely audible, but unmistakably real.
“Soon.”
Her eyes snapped open.
“Did you hear that?” she asked, sitting up.
Ben’s body tensed. “Hear what?”
“I thought... nothing. Maybe I’m just tired.”
But she wasn’t. And that voice? It hadn’t come from outside.
It had come from within.
And it wasn’t hers.
- Writer
