Chapter 5: Power Echoes
855 Words
Megan’s POV
Compared to when I first arrived in Bloodstone, the night air seemed colder. Unable to sleep, I lay on the infirmary's small cot. My heart wouldn't stop beating, and my shoulder was still hurting from previous workouts. In my mind, I could hear Ronan's ruthless voice, my former pack's laughing, and Dylan's bewildered expressions whenever they fell on me. For a brief period, I wanted to go to sleep and forget about everything, but something odd roused in the darkness.
"Moonblood... come," somebody whispered.
With my heart racing, I bounded to my feet. "Who's there?" I questioned the shadows.
Nobody responded.
The whisper was stronger this time. "Come."
I felt something tug at me. Not outwardly, but inwardly. My feet moved before I could think. I snuck out of bed and tiptoed past the snoozing guards. With torches flickering as if they sensed something too, the halls were dimly lit and silent. I was led down a spiral staircase I had never seen before by the tug in my chest.
There was a huge stone door at the bottom, slightly open. I gave it a little shove and stepped into a quiet room. Ancient armour leaned against the walls, bones lay in shattered niches, and a mural stood at the far end.
Soft silver light glistened on it.
My heart beating faster, I stepped closer. A huge silver wolf with shining fur under a full moon was depicted in the picture. Wolves huddled around her, bowing as she grasped a curving blade of light in her jaws.
I gasped. The wolf from my nightmare was back. The blade is the same. My eyes, the same eyes.
The voice said, "She was the first Moonblood," but this time it was coming from inside my skull. "And you... are the last."
I reached toward the mural, fingertips shaking. But my shoulder was suddenly pricked by a searing sting before I could touch it.
Pain erupted through me.
I nearly fell as I stumbled back. Warm, gooey blood touched my shoulder as my hand touched it. An arrow. I had been shot.
Unable to stop myself from falling, I turned and sprinted up the steps. The arrow's venom spread through my veins, blurring my eyesight. I only knew that I needed to get help, but I had no idea where I was heading.
Then, I noticed Alpha Dylan patrolling close to the eastern wall with a couple of guards.
He appeared unconcerned and at ease.
"Look out!" I raced at him and screamed.
Another arrow flew, and he turned.
I threw myself in front of him without thinking. With anguish like fire, I dropped hard to the ground after the arrow grazed my shoulder once more.
"Megan!" Dylan's voice was distant. He fell to his knees next to me. “You’re hurt again. Who did this, damn it?
But I was unable to respond.
The poison was thicker and darker than before, and it advanced quickly. I felt my chest heave. Black veins ran down my arm as I strained for breath.
It was all swirling. I could sense the trembling in my body—my inner wolf calling, screaming, rising like a hurricane.
Then it took place.
Silver and dazzling, a violent light exploded from within me. My wound was encircled by flames of energy that burned the poison until it disappeared in smoke. The ache subsided.
Around the courtyard, gasps were heard.
I opened my eyes. My skin was still glowing, silvery and velvety. With wide eyes, the soldiers looked at me, uncertain whether to admire or be afraid.
"What was that?" I said.
Dylan's fingers hovered over mine as he looked down at me. "You... you're glowing."
Slowly, he extended his hand, and as his fingers touched my wrist, a fire burst between us.
I let out a gasp. Something amazing happened as a burning sensation moved from my flesh into his.
A crescent moon encircled by a whirl of stars blossomed on the side of my neck. Dylan felt a second mark light up on his chest.
He stared as he leapt back. "No. That isn't possible.
I spoke in a low voice. "What's going on?"
His eyes were full of incredulity as he shook his head. "There are no second-chance mates."
We looked. His voice cracked. “They’re a myth.”
The bond, however, was truthful.
I sensed it strongly and profoundly. The pull, the heat, the way our souls brushed for the briefest second before tearing apart.
A booming horn broke the stillness.
The sound reverberated through the trees, and we both turned.
Then came the drums. Deep, heavy, and furious.
Dylan's expression stiffened. He got me up on my feet. "Remain behind me."
I noticed them when I turned to face the wall.
Moving figures in the shadows. Riverbed fighters. Rogues. Perhaps dozens of them.
"They're on their way," I said.
"Ronan..." Dylan whispered to himself.
The sky was filled with a red flare. War.
Dylan's jaw tightened. "War was just declared by fate."
The adversary then surged forward, breaking through the foliage.
The struggle for Bloodstone was underway.
- Writer
