Destined Beneath The Moonlight

The first thing I noticed was the silence. Mooncrest was never silent. Even at midnight, there were always sounds, the distant howling of wolves beyond the eastern border, warriors changing shifts near the gates, the soft movement of people inside the pack house. But tonight, there was nothing, Not even the wind. I stood barefoot in the hallway outside my parents' room, staring at the thin line of light beneath their door.My heart wouldn't stop pounding, Something was wrong. I didn't know what, I only knew that my mother had told me to stay in my room tonight, She had never done that before. "Lyra."I froze.It was my father's voice, I moved toward the door, Before I could knock, I heard my mother whisper something ."They know."My stomach dropped."Who?" my father asked."I don't know."There was a pause, Then something hit the table, I heard my father curse, I pressed my ear against the door. "We should have left weeks ago," he whispered."Leaving would have confirmed their suspicions.""And staying might get her killed."My breath caught."Her".They were talking about me, I reached for the door handle, It opened before I touched it. My mother stood on the other side. She looked pale, Too pale."Mother?"She immediately stepped into the hallway and closed the door behind her."What are you doing awake?""I heard you talking."Her expression changed. For one strange second, she looked frightened, Then she smiled. It was the kind of smile mothers gave when they were trying to convince their children that everything was fine."Go back to bed.""What happened?""Nothing." "You're lying."She stared at me, Then she touched my cheek, Her fingers were cold."Lyra, listen to me carefully."The seriousness in her voice made my chest tighten."If anything happens tonight, you must not leave your room.""What do you mean?""Promise me.""Mother—""Promise me."I swallowed."I promise."She kissed my forehead, Then she whispered something I would remember for the rest of my life. "Whatever they tell you tomorrow, don't believe it."I frowned."Who are they?"Her eyes flicked toward the end of the hallway. For a moment, I thought I saw a shadow move, When I looked again, there was nothing, My mother noticed it too, Her face drained of color."Go."I didn't argue, I hurried into my room and closed the door. But I didn't sleep, Something was happening, Something my parents were afraid to tell me.I sat beside the window and watched the moon hanging over Mooncrest, Silver light covered the forest, Beautiful, Peaceful, Yet I couldn't shake the feeling that something was coming. Then I heard it, A howl, Not from the forest, From inside the pack, I stood. Another howl followed, Then another.My heart began racing, Those weren't ordinary howls, They were warning calls. Someone had entered the pack house, I heard footsteps, Many footsteps.My door suddenly opened, My father stood there, He wasn't wearing his usual clothes, He wore his warrior armor, A sword hung at his side, My mother stood behind him, clutching something against her chest."Father?"He crossed the room quickly."Lyra, you need to come with us.""Where?""There's no time.""What's happening?"He grabbed my hand, Then the door downstairs exploded. The sound shook the entire house, I screamed, My mother pulled me toward the back passage."Run!"We barely reached the staircase before warriors flooded the entrance. Mooncrest warriors, Our own people. My father stopped, His grip around my hand tightened.A man stepped through the doorway."Beta Marcus".My father's closest friend Or at least, I thought he was. Behind him stood at least twenty armed warriors, Marcus looked directly at my father, His face was hard."Rowan."My father stared at him."Marcus.""By order of the Alpha, you are under arrest."My mother's hand tightened around my shoulder."For what?"Marcus didn't answer, My father stepped forward. "You know this is impossible.""I know what I was told.""Then you're a fool."Several warriors raised their weapons.My heart pounded."What did my parents do?" I asked.Nobody answered.Marcus finally looked at me, Something about his expression made my blood run cold."Lyra, go upstairs.""No."My father stepped in front of me. "Don't touch my daughter."Marcus's jaw tightened."Rowan, don't make this worse.""Worse?"My father's voice became dangerously quiet."You're standing in my home with armed warriors accusing me of treason."My mother suddenly spoke."Who gave the order?"Marcus hesitated.Only for a second But I saw it, He was afraid."The Alpha."My mother looked at my father, They exchanged a look, A look that made no sense to me. My father slowly turned toward me."Lyra."His voice softened."Whatever happens next, remember that your mother and I love you."I shook my head."No."He smiled sadly."Listen to me.""No.""You are stronger than you believe.""Father, what are you talking about? "He reached inside his armor, I expected him to pull out a weapon. Instead, he handed me a small silver pendant, It had a strange crescent-shaped symbol carved into it."Keep this hidden."I stared at it."What is it?""Something your mother and I should have given you years ago. "A warrior suddenly shouted."Search the house!"Everything happened at once, My mother shoved me backward."Run!"A warrior grabbed my father, He fought back, My mother screamed, I screamed too Then something inside me cracked, Not physically, It was something deeper. For one brief second, the entire world disappeared, The room became dark, the warriors vanished, My parents vanished, Even my own heartbeat disappeared and in the darkness, I heard a woman's voice, Soft, Ancient, Almost like a whisper carried by moonlight. "They have found you. "My eyes snapped open, I was back in the hallway, Nobody seemed to have heard it, I looked down at the pendant in my hand, It was glowing, A faint silver light pulsed beneath the surface, I dropped it. My mother saw it, Her expression turned to horror."Lyra...""What is happening? "She grabbed my shoulders."Listen to me.""What?""If they take us, don't let them take you.""What are you talking about?"Her eyes filled with tears, Then she whispered:"You're not what they think you are."Before I could ask what she meant, the front doors opened again. This time, the Alpha entered, Everyone immediately lowered their heads, My father went completely still. The Alpha's eyes moved across the room, They stopped on me Then on the pendant lying on the floor, His face changed, Not anger, Not surprise, Fear.He looked at my father."Where did she get that?"Nobody answered.The Alpha took one step toward me, My father moved in front of me."You will not touch her. "The Alpha's voice dropped."Rowan..."He looked at me again."Do you know what you are?"I shook my head, He stared at me for several seconds Then he turned toward the warriors. "Take them."My mother screamed my name, My father fought until three warriors forced him to his knees, I tried to run after them, A warrior caught me."Father!"My father looked back And for the first time in my life, I saw fear in his eyes, Not fear for himself, Fear for me. His lips moved, I couldn't hear him Then the warriors dragged him away, My mother followed, The doors slammed shut.I stood frozen. The pendant lay at my feet And then I heard the voice again. This time, it wasn't a whisper, It was inside my head. "You must remember, Lyra."I stared into the darkness."Remember what?"Silence.Then—"The wolf they buried inside you."My blood turned cold, Because I had never told anyone about the dreams, The dreams where I heard a wolf crying beneath the moon, The dreams I'd had since childhood And suddenly, I understood one thing. My parents hadn't been afraid because they were guilty, They had been afraid because someone had finally discovered what I was And whoever that person was...They had been waiting for me to awaken.