Alpha's Fall; Luna's Rise

Chapter 4 Echoes of Betrayal

Ariana Thorne’s POV

Tension permeated the night air as I strolled across the poorly lit streets, Kael and Elena at my side. With every stride we took dragging me farther into the future, the weight of the approaching fight loomed over us like a storm cloud. My head spun with the discoveries of the past few days. My mind ran. All of it entwined together in a web I could not yet see a way out of; Morgana, Lucian, the prophecy, my children.

Kael moved silently and deliberately as he guided us across the meandering lanes of Eclipsia's periphery. He seemed to always be one step ahead, which made one uncomfortable about him—his confidence, his authority, etc. He was a rebel, a guy without allegiance to anyone except himself, and yet here I was trailing into the night with him.

I did not, however, have options. Not nowadays. I needed his aid, no matter how uncomfortable it made me if I wanted to keep my kids safe.

We arrived at a small alley leading into a private courtyard, the long shadows created by the towering stone walls moonlit. Though the air was cool, there was an underlying impression of something far colder—a kind of coldness unrelated to the temperature. Following Kael into the wide space, I shuddered automatically and covered myself with my arms.

"This is where we'll start," Kael whispered, his voice quiet and as though he wanted the shadows to not hear. "We will have to act fast since we have little time before Morgana moves next."

I nodded, my heart pounding. "What do we have to do?"

Kael looked at me, his silver eyes shining in the meager light. "You have to grasp something, Ariana. Morgana's magic is a living force rather than only a weapon. She gets her strength from old darkness; if she doesn't stop, that darkness will engulf everything. One item, though, can counteract it.

He moved in closer, staring at me. "You".

"Me?," I sighed, perplexed. "I lack magic."

Kael grinned a chilly, calculated smile. You do, but you might not know it. Deeply buried inside you, waiting to come alive. Arianna, you are the actual Luna of the Silvermoon Pack. Morgana will never have the ability you have. Your blood carries it, handed down through generations. And you won't be able to challenge her if you fail to learn to access it.

His comments dropped over me like a weight I wasn't ready to carry. Me: Within me, a power? It sounded insane. I am a nurturer and healer. I lacked fight. There was no old power able to stop Morgana's black magic. But something flickering deep within me—a spark of recognition, of something long forgotten—bounced back to Kael's eyes.

I shook my head and pushed the idea aside. "Although that is true, I have no idea how to apply it."

For a brief moment, Kael's demeanor softened. I am here for exactly that. I am here to help you. Still, you have to trust me.

You can rely on him. The words stayed with me and helped me to understand how alien they seemed. Believing Kael, a renegade guy devoid of links to any pack who had lived his existence on the margins of society, defied all I had ever known. Still, this whole scenario mirrored another.

Elena moved forward with a soft but forceful voice. "Ariana, our only other choice is lacking. Morgana is getting more and more strong every day; Lucian is clueless to what is happening. Should we fail to stop her, your children—"' She stopped, her eyes flickering with both terror and will. "We cannot let her prevail."

The idea of my children, still developing inside me, susceptible to powers I could not understand, clenched my throat. This transcends me now as well. It revolved around them. And I would act to guard them.

My resolve hardened, and I nodded slowly. "Alright. What are we supposed to do?"

Kael grinned once more, but this time it was slightly darker. "We wake the power inside you first."

As Kael started to go over the archaic ceremonies Lunas had performed to access their actual power, the courtyard grew colder. His voice was low and consistent; the words passed across the nighttime silence like a black river. Though my head battled to keep up, I listened carefully, attempting to absorb everything he said. Right now, all of this exceeds anything I had ever dreamed of.

But as Kael talked, I sensed something warm, a flickering of something long buried, as though his words were beckoning to a part of me I had forgotten existed. Though little, it was there, a faint pulse. And it was rising as well.

"The ritual is simple but dangerous," Kael replied, staring directly at me. "We cannot go back once we start. You will have to confront the worst aspects of yourself, the doubts and anxieties that have kept you from advancing. Should you be able to overcome them, the power will wake you. Still, if you fail...

He was not obliged to complete the sentence. I understood what failure was all about.

I looked at Elena; her face was pale but resolved. Her constant rock and confidante has been me. Though I had never questioned her before, this was different. Something a lot more harmful.

She murmured gently, as though understanding my trepidation, "I'll be here with you." You will not be by yourself.

Thank you for her presence; I nodded, not sure if it would be sufficient.

Kael retreated, pointing to me to occupy the middle of the courtyard. Just a moment of hesitation before moving forward, the cold stone underfoot anchored me. Now the night air felt weighty, as though the entire planet was holding its breath to wait to see what would happen next.

Kael started talking once more, in a language I knew nothing about—ancient syllables that seemed to pulse about us. I felt an odd sensation slinking across me as he spoke—a warmth that began in my chest and gently extended throughout my limbs. The very air around me seemed alive, vibrating with intensity.

And then the warmth changed suddenly to fire.

I gasped, legs buckling as a stifling heat tore across me. It was consuming, as though my entire blood had melted to lava. I could sense it—power, unadulterated and wild, flooding me like a hurricane. But it wasn't only authority. It was something terrible and dark.

Though I couldn't concentrate on Elena's words, I heard her voice—soft and far-off. My vision was hazy, the world whirling around me as the heat turned all I knew about myself ablaze. This was the darkness Kael had cautioned me about—that which I had never confronted.

I was momentarily caught in it, drowning in the turmoil, my mind screaming for escape. Then, though, I sensed it—that flutter of warmth, that pulse of something known—deep inside. Though little, it was sufficient.

I grabbed at the warmth like a lifeline and gently the flames started to fade. The anarchy subsided to leave a consistent, silent hum of vitality. Though it was still there, throbbing under the surface, the force was no longer out of control.

I opened my eyes, panting for air, then dropped to my knees; the exertion shook my body. The courtyard was still once more, the chilly night air a sharp contrast to the fire that had just burnt through me.

Kael was staring at me, his face incomprehensible. You survived.

Though my body still felt as though it had been split apart and then rebuilt, I nodded weakly.

"But this is only the beginning," he said in a low, gravelly voice. "The real fight is still to come."

A far-off howl sounded through the night as Kael spoke, shivering down my spine. It was a caution, not anyhow. A promise of the gloom to arrive.

And I knew, without a question, Morgana was already on the move.