Chapter three (New member)
1108 Words
Luna wakes up early. She barely slept through the night. The cold floor of the holding room still aches in her back. Her eyes feel heavy, but her mind is too loud to rest.
She sits up slowly, brushing her fingers through her long black hair. Her wolf is quiet this morning, tired too. The air feels different here. It’s thicker, heavier—like the trees are watching her.
When the door creaks open, she jumps.
A tall warrior steps inside. He doesn't smile. “Alpha Zayn says you should start training today. Follow me.”
Luna doesn't answer. She stands up quietly and follows him through the stone hall. Everything in this pack is rough. The walls are grey, the people are silent. No one smiles at her as they pass.
She can feel their stares.
"The rogue girl."
"Why is she here?"
"Is she dangerous?"
The whispers follow her like a second shadow.
Outside, the training ground is already busy. Warriors move in pairs, punching, kicking, shifting. The air smells like sweat and wolves. Her heart beats faster.
Alpha Zayn stands on the edge of the field, his arms crossed over his chest. His eyes meet hers, and for a second, she forgets how to breathe.
He looks so cold, so unreadable. His presence is like the wind before a storm—sharp and powerful.
He speaks to her in front of everyone. “You’ll train with Ryker, my beta. Don’t hold back. If you’re lying about your strength, I’ll know.”
Luna feels a small sting of anger. He still doesn’t trust her. Not that she blames him.
Ryker steps forward. He’s tall with dark brown skin, thick muscles, and a scar running across his cheek. He looks at her with curiosity, but not disrespect.
“Let’s see what you’ve got, little rogue,” he says with a smirk.
Luna nods and steps onto the sand.
They start slow. He shows her how to block, how to twist out of a grip, how to break someone’s balance. She already knows most of it. Her guardian taught her in secret, away from the forest eyes.
But Luna holds back. She doesn’t show too much.
Ryker notices. “You’re not giving me everything,” he says. “Why?”
She shrugs. “Maybe I don’t like to show off.”
Alpha Zayn watches them from afar. He doesn’t speak again, but he doesn’t look away either. His eyes follow every move she makes. He’s studying her. Testing her.
An hour later, Ryker calls for a break. He gives her a water bottle and sits beside her.
“You’re hiding something,” he says, not unkindly.
Luna wipes sweat from her forehead. “Aren’t we all?”
He laughs. “Fair point.”
They rest in silence, until a loud voice breaks the quiet.
It’s a she-wolf, tall and beautiful with red curls and golden skin. She walks straight toward Luna, nose in the air.
“You must be the stray,” she says. “I’m Nyla. Alpha Zayn’s cousin.”
Luna stands up slowly. “Nice to meet you.”
“I doubt that,” Nyla says, crossing her arms. “You’re a rogue. You don’t belong here.”
Luna doesn’t flinch. “I didn’t ask to be here. Your Alpha brought me.”
Nyla steps closer. “And I’m still wondering why.”
Luna tilts her head. “Are you jealous?”
Nyla’s eyes flash with annoyance, but before she can answer, Zayn walks over.
“Nyla, that’s enough,” he says firmly.
She turns toward him, surprised. “You’re defending her?”
“She’s part of the pack now,” Zayn replies. “Treat her as such.”
Luna notices the shift in Nyla’s expression. Hurt. Then rage. She storms off without another word.
Zayn looks at Luna, his jaw tight. “Don’t start fights.”
“I didn’t,” she says, “but I’ll finish them if I have to.”
A faint smirk touches his lips, but he quickly turns away. “Training continues tomorrow. Don’t be late.”
Luna watches him walk off. He’s confusing—cold, yet protective. Distant, yet always close.
She feels something stir deep inside her. Her wolf shifts, restless under her skin. She shakes the feeling away.
That night, she is given a small room in the warriors’ quarters. It’s not much, but it’s better than the holding cell. She lies on the narrow bed and stares at the ceiling.
Her thoughts drift to her guardian. The old woman who raised her, who died without telling Luna the truth.
“Follow the moonlight when you feel lost,” she had said.
“It will always guide you.”
But why did it lead her here?
To a pack that hates rogues.
To an Alpha that watches her like a puzzle.
To a place where she feels seen... and hunted at the same time.
She doesn’t know yet.
All she knows is that her time here is not an accident.
—
The next day, training continues.
More stares. More whispers.
But Luna pushes through.
She learns fast. She listens. She watches. And she keeps her power hidden.
Until the moment she can’t.
During a sparring match, Ryker shifts into his wolf. He’s massive—black fur, glowing yellow eyes. He rushes at her, playful but fast.
Luna reacts on instinct.
She leaps into the air, spins, and lands behind him. Her hand touches the ground, and for a second—just a second—the earth pulses.
A soft glow runs beneath her fingertips.
Someone gasps.
Zayn steps forward. “What was that?”
Luna quickly stands and brushes her hand off. “I tripped.”
Zayn’s eyes narrow. He doesn’t believe her. But he doesn’t press.
He walks closer. “You don’t have to lie, Luna.”
Her name sounds strange on his lips.
She shrugs. “I’m not lying. You think everything is a threat.”
His voice lowers. “Because it usually is.”
For a moment, they stare at each other. The tension is thick, like the air before rain.
Then Luna turns away. “Then maybe I’m exactly what you fear.”
Zayn watches her walk off, something new stirring in his chest. Something dangerous.
—
That night, Luna’s dreams are strange.
She sees a forest made of silver trees. A full moon bleeding light. A woman in white whispering her name.
She wakes up in sweat, clutching her sheets.
She doesn’t know who she is yet.
But something inside her is starting to wake up.
And whatever it is…
It’s not small.
- Writer
