Born of moon and magic

Armida's POV The sharp rustle of leaves beneath my body jolted me awake. For a brief, blissful moment, I lay perfectly still, my mind caught somewhere between sleep and reality. The air felt strangely cold against my skin, carrying the damp scent of earth and pine instead of the familiar lavender fragrance that always lingered inside my bedroom. Confusion slowly replaced the haze of sleep as I blinked up at the canopy of towering trees above me, their thick branches weaving together to hide most of the early morning sky. I frowned. This wasn't my room. A sudden gust of wind swept through the forest, lifting strands of my auburn hair and sending an icy chill racing through my body. Goosebumps prickled across my arms beneath the thin fabric of my nightdress, and I instinctively wrapped my arms around myself in a futile attempt to hold onto what little warmth remained. My heart lurched. Slowly, almost afraid of what I would find, I pushed myself into a sitting position and looked around. Trees. Nothing but endless trees stretching as far as my eyes could see. Mist drifted lazily between thick trunks while the first rays of dawn struggled to pierce through the dense canopy overhead. Birds chirped somewhere in the distance, yet the forest itself felt unnaturally quiet, as though it were watching me in silence. A knot tightened painfully in my stomach. "No..." I whispered. My gaze dropped to my feet. They were bare, stained with mud and tiny scratches, dried leaves clinging stubbornly to my ankles. A quiet groan escaped my lips as I buried my face in my hands. "moon goddess," I muttered. "Not again." This wasn't the first time. For months, I'd been haunted by strange dreams that always ended the same way. I would fall asleep safely inside my bedroom, only to wake hours later somewhere completely unfamiliar, with no memory of leaving home or traveling such impossible distances. At first, everyone believed I had simply wandered into the garden. Then it became the nearby woods. Soon I began waking several miles away from Blue Crescent, each episode taking me farther than the last. No healer had been able to explain it. No elder had ever heard of such a thing. Even the pack doctor eventually admitted he had no answers. All anyone could tell me was that I was sleepwalking. But ordinary sleepwalkers didn't wake up in forests they'd never seen before. A sigh escaped my lips as I slowly climbed to my feet, brushing dirt from my nightdress before glancing around once more in the faint hope that something would look familiar. Nothing did. The towering trees surrounded me on every side like silent guardians, their twisted roots disappearing beneath blankets of moss and fallen leaves. Somewhere deeper within the forest, water trickled softly over rocks, while a cool breeze carried the earthy scent of damp soil and wildflowers. Beautiful. If I hadn't been hopelessly lost, I might have admired it. Instead, unease settled heavily inside my chest. By now, Mother would have discovered my empty bed. She'd started checking on me several times every night after my sleepwalking episodes became more frequent, refusing to sleep properly until she knew I was safely tucked beneath my blankets. Father always insisted everything would be fine, though I often caught him standing quietly outside my bedroom before dawn, making sure I was still there. The memory tugged painfully at my heart. I hated worrying them. They had already done more for me than anyone else ever could, yet somehow I kept giving them reasons to lose sleep. "I'm sorry," I whispered into the empty forest, knowing neither of them could hear me. Taking a deep breath, I chose the direction that seemed least intimidating and began walking, careful not to step on the tangled roots hidden beneath the fallen leaves. Every sound seemed louder out here — the soft crunch of leaves beneath my feet, the distant tapping of a woodpecker somewhere high above, the occasional rustle of branches swaying gently in the breeze. The forest was alive, yet every unfamiliar sound reminded me how completely alone I was. As I walked, my thoughts wandered somewhere they always seemed to return. Wolves. Every child in Blue Crescent dreamed about the day they would finally hear their wolf's voice. I still remembered the excitement that spread through the pack whenever someone celebrated their first shift — families laughing together around bonfires while newly shifted wolves proudly recounted what it felt like to run through the forest for the first time. Children would spend weeks talking about nothing else, counting down the days until it became their turn. I used to count down too. I remembered lying awake the night before my eighteenth birthday, convinced everything was about to change. Everyone had assured me my wolf would come when the time was right, so I closed my eyes that night believing I would wake up complete. Morning came, then afternoon, then night. Nothing. I waited another week, another month, then another year. Still nothing. No voice, no bond, no wolf. At first the pack tried to comfort me. The Moon Goddess works in mysterious ways. Perhaps your wolf is simply late. You'll shift eventually. Those hopeful words slowly disappeared as the months turned into years. The whispers replaced them instead. Poor Armida. The wolfless girl. Some pitied me. Others avoided me entirely, as though my misfortune might somehow be contagious. I had long since stopped pretending those whispers didn't hurt. Without a wolf, I couldn't mind-link anyone, and most importantly, I couldn't shift. I couldn't defend myself the way every other werewolf could. Worst of all, I had never truly felt like I belonged anywhere except beside the two people who had loved me without ever asking for anything in return. The thought brought a bittersweet smile to my lips. Whatever happened, I would find my way back to them. I had to. The forest suddenly fell silent. My footsteps slowed. It was as if the birds had stopped singing. Even the breeze seemed to disappear. A strange feeling settled over me, making the hairs along the back of my neck stand on end. Something wasn't right. I frowned and glanced around, my heartbeat gradually quickening as an uneasy feeling spread through my chest. The silence felt wrong. Then— A branch snapped somewhere behind me. I froze. My pulse hammered against my ribs as I slowly turned toward the sound. Before I could take another breath, four enormous wolves emerged from between the trees with terrifying speed, their massive paws barely making a sound against the forest floor. They spread out around me with practiced precision, surrounding me from every direction until escape became impossible. My breath caught in my throat. They were werewolves — huge, powerful, and unmistakably predators. Their coats gleamed beneath the morning light filtering through the trees, while low, threatening growls vibrated deep within their chests. Razor-sharp fangs glistened as they curled back their lips, warning me not to make even the smallest movement. Every pair of eyes remained fixed on me with unwavering intensity, yet I quickly realized they weren't only watching me. Their noses twitched repeatedly as they scented the air around us, their attention shifting between me and the surrounding forest as though searching for someone hidden among the trees. I instinctively took a cautious step backward. It was a mistake. One of the wolves stepped forward immediately, releasing a deep growl that rooted me to the spot. I swallowed hard. Running had never been an option. Even if I had possessed a wolf, there was no outrunning four fully grown werewolves inside a forest they undoubtedly knew far better than I ever could. My gaze moved cautiously from one wolf to another until it settled on the largest among them. He stood several feet away, yet his presence dominated the clearing without him needing to do anything at all. His black coat seemed darker than the others, and although none of the wolves spoke, the way they instinctively gave him more space told me everything I needed to know. He was their leader. Without warning, his massive body began to shift. I had witnessed countless transformations before, yet they never became any less fascinating. Bones cracked loudly beneath taut skin. Muscles rippled and twisted as thick black fur gradually receded, revealing tanned skin beneath. Within moments, the enormous wolf had disappeared completely, replaced by a man whose commanding presence somehow felt even more intimidating than his wolf's. Heat rushed to my cheeks, and I quickly lowered my eyes. One of the remaining wolves approached him, carrying a neatly folded bundle of clothes between his teeth. The man accepted them without a word before pulling on a pair of black trousers with practiced ease. He didn't bother with a shirt, seemingly unaffected by the cold morning air. Against my better judgment, curiosity got the better of me. I looked up. He was tall — well over six feet — with broad shoulders and the kind of lean, muscular physique earned through years of relentless training rather than vanity. Faint scars marked his chest and arms, each one silently telling the story of battles I could scarcely imagine surviving. His dark hair fell carelessly across his forehead, softening features that might have been considered handsome if not for the permanent sternness carved into his expression. Then I noticed the scar — a thin line cut cleanly through his left eyebrow. It wasn't particularly large, yet somehow it drew my attention more than anything else. Rather than diminishing his appearance, it added something dangerous to it, making him look like a man who had survived more battles than he cared to remember. Then his eyes found mine. Cool grey. Sharp enough to strip away every excuse before I had even spoken. For reasons I couldn't explain, I immediately looked away. "Who are you?" His voice wasn't loud, and honestly, it didn't need to be. There was a quiet authority behind those three words that sent a chill racing down my spine. "I-I'm Armida," I answered, my voice sounding embarrassingly small in comparison to his. "I'm from Blue Crescent." His expression remained unreadable. "What are you doing inside my pack's territory?" "I..." I hesitated, knowing exactly how ridiculous my explanation would sound. "I think I sleepwalked here." Silence. Not disbelief. Silence.