Moon Prophecy

Chapter 2-The Punishment.

The night air outside the Bloodmoon packhouse was sharp and cold, carrying the scent of pine and damp earth. The moon hung low in the sky, casting long silver shadows across the clearing.

Mia stumbled down the stone steps, her breath uneven as Beta Nick’s hand shoved her forward.

“Move,” he growled.

She nearly fell, catching herself before her knees struck the ground. Her hands trembled as she pushed herself upright. Behind her, the warriors followed, their laughter low and cruel.

They were enjoying this.

They always did.

The packhouse doors slammed shut behind them with a heavy echo that seemed to seal her fate.

Mia wrapped her arms around herself, trying to hold back the cold from creeping through her thin clothes. The forest stretched endlessly ahead of them, dark and silent, its towering pines whispering in the wind.

“Please,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “I didn’t mean to interrupt training.”

Nick laughed. The sound made her stomach twist.

“You think this is about training,” he asked.

His boots crunched against the gravel as he circled her slowly.

“This is about respect. Something an omega like you clearly doesn’t understand.”

The warriors spread out behind him, blocking the path back to the pack house. Mia’s heart pounded harder. There was no escape. Nick grabbed her arm suddenly, his grip crushing.

“You embarrassed me,” he said quietly, his voice far more dangerous now.

“I…”

He shoved her forward.

“Run.”

The word hit her like a strike.

“What.” Mia asked, confused.

Nick smiled. It was the kind of smile that held no warmth.

“Run,” he repeated.

Behind him, the warriors began to laugh again. Realization spread through Mia’s chest like ice.

They were hunting her.

Her breath caught in her throat.

“You’ve always wanted to run away, haven’t you,” Nick continued. “Lets see how far you get.”

He shoved her again.

“Go.”

For a moment Mia stood frozen. Then instinct took over and she ran. The forest swallowed her almost immediately, branches scraped her arms as she pushed through the undergrowth. Roots twisted across the ground like traps waiting for her feet. Her lungs burned within seconds, but she didn’t stop.

Behind her, the warriors shouted.

“Don’t lose her.”

Nick’s voice followed, calm and confident.

“She won’t get far.”

They knew the forest. But Mia had one advantage. Desperation. Tears blurred her vision as she ran blindly through the trees. Her breath came in ragged gasps. She didn’t know where she was going. Only that she had to keep moving.

A sharp root caught her foot and she stumbled forward, crashing hard into the ground. Pain exploded through her knees. Before she could recover, a hand grabbed her hair and yanked her upright.

Nick.

He must have shifted. She hadn’t even heard him coming.

“Pathetic,” he said, dragging her back toward the clearing.

The warriors surrounded them again, their expressions full of amusement.

“You lasted… what,” one of them said. “Two minutes.”

“Maybe three,” another replied.

Nick shoved Mia to the ground again.

“Get up.”

Her body trembled as she pushed herself upright. The humiliation burned worse than the pain.

“Run again,” Nick said.

Mia stared at him.

“Why.” She whispered.

Nick leaned down until his face was inches from hers.

“Because I said so.”

Something inside Mia cracked. She turned and ran again.

High above the clearing, hidden behind the branches of an old oak tree, a small boy watched everything.

Prince Cassian.

He was only five years old. He had followed the warriors out of curiosity, sneaking through the pack house after them.

Now he wished he hadn’t.

His small hands gripped the rough bark of the tree as he stared at the girl running through the forest. He knew her. Everyone did. The omega.

But something about the way the warriors chased her made his stomach hurt. His father had always said the pack protected its own. This didn’t look like protection. This looked like cruelty.

Cassian watched silently as Mia disappeared deeper into the forest.

Nick shifted into his wolf form and ran after her. The warriors followed and the forest fell quiet again. But the young prince couldn’t shake the feeling that something terrible had just begun.

Mia’s legs screamed with exhaustion. She could hear them behind her again closing in. Her chest burned with every breath. The trees began to thin ahead. Moonlight spilled across the ground in a wide silver pod. Mia stumbled out of the forest- and froze.

A Cliff.

The ground ended suddenly, dropping into the darkness far below. Wind roared up from the gorge, whipping her hair around her face. She turned, Nick stepped out of the trees slowly. The warriors followed behind him.

“You’re done running,” he said.

Mia backed up toward the edge. Her heart hammered violently. There was nowhere left to go. Nick’s smile widened.

“Now we begin the real punishment.”