The Alpha's Regret

Chapter 2: The Awakening

I ran until my lungs burned and my legs gave out.

The forest surrounded me, dark and unfamiliar. I had no idea how far I had gone from the pack territory. The silver light that had blazed from my hands during the ceremony had faded, leaving me in darkness.

I collapsed against an ancient oak, my body shaking with sobs I could no longer hold back.

He rejected me.

But beneath the pain, something else stirred. That incredible, ancient power that had awakened in the ceremony. I could still feel it pulsing beneath my skin, waiting.

I closed my eyes and focused. The silver light flickered back to life in my palms.

"You are the Luna Chosen."

A woman stood before me, her silver hair cascading down her shoulders. "I am the Moon Goddess's messenger. You carry a power that has not been seen in a thousand years."

She faded into mist, and I was alone again. I looked down at my hands. The silver light pulsed, forming a glowing path through the dark forest.

Three days later, I arrived at a small cottage hidden deep in the mountains. The old woman who lived there introduced herself as Lyra, an ancient sorceress.

"You have much to learn," Lyra said. "And little time. The Council already knows you exist."

"Let them come," I said, surprising myself with the steel in my voice.

Far away, Alpha Damian Blackwood stood at his window, staring at the moon. "What have I done?" he whispered.

But I was already gone. And I had no intention of coming back.