Chapter 4: The Awakening
781 Words
Chapter 4: The Awakening
The morning horn echoed across Mooncrest Pack.
Aria stirred awake.
Sunlight streamed through her window, but the peaceful morning was interrupted by the loud cheers of warriors training outside.
She pulled on a simple black tunic and stepped outside.
The training grounds were alive.
Dozens of warriors sparred with wooden swords while others practiced shifting between their human and wolf forms.
Aria watched quietly.
Something inside her stirred.
It felt…
Natural.
“You’ve been watching for a while.”
She turned.
Alpha Lucian stood beside her, his arms folded across his broad chest.
“I’ve never held a sword before…” she admitted.
“At least, I don’t think I have.”
Lucian smiled.
“Would you like to try?”
Minutes later…
A wooden sword rested in Aria’s hands.
It felt surprisingly comfortable.
One of the female warriors stepped forward.
“I’m Nora.”
“I’ll go easy on you.”
Aria nodded nervously.
“I appreciate that.”
The duel began.
Nora swung first.
Without thinking…
Aria sidestepped.
Her body moved on instinct.
She blocked the second strike.
Then the third.
The watching warriors exchanged confused glances.
“She’s never trained before…”
“Then how is she blocking everything?”
Nora attacked faster.
Aria’s heartbeat quickened.
Suddenly…
Images flashed through her mind.
A sword.
A battlefield.
A man teaching her to fight.
“Again.”
“Never drop your guard.”
“You’re stronger than you think, Ariana.”
Her head throbbed.
The vision disappeared.
Nora’s sword came crashing toward her.
Instinct took over.
Aria twisted gracefully.
She knocked the wooden sword from Nora’s hand before anyone realized what had happened.
Silence.
The entire training ground stared at her.
Nora blinked.
“I…”
“I lost?”
Aria looked down at the sword in her own hands.
“I don’t know how I did that.”
Lucian watched from a distance.
His Beta, Rowan, stepped beside him.
“She fights like an experienced warrior.”
Lucian nodded.
“Muscle memory.”
“Even if her mind forgot…”
“…her body didn’t.”
That evening…
Evelyn changed the bandage on Aria’s shoulder.
“You healed quickly.”
Aria frowned.
“Is that unusual?”
“For an ordinary wolf?”
Evelyn smiled.
“Very.”
“Your wounds healed nearly twice as fast as ours.”
Before Aria could respond…
A loud alarm echoed across the village.
BOOOOM!
The warning bell.
Warriors rushed toward the northern gate.
Rowan burst into the infirmary.
“Alpha!”
“Rogues!”
“There are dozens of them!”
Lucian’s eyes hardened.
“Protect the villagers.”
“I’ll handle the rest.”
Outside the gates…
Nearly fifty rogue wolves surrounded Mooncrest.
Their leader stepped forward.
His face was covered with scars.
“We’re only here for one person.”
Lucian drew his sword.
“And who would that be?”
The rogue smiled.
“A girl.”
“Black hair.”
“Blue eyes.”
“Hand her over…”
“…and we’ll leave peacefully.”
Lucian’s expression turned icy.
“I don’t know who sent you.”
“But you won’t be taking anyone.”
The rogue laughed.
“Kill them!”
The wolves charged.
Inside the infirmary…
Aria heard the screams.
She rushed outside despite Evelyn’s protests.
The battle was chaos.
Warriors clashed with rogues.
Blood stained the earth.
Lucian fought at the center, cutting down enemies with incredible speed.
But there were too many.
One rogue slipped past the warriors.
He spotted Aria.
“There she is!”
His crimson eyes gleamed.
“The Shadow Alpha wants her alive!”
He lunged.
Aria froze.
Everything happened too fast.
The rogue’s claws reached for her throat.
Then…
Time seemed to slow.
Her blue eyes suddenly flashed silver.
A burst of brilliant moonlight exploded from her body.
BOOM!
The rogue was thrown backward as if struck by lightning.
Every wolf in the village stopped fighting.
The air trembled.
A glowing silver crescent moon appeared above Aria’s head for a brief moment before fading away.
Silence.
No one moved.
Lucian stared at her in disbelief.
The elders dropped to one knee.
Even the rogues looked terrified.
One whispered in horror,
“It…”
“It can’t be…”
“The Lunar Queen’s mark…”
Before anyone could ask another question, Aria collapsed into Lucian’s arms, unconscious.
Far away, hidden within a fortress of black stone, a man cloaked in darkness slowly smiled.
“So…”
“The Moon has finally awakened.”
He rose from his throne, his crimson eyes glowing.
“Prepare my army.”
“This time…”
“…she will not escape me
- Writer
