Chapter 29: The Elders’ Judgment
1431 Words
The crimson light bled over everything.
The air thickened until breathing felt like swallowing smoke, and the forest—our forest—became something unrecognizable. The trees bent as if bowing to an unseen power, their branches whispering in a tongue that made my skin prickle.
Ryan’s hand gripped mine tighter. “They’re close.”
I could already feel them.
Their energy rolled across the ground like a tide—ancient, cold, absolute. It wasn’t just presence; it was authority. The kind that bent the world to its will and expected no resistance.
From between the bleeding shafts of light, they emerged.
Three figures cloaked in silver and shadow. Their faces were hidden, but I could feel their eyes—sharp as blades, old as the moon. The air hummed with the weight of their existence.
One stepped forward, and when they spoke, their voice was the sound of a thousand echoes layered as one.
“Alpha Ryan of the Silvercrest pack. Human-born Lena of the forgotten blood. You stand accused of defying the Pact.”
Ryan straightened beside me, every muscle in his body coiled but his voice steady. “We didn’t defy anything. We defended what the Pact should have protected—life.”
The Elder tilted their head, their movement slow and deliberate. “Life born of forbidden union is not life—it is chaos. You have broken the seal that kept the realms apart.”
Their words struck deep, but I forced my chin up. “You call it chaos. I call it evolution. Maybe the seal wasn’t meant to last forever.”
Another Elder, voice soft yet cruel, stepped closer. “And who are you to question the design of the Moons?”
“I’m the one carrying their proof,” I said, resting my hand over my belly. “The one they tried to erase.”
The Elders murmured to each other in low tones that vibrated like thunder beneath the soil.
Then the first Elder spoke again. “You’ve been marked by the Bloodline of Rebellion. The child within you carries the spark that can undo the Moonbond. Tell us, Lena—do you intend to use it?”
My throat went dry. Every instinct screamed to lie, to deny everything—but I couldn’t. Not anymore.
“I intend,” I said softly, “to let this child live free. Whatever that means.”
The wind shifted violently. The Elders’ power surged, pressing against my chest until I could barely breathe. My vision blurred.
Ryan stepped forward, fury lighting his eyes. “Enough! You’ll answer for your laws when this is over—but you will not harm her.”
“Protecting her won’t save you,” the Elder hissed. “You’ve already given her your mark, your strength. The bond cannot be undone.”
Ryan’s body tensed beside me. “Then so be it.”
The Elders raised their hands, energy gathering in orbs of liquid light. The ground beneath us cracked open, releasing whispers and smoke.
And then—a voice, faint but distinct, cut through the chaos.
“Stop.”
The word didn’t come from Ryan or me. It came from inside me.
The child’s voice—soft, melodic, ancient.
The Elders froze. The energy in their palms flickered.
“Impossible,” one of them whispered. “It speaks?”
I pressed a hand over my belly, trembling. “It’s trying to tell you something.”
The voice came again, stronger now, resonating through the clearing:
"I am not the end. I am what you feared to begin."
The crimson light pulsed in rhythm with the words. The forest seemed to breathe again.
The Elders staggered back, their composure cracking. “The Moon speaks through it,” one murmured. “The prophecy is not ending—it’s unfolding.”
Ryan took a step forward, his voice fierce. “Then you understand. The child isn’t your enemy.”
The lead Elder’s cloak rippled as they turned their gaze on him. “And yet its power will break us all if left unchecked. Love has blinded you, Alpha.”
Ryan’s eyes hardened. “No. Love is the only thing keeping this world from tearing itself apart.”
A long silence followed. The crimson light dimmed slightly, the forest settling into uneasy stillness.
Then the Elder spoke again. “You speak with the arrogance of youth. But perhaps… the Moon should decide.”
The earth trembled once more.
A beam of silver light pierced the clouds, striking the center of the clearing. Dust and leaves swirled violently. Within the glow, a form began to materialize—neither wolf nor human, something in between.
Ryan reached for me, but the power pulled us apart. I stumbled backward, my body lifting slightly from the ground, the child’s pulse aligning with the light.
The Elders began chanting in their ancient tongue. Their words circled me like invisible chains. I felt the magic seeping through my veins, testing, weighing, judging.
Pain tore through me—a white-hot current that made the world vanish again.
Ryan’s POV
Her scream ripped through the clearing, shattering every shred of control I had left.
I lunged forward, but the silver light slammed me back. My claws tore into the earth as I fought it, blood dripping from my palms.
“Let her go!” I roared.
The Elders ignored me. Their chants grew louder, the air around them vibrating with raw lunar energy.
Through the blinding light, I saw Lena’s form suspended—weightless, glowing, her hair lifting in the storm. Her eyes fluttered open, and for a heartbeat, I saw the reflection of two moons inside them.
Something primal snapped inside me.
I let go of reason.
My aura erupted—black and silver flames roaring from my chest, tearing through the chains that bound me. The Elders turned, startled, too late. I slammed into the nearest one, claws and fury colliding with ancient power.
The ground split. Trees ignited. Lightning arced across the sky.
“Ryan—stop!” the silver figure shouted, their voice barely audible through the chaos. “If you break the circle—”
But I already had.
The beam shattered, the energy exploding outward. I caught Lena as she fell, her body limp but breathing. The air reeked of ozone and blood.
When the dust settled, only one Elder remained standing. Their hood had fallen back, revealing a face carved by centuries—a face I knew.
“My father,” I whispered.
His eyes—cold and unreadable—met mine. “You were warned, my son. You chose her anyway.”
His gaze dropped to Lena, then to the faint silver glow pulsing beneath her skin. “And now, she carries the moon’s defiance.”
Lena’s POV
I stirred, my vision blurry. Ryan’s arms held me close, trembling with rage and fear. I blinked up, confusion twisting through me.
“Ryan…” My voice was barely a breath. Then I saw the Elder’s face—and everything inside me froze.
“You’re his father,” I whispered.
The Elder inclined his head, ancient sorrow flickering behind the ice in his eyes. “Once. Before he chose the forbidden.”
Ryan’s jaw tightened. “Don’t.”
But his father’s next words sliced the air cleanly:
“The child she carries is the key to restoring or destroying our kind. And the Moon has decreed that one of you must not survive its birth.”
Silence fell.
The words struck like a blade through my chest.
Ryan’s fingers tightened around mine. “Then it won’t be her.”
His father looked at him with something that might have been pity—or pride. “You cannot protect her from prophecy, my son. The Moon takes what it’s owed.”
A gust of wind tore through the clearing, the crimson hue fading into pale silver.
The Elder stepped back, his cloak rising like mist. “Prepare yourselves. The reckoning will not wait for love.”
And just like that, he was gone—swallowed by light and shadow both.
Ryan sank to his knees beside me, his forehead pressing against mine. His breath was uneven, his voice breaking when he finally spoke.
“They’re going to make me choose, Lena.”
My heart clenched. “Between us?”
He nodded once, his eyes shining with anguish. “Between you… and the child.”
The forest around us fell silent again, but this time it wasn’t peace.
It was the silence before destruction.
- Writer
