CHAPTER 1
I never imagined I'd be back.
The wind howled through the trees, and I kept my gaze forward, not allowing myself to glance down to the parklands below. My feet barely touched the ground as I sprinted, the familiar weight of my wolf form anchoring me while also reminding me of what I'd left behind.
Everything I was forced to leave behind.
The sound of my heartbeat in my ears overpowered the surge of the wind. With each stride, I pushed on, fueled by adrenaline. I had no intention of rejoining the pack, not after what had transpired. Not following the denial. But here I was, standing on the outskirts of the one place that had ever genuinely felt like home.
I hadn't been so close in years. When I last stood here, the mountain range in front of me seemed like a cage. I wasn't that young girl anymore. I'd learned to survive on my own, free of the pack's demands.
I hadn't realized how much I still carried it with me.
The sound of footfall interrupted my thoughts. I swung around just in time to notice the movement of a shadow in the distance, which was much too familiar to ignore. Caleb.
I hadn't seen him in a long time, and here he was approaching me, with the same stupid arrogance in his step that had always driven me insane. That, and something else: guilt. I could see it in his eyes even before he spoke.
"You shouldn't have come back."
His voice broke through the tension between us, raw and nearly furious. The words made my heart tighten, but I didn't let it show. "And yet, here I am," I said, my voice firm despite the tempest raging inside of me.
He moved closer, his stare concentrated, as if looking for something. I refused to back down. I had not been the one to walk away. That was him. He had rejected me and forced me to leave the only life I had ever known, and now he dared to claim that I was the one who had betrayed him.
"I didn't have a choice," Caleb murmured, his voice low and full of agony.
I froze. Was that all he had to say? Was that his excuse? I had spent years running away from the devastation of our history, keeping everything about him out of my memory, and now he was telling me he didn't have a choice.
I felt wrath well up inside of me, threatening to burst. "You didn't have a choice?" I hissed. "Caleb, you rejected me. You made that decision. You broke me, and now you're standing here, claiming you had nothing to do with it.
His jaw clenched, and I thought he was going to snap at me, but instead, he took a step closer, his hand reaching out to touch me, but then he stopped himself.
"I never wanted to hurt you," he whispered calmly, his eyes softening, but there was a hint of something more behind the surface. But I had to. The pack needed me. You needed to go. "I couldn't let you get caught up in the war we're facing."
I swallowed hard, the sour taste of his words stinging my throat. "And why do you believe I need to save? I am not the same person I was back then. Caleb, I don't need your pity. I do not need your guilt. "I don't need you."
The words lingered between us, thick and heavy, and neither of us moved for a time. It felt like the entire world was holding its breath, waiting for one of us to shatter. However, neither of us did.
I finally turned away, my back to him. "I did not come back for you. I didn't return the parcel. I returned because something greater is coming for all of us. "Something worse than you can imagine."
He spoke again, but his voice sounded strained. "And you think you can stop it?"
I did not glance at him. I did not need to. I could feel his gaze burning into my back.
"I'm not the same person you remember," I stated quietly, more confident than I felt. "I now have abilities. Powers that could save the pack. "Powers you can't even fathom."
After a lengthy moment, Caleb spoke again, his voice strained. "Then show me."
I turned to face him, my gaze narrowed. "What do you mean, 'show you'?"
His gaze was harsh, yet there was an undeniable spark of something else: fear. Perhaps it was fear, but it was buried deep behind the veneer of his typical arrogance.
"Lyla, I've seen the damage. I've witnessed the s*******r. He continued, "If what you say is true, show me." "Prove it."
The words hit me like a blow in the stomach. I did not owe him anything. But I knew that if I didn't show him, we'd both be unprepared for this conflict. I had spent years avoiding the pack, avoiding this moment, and suddenly it was here, wanting to be confronted.
I breathed quickly, the force of the Forgotten Moon ring pulsating beneath my skin. I let it flood my veins, forcing the enchantment to the surface. The air around me shimmered, and I let my wolf take over, my senses heightened.
Caleb took a hesitant step forward, his eyes wide and his breath quickening. He was watching me and waiting for anything to happen.
Then it did.
The ground beneath our feet broke apart, leaving a jagged line as the power surged out of me, sending a tremor through the meadow. Trees trembled, and the air was dense with electricity. My heart raced in sync with the magic's pulse, and I couldn't help but watch Caleb stagger backward, his eyes wide with surprise.
When he eventually spoke, his voice was hardly audible. "You… you weren't lying."
I grinned, attempting to hold onto the strength that was flowing through me. "Do I ever lie?"
But as swiftly as the strength rose, it slipped away, leaving me breathless. The moment was gone, yet the tension in the air remained high. Caleb's eyes met mine, and for the first time in years, I saw something other than guilt—a glimmer of hope.
But then the ground rocked again, this time with more intensity. My heart froze as the ground shook more violently and the distant sound of a pack cry resonated over the mountains.
It was not over.
I turned to Caleb, my voice tight and urgent. "You were right." "Something is coming."
Before I could respond, a shadow moved over the clearing. A figure dashed between the woods, moving too rapidly for human sight to keep up. I felt the hair on the back of my neck rise up.
Caleb snarled beneath his breath, reflexively grabbing for his weapon. "We have to relocate. Now."
I did not need to be warned again. We had no clue what was after us, but we were about to find out.
