THE SILVER MOON PACK

Chapter 7

"Then prepare yourself, Kate."

The moment those words left his mouth, the wind around us grew stronger, whipping my hair across my face as the trees bent beneath its force, while the entire training ground seemed to fall into an unnatural silence. I could feel every heartbeat around me, every breath, every nervous movement from the warriors standing behind the Alpha, and somehow, through all that chaos, I could hear Luna more clearly than I had ever heard her before.

It's time, Kate. Time to remember everything.

"What are you talking about?" I whispered, staring at the Alpha.

He didn't answer immediately, but instead studied me with an expression that made my stomach twist because there was something strangely familiar about the way he looked at me, almost as though he had known me long before I had ever known myself.

"Your mother brought you here when you were only a few months old," he finally said. "She believed hiding you among ordinary wolves would keep you safe."

I shook my head slowly.

"No."

"She knew what would happen if anyone discovered your true identity."

"My mother would never lie to me."

The Alpha's expression softened slightly.

"She lied because she loved you."

I felt tears burning behind my eyes, but I refused to let them fall.

"Then tell me the truth."

He took another step toward me.

"You are the last surviving member of the Moon Bloodline, and your wolf isn't an ordinary wolf, Kate. Luna is the spirit of your bloodline, passed from one generation to another, and when she fully awakens, you will possess abilities that no Alpha in this territory can control."

My heart raced.

"So my parents..."

"Were the last rulers of the Moon Kingdom."

I stared at him in disbelief.

"There is no Moon Kingdom."

"There was," he replied quietly. "Until someone destroyed it."

"Who?"

His eyes shifted toward his son.

My former mate immediately looked away.

A terrible feeling settled inside my chest.

"Who destroyed my family?" I demanded.

The Alpha's face became cold.

"The same people who are searching for you now."

Before I could ask another question, Luna suddenly screamed inside my head.

Kate, close your eyes.

I hesitated.

Trust me.

I closed them.

Immediately, everything around me disappeared.

I was no longer standing on the training grounds.

Instead, I was inside a forest surrounded by flames.

I could hear a woman screaming.

A man was fighting several wolves, his body covered in blood, while a woman held a baby tightly against her chest.

The baby was crying.

I recognized her immediately.

It was me.

"No," I whispered.

The woman turned around.

My mother.

But she looked younger.

Tears streamed down her face as she ran through the forest, holding me tightly.

Behind her, someone shouted.

"Find the child!"

She ran faster.

Then a man appeared in front of her.

He had glowing silver eyes.

My mother stopped.

"Please," she begged. "She's innocent."

The man raised his hand.

"Give me the child."

My mother shook her head.

"Never."

Suddenly, a massive wolf jumped between them.

There was a violent flash of light.

I screamed as the memory disappeared.

I opened my eyes and found myself on my knees.

Xander was beside me.

"Kate!"

I looked at him, breathing heavily.

"I saw it."

"What did you see?"

"My mother."

He helped me stand.

"She was running with me."

The Alpha watched me carefully.

"You remembered."

I turned toward him.

"You were there."

He didn't deny it.

"You were there when my family was attacked."

"I was."

"Did you kill them?"

His expression changed.

"No."

"Then who did?"

Before he could answer, my former mate stepped forward.

"Father, we need to leave."

The Alpha turned sharply.

"Silence."

"But—"

"I said silence."

I looked between them.

"What aren't you telling me?"

My former mate looked at me with guilt in his eyes.

"I knew about you before I ever met you."

My chest tightened.

"What?"

"I knew your identity."

"And you still became my mate?"

He nodded.

"Yes."

"Then why did you reject me?"

He looked down.

"Because my father threatened to kill you."

Everything inside me went still.

"What?"

"He told me that if I refused to reject you, he would find your mother and kill her too."

My mouth fell open.

"You knew my mother was alive?"

He nodded.

I felt betrayed all over again.

"You let me believe she was my real mother."

"She is your mother," he said softly. "She raised you. She loved you. Blood doesn't change that."

I turned away, trying to process everything.

Then I felt Luna stirring.

Kate.

"What?"

Look at him.

I looked at my former mate.

He isn't telling you everything.

I narrowed my eyes.

"What else are you hiding?"

He didn't answer.

"Tell me!"

He finally looked at me.

"Your parents weren't killed."

My breath caught.

"What?"

"They disappeared."

The world seemed to stop.

"My father has spent years searching for them because he believes they know how to awaken the Moon Kingdom."

I shook my head.

"But you said they were dead."

"I said they were gone."

I stared at him.

"Where are they?"

He hesitated.

"We don't know."

Suddenly, a howl echoed from the mountains.

Every wolf in the training grounds became tense.

Luna growled inside my mind.

They're close.

"Who?"

The hunters.

I looked toward the forest.

"What hunters?"

Before Luna could answer, an arrow flew through the air and struck the ground inches from my foot.

Everyone immediately shifted.

Xander grabbed my arm.

"Kate, get behind me!"

Another arrow came flying.

This time, Xander deflected it.

Then dozens of figures emerged from the trees.

They wore black armor and carried silver weapons.

The Alpha's face changed.

"They found us."

My former mate shifted into his wolf form.

Xander did the same.

I stood frozen.

I had never seen so many enemies surrounding our territory.

Luna's voice became calm.

Now, Kate.

"Now what?"

Shift.

"I can't."

You can.

My body suddenly burned.

I screamed as my bones began changing, but instead of the painful transformation I had always experienced during shifting, this felt completely different.

It felt powerful.

My eyes flashed silver.

The wind exploded around me.

Every wolf in the training grounds dropped to the ground.

Even the Alpha stumbled backward.

Xander stared at me in shock.

And when I finally looked down at my hands, they were no longer human.

Silver fur covered my arms, and my claws had grown sharp enough to cut through stone.

I lifted my head.

A deep growl escaped my throat.

For the first time, Luna wasn't trapped inside me.

She was standing beside me.

And then she spoke through my voice.

"You should have killed me when you had the chance."

The Alpha's face went pale.

Because he finally understood.

The Moon Bloodline had awakened.

And I was no longer the helpless girl everyone had rejected.

I was the thing they had been afraid of all along.