CHAPTER 16
1407 Words
Bonds of the Moon
The room shook from the explosion's aftershock as Elara and Kieran sprinted through the packhouse passageways. Smoke wafted through the air, stinging Elara’s eyes as her shadows twisted protectively around her.
Get everyone to safety!”
Kieran barked at a group of startled pack members running past.
“Kieran, what’s going on?”
Elara asked, her voice filled with desperation.
“Moonveil is under attack,”
Kieran answered sadly, his eyes searching their surroundings. “But that blast it wasn’t from outside. Someone set it off inside the packhouse.”
Her heart sank at the inference. “You think it’s one of us?”
“Not now,” Kieran said, cutting her off as he pushed open the main doors. The chaos outside was worse wolves in their shifted forms fighting dark invaders near the pack lines.
Elara paused, her heart rushing as her dream and Lysandra’s warning repeated in her mind. Betrayal is closer than you think.
“Go to the borders,” Kieran ordered. “Use your shadows to hold them back. I’ll find who’s behind this.”
“Kieran, wait!” Elara grabbed his arm, her shadows curling around his wrist. “Before you go, there’s something you need to know. I... I had a dream.”
Kieran turned to face her, his brow furrowing. “A dream? Now’s not the time, Elara.”
“It wasn’t just any dream!” she snapped. “It was a vision. Lysandra came to me. She said I’m her inheritance, the Moon’s Chosen, and that treason is closer than I think.”
Kieran stiffened, his jaw tightening. “Lysandra? The first of the Moon’s Chosen?”
“Yes!” Elara said. “She said the shadows would guide me. I think she’s trying to tell me something—”
Kieran shook his head, stepping back. “Elara, do you hear yourself? Visions? Prophecies? How do you even know it was real and not just your imagination?”
“I know what I saw,” she declared, her voice shaking. “Why won’t you believe me?”
“Because this isn’t the time for fantasies,” Kieran said sharply. “We’re at war, Elara. I need facts, not mysterious dreams.”
Her shadows recoiled slightly, as if stung by his words. “Fine,” she said, her tone icy. “Go handle your ‘facts.’ I’ll fight this war on my own.”
Without waiting for an answer, she turned and ran toward the battlefield, her shadows whirling around her in a storm of dark rage.
Elara’s fists slammed into the training dummy, the force of her shadows spliting the wood. She let out a frustrated growl, her chest heaving.
“Feeling better?” Aeron’s voice came from behind her, calm and filled with amusement.
“Not even close,” Elara mumbled, not turning around.
“Good,” he said, stepping into the poorly lit training room. “Anger makes you stronger. But only if you know how to use it.”
Elara finally faced him, her eyes burning. “And I suppose you’re going to teach me?”
Aeron smirked. “If you’re willing to listen.”
She crossed her arms, staring at him. “Do I have a choice?”
“Not if you want to survive,” he said simply. “The powers you have, Elara they’re unlike anything this pack has ever seen. But raw power isn’t enough. You need control, precision.”
“Then teach me,” she said, moving closer. “No riddles, no half-truths. Just teach me.”
Aeron raised an eyebrow. “Careful what you ask for. My methods aren’t exactly... conventional.”
“Conventional hasn’t worked for me so far,” she replied.
He nodded, a spark of approval in his eyes. “Alright then. Let’s begin.”
Over the next hour, Aeron pushed Elara to her limits, causing her to call and control her shadows in ways she’d never tried before. He made her split them into multiple strands, use them to lift heavy items, and even make shields to block his attacks.
“Faster!” Aeron barked as he threw a knife toward her.
Elara’s shadows lashed out, grabbing the blade in midair and snapping it in two.
“Good,” Aeron said, his tone grudgingly impressed. “But you’re still hesitating. You’re holding back.”
“I’m not—”
“Yes, you are,” he interrupted. “You’re afraid of what you might become if you let go completely. But fear will only get you killed.”
Elara’s hands clenched into fists. “You think I don’t know that?”
Aeron stepped closer, his face strangely serious. “I think you’re stronger than you realize. But strength means nothing without trust.”
She frowned. “Trust In who?”
“In yourself,” he said softly.
Their eyes met, and for a moment, Elara felt the weight of his words sink in. But the moment was broken when Aeron’s look changed, his normal grin returning.
“Enough sentimentality,” he said. “Let’s get back to work.”
The pack gathered in the main hall, the concern obvious. Elara stood near the back, her shadows coiled tightly around her.
Cassandra’s voice rang out, sharp and authoritative. “Kieran, you can’t keep ignoring the damage Elara is causing. She’s a danger to this pack.”
Elara stiffened, her heart beating as every eye in the room turned toward her.
“What are you talking about?” Kieran ordered, moving forward.
Cassandra motioned strongly to the middle of the room, where a young pack member, barely more than a pup, lay on a bed. His arm was twisted at an awkward angle, his face pale with pain.
“This happened during Elara’s ‘training,’” Cassandra said, her tone rich with charge. “Her powers are out of control.”
“That’s not true!” Elara objected, stepping forward. “I didn’t—”
“Then explain how this happened,” Cassandra snapped, cutting her off.
Elara’s shadows flared in anxiety, but she forced them back, her voice shaking. “I wasn’t even near him. I don’t know how.
“Enough,” Kieran said, his voice demanding quiet. He turned to the hurt wolf. “What happened?”
The boy paused, looking nervously at Cassandra.
“Tell the truth,” Kieran urged, his tone easing.
The boy opened his mouth to speak, but Cassandra stopped. “He’s scared, Kieran. Scared of what she might do to him if he tells the truth.”
Elara’s jaw clenched, her shadows whirling ominously. “I’ve done nothing wrong. This is a setup, and you know it.”
“Then prove it,” Cassandra challenged, her eyes shining with victory.
Elara looked to Kieran, her chest tightening. “You don’t believe this, do you?”
Kieran’s face was unreadable, his silence cutting deeper than any charge.
The room exploded into whispers, uncertainty spreading like flames.
Cassandra smirked, her voice rising above the noise. “This is what happens when we allow outsiders into our pack. They bring nothing but chaos and destruction.”
Elara’s shadows lashed out, slamming into a nearby table and breaking it into pieces. The room fell quiet as she stepped forward, her voice shaking with anger.
I’m not the enemy here, she said, her eyes locked onto Cassandra’s. But if you keep pushing, you’ll regret it.”
Cassandra’s smirk weakened for a split second before she regained her poise. “Is that a threat?”
“It’s a promise,” Elara said coldly.
Before anyone could answer, the sound of screaming emerged from outside, cutting through the tension like a blade.
Kieran’s head snapped toward the door. “Another attack
A pack scout burst into the room, his face pale. “Alpha, it’s Bloodfang. They’re at the borders.”
The room fell into chaos as pack members scrambled to prepare.
As the pack rushed to defend their area, Elara paused for a moment, her eyes fixed on Cassandra.
Get out of my way, Cassandra said, her voice low but vicious.
Elara didn’t reply, her shadows coiling tighter around her as she followed Kieran out into the night.
But as they reached the edge of the forest, a frightening realization struck her: the boy’s injury wasn’t an accident. Someone had planned this…someone who wanted her gone.
And whoever it was, they weren’t done yet.
- Writer
