CHAPTER 10
1165 Words
The storm outside had faded, leaving the air thick with silence, but inside Amelia, something far more powerful churned. Her hands shook as she stared at her palms, still faintly glowing with silver light wild, pulsing, untamed.
She wasn’t sure what terrified her more: the power itself, or the fact that it had felt… good.
Ryder knelt in front of her, his expression caught between wonder and concern. “Amelia… you didn’t just fight that rogue. You unleashed something ancient.”
“I didn’t mean to,” she whispered, trying to steady her breath. I wasn’t even thinking. It just happened.”
“You stopped a rogue shadow without shifting,” he said, his voice low and steady. “That’s not normal, Amelia." That’s something else entirely.”
Her eyes darted towards him. “So what am I? A threat?”
“No,” he said immediately. His hand brushed her cheek. “You’re extraordinary.”
His words warmed her, but couldn’t silence the chaos in her chest. She looked down, fingers curling into fists. “I’ve never shifted, Ryder. Not even during my first moon shift. I thought… maybe I was broken.”
“You’re not broken,” he said firmly. “You’re different. There’s a reason your wolf hasn’t surfaced yet. Maybe your power has been protecting you. Or maybe it’s waiting.”
Her throat tightened. “Waiting for what?”
“For the right moment,” he said, holding her gaze. “For someone to believe in you.”
Amelia swallowed the lump in her throat. His words touched something raw, something she’d kept hidden for so long. The part of her that wanted to be seen not as a burden or mystery, but as someone worth standing beside.
“You don’t have to do this,” she whispered. “You don’t owe me anything.”
He leaned closer, forehead brushing hers. “You’re my mate, Amelia. I’d risk everything to keep you safe.”
Her breath caught. There it was again. That word. Mate.
It didn’t sound like a burden on his lips. It sounded like a promise.
She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a tight embrace. And for the first time in years, she didn’t feel like she had to hide. She didn’t feel like a mistake.
She felt like home.
The next morning, the entire Blood Moon Pack gathered near the training grounds. The air was crisp, and anticipation buzzed like static as word of Amelia’s power had spread like wildfire overnight.
“I don’t know about this,” Amelia muttered as they approached the ring. “They’re all staring.”
“They’ll stop staring once they realize you’re not something to fear,” Ryder said, brushing his hand against hers. “You’re someone to respect.”
Easier said than done. The crowd of warriors, elders, and curious pack members all turned toward them. Some eyes held wonder. Others, doubt. A few… jealousy.
Ryder stepped into the center and raised his voice. “This is Amelia. My mate.”
The declaration rippled through the gathering. Amelia’s cheeks burned, but Ryder stood tall, unwavering.
“She’s awakened a power none of us fully understand yet,” he continued. “But she saved lives last night. She didn’t run. She faced a rogue with nothing but instinct and heart and won.”
Gasps and murmurs circled the field.
“I’m asking you not to fear her,” Ryder added. “I’m asking you to train beside her. To support her.”
He turned toward Bren, one of his most trusted beta warriors. “You’ll spar with her today. Lightly.”
Amelia’s stomach flipped. “Wait, what?”
“You said you wanted to learn control,” Ryder said gently. “This is how it starts.”
Bren hesitated. “Alpha, I don’t think ”
“She’ll be fine,” Ryder said. “And so will you.”
Amelia stepped into the ring, heart pounding like a war drum. Bren circled her, moving cautiously.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” he said with a tight smile. “Just test your reflexes.”
She nodded, trying to ground herself. But the second he moved something shifted.
The world slowed.
Her instincts screamed. Her feet danced backward before her mind could catch up. Her palm lit up again with that same silver glow, and without touching him, she sent Bren flying ten feet across the ring.
The entire crowd gasped.
“No!” she cried, rushing toward him. “I didn’t mean to!”
Bren groaned from the ground, dazed but unharmed.
Ryder stepped forward quickly, placing a steadying hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay.”
Amelia’s breaths came in sharp, panicked bursts. “I—I didn’t try to do that. I just reacted.”
“You reacted exactly the way your power wanted,” a voice cut through the crowd.
Everyone turned as Elder Maelia, the most ancient and revered woman in the pack, stepped forward with a gaze sharp as crystal.
She approached Amelia, took her hand, and examined the faint shimmering mark in her palm.
“This mark…” Maelia whispered, eyes narrowing. “It hasn’t been seen in centuries.”
Amelia blinked. “What mark?”
“The crescent with the twin stars,” Maelia murmured. “The royal crest of the Moonborn.”
The crowd erupted into whispers.
Amelia’s stomach dropped. “Moonborn?”
Ryder stepped forward, eyes wide. “You’ve told stories about them. But they’re myths.”
“They were,” Maelia said, voice trembling slightly. “Until now.”
“What does it mean?” Amelia asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
“It means,” Maelia said, her voice firm now, “you are descended from the first werewolf royal bloodline. The Moonborn were guardians of light—born with the power of both wolf and star. Only one is born every few generations, and only when the world is on the brink of change.”
“But I didn’t ask for this,” Amelia said, stepping back.
“No child ever asks for the crown in their blood,” Maelia said. “But when fate chooses you, it’s for a reason.”
Amelia looked to Ryder, panic rising in her throat. “What do I do now?”
He reached for her hand. “You don’t run from it.”
His grip tightened. “We face it. Together.”
But just as the moment calmed, a messenger wolf ran into the clearing, eyes wide with terror.
“Alpha!” he shouted. “A body was found at the southern border.”
Ryder’s eyes darkened. “Who?”
The messenger swallowed. “A rogue. Killed. But the markings on its chest… they match the ones from the prophecy.”
Amelia’s heart dropped. “What prophecy?”
Ryder looked at her grimly. “The one that speaks of the Moonborn and the war their return will awaken.”
- Writer
