The Hunt Begins
725 Words
The howl ripped through the forest louder than thunder.
Every wolf froze.
Nobody had ever heard anything like it. It sounded ancient, raw, packed with something that grabbed every werewolf and shook them to the core under the silver moon.
Lyra gasped, pain flaring inside her until it felt like her bones were splitting apart, then pulling themselves together again. She clung to the wet earth, fingers clawed so hard they sank into the mud.
"What... is happening to me?" she cried out.
Suddenly, a blinding white light exploded from her body.
Darius’s wolves backed away, ears pinned tight against their heads.
"No..." Darius whispered. His smirk vanished. "It can't be."
Kaiden didn’t move. His eyes went wide, staring at the light twirling around Lyra.
"The prophecy..." he breathed.
When the glare finally dimmed, everyone could see Lyra on her knees, right in the middle of a glowing silver circle. Strange symbols shimmered beneath her, shining for the first time in a century.
Ethan Kaiden’s Beta gaped.
"The Moon Seal..."
Darius snapped out of it first.
"Kill her!" he roared.
Wolves charged instantly.
"Protect her!" Kaiden yelled.
His warriors crashed into Darius's pack, and all hell broke loose in the forest.
Slashing claws. Flashing fangs. Growls and screams everywhere.
Kaiden shifted his wolf was huge, more than double the size of a normal one. He slammed into the nearest attacker and sent him flying.
Ethan battled at his side, trying to hold off three enemies at once.
But Darius didn’t jump in.
He walked, calm as ever, straight toward Lyra.
"You have no idea what you are," he said, almost gentle.
Lyra tried to get her feet under her.
"I don’t know what you mean," she shot back, breathless.
"Oh, but you will."
His crimson eyes gleamed.
"The blood of the first Alpha runs in your veins."
Lyra shook her head, desperate.
"You're lying."
Darius just smiled.
"Then why did the moon answer your call?"
She started to answer, but he lunged.
Kaiden launched between them the two Alphas hit so hard the ground itself shuddered.
Lyra could barely follow. Every strike shattered stone. Every roar bounced around the valley.
They didn’t hold back, and for a while, neither gained the upper hand.
Meanwhile, her heart thudded like crazy.
She heard everything.
Heartbeats. Breathing. Every rustle in the forest.
She’d never felt senses this sharp.
Then, a voice appeared in her head soft, ancient, patient.
"Run."
She spun around, searching.
No one there.
"Run, little one," the voice said gentle, almost motherly.
"Who are you?" Lyra whispered.
"Trust your instincts."
Lyra didn’t think she ran.
Behind her, Darius spotted the movement right away.
"She’s escaping!"
He flung Kaiden aside and bolted after her.
Kaiden shifted back, human now, and chased.
"Lyra!"
Branches scratched Lyra’s cheeks as she ran, faster than she’d ever moved before.
The voice kept guiding her.
"Left."
She turned.
"Jump."
She cleared a wide stream at a sprint.
Darius furious growled behind her.
"She’s already got the Moon’s guidance."
Kaiden caught those words. A cold chill settled in his gut.
If the ancient spirits were awake...
Nothing would go back to normal.
After what felt like forever, Lyra crashed into a clearing.
Right in the center, ancient stone ruins some forgotten temple strangled by vines.
The symbols carved in the stone blazed to life.
A moonbeam shot down and wrapped Lyra in light.
She couldn’t breathe.
Her mind flooded images slamming into her, one after another.
A queen in silver armor.
A thousand white wolves kneeling.
A kingdom in flames.
A man with blood-red eyes murdering her parents.
A newborn hurried away into the night.
Then her mother’s face. The one from her dreams.
She smiled, voice thick with tears.
"Live, my daughter."
The vision shattered.
Lyra crumbled onto the stone, sobs wracking her body.
"My... mother..."
A clap echoed through the ruins.
Darius entered, smiling coldly.
"So, you finally remember."
Kaiden skidded in right behind him, catching his breath and his face went pale when he saw the place.
"The Temple of the First Moon..."
Darius laughed a harsh, taunting sound.
"History’s waking up."
He yanked a long silver blade from under his cloak.
"This time... the White Wolf bloodline ends here."
Lyra raised her head. Her eyes flashed once brown, now pure silver.
Finally, the wolf in her broke free.
- Writer
