Silver Moon Rising

Chapter 4

MADISON

"Our parents died in a rogue attack," I said, my voice barely a whisper. "Three years ago."

Marcus laughed, but there was no humor in it. "Is that what they told you? And you believed them?"

"I was there!" The words ripped from my throat. "I saw the rogues. I saw—"

"You saw what they wanted you to see." Marcus stepped into the office, and Nile immediately positioned himself between us. Marcus raised his hands peacefully. "I'm not here to hurt her. I'm here to protect her."

"Start talking," Nile commanded. "And make it convincing, or you'll be leaving in pieces."

Marcus's eyes flashed silver—exactly like mine did. "Our parents weren't killed by rogues. They were murdered by the Crimson Pack's previous Alpha. Ryker's father."

The floor seemed to drop out from under me. "No. That's not possible."

"Our bloodline is special, Madison. Silver wolves are born from an ancient line, blessed by the original moon goddess. We're stronger, faster, and our mates bonds are more powerful than regular wolves." He looked at Nile. "That's why you feel it so strongly. A silver wolf's true mate bond is unbreakable."

"But I lived in the Crimson Pack for three years after they died. Why would they keep me around if—"

"To control you. To hide what you are." Marcus's jaw clenched. "They knew if you manifested as a silver wolf, you'd be too powerful to control. So they suppressed your wolf, convinced you that you were just a weak omega. Ryker's father ordered it before he died last year."

"And Ryker knew?" My voice broke.

"He knew everything. The false mate bond was intentional—a way to keep you contained. But when you turned eighteen and your true nature started fighting the suppression, the fake bond began to fail. That's why he rejected you."

I sank into a chair, my mind reeling. Everything I'd known was a lie. My parents' death. My weakness. My mate.

"How do you know all this?" Nile demanded.

"Because I've been hunting the truth for three years." Marcus pulled out a worn journal. "Our mother kept records. She knew something was wrong, suspected the Crimson Pack was planning something. She hid this before she died."

He handed me the journal. My mother's familiar handwriting made my eyes burn with tears.

"Where have you been?" I whispered. "If you knew all this, where were you?"

Pain flickered across his face. "They told me you were dead. Showed me a body. I believed them until six months ago when I caught your scent near the border. I've been tracking you ever since, but the Crimson Pack had you so heavily guarded..."

"Until they threw me out."

"Their biggest mistake." Marcus's eyes gleamed. "They just released the most powerful wolf of our generation."

"I don't feel powerful."

"You will." He glanced at Nile. "Especially with your true mate to anchor you. The bond will unlock abilities you can't imagine."

Nile's hand found my shoulder, steady and reassuring. "What kind of abilities?"

"Silver wolves can heal others, sense lies, and in rare cases..." Marcus hesitated. "Command other Alphas."

The room went silent.

"That's why they killed our parents," Marcus continued. "They were afraid of what we could become. Two silver wolves in one generation? It hadn't happened in centuries."

"The Crimson Pack will come for her again," Nile said. "If what you're saying is true, they can't afford to let her live."

"They'll try. But now she has protection." Marcus looked at me. "And she has family."

Family. The word made my chest tight. For three years, I'd been alone, believing I was an orphan. Now I had a brother. A mate. A pack that had defended me.

"I need time," I said, standing on shaky legs. "This is too much."

"Madison—" Nile started.

"Please. I just... I need to think."

I fled the office, ignoring both men calling after me. My feet carried me through the pack house and out into the forest. I needed to run, to let my wolf free, to figure out what was real anymore.

The shift came easier this time, silver fur rippling over my skin like water. I ran deeper into the forest, following trails I didn't know, just needing to move.

A howl echoed behind me. Nile. My wolf wanted to turn back, to run to our mate, but I pushed forward. I needed space to breathe.

I found a clearing with a small pond and shifted back, sitting on a fallen log. The journal was still clutched in my hand—apparently, it had somehow survived my shift. Magic, probably. Everything else in my life seemed to be magical now.

I opened it with trembling fingers.

My dearest Madison and Marcus,

If you're reading this, then your father and I are gone, and the Crimson Pack has finally made their move. I'm sorry we couldn't protect you better. But you need to know the truth.

You are not weak. You are not ordinary. You are the children of moonlight itself, born to reshape the world of wolves. The Crimson Pack fears this. They will try to break you, control you, or kill you.

Trust no one from that pack. Find each other. Find your true mates—they will be powerful, worthy of standing beside silver wolves. Together, you can destroy the corruption that plagues our kind.

Remember: the moon goddess doesn't make mistakes. Everything that happens is leading you to your destiny.

All my love,

Mom

Tears streamed down my face. She knew. She knew what would happen and tried to warn us.

"You run fast for someone with an injured ankle."

I spun to find Nile standing at the edge of the clearing, his chest heaving like he'd been running.

"I told you I needed space."

"And I gave you a five-minute head start." He moved closer, cautious like I might bolt again. "But you're in danger out here alone, and my wolf won't let you out of our sight. Not after today."

"Your wolf or you?"

"Both." He sat beside me on the log, careful not to touch me. "Want to talk about it?"

"My entire life is a lie." I stared at the pond, watching the sunset colors ripple across the water. "Everything I believed about myself was wrong."

"Not everything."

I looked at him skeptically.

"You're still a fighter. Still brave. Still stubborn as hell." A small smile tugged at his lips. "Still the woman who stood up to her former mate even after being rejected. Those things are real."

"How can you be so sure about me? About us? We just met yesterday."

"Because my wolf has never been wrong." He finally touched me, just his pinky finger hooking mine. "And because when I saw you at the bottom of that ravine, I felt something I haven't felt since Sarah died. Hope."

"I'm scared," I admitted. "What if I'm not strong enough for this? What if the Crimson Pack comes back? What if—"

"Then we face it together." He turned to look at me fully. "Madison, I'm not asking you to love me today. I'm not asking you to accept the mate bond. I'm just asking you to try. To give us a chance."

"What about your pack? Your council?"

"Will accept you or answer to me." His eyes flashed silver. "You're not just some random wolf anymore. You're a silver wolf. My mate. That makes you their Luna, whether they like it or not."

Luna. The title Ryker had denied me. But from Nile's lips, it sounded right. Sounded like destiny.

"Okay," I whispered.

"Okay?"

"I'll try. But I need time to know you. To trust this."

"Take all the time you need." He stood, offering me his hand. "But let's go back. Your brother's probably driving my staff crazy with his pacing."

I took his hand, sparks shooting up my arm at the contact. We walked back slowly, and I found myself leaning into his warmth.

As the pack house came into view, I saw Marcus standing on the porch, tension in every line of his body. When he saw us, relief flooded his face.

"Thank the goddess," he breathed. "I thought—"

A howl cut through the air. Then another. And another.

Nile went rigid. "That's the border patrol. We're under attack."

Warriors poured out of the pack house, shifting mid-run. Rebecca appeared with clothes for me—practical fighting gear.

"What's happening?" I asked, pulling on the clothes quickly.

"Scouts report a large force moving in from the south," Rebecca said. "Crimson Pack wolves."

"Ryker," I snarled.

"No," Marcus said, his face pale. "Not just Ryker. I recognize some of those howls. He's allied with the Savage Moon Pack."

Nile cursed. "How many?"

"At least a hundred. Maybe more."

"We have sixty trained warriors," Nile said, already shifting into strategy mode. "We can hold them, but—"

"You have sixty-two," I interrupted. "Marcus and I fight too."

"Madison, you just learned what you are. You're not ready—"

"I've been fighting my whole life." I let my wolf rise to the surface, feeling her power like never before. "Just not as myself. That changes now."

Marcus grinned, looking truly happy for the first time since he'd arrived. "That's our bloodline talking."

Nile looked like he wanted to argue, but another howl—this one of pain—changed his mind.

"Stay close to me," he commanded, then raised his voice. "Shadow Mountain Pack! Defend your home!"

The answering howls shook the forest.

As we ran toward the border, I caught Ryker's scent on the wind. But there was something else too. Something that made my wolf snarl with recognition.

Wolfsbane. They were using poison.

"Nile!" I shouted. "It's a trap! They have—"

The explosion knocked me off my feet. Fire erupted along our border, and through the smoke, I saw them. Not just a hundred wolves.

Three hundred. Maybe more.

And leading them, his eyes glowing with unnatural red light, was Ryker.

But that wasn't what made my blood freeze.

Standing beside him was someone I thought was dead. Someone whose death had started all of this.

Ryker's father.

The previous Alpha of the Crimson Pack was very much alive.

And he was looking right at me with a smile that promised death.