Beneath the silver moon
828 Words
Sleep never came easily after the visions.
Every time Liora closed her eyes, she saw fire consuming kingdoms and silver blood staining the ground beneath a broken moon. Sometimes she heard whispers calling her name from the darkness.
Other times…
She heard the Shadow King.
By morning, exhaustion clung to her body like chains.
Liora sat near the large bedroom window inside the Nightfang mansion, staring at the cloudy sky outside. The territory below was already awake. Warriors trained in the courtyard while wolves moved between the buildings.
Everything here felt alive.
Dangerously alive.
A knock sounded at the door.
Before she could answer, Nyra entered carrying folded black clothing.
“You’re training today,” she said bluntly.
Liora frowned. “Good morning to you too.”
Nyra ignored the comment and tossed the clothes onto the bed.
Liora picked them up carefully. “What exactly am I training for?”
Nyra crossed her arms. “Survival.”
Fair enough.
Half an hour later, Liora followed Nyra through the massive training grounds behind the mansion. Several Nightfang warriors stopped what they were doing the second she appeared.
Their stares made her uncomfortable.
Some looked curious.
Others looked afraid.
One warrior quickly lowered his head when her eyes met his.
Liora still wasn’t used to that.
At the center of the field stood Kael.
His dark shirt clung to his body from training, exposing fading scars across his arms and chest. Even standing still, he radiated authority powerful enough to silence the entire area.
The moment he noticed her, the warriors stepped farther back.
Kael walked toward her slowly.
“You’re late.”
Liora blinked. “By two minutes.”
“You should work on that.”
Nyra smirked slightly before leaving them alone.
Liora sighed. “You people are unbelievably dramatic.”
To her surprise, the corner of Kael’s mouth twitched faintly.
Not quite a smile.
But close.
“Today,” he said, “you learn control.”
Liora glanced at her wrist nervously. The silver mark remained faint beneath her skin.
“And if I accidentally explode again?”
Kael’s expression stayed calm. “Then I’ll stop you.”
The confidence in his voice unsettled her.
“Comforting.”
Kael walked toward the middle of the field. “The Silver Luna’s power responds to emotion. Fear, anger, pain… they trigger your abilities.”
Liora folded her arms. “So basically my emotions are trying to kill people.”
“Currently? Yes.”
She groaned softly.
Kael stopped several feet away from her. “Focus on my voice.”
The warriors surrounding the field watched silently now.
Liora tried ignoring them.
“Close your eyes,” Kael instructed.
Reluctantly, she obeyed.
The cool wind brushed against her skin while distant wolf howls echoed through the mountains.
“Breathe slowly,” Kael said quietly.
Liora inhaled deeply.
“Feel the energy beneath your skin.”
At first, nothing happened.
Then warmth spread through her chest.
Silver light flickered faintly beneath her hands.
Liora’s breathing quickened.
“I feel something.”
“Don’t fight it.”
The warmth grew stronger.
Images flashed briefly through her mind again, but this time they were calmer.
Moonlight.
Ancient wolves.
A silver crown resting on stone.
The energy surrounding her slowly brightened.
Around the field, several warriors stepped backward nervously.
Kael remained still.
“Good,” he murmured.
Then suddenly
Pain exploded through Liora’s chest.
Her eyes flew open.
Dark shadows crawled across the ground around her like living smoke.
The temperature dropped instantly.
Kael’s expression hardened.
Liora grabbed her head as another voice entered her mind.
You belong to me.
The Shadow King.
“No…” she whispered.
The shadows around her thickened violently.
Warriors reached for weapons.
Kael moved instantly, grabbing her shoulders.
“Liora.”
She could barely hear him.
The darkness inside her mind kept growing.
Find me.
“Get out of my head!” she cried.
Silver energy burst from her body.
A shockwave ripped across the training ground, throwing several warriors backward.
The shadows disappeared immediately.
Liora collapsed to her knees, breathing hard.
Silence covered the field.
Kael crouched beside her quickly. “Look at me.”
Her silver eyes slowly lifted toward his.
Fear filled them completely.
“He keeps talking to me,” she whispered shakily.
Kael’s jaw tightened. “What did he say?”
Liora swallowed hard.
“That I belong to him.”
A dangerous growl escaped Kael’s throat.
The sound wasn’t human.
For the first time, genuine anger burned inside his gray eyes.
“No one owns you,” he said coldly.
The intensity in his voice stunned her.
Kael helped her stand carefully, but before either of them could move, a warrior suddenly rushed into the training grounds.
“Alpha!”
Kael turned immediately. “What happened?”
The warrior looked pale.
“We found another village.”
Liora’s stomach dropped.
“Destroyed,” the warrior finished quietly. “No survivors.”
- Writer
