Moonlight Surrender

Chapter 5: Shattered Truths

Rory's breath was short as she stared at the stone altar before her and the air around it thick with tension. Elaborate carvings of wolves and star symbols adorned its surface shimmering softly under the moon. She had no notion how Asher had managed to persuade her to follow behind him to this hidden clearing but now that she stood there she could feel its ancient power vibrating beneath her feet.

Asher stayed close to her and his expression unreadable. He'd spoken little while they strolled through the woods and his sure self repressed by a rigidity that unsettled her. His silver eyes flashed with a ferocity that ran chills down her spine.

"What is this place?" Rory whispered and her voice hardly audible. The sound sent a forlorn resonance through the silence.

"The Moonstone Altar" Asher answered softly and his eyes wide with awe "Where our people make offerings to the moon goddess, it's sacred."

"Sacred?" Rory's tone hardened as her frustration was revealed "You brought me out here at midnight to show me some old rocks? What am I to do with that?"

Asher's eyes snapped to hers and a warning spark in his "This is not just about the altar Rory. It's about you."

She stiffened "Me?"

He nodded advancing a step and his presence was overwhelming as the air between them heavy with unspoken tension "There's something you have to know, something i've been trying to keep from you."

Rory's heart beat faster and her fists clenched "You say you want to protect me? You've done nothing but provide me with half-truths and subtle warnings. I have a right to know Asher."

"And I'm telling you now!" he snapped and his voice biting. He took a breath struggling visibly to hold back his temper "The rogues weren't attacking you by accident that night, they were following you."

Everything around her seemed to spin "What? Why?"

Asher's jaw snapped shut "Because you're not just human Rory. You're bound to the goddess of the moon in ways I can't even comprehend myself."

Rory's mind spun as she struggled to get her head around what he'd said "That's crazy, i'm a normal person—a journalism major for Pete's sake. I'm not special or anything."

"You're wrong" His tone softened but his eyes never left hers "I've felt it from the moment I met you that there's something inside of you—something powerful. The rogues sense it too and they'll kill to acquire it."

Rory's hands trembled as she backed away and her chest thudding in her chest "You're insane. This is insane."

Asher moved closer to steady her, his eyes pleading "I'm being honest with you Rory. Your dreams, your gut feelings and your connection to the paranormal—they're not coincidences. You're attached to this place in ways that you've just begun to acknowledge."

Before she could respond, a low growl rattled in the clearing and Rory's blood ran cold as she turned to face the sound and her eyes locked on the dark shape emerging from the trees. It was another rogue werewolf and its eyes burning with malevolent hunger.

Asher stepped in front of her and his body tense as he prepared for fight "Stay behind me" he snarled and his voice low.

But the rogue didn't attack. It stopped inches from the altar and its eyes flicking from Rory to Asher. And then it said, its words rasping and guttural "The girl belongs to us."

Rory's breathing caught as she realized the complete impact of the rogue's statement. Asher snarled, his entire body shaking with barely contained anger. "She's under my protection and you'll have to go through me if you want her."

The rogue’s lips curled into a sinister grin “We’re not afraid of you Alpha Asher. The moon goddess’s blood runs in her veins and we’ll take what’s ours."

Rory’s knees nearly buckled “What are they talking about?” she whispered and her voice trembling.

Asher remained silent. He assaulted the rogue instead, their bodies colliding and shaking the clearing. Claws raked and fangs were bared, and their battle turned into a brute symphony of violence.

Rory stepped back, her mind in disarray. The words of the rogue echoed in her head: The blood of the moon goddess runs through her veins. Was he lying? Did something otherworldly reside in her?

The fight was over as soon as it began. Asher had won out, the outlaw's lifeless body crashing onto the ground. Asher wheeled around toward Rory with his chest heaving and his silver eyes burning with desire.

"We're running out of time" he groaned, his voice taut "You have to determine whether or not you're willing to deal with the truth. Because if you're not, more of them will show up and the next time, i may not be able to rescue you."

Rory stared at him, her heart pounding. The weight of his words weighed heavily on her, suffocating and unavoidable. She didn't know it all, but there was one thing she was certain of: her life would never be the same again.

The woods surrounded Rory as she trekked further into the heart of Asher's property. The atmosphere was thick with tension and each step vibrating her resolve to find out what had happened. The moon poured through the trees above producing an ethereal shine on the forest floor. Rory's breath misted in the chill night air but anger churned in her heart.

Asher finally stopped in a small clearing turning to confront her. His usually serene silver eyes blazed now with anger and hurt.

"Why did you follow me?" he snarled and his deep voice shaking with fury.

Rory braced her shoulders "Because you keep walking away every time I need answers. You saved me, pulled me into this world and now you can't expect me to sit quietly while everything that's around me is falling apart at the seams?" Her words trembled but the expression in her eyes was unshakable.

Asher's jaw tightened and his fists clenching "You don't know what you're asking Rory. The truth, you can't just turn your back on it. Once you know it then there's no going back."

"Perhaps I don't want to go back" she replied icily stepping closer "Perhaps I'm tired of living in the dark. You owe me, Asher. After everything I've endured."