The Trials Of The Moonbound Wolf

Chapter four

My whole body trembled as I spun around so fast my neck hurt, but the forest was empty…only the trees surrounded me.

"Who are you?" I whispered.

No answer came…

The wolf howled again, closer this time. The voice was no longer coming from the forest; it was inside my head.

I clutched my chest, struggling to breathe.

"No," I whispered. "This isn't real."

My hand began to burn as the silver mark had returned, glowing beneath my skin.

A sharp pain shot through my palm, and I gasped.

I did not wait to find out what would happen next; I ran.

Branches whipped my face, and roots caught my boots, but I kept going.

I reached the pack house, shoved through the back door, and locked it behind me.

I ran to my room, shut the door and leant against it, gasping for air.

My hand still burned. I looked at it; the mark was gone, but I could still feel it.

I barely slept that night; whenever I closed my eyes, I saw the silver wolf and the baby crying in the snow.

By morning, I was exhausted.

Then the bell rang… Three long rings cut through the morning air, and the bell rang for only one reason.

The trials.

My stomach dropped…

Even though Darius already told me I would join the trial, the bell still frightened me. The ritual needed Alpha Kael to announce it officially.

I sat up, pulled on my clothes and hurried downstairs.

Wolves filled the great hall. They whispered among themselves while families held their young ones close. The older wolves stood near the walls, watching silently.

Kael stood on the stone platform at the front. His eyes moved across the crowd as if he were counting every wolf in the room.

When he spoke, his voice filled every corner.

"Eighteen-year-olds, step forward."

My blood turned cold as wolves began to move.

Elias pushed through the crowd with a smile on his face. Mara followed with her chin high, along with four others I knew from training.

They stood in a line.

I did not move.

Kael's eyes found me.

"Lyra."

My cheeks burned as everyone turned to look at me. I could feel their stares, the ones who called me broken, behind my back.

I walked forward slowly; each step felt like walking through deep water.

When I reached the line, Kael nodded.

Then he said the words I had feared my whole life.

"The Moonbound Trials begin at sunrise tomorrow."

He paused…

"Seven of you will enter the arena. You will be tested on strength, speed, and survival."

My hands began to shake.

"Those who pass will earn their place in this pack. Those who fail..."

He let the silence finish his sentence.

Everyone knew what failure meant.

The weak died there.

"The trials are old," Kael continued. "They are older than any of us. The arena does not care about your name or your bloodline. It cares about one thing."

His eyes locked onto mine.

"Survival."

Mara raised her hand.

"What if someone refuses?"

The hall fell silent.

Kael smiled.

"There is no refusal. The moon calls, and we answer."

I opened my mouth before I could stop myself.

"Please." The word came out small.

Kael turned towards me.

"I cannot shift," I said. My voice broke. "You know I cannot. If I go in there..."

"You will do what every wolf before you has done," Kael said. "You will fight."

"I cannot fight the way they can." I pointed at Mara and Elias. "They have claws and speed. I have nothing."

The room became so quiet I could hear a candle dripping wax somewhere behind me.

Kael stepped down and walked towards me. He stopped and bent closer.

"You have nothing because you have earned nothing," he said quietly. "The moon does not favour the weak."

"I prayed," I whispered. "I did everything."

"Not everything." He turned and walked back.

Something inside me cracked.

"Please," I said again, louder this time. "I am begging you not to make me do this."

Kael stopped with his back to me.

Tears ran down my face. I did not care who saw it.

"I will train harder… I will pray every night, and I will bleed for this pack until I have nothing left to give. Just do not send me into that arena."

I fell to my knees.

"Please."

I watched Kael turn around.

"You beg," he said. "Begging will not save you. The trials are not a punishment, Lyra. They are a gift."

"A gift?" My voice was sharp. "Wolves die there. Weak wolves, and I am the weakest one here."

Kael nodded.

"Yes. You are."

He picked up charcoal and a scroll. Names were already written there… Elias, Mara, and the others.

Then Kael wrote my name first.

At the top of the list.

"I will enter the arena with you," he said. "I will watch every move you make, and when you fall, I will carry your body to your father myself."

The whole room suddenly spun around me.

I tried to stand, but my legs would not hold me.

Mara caught my arm, her grip tight.

"Do not fight it," she whispered. "It only hurts more if you fight it."

Kael rolled up the scroll and handed it to an elder.

Then he looked at me one last time.

"Tomorrow at sunrise. Do not be late."

He walked out of the hall.

The crowd moved as they returned to their rooms. No one looked at me.

Mara released my arm. She opened her mouth, then closed it and walked away.

I remained kneeling on the cold floor while the candles flickered.

Suddenly, my palm started burning.

I looked down,the silver mark had returned.

It was shining brighter than before; its light spread across the floor.

My legs shook as I tried to stand,then I heard a soft voice close to me.

"Lyra."

I froze…