Chapter 10: The Night Before the Moon
808 Words
The air felt wrong.
Too still.
Too quiet.
The full moon would rise tomorrow.
And my power knew it.
I woke before dawn, gasping.
Golden light flickered across my skin.
Not soft.
Not controlled.
Wild.
The mark on my shoulder burned like fire.
I stumbled out of bed just as energy exploded outward.
The windows shattered.
The walls cracked.
A shockwave tore through my room.
Footsteps thundered down the hallway.
“ARIA!”
Aiden.
He burst through the door just as another surge ripped from me.
The ground split beneath my feet.
I couldn’t breathe.
“It hurts,” I choked.
The light wasn’t warm anymore.
It was scorching.
Too much.
Too fast.
The ceremony was supposed to unlock my power slowly.
But something was triggering it early.
Aiden didn’t hesitate.
He crossed the room through flying debris and pulled me into his arms.
The second he touched me—
The surge intensified.
Then shifted.
Like it was choosing him.
“Look at me,” he ordered.
But his voice sounded strained.
His own wolf was rising.
His eyes glowed bright gold.
The bond between us flared violently.
Energy spiraled around us like a storm.
The pack gathered outside, frightened murmurs echoing through the house.
I felt it then.
Something else.
Not just my power.
A presence.
Dark.
Watching.
---
“It’s not just you,” Aiden said through clenched teeth.
“Someone is pushing it.”
Cold realization crawled up my spine.
Vanessa.
She had access to forbidden rituals.
To rogue wolves.
To blood magic.
Another surge slammed through me.
This one different.
Heavier.
Shadowed.
Aiden growled low in his throat.
“Shift,” he commanded suddenly.
“What?”
“Shift, Aria. Now.”
I had never shifted fully before.
Not like this.
Not under pressure.
But instinct took over.
Pain ripped through my body.
Bones cracked.
Heat consumed me.
And then—
Freedom.
I landed on four paws.
Gold fur.
Larger than I expected.
Brighter than any wolf in the clearing.
The pack gasped.
Even Aiden froze for half a second.
Then he shifted too.
His massive black wolf stood beside me.
Powerful.
Dominant.
Steady.
The storm of energy swirled around us again.
But in wolf form—
It didn’t feel chaotic.
It felt ancient.
Connected to the moon.
Connected to the earth.
The dark presence pressed closer.
Testing.
Trying to provoke another explosion.
Aiden stepped in front of me protectively.
But I growled.
Low.
Strong.
Not prey.
Not weak.
Mine.
The golden light surged outward from my chest.
But this time—
I directed it.
Toward the darkness.
It collided with something unseen.
A screech tore through the forest.
Not human.
Not wolf.
Something twisted.
The shadow recoiled.
Retreated.
Silence crashed down.
The storm vanished.
The golden light faded slowly.
My paws trembled.
Aiden nudged my neck gently.
Pride radiated from him.
You did that.
I shifted back first this time.
Falling into his arms as exhaustion hit.
His hands gripped my waist.
“You fought it,” he said softly.
“No.”
I shook my head weakly.
“I fought her.”
His expression darkened instantly.
“Vanessa.”
“Yes.”
The name felt poisonous on my tongue.
“She’s not just jealous,” I whispered.
“She’s desperate.”
---
Later that evening, the pack gathered.
News had spread.
I had shifted.
Successfully.
Powerfully.
The Alpha Council would hear by morning.
But so would Vanessa.
Aiden stood beside me during the meeting.
His presence steadying.
“She won’t stop,” Beta Marcus warned.
“If she’s working with rogues, tomorrow won’t just be a ceremony.”
“It’ll be a challenge,” Aiden finished.
His hand found mine under the table.
Squeezed once.
Grounding.
I squeezed back.
Stronger.
“I’m ready,” I said quietly.
But inside—
Fear lingered.
Not of my power.
Of what someone would do to destroy it.
---
That night…
I stood outside again.
The moon was nearly full.
Massive.
Silver.
Aiden came to stand behind me.
No words at first.
Just warmth.
“You scared me this morning,” he admitted.
I leaned back into him.
“I scared myself.”
His arms wrapped around my waist.
“You weren’t losing control.”
“You were defending it.”
His lips brushed the curve of my shoulder.
Gentle.
Reassuring.
But tension lingered beneath the surface.
Tomorrow would test more than strength.
It would test loyalty.
Trust.
Survival.
“You won’t let them take me, will you?” I whispered.
He turned me around slowly.
His expression wasn’t soft anymore.
It was Alpha.
Dangerous.
“No one takes what’s mine.”
The bond pulsed again.
Deep.
Claiming.
Protective.
And for the first time—
I believed we could survive the ceremony.
But survival wasn’t the same as victory.
And somewhere in the forest…
Vanessa smiled.
- Writer
