The days leading up to the full moon were a brutal blur of work. Every muscle in my body screamed with protest from the relentless training of the hunters and warriors, ordered by Alpha Draco.
Omegas like me worked day and night, ensuring they were well-fed, their weapons polished, their readiness complete. The air in the pack house was tense, heavy with expectation, as if the forest itself was holding its breath, waiting for something big to happen.This night felt different.Quiet.Too quiet.Like the calm before a storm, or the silence before a scream.The time for transformation would come soon. Some lone wolves, those who had never shifted before, might finally find their destined change.
Others, older, more volatile, would fight the curse of the moon, locking themselves in heavy chains to keep the madness from destroying them—or anyone else who dared to come close. Omegas like me? We didn't shift. At least… we weren't supposed to. We were supposedly safe.I hid in the tiny, cramped room I shared with Jessie. When I entered, she sat stiffly on her bed, her sharp eyes burning into me, knowing, accusing.She knew. I felt it, a cold knot in my stomach, even before she opened her mouth.
"What are you?" she asked softly, her voice barely a whisper, yet it cut through the air like a knife.I froze, every nerve ending screaming. My heart pounded in my chest, a frantic drum against my ribs.
"Wh-what do you mean?" I said, forcing my voice to stay calm, to sound innocent.Her gaze dropped to her hand. My messenger stone, the small, smooth obsidian orb I used to communicate with my clan, glowed faintly in her palm, a betraying beacon of my secret.Panic surged through me, cold and overwhelming.
I lunged, snatching it back from her grasp.There was only one message burned into the stone tonight, a single, cryptic line:"The full moon is near. The tether weakens. Remain unseen."That was all. No clear instructions. No urgent warnings. No sign of escape. Just a chilling reminder of my perilous situation.Jessie stood akimbo, her hands on her hips, waiting—demanding answers. Her eyes burned with a mix of fear and hurt.I couldn't let her find out.
Not about my mission, my deep-seated revenge, the lies I carried. Not about my past, which was far more complicated than she could ever imagine."I know what this is," she said softly, her voice filled with a strange, knowing pity."No, you don't," I snapped, clutching the stone tight, as if its cool surface could ground me.Her voice turned sharper, frustration lacing her words. "I do. I've seen one before. When I ran from my old pack… when the witches took me in for a time. They used these. Messenger stones. You're hiding something, Elara. Something big."I swallowed hard, my throat dry. A cold sweat broke out on my skin. I needed to lie. Fast. It was the only way to survive.
"Yes," I said carefully, trying to make my voice sound shaky, believable. "I stole it from the witches when I escaped. I thought… I could trade it one day for safety or protection, if I ever needed to leave this pack. That's all. A bargaining chip."Her stare softened slightly. She seemed to believe me, her fear easing for a moment."You don't need that," she said, her voice now gentle. "The Alpha protects anyone loyal to him. No witch, no spell, no curse can touch you while he rules. This pack is strong, Elara. You'll see. And he's stronger than any witch or rival Alpha out there.
Koi" Her eyes flicked to the door, as if checking for unseen ears.She seemed to buy it. Or at least, she wanted to. But her hand hesitated on the door handle, a flicker of uncertainty in her gaze."It's the full moon tonight," she muttered, her voice low. "I'm hiding out till it passes. I'm not sure how safe the barracks are.
""Me too," I blurted before I could stop myself, the words escaping before I could think.Jessie turned sharply, her head tilting, her eyes narrowing. "Why? You don't shift. You're Omega. You're safe during the moon... unless..." Her voice trailed off, a cold, dawning horror spreading across her face. "Unless you can cast spells... unless you feel the moon's pull... like a witch does."I stiffened, every muscle in my body tensing. My heart hammered against my ribs. My breath hitched.
"Are you a witch, Elara?" she whispered, fear finally creeping into her voice, a palpable scent of dread now radiating from her.My throat dried completely. I couldn't risk the truth. Couldn't ruin my mission—or my life. Not when everything depended on my deception.
"I'm an Omega," I said firmly, forcing conviction into my voice, even as my core trembled. "Raised by witches... but wolf by birth." I held up the stone, a desperate prop. "This is all I kept from them. Nothing more. No magic inside me, just the stone outside."Jessie stayed frozen, uncertain, her mind clearly grappling with my words. "No true witch can cast without power. They need the moon's pull, a direct connection. Maybe you were... both? A witch and a wolf?" She laughed nervously, a brittle, disbelieving sound. "But that's impossible. Everyone knows that.
One of them—the child or the parent—would die at birth. It's the oldest law."My stomach turned cold, then twisted into a painful knot. The blood drained from my face, leaving me lightheaded. Impossible. Every truth I had ever known, every story I'd been told about my birth, was a lie. Was I a lie? A terrifying, gaping hole opened up in my understanding of myself. Was that true? Had I been lied to all my life? Who were my parents, then? The unanswered questions screamed in my mind, a torment I couldn't escape.Jessie finally seemed to dismiss the idea, shaking her head, the fear in her eyes replaced by lingering confusion. But the doubt gnawed at me, a relentless ache, as I moved for the door."Where are you going?" she asked, her voice softer now."Air. I need air. This room... it's too small tonight.""Be careful," she warned, her eyes still holding a hint of worry. "If you really are... you know... they'll smell it. Especially the feral ones tonight, when their senses are heightened." She tried to make it sound like a joke, but her voice cracked."I'll be in the study room," I lied softly, my hand already on the door handle. "It's safer there. Just until the moon rises."She didn't stop me.I slipped out into the hall, the silence oppressive. The pack's old study, dark and untouched, seemed perfect for hiding. The air inside was cool and calm, a welcome relief from the tension outside. Books lined the walls, ancient and silent. A single lantern flickered in the corner, casting long, dancing shadows.For a moment... peace. A precious, fleeting moment.Then everything shifted.The air thickened around me, growing heavy and charged. The very walls seemed to groan, creaking under an unseen pressure. A sound split the oppressive silence—bones cracking, twisting, stretching—the unmistakable, agonizing sound of a powerful wolf's first shift, or a controlled, painful change, happening nearby.And then the scent—earthy, wild, sharp—the overpowering aroma of the forest awakening, of raw, untamed power. It was the scent of a true Alpha, magnificent and terrifying. It filled my nose, overwhelming everything else.The full moon had come.And something terrible, something immensely powerful, was waking with it, closer than I could have imagined.