Chapter 21:
The darkness that surrounded me started to gradually disappear, showing a gentle light that filled the area. I blinked and looked around at where I was now. The place where I had spent my birthday with my pack was no more. Instead, I was in a misty realm under a soft moonlit sky.
As my vision cleared, I checked my hands. I was so surprised! My body looked like it was made of fog, with a faint white glow that matched my heartbeats.
Before I could panic, a melodic voice called out, echoing through the mist. “Aurora,” it sang, soft and alluring. “My child, at last you’ve come.”
I turned in circles, searching for where the voice was coming from. The fog moved and cleared, showing me a sight that left me speechless. A lady of incredible beauty was standing in front of me, her long silver hair flowing down her back like a stream of shining stars. Her eyes sparkled like two bright moons, full of kindness and profound knowledge.
“Who are you?” I asked quietly.
The lady smiled, and it was like seeing the sun come up. “I am Amara,” she said, her voice strong and filled with love. “The Moon Goddess. And you, my dear Aurora, are my daughter.”
I stepped back, feeling confused by what she said. “That can’t be true,” I stuttered. “My parents are dead. I grew up all alone, living a terrible life until-”
“Until you met your mate and your true nature begins to awaken,” Amara finished for me. She approached slowly, giving me time to process. She gently cradled my face with her hands. Upon her touch, a warm feeling rushed over me. It felt like I had just come back home. A piece of me that I didn’t realize was gone had suddenly come back.
“How?” I breathed, leaning into her touch despite my confusion.
Amara’s eyes were bright with tears she didn’t let fall.
When she waved her hand, the foggy air near us started to sparkle and transform. All at once, I was seeing moments from a past life I couldn’t recall. I saw myself as a baby, held by my dad, my little body shining with the same soft light that was now flowing through me. My mother Amara stood nearby, her expression a mix of love and sorrow.
“I had to hide your true nature,” Amara explained as we watched the scenes unfold. “There are wolves who would seek to exploit your power. I placed a veil over your divine essence, allowing you to grow up as a normal wolf.”
The images shifted, showing me glimpses of my childhood. I saw myself playing in the backyard, laughing with friends at school, all the while unaware of the dormant power within me.
“But why reveal this to me now?” I asked, turning back to Amara. “Why did my powers start manifesting?”
Amara’s expression grew serious. “Because a great darkness is rising, my daughter. A threat that endangers both the wolves and realm of the gods.”
With another gesture, the misty visions changed once more. I saw shadowy creatures writhing in the darkness, battles yet to come, cities laid to waste. My heart raced as I recognized faces in the chaos Xander, Selene, Zara, members of my pack fighting for their lives against an unseen evil.
“The veil I placed on your powers was always meant to be temporary,” Amara continued. “As you’ve grown, as you’ve faced challenges and formed bonds with your pack, your true nature has begun to emerge. The surge of power you felt on your birthday was the final barrier breaking down.”
I closed my eyes, recalling the intense surge of power, the sensation of something inside me fighting to escape. When I opened them again, I looked at Amara with fresh resolve.
“What do I need to do?” I asked.
Amara smiled, pride shining in her eyes. “Embrace your heritage, my brave girl. The power of the moon, of the wild, of the very fabric of nature itself it all flows through your veins. You are the bridge between two worlds, Aurora. Only by fully accepting both sides of yourself can you hope to face the trials ahead.”
As she talked, I felt a pulling feeling, like something wanted to take me away from this dreamy place. Far off, I heard a voice I knew calling my name. Xander.
“Your mate is calling you,” Amara said, sounding a bit sad. “We don’t have much time left.”
“Hold on!” I shouted, trying to grab her. “There’s so much more I need to learn!”
Amara held my hands, her touch making me feel warm and strong. “Believe in yourself, Aurora. Believe in the connections you’ve made. The answers you want will come with time.”
She leaned in and gave me a soft kiss on my forehead. As her lips touched me, I felt a last burst of power and knowledge enter me. Old words and lost rituals flashed through my mind, quick but gone, yet I knew they’d come back when I needed them.
The foggy place around us started to disappear, and the pull back to my real body got stronger. Just as I felt myself slipping away, Amara’s voice rang out one last time, clear and tinged with urgency:
“Beware the blood moon, my daughter. On that night, the destiny of both our worlds will be at risk.”
I woke up suddenly, gasping, and found myself back in the open space. Xander’s concerned face was close to mine, holding me securely. The group circled us, showing a blend of worry and wonder.
“Aurora?” Xander’s voice sounded rough, like he had been shouting my name for a long time. “Can you hear me? Are you okay?”
I blinked, trying to process everything I had just experienced. How could I explain what just happened? While I searched for words, I noticed a change in myself. The intense power I felt before fainting had turned into a constant, gentle energy under my skin, like moonlight flowing through me.
I sat up slowly, with Xander’s help. “I’m okay,” I said, sounding more confident than I felt. “Actually, I feel better than okay.”
A group of people felt relieved and relaxed. Selene and Zara moved to the front, kneeling next to me.
“What happened?” I asked, looking around. “You began to shine, and then you suddenly fell down.”
I took a deep breath, trying to gather my thoughts. How could I explain everything I had just found out?
“I met someone,” I began hesitantly. “In a sort of… dream realm, I guess you could call it.”
Xander squeezed my hand more firmly. “Who?” he asked.
I looked into his eyes and saw a blend of affection and concern. “My birth mother,” I replied gently. “Amara, the Moon Goddess.”
A wave of surprise rippled through the gathering. I caught snippets of disbelief like “that’s not possible” and “it can’t be true,” but I continued.
“I understand it seems unbelievable,” I said, my tone gaining more confidence as I talked. “But it’s the truth. The power I’ve been developing, the white wolf form it’s all because I’m her daughter.”
I watched as the pack processed this information. Some looked skeptical, others awed. Xander’s face showed no clear emotion, but he still held on to my hand.
“There’s more,” I went on, feeling the importance of Amara’s warning. “A great darkness is coming. Something that threatens both our world and the realm of the gods. And somehow… I’m supposed to stop it.”
The clearing became quiet when my words started to make sense. Jaxon moved closer with a strong look on his face.
“Then we’ll face it together,” he said strongly. “You’re our Luna. If you say a battle is coming, we’ll be ready.”
People nodded in agreement all around the group. I felt a strong wave of feelings in my heart, touched by their constant support.
Xander helped me stand up, putting his arm around me to protect me. “Whatever is coming,” he said, speaking softly and seriously, “whatever you need to deal with I’m here for you. We all are.”
I looked at the faces of my pack, my family and saw only love and strong will looking back at me. At that moment, I knew that regardless of what difficulties were ahead, I wouldn’t be going through them by myself.
As the group started to break up, getting ready to strengthen our protection and find out more about the threat coming our way, I took Xander to the side. There was one more part of Amara’s warning I needed to tell him.
“There’s something else,” I said softly, making sure no one else could hear. “Amara warned me about a specific date. She said to ‘beware the blood moon.’ That on that night, the fate of both worlds would hang in the balance.”
Xander’s brow furrowed in concentration. “A blood moon,” he mused. “That’s a total lunar eclipse. And if I recall correctly…” His eyes opened wide when he understood. “There’s one happening in just a few months.”
My heart started beating fast as everything became clear. “That’s when we need to act, I said, feeling both scared and determined. “Whatever this dark thing is, whatever I need to do to stop it it all depends on that night.”
Xander pulled me close, pressing a fierce kiss to my forehead. “Then we’ll be ready,” he promised. “We’ll train harder than ever, gather every scrap of information we can find. When that night arrives, we’ll confront it side by side.”
I agreed, feeling empowered by his steadfast encouragement. As we walked to meet the others, I saw my face in a nearby window. My eyes still shone with a strange silver glow, always reminding me of the new power inside me.
As darkness covered the pack’s territory, an unusual cold spread through the air. Far off, a wolf’s howl broke the quiet-a sound that carried a sense of danger and dread. I felt a chill, hugging myself while looking at the moon.
“Soon,” I murmured, hoping and vowing. “Soon, we’ll understand the challenge ahead.”
But as I was about to go back inside, something moved and caught my attention. At the edge of the open space, partly hidden in the dark, there was a figure I didn’t recognize. It was very tall and scary, with eyes that had a spooky red glow in the moonlight.
Our eyes connected for just a second, and a strong feeling of fear swept over me.