Chapter 30
The wind blew strongly through my fur as I hurried back to our pack’s home, my heart beating fast with each step. The special team I was with stayed close, and we all felt more worried as the noises of fighting got louder. Growls, howls, and the clear sounds of werewolves fighting each other filled the woods.
When we arrived at our pack’s home, everything was in complete disarray. Rogues and our pack members were fighting fiercely everywhere. Blood colored the grass, and the air smelled strongly of fear and anger.
I looked around quickly, trying to find friends in the confusion. I felt better when I saw Xander, his big black body showing his strength as he fought a group of outlaws. Our eyes met for a moment, and I saw a mix of love and resolve in his look.
“Aurora!” Jaxon called. He was fighting nearby, his fur matted with blood. “We need to secure the perimeter!”
I nodded, pushing aside my fear and tapping into the well of power within me. As the daughter of the Moon Goddess and the legendary White Wolf, I had abilities beyond those of a normal werewolf. Closing my eyes, I focused on channeling my lunar energy.
A shimmering barrier of silvery light began to form around a group of injured pack members huddled near the main house. “Get them to safety!” I called out to a few nearby warriors. They nodded gratefully, helping the wounded retreat behind my protective shield.
Just as I was about to join Xander in the thick of the fight, a bone-chilling howl pierced the air. My blood ran cold as I turned to see a massive red-eyed wolf emerging from the main pack house. In its jaws, struggling and whimpering, was Selene.
“No!” I roared, giving up on my earlier plan and running straight at the huge creature. As I got nearer, the wolf with red eyes stared right at me. Those eyes felt strangely familiar, like something I should remember.
“Release her!” I ordered, speaking with the power of whom I really was. The wolf with red eyes seemed to grin with its mouth.
“So, the long-lost daughter is back,” a scary, deep voice spoke inside my head. The red-eyed wolf communicated through the pack link, its words dripping with malice. “I’ve been waiting for you, Aurora Nightshade.”
I faltered for a moment, thrown off by the wolf’s words and the nagging sense of recognition. In that split second of hesitation, a rogue lunged at me from the side. I barely managed to dodge, feeling claws graze my flank as I leapt away.
Cursing my distraction, I refocused on the threat at hand. The red-eyed wolf still held Selene, who had ceased struggling and now hung limply in its grasp. Fear gripped my heart I couldn’t let anything happen to my friend.
Suddenly, a fresh wave of howls filled the air. Reinforcements had arrived, led by Jaxon and what appeared to be members of a neighboring pack. Their arrival seemed to shift the momentum of the battle, as our forces began to push back against the rogues.
Taking advantage of the chaos, I charged at the red-eyed wolf once more. This time, it released Selene, dropping her roughly to the ground before meeting my attack head-on. We clashed in a fury of teeth and claws, our powers creating visible distortions in the air around us.
As we fought, more fragments of memory flashed through my mind. I was in a cabin in the woods, surrounded by a familiar scent. However, I felt betrayed, and it was really difficult to take. Everything looked strange, and I couldn’t make sense of it all. The more I thought, the more confused and lost I became.
“Who are you?” I snarled, jumping away from the big wolf’s paw. “I feel like I’ve met you before.”
The wolf had scary red eyes and laughed in a way that made me shiver. “Oh, but you do know me, little moon child. Or, at least, you did once. Before they took your memories, before they hid you away.”
I shook my head, trying to clear the confusion. “You’re lying. I don’t know you!”
Our battle continued, neither of us gaining the upper hand. The red-eyed wolf matched my powers with its own dark energy, creating an eerie balance of light and shadow around us. In the periphery of my vision, I could see the rogues retreating, turning in our favor.
Realizing its forces were being overwhelmed, the red-eyed wolf disengaged from our fight. With an angry growl, he ran off, bringing a few faithful troublemakers with it.
“This isn’t finished, Aurora,” the wolf’s voice sounded in my head. “We’ll see each other again, and then, you’ll recall everything.”
I couldn’t let him get away not without finding out more. I didn’t pay attention to my friends calling out to me, and I chased the wolf with red eyes into the woods. The trees became a blur as I sprinted, pushed by a strong desire to understand what the wolf’s mysterious words meant.
In a little open space, I finally trapped the wolf with red eyes. Its followers formed a protective circle around it, growling menacingly.
“Quit fooling around, Just tell me who you are and what you’re doing here.” I snapped while clutching my fist.
He began to transform, his bones cracking as he turned into his human form. I braced myself, prepared for any surprising information, or even someone I knew from the past.
But when the change was finished, I was looking at a person I didn’t know. The man in front of me was tall and scary, with very white hair that stood out against his dark skin. His red eyes shone with an eerie light, and he had a mean smile on his face.
“Are you upset?” he asked, noticing my puzzled expression. “Did you expect to see a long-lost relative? An old friend turned enemy, perhaps?”
I growled, frustrated by his mocking tone. “Stop playing games and answer my questions!”
The man’s smile widened. “My name is Ryder Storm, and I am the Rogue King. As for what I want with you, Aurora Nightshade I want everything. Your power, your destiny, your very essence.”
My mind reeled at his words. This was Ryder Storm, the infamous Rogue King I’d heard whispers about? But why did he seem so familiar?
“You don’t understand, do you?” Ryder continued, his voice almost pitying. “You’ve been lied to your entire life, little moon child. Your precious pack, your mate, even your mind all have conspired to keep the truth from you.”
“What truth?” I demanded, my voice shaking despite my efforts to remain strong.
Ryder took a step forward, his red eyes boring into mine. “The truth of your heritage, of course. You’re not just the child of the Moon Goddess, Aurora. You have much greater abilities than that.”
I shook my head. “No, You’re lying. Xander and the pack have helped me discover my abilities. They’ve supported me, trained me-”
“Trained you?” Ryder interrupted with a bark of laughter. “They have no idea what you can do. They’re scared of how powerful you could become, just like they were with your mom.”
The mention of my mother sent a jolt through me. “You… you know my mother?”
Ryder’s expression softened slightly, an odd look of what might have been genuine sadness crossing his features. “I knew her better than anyone. We were-”
A huge blast interrupted his speech, shaking the open area. Trees broke apart and crashed down as a surge of warmth and power knocked me to the ground. I landed with a thud, my head reeling from the hit.
Despite the buzzing in my ears, I could make out yells and the noise of renewed combat. Xander shouted my name, his voice filled with fear and anger. I attempted to answer and get up, but my body refused to obey.
As shadows started to edge into my sight, I saw Ryder Storm looming over me. His red eyes shone strangely through the smoky air that filled the clearing.
“We’ll continue this talk soon, Aurora,” he said, his voice sounding distant. “The truth cannot stay hidden forever.”
With that, he disappeared into the forest. I felt like running after him to ask more questions, but I was tired. The last thing I saw before I shut my eyes was Xander’s face. He looked happy and worried as he sat next to me.
All I could think of was what Ryder said. What secret was kept from me? What did he know about my mom and where I came from? And why did his red eyes make me feel like I knew him?