Chapter 32:
I ended up in a place I knew very well, but it all felt off. The house I grew up in had rooms that now looked really weird and stretched out. Dark shapes kept moving at the edges of what I could see. It felt like I was a tiny kid again, maybe about five or six, hiding behind the big couch in our living room.
“You can’t do this, Ryder!” My mom’s voice, which was usually quiet and comforting, was now full of a kind of fear I’d never heard. “The prophecy isn’t supposed to be pushed. You’ll destroy everything!”
“Don’t be naive, Emily.” The responding voice sent chills down my spine. Deep and commanding, it held an undercurrent of barely contained rage. “The old ways have made us weak. It’s time for a change, and your daughter is the main factor.”
I looked cautiously from behind the sofa, my heart racing. My parents were standing opposite a tall man with very white hair and bright red eyes. Ryder Storm. Even in my dream, I recognized him and what he would turn into.
“We won’t let you get close to her,” my father said fiercely, moving to shield my mother. “Aurora’s destiny is her own. We won’t let you twist it for your sick ambitions.”
Ryder’s laugh was cold and cruel. “You don’t have a choice, old friend. The girl’s power will be mine, one way or another.”
The next events appeared to happen in a very slow way. Ryder’s body started to change, with his bones breaking and reshaping as he turned into a huge, scary wolf. My parents didn’t have much time to react before he attacked them.
I wanted to shout, to run away, or do anything to prevent what I knew was about to happen. But I couldn’t move, and I had to watch as Ryder viciously attacked my parents. Their cries filled the house, blending with the growls of the creature that used to be their friend.
After it was all done, Ryder stood above their injured bodies, his mouth covered in blood. His red eyes found mine, and I saw a gleam of triumph in their depths.
“Soon, little moon child,” he growled. “Soon, you’ll understand your true purpose.”
The scene shifted, blurring and reforming. I saw flashes of what came after pack elders hurrying me away from the blood-soaked house, urgent whispers about keeping me safe, hiding me away. Next, I found myself circled by people in robes who were singing in an old language while doing a ritual. I could feel a growing pressure in my mind, and it felt like my memories were slowly disappearing, just like water slipping through my hands.
All at once, I was back to being myself, standing in a space filled with moving shadows. Ryder showed up in front of me, not as a wolf anymore but still just as scary.
“Do you see now, Aurora?” he asked, his voice bouncing around the space. “Do you understand what was taken from you? What you truly are?”
I tried to speak, to demand answers, but no sound came out. Ryder’s laughter echoed as everything turned dark.
I woke up shouting, my body soaked with sweat. Uncontrolled bursts of moon energy flowed from my hands, creating strange shadows on the walls of my room. I could still hear the echoes of my parents’ shouts, could still see Ryder’s eyes, red like blood, staring into mine.
The door flew open, and Xander hurried in, his eyes filled with worry. “Aurora! What’s wrong?”
I couldn’t find the words to explain the terrifying thing I just saw. More pack members crowded in behind Xander Selene, Jaxon, and others, all looking alarmed.
“Aurora,” Xander said softly, approaching me slowly like I was a wounded animal. “You’re safe. It was just a dream.”
I shook my head violently. “No,” I managed to choke out. “Not just a dream. A memory.”
Over the next hour, I recounted every detail of the nightmare to Xander and the others. With each word, I saw their expressions grow more grave, more worried.
“This changes everything,” Jaxon said when I’d finished. “If Ryder really killed your parents…”
“Then he’s even more dangerous than we thought,” Xander finished, his jaw clenched in anger.
Selene, who had been quietly contemplating, spoke up. “Aurora, have you considered seeking a dream walker? They could assist you in accessing more of your hidden memories.”
I hadn’t considered that, but it seemed logical. If there were additional forgotten memories, a dream walker might be the way to discover them.
“That’s not a bad idea,” Xander concurred. “But we must proceed cautiously. If Ryder notices Aurora is recalling things…”
Just as he said that, Jaxon’s phone vibrated. His face grew serious as he checked the message. “Speaking of Ryder, we’ve got reports of increased rogue activity near our borders. It could be a coincidence, but…”
“But it’s probably not,” I finished, a chill running down my spine. “He knows. Somehow, he knows I’m starting to remember.”
The room fell into tense silence as we all contemplated the implications. Finally, Xander spoke up.
“We need more information. Aurora, do you still have your mother’s journal?”
I nodded and took the old leather book from my bedside table. I’ve gone over it many times, but we might have skipped something important.
We spent hours looking through my mother’s diary. We checked each page thoroughly to find any clues we might have overlooked. When the sun started rising, the light streaming through the windows grew strong. Then, I found something strange.
“Hold on,” I said, taking a closer look. “Look at this page.”
In the soft morning light, barely visible indentations could be seen on an otherwise blank page. My mother had written something in code, pressing hard enough to leave an impression but not hard enough to be easily seen.
“Good eye,” Xander said, squinting at the page. “But what does it mean?”
We spent the next hour trying to decipher the hidden message. It was Selene who finally cracked it.
“It’s coordinates,” she said triumphantly. “Your mother left the location of… something. A safe house, maybe? Or hidden information?”
I felt really excited. This might be the big moment we’ve been waiting for. “We have to go see it,” I said, quickly getting ready to leave.
Xander agreed. “I’ll join you. The others, stay careful. Those rogues are becoming more daring, so we need to be extra careful.”
While we got ready to go, collecting things we needed and looking at maps of the place the clues pointed to, I couldn’t stop feeling like something bad was going to happen. I knew we were close to finding something important, but what would it mean to us?
Right before we left, Jaxon rushed in, looking worried. “We have an issue,” he said, sounding very tense. “Ryder Storm has been spotted near our territory. And he’s heading straight for us.”
My blood ran cold. Ryder was on his way, and I had a feeling he wouldn’t go away without taking me with him.
“What should we do?” Selene asked, glancing at Xander and me.
I took a deep breath, getting ready for what was ahead. “We need to confront him,” I said, surprised by how confident my voice sounded. “It’s time to finish this, no matter what.”
Xander held my hand tightly, his eyes showing both pride and worry as he looked at me. “Together,” he whispered.
As we gathered the group and got ready for Ryder’s arrival, I couldn’t help but wonder what other secrets would be uncovered during our showdown. The truth about how my parents died, the full details of the prophecy, and my real background everything was about to be revealed.
As the first sounds of Ryder’s advancing troops reached us from afar, I understood that everything was about to change. The last fight was near, and the outcome would not only affect our group but possibly all werewolves.
With Xander beside me and our pack behind us, I stepped forward to meet my fate. No matter what Ryder had in mind or what secrets were about to come to light, I was prepared. The days of hiding and escaping were done.
When Ryder’s large figure came into view, his fiery eyes shining with wicked victory, I felt a rush of strength I had never known before. Even though the sun hid the moon, it seemed to beat in time with my heart.
“Welcome back, young moon child,” Ryder’s voice echoed over the space between us. “Are you ready to embrace your fate?”
I stood my grounds, supported by the strength of my pack behind me. “I’m prepared to learn the truth,” I shouted back. “And then I’m determined to defeat you, for good.”
Ryder’s laughter bounced around the open space, a chilling sound that made me uneasy. “Oh, Aurora,” he said, his tone teasing and sinister. “You have no clue what you’re truly able to do. But don’t fret I’m here to demonstrate it to you.”
As Ryder and his group moved closer, I prepared myself for the fight ahead. Whatever was coming, I knew that the world I understood was about to be transformed. The prophecy, my background, the future of werewolves everywhere it all depended on this instant.
Taking a deep breath, I allowed the energy of the moon to fill me. It was time to accept my fate, whatever that might be.
“Let’s finish this,” I snarled, my eyes shining with lunar power.