Chapter 45
The aftermath of the power surge Aiden and I experienced left us all shaken. As the pack dispersed, murmuring among themselves, Xander pulled us aside, his face etched with concern.
“What happened out there?” he asked, his head turning from Aiden to me and back again.
I shook my head, still trying to figure it out on my own. “I’m not certain,” I replied. “We were just practicing like always, and then. It was just like everything just clicked. The power just kept growing.”
Aiden nodded, his face pale. “It felt different this time,” he added. “Like we tapped into something bigger than ourselves.”
Xander frowned, his brow furrowed in thought. “We need to be careful,” he said finally. “This power could be the edge we need against Ryder, but it’s also unpredictable. We don’t want to put the pack at risk.”
I agreed, seeing why he was worried. As we returned to the pack house, I felt a sense of urgency. Ryder was out there, scheming, and we needed all the help we could get.
That night, due to a series of terrible nightmares, I didn’t sleep well. I saw Ryder, his eyes shining with evil energy, breaking down the wall between worlds.
I knew it made no sense to lie in bed anymore, so I went directly into the war room without changing. Since I wouldn’t be sleeping anymore, at least I could get some work done.
The room was silent and only faintly lit when I laid out the maps on the big table. I looked over reports, marking potential hiding spots for Ryder. My mind was busy trying to figure out his strategies.
I felt a gentle tap on my shoulder. I looked up, squinting in the sudden light, and saw Xander standing beside me, looking worried.
“You’ve been here all night,” he said softly. He wasn’t asking; he was just telling me something that was true.
I rubbed my eyes, feeling tired. “There’s a lot to get done,” I murmured. “We’re running out of time, Xander.” He nodded, showing he understood. “I know,” he said. “But you won’t be able to help anyone if you get too tired. Come on, you need to take a break.”
A part of me wanted to disagree and say I couldn’t take a break. But I knew he was right. Reluctantly, I let him lead me away from the war room.
“The pack is having a training session this morning,” Xander said as we walked. “Why don’t you join us? It might help clear your head.”
I agreed, understanding that I needed to keep up my physical fitness along with my magical skills. Before long, I was at the training grounds, watching other members of the group doing fighting exercises.
When I started participating, I noticed some of the stress leaving my body. The routine of close-quarters fighting calmed me down, taking my mind off the complex ideas about tactics and magic.
However, in my eagerness to forget my concerns, I overdid it. While training with a beginner, I accidentally used too much strength and experienced a sudden, intense pain in my shoulder.
I retreated, biting my teeth due to the pain. Xander immediately rushed to help me, appearing worried.
“I’m alright,” I assured him, even though I couldn’t conceal the discomfort from the pain in my shoulder. “Just a strain.”
Aiden approached, his eyes narrowed in concentration. “Maybe not,” he said. “Aurora, remember how I healed some of the rescued prisoners? What if I tried that here?”
I was taken aback that I hadn’t come up with the idea on my own. I nodded and extended my unhurt hand to Aiden. When our fingers touched, I experienced the usual surge of our shared strength.
Aiden shut his eyes, focusing intently. I felt a comforting warmth spread across my hurt shoulder, and the pain slowly disappeared. When Aiden opened his eyes, I rotated my arm, marveling at the complete absence of pain.
“It worked,” I breathed, amazed at this new application of our abilities.
As Aiden and I separated, I became aware of the silence that had fallen over the training grounds. Everyone was looking at us, some with admiration, others with hidden caution.
I cleared my throat. “Alright, guys, back to practice,” I said, trying to bring some normality into the situation.
As the pack slowly resumed their activities, I exchanged a glance with Xander. We needed to address this growing power, and soon.
Later that day, I arranged a meeting with our important members – Xander, Aiden, Asher, and some of our pack warriors. We all sat around the table in the war room, and I could sense the stress in the room.
“We have to decide our plan for facing Ryder,” I started, speaking calmly even though I felt anxious inside. “We know he’s out there, growing stronger. We need to be ready when he makes his move.”
What followed was a heated debate. Asher advocated for a stealth approach, trying to catch Ryder off guard. Some argued for a more defensive strategy, focusing on protecting our territory. Xander stressed the importance of unity, bringing in our allied packs for support.
As the discussion grew more heated, I found myself proposing a risky plan. “What if we draw him out?” I suggested. “Use ourselves as bait to lure him into a confrontation on our terms?”
The room fell silent, all eyes turning to me. I could see the concern on their faces, especially Xander’s.
“It’s dangerous,” Xander said slowly. “But it might be our best chance at controlling the situation.”
Before we could delve further into the plan, the door burst open. Lily, a young woman from the Clearwater pack, was standing there with a red face from being exhausted.
“I’m sorry to interrupt,” she said quickly. “But there’s something important you need to see.” In the forest – there are strange disturbances. Magical energy fluctuations, unlike anything we’ve seen before.
I exchanged a quick glance with Aiden. Could this be related to Ryder’s plans?
“We will go and check it out,” I said, standing up. Aiden nodded, moving to join me.
Xander stepped forward, his face tight with worry. “Aurora, wait. We’re not sure what’s waiting for us. It might be a dangerous situation.”
I touched his arm gently, hoping to comfort him. “That’s why we need to check it out. If Ryder is behind this, we need to understand what we might face.”
Xander agreed, though he seemed unsure. While Aiden and I got ready to go, I felt a strong sense of duty pressing down on me. Whatever we discover could have a big impact.
The woods were strangely silent as Aiden and I walked among the trees. The normal noises of animals were gone like the air itself was waiting quietly. When we got close to where Lily had mentioned, I could feel the magical power touching my skin.
“Do you feel that?” I whispered to Aiden.
He nodded, his face grim. “It’s similar to Ryder’s energy, but… different somehow. More focused.”
As we made our way through a thick group of bushes, we unexpectedly arrived in a tiny open space. In the exact middle, just slightly above the ground, there was a strange thing. It seemed like a crystal, but it glowed with a light inside that changed and moved in unusual ways. Aiden breathed, taking a step closer.
I reached out to stop him, a sense of foreboding washing over me. “Wait,” I said. “This has to be Ryder’s doing. It could be a trap.”
Aiden nodded, understanding dawning in his eyes. “Or a test,” he added. “To see how we’d react.”
We stood there for a moment, studying the artifact. I could feel its power drawing me in, like a captivating melody of magical energy. Yet, beneath that attraction, there was a more sinister undercurrent that made me feel uneasy.
“We need to contain it,” I said finally. “We can’t leave it out here where anyone could stumble across it.”
Aiden nodded, a determined look settling on his face. “Together?” he asked, holding out his hand.
I took it without hesitation, feeling our powers merge and grow. As one, we focused on the artifact, weaving a cocoon of our combined energy around it. The crystal resisted at first, its power pushing back against our efforts. But slowly, surely, we managed to encase it completely.
With the artifact safely contained, we made our way back to the pack house. I could feel the weight of it in my hands, a constant reminder of the threat we faced.
When we arrived, Xander, Asher, and the pack members were waiting. They crowded around as we carefully set the contained artifact on a table.
“Interesting,” Asher whispered, moving closer for a better view. “This is Ryder’s work, but it’s more polished than anything we’ve seen from him before.”
As they started to look at the artifact more carefully, I felt a familiar feeling come over me. The world around me disappeared, and I saw a picture of Ryder standing in the middle of a complex ritual circle. Dark energy moved around him while he chanted in a language I didn’t know.
Just as fast as it appeared, the picture went away. I blinked, finding myself back in the pack house with concerned faces looking at me.
“What did you see?” Xander asked, his hand steady on my arm.
I took a deep breath, trying to understand what I had just seen. “Ryder,” I said. “He’s doing some sort of ceremony. I believe… I believe he’s nearly set to act.”
The room suddenly became very busy. Commands were issued to boost security checks, to speed up our plans. I ended up in the middle of everything, leading training exercises, studying tactics, and urging myself and everyone else to be prepared.
As the days flew by with all this activity, I could sense the growing stress within the group. Some welcomed the challenge, diving into preparations with strong resolve. Others were less sure, showing signs of worry and uncertainty in their expressions.
One night, as I was exiting another planning meeting, I caught a snippet of a hushed talk from around a corner.
“Can we be certain about this?” a voice I didn’t know was asking. “Following Aurora into battle against Ryder… it seems like suicide.”
“What choice do we have?” another voice responded. “If we don’t stand and fight, Ryder will destroy everything.”
I leaned my back against the wall and closed my eyes, letting their words sink in. They had good reason to be afraid. I was scared too. But we couldn’t allow fear to stop us from acting.
That night, I ended up on the balcony of my room, gazing out at the forest lit by moonlight. Xander came over and kept me company, his presence providing a sense of warmth on the cold evening.
“Aurora, share with me what’s on your mind,” he spoke softly. “What’s going through your head?”
I gazed at him, noticing the love and concern in his eyes. “I’m frightened, Xander,” I confessed, my voice hushed. “What if I’m guiding everyone to disaster? What if we can’t stop Ryder?”
Xander hugged me tightly, pulling me near. “You don’t need to handle this by yourself,” he murmured in my hair. “We’re all facing this together. And together, we’re stronger than Ryder could ever imagine.”
I nodded against his chest, taking strength from his steady support. As we stood there, holding each other, I tried to believe his words.
But as the wind rustled through the trees, hinting at the fight ahead, I couldn’t get rid of the feeling that our biggest challenge was still to come. Whatever Ryder was planning, whatever power he had gained, we would soon confront it directly.
And as I closed my eyes, sending a silent prayer to whatever forces might be listening, I hoped with everything in me that we would be ready when that moment came.