Chapter 53
After the intense light from our powerful fight dimmed, I stood by myself on the ruined battlefield. I quickly looked around for Ryder, but he was gone. Did I really beat him? I didn’t think much because I suddenly felt exhausted.
My legs couldn’t hold me up, and I dropped to the ground. The huge amount of energy I used in the last fight made me totally worn out. I could hardly keep my eyes open as I lay there, breathing heavily.
“Aurora!” I heard Xander’s voice, sounding worried but also relieved. Soon, I felt his strong arms holding me carefully. I looked up at him and tried to smile weakly, seeing his concerned eyes.
“Is it… over?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
Before Xander could answer, I heard the murmurs of the pack as they gathered around us. Their voices were filled with awe and wonder, and I realized they were reacting to my transformed appearance. I had almost forgotten about the changes the Moon Goddess’s power had wrought in me.
“Luna,” one of the younger wolves said in surprise, “you’re… glowing.”
I attempted to sit up, hoping to calm them by showing I was okay, but my body wouldn’t listen. I was just too weak.
All at once, a cold feeling went down my back. Something was off. I could sense it in the atmosphere, a lingering evil that wouldn’t be there if Ryder was really gone.
My worries were proven right when I noticed a dark mist starting to gather not far away. The pack grew quiet, all their eyes on the threatening cloud as it gradually formed a familiar outline.
“No,” I whispered, torn between shock and fear. “It can’t be.”
But it was. As the mist solidified, Ryder emerged, looking as surprised to be alive as we were to see him. He was weak, his strong body now bent and shaking. But his eyes… his eyes still had a strong hate that made me feel cold inside.
“Did you really think it would be that easy, Aurora?” Ryder said with a mean smile, his voice rough and weak but still full of bad feelings.
I tried hard to stand up, wanting to end this fight for good. My body hurt a lot, every part of me aching from our last fight. But I couldn’t stop. Not now, not when we were almost done with this bad dream.
As I slowly stood up, needing Xander’s help, I heard the Moon Goddess’s voice in my mind.
“My daughter,” she said, sounding both proud and sad, “you have fought very bravely. But the fight is not over yet.” I offer you one final surge of my power. Use it wisely, for it may be the last time I can intervene directly.”
I didn’t hesitate. “I agree,” I replied, feeling thankful.
Right away, I felt a surge of fresh energy flowing through me. My body started to shine with a gentle, silvery glow, and I could feel my power coming back. I stood up straight, moving away from Xander’s help, and focused on Ryder.
Ryder’s eyes grew wide as he noticed the transformation in me. For the first time, I saw genuine fear in his eyes. He realized he was no match for me.
With a snarl of desperation, Ryder began to weave his dark magic, creating a swirling portal behind him. He was trying to escape!
I lunged forward, moving faster than I ever had before. As Ryder was about to go through the quick way out he made, I grabbed him by the back of his neck.
“You’re not leaving,” I said angrily.
But I didn’t know how strong the portal was. Before I could let go, I felt myself being pulled in with Ryder. The last thing I saw was Xander’s scared face as he tried to grab me, his fingers almost touching mine before I was pulled away.
Ryder and I fell through a space between worlds, still fighting. We scratched and bit each other, neither of us wanting to let go because we might get lost in this in-between place forever.
Just when I thought we would be stuck in this limbo forever, we suddenly came out into… somewhere else. As we landed on the ground, I rolled away from Ryder, quickly stood up, and looked around.
I was shocked when I realized where we were. All around us, misty forms swirled and danced the spirits of werewolves long past. We had emerged in the spirit realm, the place where all werewolves went after death.
The spirits, seeming to sense the gravity of our presence, formed a circle around Ryder and me. I could sense them watching us, evaluating, eager to witness what would unfold next.
“We can’t escape anymore, Ryder,” I stated, my tone calm despite the reverence I experienced being in this holy location. “This is where it will end.”
Ryder’s gaze flicked nervously, observing the spirits encircling us. For an instant, I believed he might give up, might acknowledge that his period of violence was finished.
But then, a cruel smile spread across his face. “Oh, I’m not finished yet, little Luna,” he sneered. “In fact, I’d say things are just getting interesting.”
Before I could react, Ryder threw his head back and began to chant in a language I didn’t recognize. The ancestral spirits around us began to waver and flicker, and to my horror, I realized what he was doing. Ryder was attempting to draw power from the spirits themselves!
“No!” I cried out, lunging towards him. But I was too late. Thick streams of energy started moving from the spirits to Ryder, causing his body to shake as he took in their strength.
I was hit by a strong feeling of hopelessness. How could I possibly beat him now, when he had the power of many, many werewolves helping him?
But then, I noticed it a soft pull on my thoughts. I looked around and saw that not all the spirits were being drawn to Ryder. Many of them were reaching out to me, offering their strength willingly.
Understanding dawned on me. This was the last battlefield, where the destiny of all werewolves – from the past, the present, and the future – would be determined. And I wasn’t fighting by myself.
With a silent prayer of thanks, I opened myself to the spirits, feeling their power flow into me. It was different from Ryder’s stolen energy this was warm, comforting, filled with the wisdom and love of countless generations.
As both Ryder and I charged up for one last, decisive attack, I could feel the very fabric of reality wavering around us. The ancient world shook, and the lines between different places became blurry as we gained more and more strength.
Ryder looked at me, and I saw a mix of hate and fear in his eyes. He knew, just like I did, that this would be our last fight. Whatever happened next would decide the future of our whole race.
We started walking towards each other, our bodies filled with different kinds of energy. Good and bad, love and hate, future and past everything was shown at this moment, in this battle.
Just as we were about to hit each other, a bright light appeared between us. A voice, stronger than any I had ever heard, echoed through the ancient world:
“ENOUGH!”
The brightness was so strong that I had to cover my eyes. Once it dimmed, I dropped my arm and blinked to see better.
What I saw made my heart stop.
Standing between Ryder and me, radiating power and authority, was the Moon Goddess herself.
She was more beautiful than when I saw her in my dreams, a woman of extraordinary beauty. Her eyes, shining with the light of many moons, looked straight at us.
“My children,” she spoke, her voice carrying the depth of ages, “you have struggled greatly and for a long time. But this war must end, here and now.”
I fell to my knees, overwhelmed by her presence. Even Ryder seemed cowed, his stolen power flickering uncertainty around him.
“Mother,” I whispered, “I only wanted to keep our people safe, to stop the evil that was going to hurt us all.”
The Goddess looked at me, “And you have fought bravely, Aurora. But there are consequences for every action, and the balance of the world has been disturbed by this conflict.”
She then turned to Ryder, who seemed to shrink under her gaze. “And you, my wayward child. You’ve hurt and troubled the werewolf world. What can you say to explain yourself?”
Ryder, for once, seemed to be speechless. But as I looked at him, I noticed a change in his eyes maybe a brief realization, or perhaps regret?
The Moon Goddess lifted her hands, and I sensed a change in the atmosphere around us. “The time has come for a decision,” she announced. “But remember the werewolf world is at stake. The choice made here will have long-lasting effects, impacting everyone who has lived, who lives now, and who will live in the future.”