Chapter 6 THE MOON'S JUSTICE

The color drained from Alpha Terren's face. He looked from Audrey to Lucas, his mind racing to understand how his "human" daughter was standing before him, radiating the power of a goddess. "This... this is impossible," Selene hissed, stepping forward, her face contorted in a mask of rage. "You are a freak! You have no wolf! This is some trick, some sorcery from the Silver Pack!" Samantha, blinded by jealousy, lost all sense of caution. She lunged forward, her claws extending, her blue elemental power flickering around her hands.

"You stole my life! You stole my Alpha!" Before Samantha could even reach the stairs, a low growl erupted from the Silver Pack warriors. But they didn't need to move. Audrey simply raised a hand. A wave of golden energy hit Samantha like a physical blow, pinning her to the stone floor. Samantha let out a choked scream as the weight of Audrey's power pressed down on her, neutralizing her wolf completely. "You speak of stealing, Samantha?" Audrey walked down the steps, each footfall echoing with power. "You stole my childhood. You stole my mother's memory. You and your mother treated me like a servant in my own home and then sent me to die for a prophecy you were too cowardly to fulfill." Audrey turned her gaze to her father. The man who had ignored her for twenty-one years was now shaking. "And you," Audrey said, her voice trembling not with fear, but with the sheer force of her suppressed pain. "You were supposed to be my Alpha. My protector. You traded your firstborn for a lie." "Audrey, I-" Terren started, but his voice failed him. "The prophecy was true," Lucas said, stepping up beside Audrey and placing a protective arm around her waist. "The marked princess was born on a stormy night. She was the one who could heal the Silver King. But you were so blinded by your own hatred that you couldn't see the treasure right in front of you." Lucas looked at the gathered Moon Shadow wolves. "Your Alpha and his family attempted to murder their True Luna. According to the laws of the Great Pack Alliance, this is treason." A murmur of shock and agreement rippled through the Moon Shadow Pack. They had seen Audrey's mistreatment for years, and now, seeing her true power, their loyalty was shifting. A pack respects strength, and Audrey was the strongest thing they had ever seen. "I won't kill you," Audrey said, looking down at her father, Selene, and Samantha. "Death is too quick for the years of misery you gave me." She closed her eyes, and the golden light around her flared. "I, Audrey of the Silver and Moon, invoke the Rite of Severance. I strip you of your titles. I strip you of your connection to this land." With a sudden, violent flash, the "Moon Shadow" marks on the necks of Terren, Selene, and Samantha vanished. They gasped, clutching their throats as their connection to the pack's power was cut. They were now Rogues-unclaimed, powerless, and exiled. "Get out," Audrey commanded. The former Alpha and his family scrambled to their feet, fleeing the courtyard under the hateful glares of the pack they had once ruled. Audrey stood in the center of the courtyard, the sun setting behind her, casting her shadow long and regal across the stone. She looked at the Moon Shadow wolves, then at Lucas. "The Moon Shadow Pack is no more," Lucas announced. "Today, we unite. Two packs, one Luna." The wolves of both packs let out a synchronized howl that shook the very mountains. Audrey looked up at the sky, feeling the warmth of her mother's spirit in the gentle breeze. She was no longer the girl they never wanted. She was the Queen they could never break.