Chapter 3 Power Outburst

ALINA'S POV

He was the guy.

That face, although covered in blood in my dreams, was the same. I'd recognize it anywhere. The sharpness in his jaw, the way his eyes seemed to see through everything. It was him, the man I kept saving. But what was he doing here?

And why did he look at me like he knew exactly who I was?

LUCAN'S POV

I had no reason to come here.

The Moonrite Festival was a farce, a tradition held on to by packs who still thought the ceremony could hold a dying realm together.

Normally, I stayed far from these gatherings. I had more pressing matters to deal with. The rot in the borders was spreading, the realm's power was weakening, I kept hearing from my spies that there were whispers of rebellion.

Inspite of all these, something dragged me here.

I didn't ride in for spectacle, but silence fell the moment my horse's hooves touched the gathering ground.

I didn't pay attention to anyone, although I felt the tension emanating from the crowd. Just then, I suddenly felt a ripple in my chest, a pull perhaps, something ancient that I didn't understand.

My wolf groaned in frustration, he too felt it. Probably even worse than I did.

My eyes scanned the crowd, wanting to know where it was coming from.

Then my eyes caught a familiar pair of eyes, she was exactly as I remembered her... no, not remembered... dreamed.

She was the girl from my dreams, the one who kept appearing in the middle of battle, always saving my life just before the end came.

And she recognized me too.

She froze, eyes wide. Her body was stiff like she had been struck by lightning.

She didn't look regal or composed, her hair was slightly disheveled with modest clothes, still her face held me captivated. She looked much better in flesh and blood.

The crowd was starting to move their gaze from me, trying to find out who I was staring at.

I tapped my horse forward, straight through the center of the stunned crowd.

When I reached the ceremonial platform, I dismounted and walked to the throne.

"My name is Lucan," I said, voice sharp and steady. "I am your king."

"There will be order. There will be strength. And there will be no room for weakness." I continued.

My eyes were still fixed on Alina.

The moment I sat, the royal guards dropped to one knee. Then one by one, they all bowed.

So they finally saw their king.

I didn't care for their awe, my gaze was on her. Throughout the ceremony she never looked up or moved.

Not when her pack was called, not even when people started murmuring. She stood alone, distant from the others, refusing to meet my eyes again.

But I saw the tension in her shoulders. The way her fists clenched at her sides. She was holding something back.

When the ceremony ended, she turned and left without a word.

Not once did she look back. But I watched her retreating figure till I couldn't see her anymore.

ALINA'S POV

I didn't stop to breathe. I didn't stop to think. I just walked fast with my head down, not caring who moved out of my way or who stared.

My heart was beating so loudly that I could barely hear the chatter around me.

As soon as I crossed into the woods that led back to our home, I broke into a jog.

What the hell just happened?

That man, no, not just a man. Lucan. The king. The one no one had ever seen before. The one who ruled everything and answered to no one.

That was the same man I kept saving in my dreams?

It didn't make any sense. But I knew that face, bloodied or not.

I reached the house, stormed through the door, and made straight for my room, slamming it shut behind me.

My thoughts were spinning, colliding into one another until I didn't know what to believe anymore.

I sat on my bed, rubbing my hands over my face, trying to calm the rising panic.

Night crept in slowly, and though I lay in bed, I couldn't sleep.

I kept replaying the way his eyes locked on mine, like he was searching for something. I squeezed my eyes shut, forcing myself to sleep, just to get a break from this maddening day.

But the peace didn't last.

A sudden scream tore through the air. I jumped up at the sound.

I stumbled to the window and yanked it open. What I saw knocked the breath right out of me. Women were running, Some with children clutched to their chests.

One woman tripped and fell, before she could rise, a man caught up to her, snarling with his claws stuck out. In one brutal swipe, he rammed them straight into her stomach.

The man seemed to be enjoying himself, he smiled and turned to face her child.

She screamed and bolted, disappearing into the trees, my blood turned to ice.

Then it occurred to me, we were under attack by the rogue werewolves.

I didn't think, I threw open my door. I searched the house for Douglass to warn him of the attack, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Did he leave me here to die? My heart tightened at the mere thought of it, but now wasn't the time to accommodate such thoughts. Safety first.

I ran as fast as I could into the woods, branches scratched at my arms, but I didn't care.

As I ran, my eye caught sight of the child from earlier, the one whose mother had just been killed, she had been rounded in a corner.

The rogue wolf stood over her with claws out and its teeth bared, she was too young to shift or fight.

She stood there frozen, crying, her small body shaking. How could he kill a child? I needed to do something

"Hey!" I shouted.

The wolf snapped his head toward me, growled, and came straight at me.

I barely had time to react before he slammed into me.

His claws raked across my side and I was thrown hard against a tree.

My head hit the trunk. The pain from the collision shot through my skull and everything spun, I dropped to the ground.

My vision blurred and I felt like I couldn't move, through the haze, I saw him turn back to the girl.

She backed away, slowly, she looked extremely terrified. I knew that fear. I knew what it felt like to be helpless.

I'd felt it every time my pack ignored me. Every time Douglass looked right through me like I didn't exist. Every time I was bullied and hated for something I couldn't control.

And even right now, I still felt it, I was weak and couldn't even save the child's life. The pentsupand frustration and anger boiled in me.

With every ounce of strength I had left, I pushed myself up, even though my body screamed and my legs shook.

"Leave her alone!" I shouted.

Something inside me cracked open, power rushed out of me like a dam that had broken.

It wasn't gentle or controlled. It was wild and violent, the ground shook, wind exploded around me.

The rogue wolf was thrown off his feet and slammed into the ground, he didn't move again.

But the blast didn't stop there.

It spread fast, knocking down every rogue in the area. They dropped one after another, the ground shook uncontrollably like there was going to be an earthquake.

No pack member got hurt, Just the rogues, it was as if the blast knew who the enemy was, just like I did.

Just like it started, everywhere went quiet, the girl was still standing, alive and staring at me. My body felt exhausted and my legs gave way, I hit the ground and blacked out.

LUCAN'S POV

I sat in the dimly lit chamber they'd prepared for me, the Highstone Lodge, an old royal outpost used during ceremonial visits. I didn't plan on staying long.

As I sat there going over the written reports from all over the realm, two guards stepped in.

They bowed.

"Lord Lucan," one of them said, eyes lowered. "A message from the Ashgrave border arrived an hour ago."

I looked up, giving a curt nod for him to continue.

"Ashgrave was attacked last night. Rogues," he said. "It wasn't random, we believe it was planned."

The second guard stepped forward, more hesitant. "But, Your Majesty... that's not the strange part."

I narrowed my eyes.

He swallowed trying not to show his fear and he spoke. "It was one girl, she wiped out nearly all the attackers on her own."

"Ten of the rogue werewolves are confirmed dead," he said. "Some fled. Around twenty were captured, but badly injured."

The first guard added quickly, "They say the girl was born on a cursed night. Her pack members hate her for it, as a result, they treat her like an outcast."

That made me stop, my first suspicion was the girl I saw yesterday in the common gathering. I remembered the way she stood separate from her pack.

I stood from the chair. "Kael," I called out. He stepped in instantly, like he had been waiting.

"Find the girl and bring her to me," I said.

I felt like my life was finally back on course again. She was the key to every unanswered question.