Chapter 5 A Secret Meeting of the Elders About the Blood Moon Prophecy

The moonlight shone gently through the thin canopy above, covering the forest floor in silver threads. A cool breeze flowed through the trees, brushing against my skin like a ghostly touch. I had always loved the peacefulness of the woods. It muted the noise of the pack grounds. Here, I could pretend I didn't belong to a world that constantly reminded me I was worth less than nothing.

But tonight felt different.

A tension filled the air, electric and vibrant with anticipation. I sensed it under my skin, an unshakeable feeling of being watched-no, not just watched. Called. I felt pulled forward by a force I couldn't understand.

I moved deeper into the forest, my steps careful yet steady. I wasn't supposed to be here. Omegas weren't allowed this close to the old moon temple, not during the crescent cycle when the Elders met in secret. But tonight, my instincts urged me to follow the path lit by the moonlight.

It wasn't my wolf-Aira who remained frustratingly silent, hidden away somewhere within me but something else stirred. A memory? A connection to my bloodline? I didn't know. I just knew I couldn't stop walking.

I reached a rise surrounded by ancient oaks and thick underbrush. Peering through the brambles, I saw them-seven hooded figures standing around the altar stone marked with lunar symbols. Their voices murmured softly, their words slipping into the night like forbidden spells.

I crouched low, concealed behind a patch of thick moss and wild thorns. My heart raced. The Elders rarely gathered outside council grounds and never at night unless it was serious.

"The Blood Moon rises sooner than we thought," one Elder said, his voice strained with age. "The prophecy will awaken."

Blood Moon?

I crept closer, careful not to disturb a single leaf. I had heard whispers of the Blood Moon prophecy before, always voiced in hushed tones and sidelong glances. But no one had ever explained what it really meant.

"She's already marked," another Elder, a woman, said. "The signs are aligning. Her wolf still sleeps, but not for long."

"She doesn't even know what she is," a third murmured, almost pityingly. "Poor child. It was cruel of the Moon Goddess to choose her."

I held my breath, frozen in position. They were discussing me. I felt it in my bones, in the way my mark burned beneath my tunic, in how the forest seemed to lean in to listen.

"She must be protected," the first Elder repeated. "Too many forces would take advantage of her. Alpha Draven already suspects. And Caden... if he reveals the truth too soon-"

"He won't," the woman interrupted. "He knows what's at stake. He made his choice when he claimed her."

My mind spun.

Alpha Caden. The cold, intimidating Alpha who had chosen me as if I were a pawn in a game I didn't grasp. Did he know about the prophecy? About me?

"Still," another voice added, "we must prepare. The Blood Moon will awaken her power. We must make sure she is strong enough to handle it."

"And if she isn't?" someone asked quietly.

A heavy silence filled the clearing.

"She dies," the oldest Elder finally said, serious and resigned. "And so do we all."

I stumbled back, a twig snapping underfoot. The Elders froze.

"Did you hear that?"

Panic rose in me. I turned and ran, the shadows reaching for me as I bolted away from the altar. My lungs burned, my mind racing with fear and disbelief.

They were talking about my death.

My destiny.

My wolf.

And Alpha Caden had known all along.

When I finally reached the safety of the pack boundary, I leaned against a tree, gasping for air. My fingers clutched the fabric of my tunic, pressing against the faint glow of the mark that had changed everything.

I was part of something much bigger than myself.

A prophecy.

A power.

A fate I hadn't asked for.

And the worst part? I didn't know who to trust anymore.

The pack still saw me as the weak Omega. The Elders viewed me as a vessel for destiny. And Alpha Caden...

I had no idea what he saw when he looked at me.

I was terrified. But beneath that fear, a spark flickered-a wild, impossible hope that maybe, just maybe, I was more than they thought I was.

Maybe I was meant for more.

I touched the mark again, feeling its faint pulse under my skin.

Let the Blood Moon rise.

I was ready to discover who I truly was.