Chapter 5 19

The cold dawn seeped through the walls of the pack house but Crystal felt only heat.

Her skin burned beneath her clothes, her breath shallow as if fire rested deep in her chest.

She sat curled on her bed, arms wrapped tightly around her knees. Her wolf paced restlessly within her, demanding, clawing to be freed.

The heat rose again, flooding her senses. Every heartbeat felt like it scratched against her ribs.

The shift.

It is coming, she felt it

She closed her eyes, trying to steady herself but the feeling was overwhelming.

A thousand sensations were flooding her at once, the pull of the moon, the fire moving beneath her skin, the scent of the forest and the earth. She felt connected to everything, yet isolated in her own turmoil.

"The balance holds but the storm is approaching"

The Seer's words echoed in her mind, heavy with meaning.

The real enemy, the darkness hiding beyond the forest waiting and so did her wolf.

Her fingers glowed faintly. She could hear her parents downstairs, whispering anxiously and the distant sounds of warriors outside.

"They fear me now" she thought bitterly.

A soft knock broke her thoughts.

"Crystal" her father's voice came quietly. "The Alpha has called a gathering. They speak of George's punishment and requested your presence"

Her heart tightened. A cold shiver ran through her.

"They want to know what happens to the Daughter of the Moon" she murmured.

"Soon, you would go with the Lycan king nut only when the seer says you are ready" Edwin said, his voice laced with concern.

She nodded faintly, rising from the bed on trembling legs. "I feel strange. Like I am burning from the inside"

His eyes darkened. "The shift is coming, child. Faster than anyone expected and I'm sure before the moon turns again, you will change"

Crystal took a deep breath, her wolf pressed against her skin.

* Training Yard *

Ryder gripped the stone railing overlooking the training yard, his golden eyes scanning the distant horizon toward the Moonlight Pack lands.

His wolf, Aiden, snarled low in his chest. He felt her, her power sang across the land, wild and uncontrolled.

"Is she close?" Luca asked softly, his voice laced with concern.

"She's awakening" Ryder growled as he clenched his jaw. "The moment she shifts, we'll be connected completely and then there will be no more waiting"

Luca hesitated, glancing at the distant horizon. "The Council sent word this morning. They demand to meet you before you make your claim"

"Let them wait," Ryder muttered, his voice steely. "I will not leave this territory until I know she is safe. The moment she shifts fully, she's mine by right. The prophecy's restrictions will end"

"Their rules are still in place," Luca warned. "Her Pack won't let her go easily. Not after George's disgrace. They want to keep control"

"I care nothing for their fears," Ryder snapped. "The only law I will honor is the bond between mates. When she rises, no one will stop me"

Aiden growled in approval, urging Ryder forward. The tension in his chest tightened.

The scent of her was stronger now.

Ryder murmured, clenching his fists "Hold on, I'm coming for you"

* Moonlight Pack - Inner Courtyard *

The Pack had gathered. Elder Melvin stood near the center, his expression grim as wolves murmured around him.

Crystal, wrapped in a thick cloak, stood at the edge beside Edwin and Sarah, feeling their tension through the bond.

The air was thick with unease, every wolf now understood what her awakening meant.

"The son of our Alpha has shamed this pack," Melvin said. "The Council will decide his punishment but the damage he has done cannot be undone. He broke sacred law and worse he tried to alter fate itself"

Low growls rippled through the wolves, their eyes shifting to Crystal, then back to George's father 'Alpha Williams'

"And the prophecy has awakened" Melvin added, his gaze moved to Crystal. "The Daughter of the Moon rises among us. The Seer confirms this truth"

Crystal flinched as dozens of eyes turned toward her. The weight of their gazes was like fire on her skin, like she was already being judged before she even had the chance to understand her own power.

"She is not yet shifted," Melvin continued. "But when she does she will shape the future of all packs. For good or ruin"

Fear

Awe

Suspicion

She felt all of it from the watching crowd. She felt them wondering if she could control this power. If she was ready for what was to come.

"I won't break," she whispered under her breath. "I won't let you fear me"

Her wolf stirred...stronger now. Hungrier. Her fingers tingle with heat beneath her sleeves.

"Easy" Edwin murmured beside her. "Hold on, Crystal. Not yet"

But the sensation inside her burned hotter with each breath.

The eyes of the Council, the Elders, the wolves pressed down on her like a weight she couldn't shake off.

* Star Blood Pack - Council Tent *

Ryder stood in the Council tent as the Elders from the surrounding packs arrived. The Greenwood, Shadow, and even Moonlight pack.

They eyed him warily, their concern thick in the air.

"The Daughter of the Moon must remain under our watch" one elder snapped. "Her awakening is unstable. If you move to claim her too soon, King or not, you may bring ruin"

Ryder's jaw tightened but he said nothing. He couldn't let them see his desperation. The bond tugged at his chest but he had to hold on.

"You will not take her until the Seer herself releases her" another warned. "The balance is fragile. We cannot risk chaos among the packs"

A growl rumbled in Ryder's throat. The need to protect Crystal was an ache he could not deny.

"She is mine by the ancient bond. When her wolf rises fully, she comes to me"

The Elders murmured uneasily.

"Her Pack won't let her go so easily" the oldest elder said softly. "You know the rules"

Ryder's gaze darkened. "Then wait. She will choose me. I will not back down"

Aiden growled low inside him, urging Ryder forward. "I'll wait no longer," Ryder growled. "Soon, she comes"

* Moonlight Pack - Crystal's Room *

Crystal collapsed onto her bed as the fever deepened. The air thick around her, burning with magic, her skin too hot to the touch.

A soft tremor shook her body.

Her wolf howled inside her mind, a furious roar that tore through her consciousness. The sensation was like electricity, pulsing beneath her skin, making her bones ache.

It is starting...

Her body arched against the bed, twisting with the strain of it. The pain intensified, each wave like a jagged ripple through her chest. The silver light burst from her hands, moving across her skin in dazzling patterns.

Her door creaked open. Her mother entered quickly, holding a small cloth.

"Stay strong, love. The Seer says it will be soon. You have to hold on"

"I can't wait anymore, Mother," Crystal gasped. "It's breaking loose... I feel it... I can't stop it..."

Her hands glowed fiercely, crackling with silver arcs of light.

A shadow flickered at the window.

Ryder.

He stood outside the boundary, his golden gaze locked on hers-silent, fierce, protective.

His eyes told her everything.

I am here. I will not let you fall.

Her wolf surged at the sight of him, a wild, eager snarl rising in her chest.

And as the sun set behind the trees, her wolf stirred, ready to rise.