1
Moonlight dripped through the ancient pines like liquid silver, pooling at my feet as I stood on the hollow's highest terrace. Below, Skarth Hollow slept tents empty, campfires dwindling, sentries slumped in exhaustion. Tonight, the moon was fat and full, a pale disc I hadn't looked upon without dread in years. Now it called me.
My heart thundered not with fear, but anticipation. The trials were complete. My bond with the Moon Goddess had been awakened. Now, under this lunar glow, I would become who I was meant to be.
I closed my eyes and let the night wind lift my hair. Centuries of silencing pain faded as I listened for the wolf within. At first there was nothing but my ragged breath… and then a tremor, deep inside my chest. A pulse of warmth. A whisper like silk on stone.
Come.
I inhaled. The air tasted of night bloom and promise. My feet slid forward, carrying me down a narrow stair carved into rock. Forbidden paths stretched before me paths I once would have been too afraid to tread.
Behind me, I heard Kael's soft footsteps. He didn't speak; he simply followed, as unwavering as the moon's arc. I didn't need words. His presence was a tether to my humanity, even as everything within me yearned to become something more.
We reached the Stone Circle the heart of the Hollow where pillars of black basalt rose like ancient sentinels. In its center, a shallow basin of polished obsidian caught the moon's reflection. Lysandra and three of the senior witches stood waiting, cloaks drawn back to let the moonlight ignite their eyes.
Lysandra stepped forward, her pale violet gaze fixed on me. "Aurora Thorn… Auryn," she intoned. "Tonight, you will claim your wolf."
My pulse thundered in my ears. I nodded, voice caught in my throat.
"Step into the basin."
I obeyed. Cold kissed my ankles as I lowered myself into the water. The obsidian surface was slick, and the basin was deep enough that the water reached my waist. My shift clung to me, cold as grief, but I welcomed the sting.
"Speak your truth," Lysandra said.
I closed my eyes. The hollow's hush deepened, as though the stones themselves were holding their breath.
"I am Aurora Thorn," I whispered. "Once Luna, then broken. But now… I am Auryn. Daughter of the Moon. I claim what was never stolen."
A tremor rippled across the water's surface. Threads of moonlight coalesced into a tether thin as silver wire—linking my chest to the sky above. Beneath my breast, warmth burned.
Without warning, power surged through every nerve. My bones sang; muscles wept joy. I gasped, head tossing back as light exploded behind my eyelids.
A howl tore from my throat half-wolf, half-woman a sound echoed by the basalt pillars. The water sloshed. Kael's hand found mine, his fingers curling around mine. His touch reminded me why I fought to keep the woman within even as the wolf awakened.
Pain lanced through my spine, and I fell forward, the water rising to my collarbones. Something heavy pressed within me, and the world blurred. I felt my bones shift, my spine lengthen, my senses sharpen. When at last I dared to open my eyes, I saw the world anew: moonlight refracted into trails leading to hidden hollows, the scents of moss and lichen thick in the air, and… myself.
I saw my reflection in the obsidian furred neck, silvered muzzle, amber eyes that were mine.
I was the wolf I had always been.
2
The gasp that escaped me was no longer human. Lysandra straightened, pride and awe mingling in her gaze. The other witches bowed their heads in respect.
Then Kael's voice cut through the exaltation. "Aurora?"
The sound of my name from his lips grounded me. I willed my wolf-self to stand, to shift back to remember the woman. It was like pulling myself from a dream. Slowly, I rose from the water. Muscle and fur yielded to flesh and bone until I stood before him fully human, breathless, heart hollowing with wonder.
Kael knelt. His eyes glistened. "You… you did it."
I sank to my knees, flooded by relief and disbelief. "I… I did."
Lysandra approached, placing a hand on my shoulder. "You are whole, Aurora Thorn. The bond cannot be broken again."
Behind us, the Hollow stirred wolves howling in greeting, witches whispering prayers of blessing. I felt their energy converge like warmth under my skin.
Yet beneath the triumph lay a current of fear. Garrick would not rest. The ledger I carried had unleashed the Council's involvement; word would reach Blackwater. Soon, my former Alpha would send hunters, mercenaries, even assassins. I was newly powerful, but still mortal. And now, I had a name carved on every hushed tongue in the Hollow: the Moon wolf reborn.
Kael helped me to my feet. "Walk with me," he said softly.
We left the Circle and followed a winding path toward the ridge that overlooked the valley below. The moon rode high and clear. Every leaf shimmered; every shadow was a secret. My senses radiated: I could hear the faint thrumming of magic in the soil, the heartbeat of a rabbit far below, the distant growl of a resting dire wolf.
Kael's hand hovered near mine, but he didn't touch. At last, I spoke: "I worry."
His jaw clenched. "Garrick will come."
"I'm new at this," I admitted. "I don't know how to lead a pack."
He turned to face me, voice firm. "You don't have to. Not yet. You have me."
I searched his eyes. "I want the Hollow to stand with me."
He smiled, a slow sunrise. "They will. But you need time. Time to learn what it means to be both woman and wolf."
I closed my eyes, letting the night whisper its secrets. Finally, I opened them, resolve hardening my spine. "Then I will learn."
3
The next morning, the Hollow awoke to a new leader. Word of the Moon wolf's rebirth spread like wildfire through the campfires. I moved through the crowds wounds healed, gait steady feeling eyes on me: reverent, hopeful, even fearful.
Ruvan and Eira fell in step beside me.
"You look… different," Ruvan observed. "More… alive."
Eira merely grunted, but there was warmth in her eyes.
I admitted, "Stronger. I finally understand what strength can feel like."
He nodded. "Your shift was flawless."
I glanced at Eira. "You saw?"
She shrugged. "I was advising Lysandra on anchoring rites. But I caught your howl down the ridge."
For once, she offered a faint smile. "Not bad."
I laughed soft and free. "Not bad for a cracked Luna."
Her lips twitched.
We reached the central fire pit where Kael waited, flanked by Lysandra and Ruvan. He extended his arm, and I took his hand. Beside us, the witches raised incense braziers; the smoke spiraled upward, carrying our promise to moon and star.
Lysandra lifted her arms. "People of the Hollow! Tonight marks the return of the Moon wolf, the bond reforged, and the dawn of a new age. Under Aurora's guidance, we will challenge tyranny and reclaim the broken. Stand with her, and we stand together."
A roar rose from the crowd wolves, witches, rogues, refugees all voices joined in oath.
I felt tears sting my eyes at the outpouring of faith. "Thank you," I whispered to Lysandra.
She nodded. "Now the real work begins."
4
That afternoon, I convened with the Council of the Hollow leaders of wolf clans, witch covens, and ranger bands. The chasm of politics yawned wide, sharper than any blade. Old grudges and rivalries surfaced as plans were laid to defend the Hollow, to strike at Blackwater, to smuggle liberated wolves to safety.
Words were traded like weapons. I watched, learning. My wolf-brain yearned to charge forward, to tear down walls with fang and claw. But the woman within reminded me that strategy would win battles bloodshed could not.
Kael sat beside me, offering quiet counsel. He whispered, "Trust Lysandra. Her sight reaches beyond the eye."
I nodded, turning to Lysandra as she moderated a heated debate between Clan Matriarch Selvenna and Covener Rhoswen. When she spoke, the room stilled.
"We must unite under a common purpose: freedom. Not vengeance. Freedom for our people and those still trapped under Garrick's chains. Let us be the light that guides them from darkness."
Her words ignited a spark. The council members exchanged glances and one by one nodded in agreement.
I exhaled, heart thrumming. The wolf-snarl of war had turned to the hawk's keen eye.
5
As dusk fell, I walked the ramparts alone. Below, Kellan's messenger hawks took flight, carrying coded letters to the Elder Council. Each missive bore the ledger's revelations and a plea for aid. Soon, the weight of distant armies might tip the scales.
But armies take time. Garrick would not wait.
Kael joined me silently, leaning against the stone parapet. "The Hollow is ready," he said.
I glanced at him. "And I?"
He offered his hand. "You are Moon wolf. Leader. My… my mate."
My breath caught. The word mate had been poison in my mouth once—now it felt like warm honey.
I placed my hand in his. "Then lead me."
He bowed his head. "With all my strength."
I smiled, feeling strength blossom in my chest. Together, we faced the valley where smoke curled from distant chimneys the heart of Blackwater. Far beyond, Garrick's fortress loomed, a threat on the horizon.
Beneath the full moon, two silhouettes wolf and man stood side by side, ready to defy the darkness.
6
That night, as the Hollow celebrated with song and stories, I slipped away to the Stone Circle once more. I knelt before the obsidian basin, running a hand over its smooth surface. The water rippled, reflecting my silver-streaked hair and eyes alight with purpose.
Thank you, my wolf, I murmured. Together, we will bring down the tyrant.
The moon shone brighter than before, as though smiling upon our pact. I felt the wolf's heartbeat aligned with mine steady, unwavering, triumphant.
At dawn, we would march. Our banners bore the symbol of a wolf beneath a shattered moon an emblem of broken bonds reforged into unbreakable will.
And I Aurora Thorn, once broken, now reborn would lead the charge.
For the Hollow. For the enslaved. For the promise that darkness can never extinguish the light of a soul unbound.