The mist that clung to my skin and drowned out all sounds made the forest darker now. My mind was racing with questions I dared not ask out loud, my muscles were tense, and my heart was pounding from the previous encounter. I knew I couldn't hide, though. Fear was not a wait for the Moonborn's fate.
As we made our way to the northern clearing, Thorn's hand steadied me with a gentle rest on my back. I couldn't help but notice how, while not entirely, his presence subdued the chaos pulsing through my veins. Not the part that throbbed with unadulterated energy, poised to rip itself apart at the slightest provocation.
His voice was sharp and low as he whispered, "Stay close." "I won't put you at risk by yourself. Selene's plans are bigger than either of us."
Instead of frightening me, the words stoked a stubborn part of me. larger than the two of us. I was no longer merely a bride-to-be. I was powerful. I must have been.
The clearing appeared, obscured by fog and the dim glimmer of silver eyes blinking from the darkness. First to appear was Selene, tall and slender, with golden hair that glistened in the moonlight and eyes that shone with the same icy logic I recalled from our early years. Her eyes did not meet her smile.
"So brave, Ravenna," she said in a silky voice. or stupid. Which do you believe?"
I clenched my fists. "I'm not afraid you."
She retorted, "Not yet," and then waved her hand. Around her, the shadows shifted, writhing toward us like snakes. I could practically feel her power against my skin, radiating like heat from a flame.
"Move!" Thorn snarled as he moved into position, his muscles taut and prepared, his wolf form rippling beneath his human disguise. Instinctively, I squatted down, scanning my eyes and synchronizing my heartbeat with the forest's pulse.
The first attack was unexpected. Half-formed, half-ethereal, half-solid shadow wolves exploded from the tree line. With their claws cutting through the mist, their silver eyes gleamed with a fierce intelligence. I felt my stomach tighten. This was no typical conflict. Everything I possessed and everything I could develop into was put to the test.
Instinctively, I raised my hands. The first wave of spectral wolves was intercepted by barriers formed by the twisted shadows I had practiced bending, which stretched into tendrils. I didn't falter even though their howls sliced through the night and into my chest.
"Pay attention, Ravenna!" The commotion was broken by Thorn's voice. "Control it! Bend it however you want!"
I took a breath, sensing the forest's pulse and the hum of my own strength. A fraction of time slowed, long enough for me to react, long enough for the shadow's tendrils to coil around the approaching wolves and strike with pinpoint precision. One fell. Then another.
Sharply, mockingly, Selene laughed. "Very impressive. But, it's still insufficient." When she moved forward, the shadows moved in response, encircling her like devoted soldiers. Every movement and every blow were calculated, and I could see the control in her eyes. I came to the realization that Selene had mastered her gift long before I had even started to comprehend mine.
The teeth of a rogue wolf snarled just inches from my face as it lunged out of the fog. My shadow tendrils sprang forth, encircling its limbs and pulling it back. It snarled and thrashed violently, but I felt like I was being pushed to my limits by the fresh, fierce, and raw energy I was using.
Thorn walked next to me, supporting me with his strength. His voice was a weapon in and of itself as he yelled, "Do not hold back!" "They benefit from your fear!"
I let go of the hesitation, let the shadows surge, curling around the spectral wolves, striking, twisting, forcing them back into the mist. With every blow, I experienced waves of fatigue along with an exhilaration I had never experienced before. My veins throbbed with power, real power, a raging potential that I could no longer ignore.
Selene stepped forward, her amber eyes meeting mine. "Very powerful," she muttered. "But still... human. Fragile. You will realize who you really are if you just do a little more."
At that moment, I understood that what she had said was a challenge as well as a warning. I wasn't a human. No longer. Even in brief, frantic outbursts, the Moonborn's blood throbbed in my veins, controlling shadows and warping time.
In an instant, the decision was made. From my right, a huge shadow wolf lunged at Thorn. reflex took over. I reached out, and the shadows caught it in mid-leap, coiling like living ropes. I had just enough time to twist, reroute, and throw it into a tree as time slowed and stuttered. The forest grew cold as its howl reverberated.
Thorn's eyes widened, not out of fear but out of something more profound. Respect . And maybe awe.
For a brief moment, Selene's expression changed. Fear, perhaps, but recognition. She growled, "You have power." "But not control."
I focused by taking a deep, calming breath and allowing my muscles to tighten. "Perhaps," I muttered. "But I'm getting better."
In response to my intent, the shadows sprang forward, precisely coiling around the ghostly wolves, creating barriers, and striking with purpose. Every movement gave me a sense of aliveness I had never experienced before. I was no longer Ravenna Ward, a helpless stand-in. The Moonborn was me. And I got a response from the forest, the shadows, and the air itself.
Selene squinted her eyes. "So much potential. And yet so young."
A forest full of tension and the sound of her laughter remained after she disappeared in a swirl of silver mist. I sensed her waiting, calculating, and observing.
Thorn's steady, grounding hand found mine. He remarked, "You've accomplished more than just surviving." "You've started to take charge. However, this is just the start."
I stared at him with a heaving chest, a mixture of excitement, sweat, and fear. I muttered, "Then I won't stop." "I can't ."
"Good," he said, his eyes dark and unblinking. "Because it's not just about the pack, whatever she wants." It about you."
With the silver eyes gone—or hiding—the forest fell into a tense silence. The fire within me did not go out, but my pulse did. I became aware that Selene's influence was still there, lingering in the background. The battle had just begun, I knew with a certainty that simultaneously made my blood run hot and cold.
The girl in a sister's shadow was no longer me. The Moonborn was me. And I wouldn't give up.