Chapter 2 The Darkest Moon

Lila’s POV

My boots sank into the damp moss as I froze, my hand flying instinctively to the silver band Dorian had given me.

“Who’s there?” I demanded, scanning the thick shadows between the pine trunks.

No physical form emerged, yet a strange vibration buzzed right behind my temples, like a choir whispering in an empty cathedral.

You do not know us yet, Vespera, the voice echoed directly inside my head, making my stomach turn. Your mother sealed the door to save her own skin, but tonight, the lock snaps.

Before I could process the strange name, the crunch of dry twigs shattered the silence nearby. Heavy, rapid footsteps closed in on my position.

“Lila!” a voice shouted through the trees. It was Torin, Jaxen's Beta. “Lila, stop! The Alpha wants you escorted to the border safety checkpoint!”

A bitter laugh bubbled up my throat. They had just thrown me away on national television and now they wanted to escort me out like trash? I didn't wait to hear another word.

I turned on my heel, bolting deeper into the dark woods, my human heart hammering against my ribs as I wondered why I was running from the only life I had ever known.

Above the thick forest canopy, the moon hung at the dead center of the sky, completely swallowed by pitch-black shadow.

A sudden bolt of lightning seemed to strike straight down my spine. I hit the dirt on my knees, a ragged scream tearing from my throat as white-hot agony ripped through my body.

It wasn't the clean, smooth shift the pack instructors always talked about in health class. This felt like my skeleton was being smashed with a sledgehammer, then put back together in reverse.

My thigh bones snapped, lengthening with sickening pops. My ribs expanded so fast my shirt tore along the seams. My chest heaved as my fingernails dragged deep trenches into the mud, my vision fracturing into wild, brilliant colors I had never seen before.

The quiet forest exploded with noise. I could hear a field mouse breathing beneath three feet of dirt. A rabbit's pulse a mile down the ridge sounded like a steady drumbeat.

When the pain finally cleared, the world felt lower to the ground. I pushed myself up, breathing hard, then looked down at a small creek running past my face.

Reflected in the clear water were two glowing, silver-gray eyes. Four long, powerful legs clad in sleek dark fur stood rooted in the mud.

Run, the ancient whisper inside my brain commanded, softer this time, almost like a mother’s gentle nudge.

I didn't plan the movement. My body simply reacted.

I launched forward and the dark forest turned into a smear of green and brown light. The wind howled against my ears as my paws barely touched the earth. I leaped over a fallen oak tree that would have taken me ten seconds to climb, landing on the other side with effortless grace.

Behind me, the sound of Torin and the pack patrol grew faint. Within three heartbeats, their scents vanished entirely, left miles behind in the dust.

I burst through the tree line and skidded to a halt on the dirt shoulder of the state highway. The headlights of a massive eighteen-wheeler cut through the morning fog, roaring down the asphalt at top speed.

I looked at the truck, then down at my four paws. A hysterical grin stretched across my muzzle.

I took off alongside the road, matching the vehicle stride for stride. I glanced sideways at the driver, whose coffee mug was suspended halfway to his open mouth as he stared through his window in utter shock.

With a light kick of my hind legs, I surged ahead, leaving the speeding truck in my dust.

I pulled over by a fence line, shifting back into my human skin with a fluid ease that should have been impossible. Standing on two feet again, barefoot and bruised, a wild mix of laughter and tears burst from my chest.

“I’m not broken,” I whispered to the empty air, wiping my wet cheeks. “I was never broken.”

Against every sensible thought in my head, I didn't run away. I turned right back toward Ironhowl territory as the first pink light of dawn painted the sky.

I needed them to see it. I needed to look them in the eyes when they realized what they had thrown away.

I reached the pack’s main training track just as the morning sun hit the bleachers. The elite runners were out on the red dirt, stretching their legs for the daily drills. My mother stood near the track railing with a steaming paper cup, talking quietly with two elders.

“Hey, slowpokes!” I called out, my voice ringing clear across the field.

The entire squad froze. My mother spun around, her eyes widening as I stepped onto the track in my ripped clothes.

“Lila?” Marcus, the pack's reigning sprint champion, scoffed, stepping forward with his hands on his hips. “You're trespassing, human. Did you come back to drag our average down some more?”

“Line up, Marcus,” I said, pointing at the hundred-meter mark. “One sprint. Just you and me.”

Marcus snorted with laughter, but the elders nodded, curious to see the intruder removed quickly.

“Alright, girl. Don't cry when you get left in the dirt.”

We took our stances on the line. An elder raised a hand, then dropped it sharply.

“Go!”

Marcus shifted instantly into a massive brown wolf, his powerful legs tearing up chunks of dirt as he shot forward. I didn't even bother to shift. I pushed off the ground with the new power surging through my veins, my human legs moving so fast the air cracked around me.

I crossed the finish line before Marcus had even reached the halfway mark.

The silence that followed was deafening.

Marcus tumbled to a stop, reverting to his human form with a look of pure terror. Beside the railing, my mother’s fingers slipped and her paper coffee cup hit the pavement, splattering black liquid across her white shoes.

The elders stood frozen, mouths open, their faces pale as chalk.

Heavy footsteps crunched on the gravel path behind us. Jaxen stepped onto the track, his dark hair messy, his eyes bloodshot from a sleepless night.

“What is going on here?” Jaxen began, but the moment the wind shifted and carried my scent to his nose, his voice died in his throat.

His amber eyes locked onto mine, blown wide with shock and absolute disbelief. The raw, terrifying aura of a true hybrid wolf rolled off me in waves, so thick it made the surrounding air feel warm.

Jaxen’s knees gave out beneath him and the proud Alpha of Ironhowl dropped heavily onto the dirt right at my feet.

I looked down at him, my heart perfectly steady, then walked right past his trembling shoulders without saying a single word.

I made it as far as the wrought-iron gate before a hand grabbed my elbow, pulling me into the shadow of the stone wall.

My mother was shaking, her face devoid of any color.

“Lila, you have to leave right now,” she whispered desperately, glancing over her shoulder toward the main house. “Leave tonight and never come back.”

I yanked my arm out of her grip, my silver eyes narrowing.

“Why? Because I'm faster than your champions now? Because I embarrassed your precious Alpha?”

“No, you foolish girl!” she hissed, tears finally spilling down her cheeks. “They know what you are now. They saw the silver eyes and they're already on their way!”

My chest tightened as the air around us seemed to turn cold.

“Who is on their way, Mom?”

My mother swallowed hard, her voice dropping to a terrified whisper that made my blood run cold.

“The Veil Keeper.”