Under Moonlit Skies

Elara stared at the message from Liora, her mind racing. Your mate is the enemy. What did her sister mean?

"This is nonsense," Kaelen said, crumpling the bark in his fist. "She's trying to divide us."

Zane stepped forward. "Or maybe she's telling the truth. How can we trust someone who doesn't even trust herself?"

Murmurs of agreement rippled through the gathered wolves. Elara felt their doubt like a physical weight.

"Enough," Kaelen growled. His Alpha power rippled through the air, silencing everyone. "Return to your duties. I'll deal with this."

As the pack scattered, Kaelen turned to Elara. "Come with me."

She followed him, aware of the stares burning into her back. They walked in silence until they reached the edge of the pack grounds.

"Where are we going?" Elara asked.

"You've seen the pack house. Now I want to show you our territory." His voice softened. "And we need to talk away from all those ears."

They shifted into wolf form. Kaelen's black fur gleamed in the sunlight, powerful and majestic. Beside him, Elara's light gray coat seemed small, but her golden eyes held the same fierce spirit.

They ran together through forests and meadows, over streams and hills. For the first time since arriving, Elara felt free. Her wolf reveled in the open space, the wind in her fur.

Kaelen matched his pace to hers, sometimes leading, sometimes following. Not once did he try to dominate or control her path. It surprised her—he was nothing like the cold, ruthless Alpha she'd expected.

After an hour, they reached a cliff overlooking a valley. The view took Elara's breath away. Mountains stretched into the distance, covered in green forests and topped with snow.

They shifted back to human form, and Kaelen sat on a large rock, patting the space beside him.

"This is my thinking place," he said. "I come here when I need to make big decisions."

Elara hesitated before sitting next to him. "It's beautiful."

"The first time I came here was the day I became Alpha." His eyes grew distant. "I was young—too young, some thought. My father had been killed by rogues, and suddenly the pack was mine to protect."

"Were you scared?" Elara asked.

"Terrified." He smiled slightly. "But I couldn't show it. A scared Alpha means a scared pack."

Elara understood now why he always seemed so strong, so certain. "Is that why you never let your guard down? Why you keep everyone at a distance?"

Kaelen looked at her, surprised. "You notice a lot for someone who's been here only two days."

"I've spent ten years watching people from a distance. You learn to see what others miss."

They fell silent, but it wasn't uncomfortable. Below, a hawk circled lazily on air currents, hunting.

"What did you see in the vision?" Kaelen finally asked. "After you drank Bryn's potion."

Elara took a deep breath. "My father tried to drown Liora. I saw him holding her under the water. I jumped in to save her, and... something happened."

"The power your father mentioned?"

She nodded. "The water responded to me. It glowed blue and... parted. Like in those old human stories about seas splitting open." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "I thought I was imagining it all these years."

Kaelen didn't look shocked or frightened. Instead, he seemed thoughtful. "There are legends about wolf bloodlines with ancient gifts. Some could heal with a touch. Others could speak to animals beyond wolves. Water control would be rare, but not impossible."

"You believe me?" Elara couldn't hide her surprise.

"Why wouldn't I? I've seen strange things in my time as Alpha." He looked at her directly. "What I don't understand is why your father would try to harm his own daughter."

Elara shook her head. "I still don't remember everything. Just pieces."

"And now Liora claims I'm the enemy." Kaelen's jaw tightened. "Someone is lying, and we need to find out who."

The sun began to set, painting the sky in shades of orange and pink. Without thinking, Elara leaned slightly against Kaelen's shoulder. The contact sent warmth flooding through her body.

"The mate bond," Kaelen murmured. "It gets stronger when we're close."

"Is that why I feel... safe with you? Even though my head says I shouldn't trust anyone?"

He smiled. "The bond doesn't lie, Elara. It recognizes what our minds sometimes can't—that we belong together."

For a moment, she allowed herself to imagine it—belonging somewhere again, having a home, being part of something larger than herself. The idea was both wonderful and terrifying.

"Tell me something true about you," she said suddenly. "Something no one else knows."

Kaelen thought for a moment. "I hate being Alpha sometimes. The constant decisions, the weight of so many lives. Some nights I dream of running away, being free of it all."

His honesty touched her. "Why don't you?"

"Because they need me. And because true freedom isn't about escaping responsibility—it's about choosing your own path, even when it's difficult." He looked at her. "Your turn. Tell me something true."

Elara hesitated. "I'm afraid of remembering everything about that day at the river. What if I did something terrible? What if I'm not who I think I am?"

Kaelen took her hand, his touch gentle but firm. "We all have shadows in our past, Elara. The question is whether we let them define our future."

As darkness fell, stars appeared overhead. Neither seemed eager to return to the pack house with its tensions and watchful eyes.

"We should head back," Kaelen said finally, though he made no move to stand.

"Just a few more minutes," Elara whispered.

He nodded, and they sat together under the stars, hands still joined. Something was growing between them—something deeper than the initial pull of the mate bond. Understanding. Trust. Maybe even the beginnings of something like love.

The peace was shattered by a distant howl—the pack's emergency signal.

They leapt to their feet, instantly alert.

"That's Jorin's call," Kaelen said, already shifting into his wolf.

They raced back toward the pack grounds, running faster than before. As they drew closer, the smell of blood hit Elara's sensitive nose. Fear gripped her heart.

They burst into the clearing to find chaos. Warriors gathered around something—someone—on the ground. The crowd parted for their Alpha, revealing Bryn kneeling beside a bloodied figure.

"Finn," Elara gasped.

The mysterious wolf had somehow made it to the heart of Silver Moon territory, despite his injuries. His silver-tipped fur was matted with blood, one leg clearly broken.

As Elara approached, Finn's eyes flickered open. He shifted painfully into human form, his breath coming in short gasps.

"You need to know," he wheezed. "Your father... he's not your real father."

Elara froze. "What?"

"Your mother... she made a deal... with the river spirits. Twin daughters... with the power to control water and fire." Blood bubbled at the corner of his mouth. "You and Liora... you're not just wolves. You're something more."

"How do you know this?" Kaelen demanded.

Finn's eyes locked with Elara's. "Because I was there the day you were born. I'm your mother's brother. Your real uncle."

Before Elara could process this revelation, Jorin pushed through the crowd.

"Alpha, we found these on him." He held out a leather pouch containing a set of ancient-looking stones carved with strange symbols.

As soon as Elara saw them, her head pounded with pain. Images flashed behind her eyes—her mother using those same stones, chanting words in a language Elara somehow understood.

She reached for the stones, drawn to them like a moth to flame.

"Don't touch them!" Finn cried out, but it was too late.

As her fingers closed around the stones, they began to glow with an eerie blue light. The same light she'd seen in the river all those years ago.

Power surged through her body, making her gasp. The ground beneath her feet trembled. Nearby, a water barrel exploded, its contents hovering in mid-air like a liquid cloud.

Every wolf in the clearing backed away, fear in their eyes. All except Kaelen, who moved toward her, hand outstretched.

"Elara," he said gently. "It's okay. You can control this."

But she wasn't sure she could. The power was too much, too wild. And somewhere in the forest, she felt another presence awakening—a twin flame to her own.

Liora.