"What am I?" she whispered.
The moment of shock ended when two more rogues rushed at her. This time, Elarose didn't need a weapon. She moved faster than should have been possible, ducking under the first rogue's claws and driving her fist into his stomach. The impact sent him flying backward just like the first one.
The second rogue managed to rake his claws across her arm, drawing blood. The pain was sharp and immediate, but something else happened when her blood hit the ground.
The earth around the drops began to glow with a soft, silvery light.
"Moonblood," Marcus said, his voice filled with awe and hunger. "She has moonblood in her veins."
"What's moonblood?" Elarose asked, staring at the glowing drops.
"The blood of the first werewolves," Draven explained, never taking his eyes off the advancing rogues. "It's been lost for over a thousand years. If you have moonblood, then you're descended from the original pack leaders."
The silvery glow was spreading from the drops of blood on the ground, creating a circle of light around Elarose's feet. She could feel power rising inside her, stronger than anything she had ever experienced. It was like the moon itself was pouring energy directly into her body.
"We have to have her," one of the rogues said desperately. "If she really has moonblood, she could make us the most powerful pack in existence."
"She's not going anywhere with you," Draven snarled.
The fighting resumed, but now it was different. Every time one of the rogues got close to Elarose, that silvery light would flare brighter, and they would stumble backward as if they had been burned. She didn't fully understand what was happening, but she could feel the moon's power flowing through her veins like electricity.
"Use it," Draven called to her as he fought off three rogues at once. "Whatever you're feeling, use it!"
Elarose looked up at the bright moon overhead and felt that power surge stronger. She raised her hands toward the sky, and moonlight began to gather around her fingers like silver fire. The light was so bright that several of the rogues had to shield their eyes.
"How is she doing that?" Marcus demanded. "She hasn't even shifted yet!"
"Because she's more than just a werewolf," Draven replied, his voice filled with realization. "She's something that hasn't been seen in a thousand years."
The moonlight around Elarose's hands was getting brighter and hotter. She could feel it wanting to be released, like a dam ready to burst. But she didn't know how to control it, didn't know what would happen if she let it go.
"I can't control it," she said, fear creeping into her voice. "It's too much."
"Then don't control it," Draven said. "Trust your instincts."
One of the rogues chose that moment to lunge at her, claws extended and teeth bared. Elarose reacted instinctively, throwing her hands forward. The moonlight exploded outward in a wave of silver fire that hit every rogue in the clearing.
The effect was immediate and devastating. The rogues screamed as the moonlight touched them, their partially shifted forms reverting to humans as they collapsed to the ground. Some of them were unconscious, others were writhing in pain, but none of them looked capable of fighting anymore.
Marcus was the only one still standing, but even he looked shaken. "What are you?" he demanded, staring at Elarose with a mixture of fear and desperate hunger.
"I don't know," Elarose said honestly. The effort of channeling that much power had left her feeling drained and shaky.
"This isn't over," Marcus said, backing away toward the trees. "There are others who will want you. Others who won't be as easy to defeat."
"Let them come," Draven said, moving to stand beside Elarose. "She's under my protection now."
Marcus melted back into the shadows with the few rogues who were still conscious enough to move. Within moments, the forest was quiet again except for the sound of Elarose's heavy breathing.
"That was incredible," Draven said, turning to look at her with something like awe. "I've never seen anyone channel pure moonlight like that, especially not someone who hasn't even shifted yet."
"Shifted?" Elarose asked, though she was starting to understand what he meant.
"Changed into wolf form. It's something all werewolves can do, but most need months of training before they can control their shift." He studied her face in the moonlight. "You're definitely not a normal werewolf."
"Then what am I?"
"I'm not sure. But whatever you are, you're exactly what my pack has been waiting for." Draven's expression grew serious. "There's something I need to tell you, Elarose. Something about why you're so important."
Before he could continue, Elarose felt a wave of exhaustion hit her like a physical blow. The adrenaline that had been keeping her going suddenly drained away, and the power that had been flowing through her veins flickered and died. Her legs gave out, and she would have fallen if Draven hadn't caught her.
"What's happening?" she asked weakly. "I feel so tired."
"Channeling that much power without training," Draven explained, lifting her easily in his arms. "Your body isn't used to it yet. You need rest."
Elarose tried to stay awake, tried to ask more questions about what was happening to her, but her eyelids felt impossibly heavy. The last thing she remembered was the steady rhythm of Draven's heartbeat as he carried her through the forest, and his voice whispering reassurances that she was safe now.
When unconsciousness finally claimed her, she was dreaming of silver light and ancient powers, of pack bonds and destinies she didn't yet understand.
Somewhere in the back of her mind, she could hear voices calling her name, but they seemed to be coming from very far away.
The moon continued to shine, casting silver shadows on the path as Draven carried his mysterious mate toward the hidden territory of the Moonshade Pack, where fifty-seven werewolves waited to meet the woman who might finally be able to break their thousand-year curse.
But first, she would have to discover exactly what she was - and whether she was strong enough to handle the truth when it was finally revealed.