Chapter 22: The Tension Before the Storm
Zach's Point of View
2009 (Full Moon Arise)
The air in the Eastern Region was no longer still.
A peculiar heaviness clung to the mountaintops, thickening like wet wool pressed against skin. Every breath seemed to pull in more than oxygen—it carried the scent of impending violence. Birds no longer sang their morning melodies. Instead, they circled above the treetops in chaotic spirals, wings slicing through the thin light, shrieking as though warning the earth itself. Crows passed overhead, flapping in clusters, their cries sharp and mournful, each echoing like a herald of doom.
"They're close," murmured Alpha Blake, his voice low, yet cutting through the stillness like a blade. He stood atop the eastern ridge, silver cloak whipping around him in the moonlight, eyes piercing through shadows. "The sky speaks in riddles, but this is no riddle—it is a promise. War is coming."
Below him, the Eastern Pack moved as one. Wolves young and old lined the forest's edge, their senses taut. Even in human form, their eyes flickered with instinct, scanning every shadow. Shields were dug into the frost-laden ground, traps concealed behind leaves and rocks. Arrows gleamed in moonlight, polished and sharpened by trembling hands. Each movement was precise, rehearsed, but beneath it ran a thread of fear—subtle, barely acknowledged, yet undeniable.
The forest seemed to hold its breath with them.
Then came a sound that shattered the fragile quiet.
A long, blood-curdling howl echoed from the western slope, low, guttural, saturated with menace. It carried the weight of death itself, sending a shiver down spines, rattling teeth, and raising hackles even in the bravest of the Eastern wolves.
"They've sent their scout," Luna murmured, stepping from the shadows. Her staff was gripped in one hand, a bundle of pungent herbs in the other. Her eyes caught the moonlight, reflecting it like mirrors. "This is the day my vision warned of. The appointed hour has come."
I stood near her, shoulders squared, hands balled into fists at my sides. My heart beat a feral rhythm, restrained only by the walls I built inside myself. Fury and fear warred together, threatening to ignite. My Alpha blood called out, but it was caged. Not yet. Luna's eyes flicked to me, cautious, pleading. She knew that if I lost control now, the consequences could destroy everything we had fought to protect.
"My vision was not symbolic," Luna continued, her voice heavy, weighted by dread. "It was drenched in blood—bodies shattered, limbs burned, the forest soaked in fire and ash. The only hope we have left…" Her gaze settled on me, unwavering. "…is if the Alpha of the North awakens within you."
I did not answer at first. My eyes traced the darkness beyond the clearing, muscles coiled like springs. My pulse raced. My chest tightened as though I could feel the centuries of my bloodline thrumming within my veins, calling me forward, demanding action.
"I will protect them," I finally said, voice low, unshakable. "Even if I must face death before I discover who I truly am."
Luna closed her eyes and whispered a quiet prayer to the Moon Goddess, her lips barely moving. I sensed her fear, her hope, and her certainty all at once.
Bri stood at the edge of the front line, shoulders slumped, staring into the shadows as if searching for something invisible. His hands trembled, caught between the need to act and the fear of failing. The wind tugged at his hair, brushing against his skin, yet he did not feel the cold. Doubt gnawed at him relentlessly.
What if I'm not strong enough?
What if I'm only a burden?
Fenric noticed him and stepped forward, placing a firm hand on his shoulder. "You may not believe it yet," he said quietly, his voice steady as a rock in a storm, "but you belong here, Bri. You were born of power—even if you don't feel it now, it will find you when the time comes."
Bri gave a small nod, but his eyes remained distant, clouded with worry.
The forest shifted. Leaves quivered. Branches snapped under invisible feet. Then silence. Then… eyes.
Dozens of them. Glowing in the dark like embers of an unseen fire. Red, yellow, gold—fixed upon the pack like a predator analyzing its prey.
"They've arrived," whispered Leah, her voice trembling despite her controlled posture. Her hand hovered near the hilt of a dagger, knuckles whitening.
Luna moved forward to the front, staff raised high, herbs clenched tightly in her other hand. Her stance was resolute, unwavering, even as her eyes reflected the growing chaos.
"Stand ready!" Blake commanded, his deep voice carrying across the forest. "Do not attack until I give the order!"
The pack shifted into position. Fenric and Wulfric flanked their father, sharp fangs bared, muscles tensed like drawn bows. Younger wolves growled low in their throats, even as elders stood behind them, prepared to shield the weak if the first lines broke.
Then, emerging from the shadowed woods, they came.
The rogue wolves.
They poured forth in a living tide, first a trickle, then a wave, then a torrent. Hulking beasts with jagged scars, twisted fur, snarling faces, and teeth that glimmered under the waxing moon. They moved like predators born of chaos, their eyes burning with malice, their bodies exuding the raw stench of savagery.
And last to appear, commanding all attention, was their leader—Lucian Conri.
He stepped forward in full transformation, a wolf towering nearly twice the size of any Eastern warrior, brown fur like scorched bark, eyes burning red with an unquenchable fury. His presence alone silenced even the bravest of the pack. Shadows seemed to cling to him. The air thickened. Even the ground beneath his paws trembled, as though acknowledging his power.
He halted a mere few feet from me, nose twitching, nostrils flaring as he sampled the air. His mind reached out, cold and cruel, speaking directly into the minds of those who dared to oppose him.
"Well, well…" Lucian's voice was smooth, deadly, amused. "Why do you hide in the shadows, little cubs? We came all the way from the Southern Region and found your homes abandoned."
No one answered him. Only growls. Only silence.
He circled, eyes never leaving mine, sniffing the air around me. "So, it's true. The last living bloodline of the Northern Pack. You reek of suppressed power. Tell me, Alpha… do you know what you are?"
I growled, but my voice refused to answer. My fists clenched, burning as if the fury in my blood demanded release. Yet something—honor, caution, Luna—kept me from unleashing it fully.
Blake stepped forward, placing himself between Lucian and the pack. "We live in peace here. We want no part of your war."
Lucian's lips curled into a snarl, teeth flashing. "Peace? Then give us the boy—the Alpha of the North. Surrender him freely, and there will be no bloodshed. I give you my word."
Blake's tone hardened. "You have no word we would trust."
Lucian's gaze narrowed. "Then you choose death."
Wulfric's fury broke first. He lunged forward, teeth bared, his muscles coiling like springs. "Leave now, or I'll tear your throat out!"
"Wulfric!" Leah's shout came too late.
Lucian moved faster than any eye could follow, intercepting Wulfric mid-lunge. His massive jaws clamped around the young wolf's neck. A sickening crack echoed through the clearing, blood spraying into the frost-laden air. Wulfric fell with a cry of agony, his limbs trembling beneath the weight of his broken body.
"NO!" Fenric roared, charging forward in rage.
But Blake's commanding hand held him back. "Hold your ground!"
Wulfric writhed on the ground, groaning, crimson staining the snow-dusted grass.
Lucian stepped back, licking blood from his muzzle. "That was mercy," he hissed. "And mercy ends now."
Something inside me snapped. Deep within my chest, a growl erupted that shook the forest itself. The wind shivered. The leaves trembled. The earth vibrated beneath my paws. Bones ached, skin burned, blood sang with ancient fire.
I felt it—the Alpha blood in me, centuries of lineage, power long dormant now awake.
The forest braced itself.
Luna whispered, a soft tremor in her voice, "It begins."
And I knew…
The storm was finally here.