I burst into a small clearing- leaves crunching beneath my paws. The buck stood frozen for a split second, its eyes wide with terror. I tensed, ready to spring, when a pained yelp cut through the night air.
My heart clenched as I recognized my father's voice. In that moment of hesitation, the deer bolted. I whirled around, torn between pursuit and concern.
"Go, Lyra!" My father's gruff command still echoed in my head. "Don't lose the prey!"
But I could hear the strain in his mental voice, sense his pain and frustration. With a last glance at the fleeing deer, I made my choice.
I ran back through the trees, following my father's scent. I found him sprawled in a bed of ferns, his massive silver form trembling as he tried to rise.
"Father!" I changed forms as I reached his side, dropping to my knee beside him. "What happened? Are you hurt?"
He snarled, shaking his grizzled head. "It's naught. My damned leg gave out again. Go, the pack needs you to finish the hunt."
I laid a hand on his heaving flank. "The pack needs its alpha whole and strong. Let me help you back to the den."
His green eyes-so like my own-flashed with a mixture of pride and irritation. "I'm not some invalid pup to be coddled, Lyra. I can make it back on my own."
Before I could protest further, the remainder of the hunting party burst into view. Zane Thornheart was in the lead, his russet fur bristling with excitement. He skidded to a halt, confusion replacing the triumph in his golden eyes as he took in the scene.
"What's going on?" he demanded, shifting forms. "Why did you abandon the hunt, Lyra?"
I bristled at his tone but kept my voice calm. "There was an incident. The alpha needs assistance back to the den."
Zane's lip curled. "So you let our prey escape for this? Some future leader you'll make if you can't even complete a simple hunt."
A low rumble rolled in my chest. "Watch your tone, Zane. I made a judgment call as acting alpha. You would have me simply ignore the wellbeing of our pack leader?
"Enough!" My father's bark cut through our brewing argument. He struggled to his feet, favoring his right hind leg. "This solves nothing. Zane, take half the hunters and see if you can pick up the trail again. Lyra, you and the rest will accompany me back to the den."
Zane's eyes gleamed with scarcely restrained satisfaction. "Of course, Alpha Garrick. I won't let the pack go hungry tonight."
As he loped off with his selected hunters, I couldn't help but feel that I'd just handed my rival a victory. But a glance at my father's pained expression dispersed all regret. I'd done the right thing, even if no one else could see it.
The journey back to our lands was somber and slow. I could feel the weight of disappointed stares from the remaining pack members. Their hunger and frustration pressed against my mind, a constant reminder of my perceived failure.
My mother met us at the edge of the den clearing, her silver-streaked dark hair wild around her worried face. "Garrick! What happened?"
"Nothing to fuss over, Aria," my father growled, but he leaned heavy on her offered arm. "Just this blasted leg acting up again."
I watched them disappear into the alpha den, a knot forming in my stomach. How much longer could my father keep up the pretence of strength? And was I really ready to take his place?
A commotion on the other side of the clearing drew my focus. Zane and his hunters had returned, dragging the carcass of a young doe between them. The pack swarmed around them, their yips excited and congratulatory.
Zane's eyes met mine across the clearing, a smirk tugging his mouth upward. He raised his voice so I could hear every word: "See how a true leader provides for the pack? No hesitation, no misplaced sentiment. Just results."
A chorus of assent arose from the wolves attending. I balled my fists, fighting the urge to shift and attack him right then and there. It would only serve to prove his point-that I had no control.
I turned and disappeared into the darkness of the forest around me. I needed some time to wrack my brain free of doubt threatening to overwhelm me.
With each step I took, the revelry of the pack grew distant. Night's silence closed in around me, except for the leaves crunching beneath my feet and the occasional owl hooting. My feet were taking me toward a familiar path that led into my secret haven.
Before me yawned the old silver mine, its weathered timbers barely discernible through the gloom. I slipped inside; the musty scent of earth and stone filled my nostrils as I made my way deeper into the tunnels. A faint blue glow soon began illuminating my path.
I stepped out into a vast, cavernous space, the place etched with deep carvings of wolves. At the very center of this was a pool of crystalline water, its surface shimmering with a soft, ethereal glow. This had been my sanctuary since I was a boy-a place passed down through generations of Silverstone alphas.
I knelt at the edge of the pool, trailing my fingers through the cool water. "What am I supposed to do?" I whispered to the empty cavern. "How can I lead if I can't even complete a simple hunt?"
A ripple passed across the surface of the pool, and for a moment, I could have sworn I saw a flash of something in its depths. I leaned closer, my heart racing as the water began to swirl.
Then, in a second, the cavern was filled with blinding light. I stumbled back, shielding my eyes. When I could see again, I gasped in shock.
Before me now stood a shimmering figure: a wolf of pure starlight. His eyes shone with ancient wisdom as he regarded me. Then he spoke, and his voice echoed, not in my ears, but in my very soul.
"Lyra Silverstone," he intoned, "descendant of the First Pack. The time of your greatest trial approaches. Choices are to be made that will not only decide your fate, but the fate of all werewolves."
I went to my knees and was consumed by this otherworldly being. "I don't understand," I forced in a choking voice. "What trial? What choices?"
The starlight wolf's form began to flicker and fade. "Seek the truth beyond tradition. Believe in the bonds of the heart. The path of the true alpha is not in strength alone but in courage to forge anew."
"Wait!" I cried, reaching out as the apparition dissolved into mist. "I have so many questions!"
Screaming, I was alone once more, kneeling beside the now-still pool. My mind reeled, trying to make sense of what I'd just witnessed. Was it a vision? A hallucination born of stress and self-doubt?
One thing was certain-nothing would ever be the same again.
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