Moonbound :The Alpha's Curse

The full moon loomed high in the ink-dark sky, its silver glow bathing the clearing in ghostly light. Wind howled through the trees like a mourning spirit, whispering warnings the forest dared not speak aloud. The trees seemed to lean inward, drawn toward the chaos unraveling in the heart of the Shadow Fang Pack's training ground.

"Step aside, mutt."

The voice cut through the night like a blade. Cold. Merciless.

Aria stood at the edge of the combat ring, her thin frame trembling beneath the ragged cloak she used to shield her from more than just the cold. Blood smeared her cheek from a fresh cut, the copper scent mixing with the dirt and sweat clinging to her skin. Her knees wobbled, but she didn't fall.

She couldn't afford to fall anymore.

Zara, a high-ranking warrior and one of Alpha Crayden's fiercest lieutenants, glared at her with contempt. The woman's muscles rippled under tight leather armor, and her glowing eyes shone with fury. She had been humiliated - Aria had unintentionally blocked her earlier during training, and now Zara wanted to make her pay in front of the entire pack.

"You think just because Alpha Lucien lets you breathe, you belong here?" Zara hissed, taking another threatening step forward. "You're still the cursed omega. Trash. Filth."

Gasps rippled through the small crowd that had gathered. Warriors, omegas, even pups. All waiting. Watching.

Aria didn't flinch. She stood her ground, her heart pounding like a drum in her chest. She had been stepped on her entire life - beaten, ridiculed, discarded like she was a plague. But now she had something - something no one else knew. Something she had to protect at all costs.

A life inside her.

Her hand brushed against her stomach instinctively, and she dropped it just as fast.

"I don't want to fight you," Aria said, voice calm, though her legs trembled. "But I won't let you push me around anymore."

Zara snarled. "What will you do, huh? Whimper me to death?"

A low, warning growl came from the other side of the ring. It was Elric, the guard who had once been ordered to execute her months ago. He'd been the only one to show mercy, sparing her when she had nothing and no one. His amber eyes met hers now, filled with silent worry.

He could see it - the tension, the change in her aura.

"Back down," he murmured, his voice lost in the wind. "Please, Aria."

But Aria had already made her choice.

She stepped into the ring.

Gasps turned into murmurs. Zara laughed, low and cruel.

"I'm going to enjoy this."

Zara lunged first, her claws out, aimed at Aria's throat.

Aria dodged by inches, rolling to the side, then spinning around with a speed that stunned even herself. Her reflexes had sharpened in recent weeks. The moon no longer weakened her - it fueled her. Her body moved on instinct, like something inside had awakened and taken control.

She ducked another strike and slammed her palm into Zara's ribs. A small burst of pressure knocked Zara back several steps.

"What-?" Zara staggered, blinking.

She wasn't the only one shocked.

Aria's breathing quickened. She hadn't meant to use it - the energy. It had surged from within her, wild and hot, like it had a mind of its own. Elemental? Or something else? She wasn't sure yet. But she could feel it humming under her skin, aching to be unleashed.

Zara's rage snapped back fast. She shifted midair and lunged in wolf form, fangs bared.

But Aria stood still.

She closed her eyes... and reached within.

In a blink, a shimmer of moonlight enveloped her. The moment Zara's massive wolf body lunged, Aria vanished - reappearing behind her attacker with a crackle of pale-blue light.

Moonlit teleporting.

She had no time to think about how it happened - only enough to kick Zara straight in the side, sending her sprawling.

Cheers erupted from the younger wolves.

Zara snarled, about to shift back, but Elric stepped forward. "That's enough!"

Zara glared, defeated but humiliated. "This isn't over."

She stormed off, wounded pride more painful than bruises.

Aria turned to leave, heart thundering - and that's when she saw him.

Her closest friend, Finnick, stood near the edge of the ring. He had always been kind, quiet, protective, one of the only wolves who'd ever offered her a smile without venom behind it.

But his eyes were not smiling now.

They were locked on her. Or more specifically... on the way she had clutched her stomach just before Zara attacked. Aria followed his gaze.

Too late.

She saw the shift in his expression, confusion, dawning realization, and something darker.

"No," he said quietly, stepping closer. "Aria... are you-?"

She said nothing. Her lips parted, but the words refused to come.

Finnick's jaw tightened.

Someone else had seen.

He now knew her secret, and with it, held the power to save her... or destroy her.

Finnick's gaze held hers like a storm about to break. The air between them thickened with unspoken questions and looming danger. The secret she had tried so hard to keep now hovered between them like a fragile thread ready to snap.

"Finnick," Aria said softly, her voice barely above a whisper, "Please, don't look at me like that."

He shook his head, eyes narrowing. "How could you hide this from me? From all of us?"

Her throat tightened. "I was scared. Scared you'd hate me. Scared they would kill me if anyone found out."

His lips pressed into a thin line. "You're already a target."

Aria swallowed hard, the weight of her secret pressing deeper into her chest. "I know."

Suddenly, a sharp, distant horn shattered the tense silence. It cut through the night like a blade, urgent and unforgiving.

Finnick's head snapped toward the sound. "The border alarm."

Before she could protest, he grabbed her arm gently but firmly. "Come."

Confusion and fear churned inside her, but she nodded, following him through the trees toward the pack's stronghold.

The forest around them seemed to close in, shadows twisting and dancing beneath the cold moonlight. The tension was thick, almost suffocating.

At the edge of the clearing, they found the pack in chaos. Wolves shouted, weapons were drawn, and the scent of fear mixed with adrenaline hung heavy in the air.

Elric stood at the center, commanding and resolute despite the chaos. His sharp eyes scanned the forest.

"Get the women and pups inside the tunnels!" he shouted. "I want warriors at every entrance! If they cross the line, kill without hesitation!"

Finnick pulled Aria back slightly, his voice low. "You need to be inside, safe. This is not your fight."

Aria shook her head. "I'm not safe anywhere. Not anymore."

His jaw tightened, but he didn't argue.

Just then, a pack of rogue wolves burst through the trees, snarling and fierce. Their eyes glowed red in the moonlight, and their claws were stained dark.

Chaos erupted.

Aria's heart hammered wildly as she backed away. One of the rogues broke from the pack and charged at her with lethal intent.

She turned to run, but her legs betrayed her. The wolf was too fast.

Instinct took over.

A force she had never felt before surged inside her. Her hands shot out, and the air around her trembled. A blast of wind, sharp and wild, knocked the rogue off his feet and slammed him against a tree.

The clearing fell silent for a heartbeat.

Elric's eyes widened in disbelief.

Aria staggered back, her breath coming in short gasps.

"What was that?" a young warrior whispered.

Aria didn't have the answer.

But she felt it - the strange energy humming beneath her skin, raw and untamed.

Then, sharp pain stabbed her abdomen. She doubled over, clutching her stomach.

A twisting, burning sensation tore through her.

"No, not now," she gasped.

Finnick was at her side instantly, concern flooding his features.

"Aria! What is it?"

She shook her head, struggling to focus.

"I don't know," she whispered.

The pain worsened, radiating outward like fire.

Suddenly, the moonlight intensified around her, bathing her in a radiant glow.

The wolves stepped back, eyes wide with awe and fear.

Elric knelt beside her, voice urgent. "Hold on, Aria. We'll get you help."

She shook her head, fighting to stay upright.

"No time," she said breathlessly. "The baby, it's waking."

Finnick took her hand, gripping it tightly.

"Whatever this is, you're not alone."

But as the pain surged again, Aria's mind spun.

The curse they had placed on her blood, the whispers of witches and rejects, the hate and scorn, none of it mattered now.

Because inside her, a power was rising.

One that could save them all, or destroy everything she had left.

The rogue wolves were advancing again, their howls breaking the night like thunder.

And the battle for the pack's survival was just beginning.