The Rising of the Moonbrone

*****Elara's point of view****

The moon blared low and burning in the sky, its silver sheen washing the clearing in an ethereal glow. Wolves from the pack stood in a tightly bound circle, air crackling with electric tension, eyes turned toward the dais just ahead, where the Ceremony of Fates would take its claim in moments. My heart raced in my chest loudly enough to drown out the whispers around me. I tugged at the sleeves of the ceremonial dress I wore, the fabric heavy with sigils of a line that felt less like a heritage than a curse.

Clothed in dark indigo robes, the Elders lifted their hands to silence those gathered. Their steady, somber voices chanted the ancient words that will forever bind us with our fated mates. I swallowed, forcing myself to stand tall as Elder Mathias's gaze fell on me.

"Elara," he said, his voice as hard and unmoving as the mountains. "Step forward."

The whole pack was watching me. Their eyes were heavy on my shoulders, but I was not about to reveal that I was buckling. As I stepped into the circle, cool and solid ground rose beneath me, a brittle counterpoint to the turbulence swirling in my body. My gaze hit Kael, the future alpha, as his was proud on the dais. And when his sharp-cut features and confident mien commanded every whispered word and darting eye to his space. He was all that the pack respected and my property.

The Elders' chant crescendoed until it might have shattered glass, and a golden glow began to shimmer between Kael and me. It shimmered, alive and prescient, drawing close around us like an invisible thread. Cramps of hope filled my chest. This was it. The bond was forming. Kael and I were meant to be. And still the universe had chosen me, through it all.

Then Kael's jaw tightened. Something nameless passed over his face before it hardened. He fetched the golden-thread, which he had learned to keep at the end of his belt, and suddenly cut it.

"Elara Lyris," he said, his tone cold enough to freeze the air. "I reject you."

The words knifed through me, left me gasping for air . A murmur passed through the pack, and the golden light wavered, then vanished. My legs were trembling, but I resisted the urge to sag. I searched Kael's face for some sign of hesitation, for a crack in his resolve, but his face was a mask of indifference.

"Kael," I said, unsure if my words would reach over the murmur. "Why?"

He locked eyes with me, and I sensed a flicker of regret. But it was gone as fast as it came. He turned his back on me just enough, and in that single action, my fragility shattered.

"Elara Lyris," Elder Mathias intoned, his tone heavy with gravity. "You are hereby exiled."

Exiled. The word cut through my mind, sharp and savage. When I leaned back against the wall, the crowd parted, their faces a mask of judgment and pity. Shame burned on my skin, but beneath it something darker, something hard and unforgiving. Betrayal.

I fled into the woods; the shadows consumed me. I thought of rain gutters and satellites, and my subconscious went from mess inescapable. Why had Kael done this? What had I done to deserve this rejection? It just didn't make sense to me and the questions just fuelled my anger."

A distant howl split the night, grating and off-putting. My breath caught. They pack Why will not allow me to get out that simply. Exiles were not often afforded a clean exit.

I rushed through thick underbrush, my heart pounding in my chest. The forest hummed with night sounds-the swish of leaves, the hoot of an owl. But underneath it all, I think there was something else. A presence. (That raised my hackles; it was a tingle in the back of my neck.)

"Elara," a voice spoke from the darkness. My heart in my throat, I turned around. From the shadows sprang three wolves, eyes aglow with any kind's hunger. The leader, a callused wolf smeared with a sadistic smile, marched.

"The Elders told me to bring you back alive," he said derisively. "They said that they did not indicate the state."

Panic constricted my chest, but I willed my body to stand tall. "Don't come closer," I said, trembling. "I... do not want you to fight me."

The leader chuckled, a dark sound. "Are you able to take on us? You're nothing, Elara. A disgrace."

They lunged, and instinct took over. I sidestepped the first attack, fumbling my limbs but moving with desperation. I raked my claws along one wolf's face, and blood pooled there, but it was a temporary victory. A second wolf knocked me down, the weight of him crushing.

"This is how everything will end," the leader hissed, teeth shining. But then a blur of movement crashed into him, knocking him over.

I regained my breath as my assailant hurled from atop me. A new figure had come between me and the wolves, dangerous in his stance. Moonlight glinted in his eyes-a renegade, a force.

"if you want her," the rogue growled, dangerously low, "you'll have to go through me first."

The wolves held back, exchanging doubtful glances with each other. There was no room for a reply from the rogue. His movements were deadly; strikes were quick and unrelenting. The wolves were ebbing while they disappeared slowly into the shadows, yelping from pain.

Once the last of the surrounding men had retreated, the rogue turned to me. His gaze was penetrating and evaluating, but it was no generous gaze. "Get up," he ordered. "They're going to be back any minute, and I ain't going to stick around to save you twice."

I stood there with my jaw dropping and my head spinning. I had no idea who he was or why he'd saved me, but one thing was certain: my fight for survival had only just begun.