sla’s Awakening
The soft crackle of a fire and the distant murmur of voices were the first sounds Isla heard as she stirred. Pain bloomed across her body, radiating from her shoulder and down her side. Her eyes fluttered open, and for a moment, the dimly lit room spun. She groaned softly, her throat dry and raw.
“You’re awake,” came Susan’s sharp voice.
Isla turned her head, wincing at the stiffness in her neck. Susan sat in a chair nearby, her sharp features softened slightly by the firelight. A stack of reports rested on her lap, but her focus was entirely on Isla now.
“How long?” Isla croaked, her voice barely above a whisper.
“Four days,” Susan replied, rising to her feet. She placed a cup of water on the small table beside Isla. “Drink.”
Isla obeyed, the cool water soothing her parched throat. She paused between sips, trying to piece together what had happened. The last thing she remembered was bursting out of the cavern with the crest in her hand, the snarls of the guardians echoing in her ears.
“I survived,” Isla murmured, more to herself than Susan.
Susan nodded. “You didn’t just survive. You succeeded. You brought back the crest. The pack knows. The council knows. In three moons, you’ll stand before them as Crimson Fang’s Luna.”
The words hit Isla like a stone. She had barely processed her survival, and now this? Her head spun, and she set the cup down with trembling hands. “Luna?” she whispered.
Susan sat back down, her expression unreadable. “It’s what you earned. Draven’s chosen you. The pack recognizes it, and so does the council. They’re celebrating your victory even now.”
A wave of unease swept over Isla, heavier than the physical pain she carried. “They’re waiting for me,” she said softly, her thoughts racing. “Waiting to see me as their Luna.”
Susan’s gaze sharpened. “Yes. And they’re waiting to see your wolf.”
The statement landed like a thunderclap. Isla stiffened, her heart pounding in her chest. Her wolf. Lira. She hadn’t shifted once since coming here—not during the trials, not before. What would they say if they knew?
Her voice was barely audible when she asked, “What if I can’t shift?”
Susan’s brow furrowed, but she didn’t look surprised. “Then you’ll find a way. You’ve faced worse.”
“I don’t think I can,” Isla admitted, her voice trembling. “If they find out I can’t shift, what will they do?”
Susan was quiet for a moment, her sharp demeanor softening just enough to show a hint of sympathy. “The pack is restless. They expect strength from their Luna, yes. But strength isn’t always about what form you take.”
Isla shook her head, her hands gripping the blanket tightly. “They’ll turn on me. Draven—he’ll turn on me.”
Susan’s lips thinned. “If that man wanted you gone, you’d already be dead.”
The bluntness of her words made Isla flinch, but it was the truth. She felt a flicker of gratitude for Susan, whose loyalty seemed unwavering even in the face of Isla’s doubt.
But the fear didn’t abate. It coiled tighter in Isla’s chest, whispering insidious thoughts. Run,Run before they see you for what you are—a fraud.
She thought of leaving, disappearing into the rogue lands. But the memories of the last time she’d been hunted surfaced, chilling her to the bone. There was no safety out there. Not in Midnight Crest, not with the rogues, not anywhere. For all her fear of Crimson Fang, this place was her only chance.
Then fight,We didn’t come this far to run. You’ll figure this out. You always do.
But even as her wolf spoke, the uncertainty lingered. Could she truly be the Luna they needed? Or was her victory in the trials just a delay in the inevitable—her downfall?
