CHAPTER 66

**The Inner Power**

As I remained still, gazing into the bright eyes that pierced the darkness, the woodland seemed eerily quiet. My spine tingled, but I made myself get to my feet. I was not going to let fear stop me, no matter what was out there.

With his body stiff and poised to move, Kai took a protective step in front of me. The stress of the surrounding warriors was evident as they twitched.

"Remain near me," Kai said in a stern voice.

I detested how those words touched me, as if I were in need of rescue. I yelled, "I can take care of myself," and moved to stand by him.

His jaw tensed as he looked at me. "Now is not the time to quarrel."

But before he could continue, the roaring became louder and spread like a threatening wave across the trees. At least a dozen rogues, with wild eyes and dangerous attitudes, appeared out of the shadows one by one.

With a calm but powerful tone, Kai said, "We do not want problems." "But we will do it if you take it."

The rogues did not say anything in response. They made a lunge.

I hardly had time to consider, since everything occurred so quickly. The lead rogue and Kai's wolf collided in a furious tangle of jaws as Kai moved in midair. The fighters spread out, confronting the assailants directly.

I swerved to the side, just escaping a rogue's neck slash. My instincts took over, and I quickly kicked him in the knee to send him tumbling.

However, they continued to arrive. With one rogue eliminated, another sprang out of nowhere.

I felt a rush of adrenaline as I battled, using what I had learnt in training. However, it was insufficient. These outlaws were not only untamed; they were well-coordinated, as if they had received training.

The sneer of one of them was inches from my face as he trapped me against a tree. I immediately lifted my hands, feeling a rush of energy rising up within me as my heart beat.

Then it took place.

My hands exploded with light, blinding the rogue and sending him flying backwards. Stunned, I gazed at my hands.

"Luna!" Kai's voice broke the commotion. His wolf was snapping and growling as he fought off two rogues simultaneously. "Repeat anything you have just done!"

I did not need two reminders.

That is what happened to the next rogue that attacked me. I concentrated on the odd energy inside of me and directed it into a force wave that flattened him.

The others paused, obviously uneasy. However, their hesitancy was short-lived.

"We must take a backup!" Kai's voice rose over the commotion as he yelled.

"No!" To my own surprise, I screamed back. "We can put a stop to this."

There was no time to debate, but he gave me a glance.

I took a step forward and approached the remaining rogues, my hands blazing slightly. "Go now," I murmured, sounding more composed than I really was. "Or you will be sorry."

The warning went unheeded.

I released my energy once again as the second renegade rushed, but this time it was not only a burst. It surrounded me like a wall of glistening light, acting as a protection. After colliding with it, the rogue collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

When the others paused once again, I took advantage of the opportunity.

I spoke, "This forest is not yours," in a voice that carried an authority I did not quite comprehend. "You have no place here. Get out!

It seemed for a second that they might pay attention. Then, however, a spooky chuckle came from the woods.

A smooth, sarcastic voice remarked, "Impressive."

A towering, commanding guy with a scar down the side of his face emerged from the darkness. The rogues parted like water around a rock when he was near.

"Who are you?" Returning to his human form, but still prepared to battle, Kai commanded.

The guy grinned. "Just a fan of the little performance your Luna just gave."

I felt a shiver that had nothing to do with the night air when his eyes met mine.

"What are you looking for?" Trying to speak steadily, I asked.

"Just to see what more you can do," he said. Then he pointed at the outlaws. "Death to them."

The savage ferocity of the conflict returned. The rogues persisted, but Kai and the warriors maintained their position.

I was looking directly at the disfigured guy. Instead of attacking right away, he circled me like a predator evaluating its prey.

He remarked, in a tone that was almost conversational, "You are different." I sense it. That power is very old.

I did not answer. Rather, I let the energy inside of me grow.

I barely had time to erect my shield before he rushed, quicker than I had anticipated. He was quite strong, and his strike caused me to stumble.

He grinned and remarked, "Not bad." "But not enough."

He hit me once again, and my protection broke this time.

I forced myself to suppress the panic that tried to overtake me. I was no longer the frail Luna I once was. I was going to make advantage of my power.

I mustered all my power and let out a burst of energy that sent him into the air. With a terrible thud, he struck a tree, yet he laughed and jumped back up.

With sparkling eyes, he said, "This is going to be fun."

The battle's momentum started to shift. The others were more cautious with every rogue that went down. But the scarred guy was unrelenting, and each blow he delivered made his assaults more ferocious.

With his body damaged but his will unwavering, Kai battled his way to my side. "We must put a stop to this," he said in a somber tone.

With clinched teeth, I replied, "I am trying."

Kai stopped the scarred man's next thrust, causing the earth to tremble as they collided.

I saw my opening.

I concentrated all of my energy on making a spear of light with my hands. It seemed unsteady, as if it would blow up at any second, but I had no other option.

"Get moving!" I yelled at Kai.

Without question, he complied, leaping aside as I threw the spear.

The scarred man's cry reverberated with agony and rage as the light impacted him squarely in the chest. It seemed as if he may tumble for a second.

Then he burst out laughing.

"Interesting," he replied in a weakened but still derisive tone. "Very intriguing."

Then he vanished, his body vanishing into darkness.

With their spirits crushed, the surviving outlaws ran away.

Except the soldiers' hard breathing and the little rustling of leaves, the forest became silent once again.

Kai turned to face me with a worried but relieved look on his face. "Are you alright?"

Even though my legs felt like they would collapse at any second, I nodded. "What was that?"

He gave a headshake. "I am not sure. However, we will find out.

A weird feeling of dread descended over me as we returned to the pack. That guy was more than simply a rogue; he was something more.

And I suspected that this was only the start.

A messenger was waiting for us when we arrived at the pack house.

"Alpha," she said, her face becoming white. "There is something you must see."

I looked at Kai and felt a knot of fear in my gut.

After guiding us to the battle room, the messenger spread a map of the area on the table.

"What is it?" Kai enquired.

The messenger indicated a number of points on the map, which were the sites of the alleged assaults.

"They are getting closer," she said. "And they are not by themselves."

The atmosphere appeared to change before I could ask her what she meant, and I felt a sharp chill.

Then I caught sight of it—a mental picture. With dark people around him, the scarred man stood at the edge of the woodland.

My voice was scarcely heard as I murmured, "They are coming."

Kai's soft hand grounded me as it clasped mine. "We will be prepared then."

However, a horrible conclusion struck me as I studied the map.

It was m

more than simply our pack. Whatever was coming was larger than I could have ever dreamed and larger than us.

Furthermore, I doubted that we were prepared for it.