CHAPTER 70
**The Call to War**
Unease permeated the early air, a silence that made my bones ache and my nerves tense. My thoughts repeated yesterday night's events, vivid and unreal. Like a haunting symphony, the old man's enigmatic words, the flash of light, and the odd tug I had experienced before to the darkness claiming me persisted.
Kai had been irate and had been pacing frantically when we got back to the pack home. He assured me that he would look into the man's background, but I could not get rid of the suspicion that whatever debt he mentioned had anything to do with my previous existence.
The loud toll of the pack's bell rang out into the air while I was still deep in meditation. The sound was clear and terrifying, and I froze in mid-step.
The bell served as a summons as well as a signal.
An official challenge.
With my pulse racing, I hurried to the main hall. The room was already a hive of activity when I got there. The room was filled with the quiet, anxious voices of pack members, warriors, and elders. Kai stood in the middle of it all, his golden eyes burning with rage and his stance tight.
"What is going on?" I walked next to him and inquired.
With his jaw clenched so fiercely I felt it might break; he gave me a scroll. With shaky hands, I slowly unrolled it and read the words in strong, exact strokes:
You have stepped beyond lines that are not yours, Alpha Kai of the Crescent Moon Pack. The equilibrium we value is in danger due to your pack's increasing power.
I officially challenge you as Alpha Magnus of the Bloodfang Pack. As is our custom, we settle this with honour and blood. If you don't, you lose your leadership position.
In three days, the neutral grounds will host the challenge. Get ready.
—Alpha Magnus
With the weight of its message pressing down on me like a stone, the scroll fell from my grasp. More than a brawl, a challenge was a declaration of war, a struggle for life as much as for power.
Kai's words broke through my whirlpool of ideas. Magnus had been anticipating this moment. He had been looking for a reason to test the power of our pack.
"So why not launch a direct attack?" I inquired, attempting to interpret it.
A nasty smirk curved Kai's lips. "Because Magnus is a spectacle freak." A formal challenge forces us to follow the council's norms while giving him the platform he so desperately wants. We would seem weak if we didn't.
I became angry and tightened my hands. Strength is hardly the only factor here, is it? The goal is to convey a message to all of the other viewers.
Kai gave a nod. "Exactly."
With warriors arguing tactics and elders giving traditional counsel, the room exploded in fierce debates. I turned as I felt a touch on my shoulder and saw Lyra, who had a determined but worried look on her face.
She said, "This is not simply Kai's war." "We own it everything. We must be prepared.
Her words made me feel something. I was no longer only an observer in this group. I could not allow doubt or fear to stop me from doing my part.
Kai's voice broke through the cacophony and took centre stage. Over the following three days, we will train more diligently than before. Magnus expects us to make a mistake, but we refuse to disappoint him. Dismissed.
The throng started to thin out, but I stayed, staring at Kai. With his stiff shoulders and dark gaze, he seemed to be a man bearing the weight of the world.
"Kai," I murmured, taking a step forward. "How may I be of assistance?"
He gave me a quick look, his face briefly melting before the Alpha's mask reappeared. "Luna, you have accomplished more than you think. However, I urge you to exercise caution. Magnus may attempt to take advantage of any apparent vulnerabilities.
The inference made me angry, but I did not say anything. This was no time to be arrogant. "I am capable of managing myself."
A little grin twitched his lips. "I am sure you can. Just assure me that you will remain with me.
I agreed, even though I did not like the thought of remaining on the sidelines.
\---
The three days that followed were filled with preparation. As fighters refined their techniques and strategists sketched out possible outcomes, the training grounds were a flurry of activity. I poured myself into training, honing my instincts and pushing myself to the maximum.
During one of these sessions, Kai came up to me with an unreadable face.
He nodded toward the edge of the woodland and said, "Come walk with me."
As we made our way more into the forest, I followed him, the buzz of the pack dying away. His stance was tense, and I prepared myself for anything he could say.
"Magnus is not simply another competitor," Kai said quietly. He is crafty and deadly. He fights unfairly and will use any tactic available to him to prevail.
"What are you saying?" With a knot in my gut, I asked.
With his eyes penetrating, he said, "I am stating this challenge will not stop with the duel." "The pack, the people I care about, the ones you have grown to care about will be the targets of Magnus."
I became aware of what he was not saying as the weight of his words descended over me. Magnus would come after me.
"Then we fight smarter," I answered, my voice hardened with resolve. "He can not take advantage of our vulnerabilities."
Kai paused and looked directly at me. This goes beyond strength and tactics, Luna. It has to do with trust. Do you think I can keep you and this pack safe?
I was surprised by his inquiry, but I knew what to say right away. "Yes, I do."
His voice was stern as he replied, "Then believe me now." Throughout the task, remain in the pack house. Let me take care of Magnus.
I wanted to protest, to tell him that I could easily hold my own, but I hesitated because of the intensity of his gaze. This was about safeguarding what was most important, not about questioning my skills.
Reluctantly, I nodded. "All right. However, you had the best return unscathed.
The tension between us briefly subsided as Kai's lips formed a rare grin.
\---
The challenge day came around way too soon. The pack, a sea of anxious faces and steely determination, gathered at the boundary of the area.
Kai addressed the troops from the front, his presence dominating. "Today is about more than simply protecting our pack. It is about showcasing our identities to the world. We fight together with dignity and with power. We stand united regardless of what occurs.
In answer, a chorus of screams broke forth, reverberating through the treetops.
The choice annoyed me, but I kept close to the pack house as agreed. As we awaited word, Lyra remained nearby, her presence a silent solace.
Hours went by, each one becoming longer than the one before it. I walked the room as ideas flew through my head. Then, as the sun was about to set, a scout with a pale face rushed through the doors.
His voice was shaking as he continued, "They are back." "But there is a problem."
As he went on, my heart fell.
Magnus did not arrive by himself. He arrived with reinforcements.
The remarks were like a kick to the stomach. Magnus had transformed a legitimate challenge into an ambush by violating the council's regulations.
As Kai and the others were to return to the training fields, I rushed by the scout without giving it any thought.
"Wait, Luna!" Despite Lyra's appeal, I continued.
My greatest worries came true when I arrived at the edge of the clearing. The air was filled with the roars and screams of warriors engaged in a frantic battle. Kai was in the middle of it all, fighting off three opponents at once with smooth, lethal motions.
However, even he was unable to keep them at bay indefinitely.
I did not think twice. I mustered all of my might and rushed into the battle with the sole intention of defending Kai and the pack.
Then I caught sight of him.
Magnus.
He was standing on the edge of the battlefield, grinning savagely at me.
He said above the commotion, "You should have kept concealed, little wolf."
He held out a hand before I could react, and a blast of black energy shot out of it and came flying in my direction.
As I prepared for co-intact and my instincts cried out for a single order, time appeared to slow down.
*Live.*
Then everything became dark.