Chapter 12 The white wolf’s rage
Mara felt her body changing before she could stop it.
Her bones cracked. Her skin burned. White fur erupted across her arms.
"Mara, no!" Nyra grabbed her arm. "You're not ready for this fight!"
But Mara could not hear her anymore. The wolf inside her was awake and angry.
She transformed completely. Her white wolf form glowed in the moonlight like a ghost.
"I have to stop her!" Isla reached for Mara.
But Mara was already running. She leaped off the ridge and landed on the path below. The impact should have hurt. It did not. Her wolf body was strong.
Every soldier turned to stare at her.
"What is that?" one soldier whispered.
"A white wolf," another said. "But that is impossible."
Prince Ronan stood up on his rock. His eyes went wide. "Kill it! Kill that white wolf now!"
Ten soldiers rushed at Mara.
She did not think. She just moved.
Her jaws closed on the first soldier's leg. She threw him against the rocks. He did not get up.
The second soldier jumped on her back. She rolled and crushed him. He yelped and ran away.
The third soldier tried to bite her throat. Mara ducked and bit his ear. He screamed.
"She is just one small wolf!" Prince Ronan shouted. "Ten of you cannot kill one wolf?"
But Mara was not fighting like a normal wolf. She was fighting with something else. Something wild and angry that she did not understand.
Her white fur started to glow brighter. Brighter. Until it hurt to look at her.
"What is happening to her?" a soldier asked.
"I do not know! Stay back!"
The light from Mara's fur exploded outward like the sun. Every soldier nearby was thrown backward. They hit the ground hard.
Mara stood in the center of the light. She felt power rushing through her body. More power than she had ever felt before.
Across the battlefield, Zevran's black wolf form lifted his head. His ice pale eyes found her white glowing form.
Mate, his voice said in her mind. You came back.
I told you I would, Mara thought back.
Prince Ronan was staring at Mara like she was a monster. "What are you?"
Mara turned her glowing eyes on him. She did not speak. She just growled.
The sound made every wolf on the battlefield freeze.
"Impossible," Ronan whispered. "That growl. That is the growl of an Alpha. But you are just a half breed!"
Riven's gray wolf pushed through the crowd of soldiers. He stared at Mara with shock on his face.
Daughter, he said in her mind. Your mother's bloodline. It was not just any wolf bloodline. It was Royal.
What does that mean? Mara asked.
It means you are not just a white wolf, Riven said. You are a Moon Wolf. Born once every thousand years. Blessed by the Moon Goddess herself.
Mara did not understand. But she could feel the truth of it in her bones.
"I do not care what she is!" Prince Ronan screamed. "Kill her! All of you! Kill her now or I will have you all executed!"
The soldiers hesitated. They did not want to attack Mara. She scared them.
But they were more scared of Prince Ronan.
Thirty soldiers rushed at Mara all at once.
Mara's body moved on its own. She was faster than she had ever been. Stronger. Every bite landed. Every claw strike hit its target.
Soldiers fell around her like leaves in the wind.
But there were too many. Even with her new power, she could not fight them all.
A soldier bit her back leg. Mara yelped and fell.
Three more soldiers jumped on top of her. Their weight crushed her down.
"Got her!" one soldier said. "Someone bring a chain! We will drag her back to the King!"
No! Zevran's voice roared in her mind.
His black wolf form crashed into the soldiers on top of Mara. He threw them off like they weighed nothing.
Stand up, he told Mara. Fight beside me.
Mara stood. Her leg hurt but she could still walk.
She stood back to back with Zevran. The black wolf and the white wolf. Together.
Soldiers surrounded them on all sides. Maybe twenty left. Maybe more.
"This is your last chance!" Prince Ronan called. "Surrender now and I will let you die quickly!"
Never, Zevran said.
Never, Mara agreed.
The soldiers attacked.
But this time, something different happened.
Mara and Zevran moved together like they had been fighting side by side for years. When Mara bit left, Zevran bit right. When Zevran jumped high, Mara attacked low.
The bond between them glowed bright gold. It connected their hearts. Connected their minds.
They were not two wolves anymore. They were one.
Soldiers fell faster now. Five. Ten. Fifteen.
Prince Ronan's face turned red with anger. "No! This cannot be happening! You are supposed to die! You are cursed!"
But the curse is breaking, a voice said.
Everyone froze.
Standing on the ridge above them was a woman. She was beautiful and terrible. Her skin glowed silver. Her eyes were pure white. She wore a dress made of moonlight.
"The Moon Goddess," Nyra whispered. She fell to her knees.
Every wolf on the battlefield knelt. Even Prince Ronan. Even the soldiers.
Only Mara and Zevran stayed standing.
The Moon Goddess smiled at them. "You have done well, my children. The first chain is broken. Zevran's blood was freely given to save Mara's life. The second chain is almost broken. You have the evidence you need to prove the truth."
She pointed at Prince Ronan. "And you. Murderer. Liar. Your crimes will be revealed."
"No!" Ronan jumped to his feet. "I am the prince! You cannot judge me!"
"I can judge all wolves," the Moon Goddess said. Her voice was gentle but full of power. "And I judge you guilty. But I will let the pack decide your fate."
She raised her hand. Light shot out from her fingers and hit Prince Ronan in the chest.
Ronan screamed. He fell to his knees.
Images appeared in the air above him. Memories. His memories.
Everyone saw him poison Selene's cup.
Everyone saw him smile as she died.
Everyone heard him laugh about framing Zevran.
"No!" Ronan screamed. "Those are lies! Tricks!"
"The Moon Goddess does not lie," Riven said. His voice was cold. "You killed an innocent wolf. You destroyed Zevran's life. And for what? Power?"
"I did what I had to do!" Ronan shouted. "Zevran would have been a better king than my father! I had to stop him!"
"You could have challenged him honorably," Luna said. "Instead, you became a murderer."
The Moon Goddess lowered her hand. The images disappeared.
"The truth is known," she said. "The second chain is broken."
The golden bond between Mara and Zevran glowed even brighter. Mara could feel it. The curse was weakening. Dying.
"Only one chain remains," the Moon Goddess said. She looked at Mara and Zevran with kind eyes. "The chain of Love. To break it, you must face the hardest test of all."
"What test?" Mara asked. Her voice came out as a wolf's growl.
"You will see. Soon." The Moon Goddess started to fade. "But know this. True love is not just about living together. It is about being willing to die for each other. And more importantly, being willing to live for each other."
Then she was gone.
For a moment, no one moved. No one spoke.
Then Prince Ronan jumped to his feet and ran. He transformed into his wolf form and raced down the mountain path.
"Stop him!" Riven shouted.
But Ronan was fast. He disappeared into the darkness.
"Let him go," Zevran said. He transformed back to human form. He was covered in blood and wounds. "He cannot hide from the truth now. Everyone saw what he did."
Mara transformed too. It was getting easier each time.
She ran to Zevran and hugged him. "You are alive. I thought I lost you."
"I thought I lost you too." Zevran held her tight. "When I saw you fall off that ridge, my heart stopped."
"I had to come back. I could not leave you to fight alone."
"You are an idiot," Zevran said. But he was smiling. "A brave, stubborn, wonderful idiot."
Riven walked over to them. He transformed back to human form too.
"Daughter," he said. "You are a Moon Wolf. Do you know what that means?"
"The Moon Goddess said I am blessed."
"More than blessed. Moon Wolves are the most powerful wolves that exist. You can heal. You can fight. And you can lead." Riven looked proud. "Your mother would be so happy to see what you have become."
"Tell me about her," Mara said. "Please. I want to know everything."
"I will. But first, we need to get everyone to safety." Riven looked at the dead bodies on the path. "King Darius will send more soldiers when these do not return. We need to leave. Now."
"Where do we go?" Luna asked.
"North," Zevran said. "To the Northern Packs. They hate King Darius. They will give us shelter."
"And then?" Mara asked.
"Then we gather our allies," Zevran said. His eyes were hard. "And we go to war. It is time to take back the kingdom."
Above them, on the ridge, Nyra stood with Isla and Corin.
"Well," the witch said. "That was interesting."
"Interesting?" Isla's voice was high. "The Moon Goddess appeared! Mara is some kind of super wolf! Prince Ronan ran away! That was not interesting! That was crazy!"
"Same thing," Corin said. His tail wagged. "But at least everyone is alive. That is what matters."
They climbed down to join the others.
Mara hugged Isla. "Thank you for coming with me."
"I told you I would keep up," Isla said. She was smiling but her eyes were tired. "Though I did not do much. I just watched."
"You came. That is what matters."
The group started walking up the mountain together. Back to the safe house.
Mara walked between Zevran and Riven. Her mate and her father. Two men she barely knew but who she trusted with her life.
"The third chain," she said quietly. "The Moon Goddess said we need to break it. How do we do that?"
"I do not know," Zevran admitted. "But we will figure it out. Together."
"Together," Mara agreed.
Behind them, the sun started to rise. A new day was beginning.
But Mara had a bad feeling in her stomach. Like something terrible was about to happen.
She looked back down the mountain path. In the distance, she saw movement. Lots of movement.
"What is that?" she asked.
Riven looked. His face went pale. "No. It cannot be."
"What?" Zevran asked. "What is it?"
"King Darius," Riven said. "He is coming. And he brought his entire army."