Chapter 2 Dream Beneath the Silver Moon

Darkness.

Silence.

And then—light.

Aiden floated in an endless silver sea, weightless, unbound. The pain in his ribs, the laughter of his pack—all gone. Only moonlight surrounded him, soft and alive, humming like a song he almost remembered.

He lifted his hand. The same faint mark on his wrist—the crescent birthmark—glowed brighter than ever. The light pulsed in rhythm with his heartbeat.

A dream? he thought. Or something more?

The silver mist swirled, parting to reveal a figure walking toward him. Barefoot, graceful, her long hair shimmered like liquid starlight. Every step she took sent ripples through the air. Aiden’s breath caught in his throat. He knew her, though he had never seen her before.

The woman’s eyes were pools of moonlight—calm, ancient, and unbearably kind. Her voice when she spoke was both near and far, as if carried on the wind of another world.

“You called to me, Aiden Vale.”

Aiden blinked. “You—You know my name?”

She smiled faintly. “I have always known it.”

He tried to move closer, but invisible threads held him still. “Who are you?”

“I am what your heart has been waiting for,” she said softly. “I am the bond written in your blood.”

Her words filled him with warmth and terror. “My… fated mate?”

The woman nodded once. The silver light around her brightened until it hurt to look.

“The Moon binds us, Aiden. Even across realms. But your heart is chained by fear. Free it, or the Crimson Moon will consume all you love.”

He stepped forward, desperate to reach her. “Wait! What do you mean? Who are you really? Tell me your name!”

The mist began to churn violently. The silver turned crimson at the edges, bleeding into the dream. Her expression changed—sorrow shadowed her face.

“My name… will find you when the time is right.”

A crack split the silver ground beneath them. Aiden stumbled. The air turned heavy with the scent of iron and smoke. The red light deepened until it drowned the silver entirely.

From the darkness, another voice laughed—a low, cruel echo that crawled under his skin.

“Still chasing fairy tales, little Omega?”

Damian. Even here, in his dream.

The woman’s form began to fade. “Wake up, Aiden. Before he—”

The voice was cut short by a shattering sound. The crimson light swallowed everything.

Aiden jolted awake, drenched in sweat. His breath came fast, his heart pounding like a drum. The servant’s quarters were still, lit by the faint pre-dawn glow filtering through the window. Outside, the pack was silent—too silent.

He pressed a hand to his wrist. The crescent mark still burned faintly. It hadn’t been just a dream.

He tried to recall her face, but it blurred like smoke, leaving only her voice in his mind. “Free your heart, or the Crimson Moon will consume all you love.”

He swallowed hard. The Crimson Moon. He’d seen it last night, before everything went black. The pack elders said it was a bad omen. A warning from the Goddess herself.

Was she the one who appeared beneath it? His fated Luna?

A soft knock broke his thoughts.

“Aiden?”

It was Lyra—the only person in the pack who still spoke to him kindly. She slipped inside, clutching a small lantern. Her brown curls were messy, her eyes wide with worry.

“You were out cold all night,” she said. “They found you collapsed in the courtyard.”

Aiden frowned. “What happened after that?”

“The elders called an emergency meeting. They said an outsider crossed the border during the Crimson Moon.”

A chill ran through him. “A woman?”

Lyra blinked. “How did you—?”

He didn’t answer. His pulse raced.

“They say she vanished before anyone could catch her,” Lyra continued. “But Damian’s furious. He’s ordered every wolf to search the forest. He thinks she’s dangerous.”

Aiden’s chest tightened. Dangerous? No—she couldn’t be.

“She’s not what they think,” he said quietly.

Lyra frowned. “You sound like you know her.”

“I…” He hesitated. How could he explain a dream that felt more real than the ground under his feet?

“She’s the one,” he whispered finally. “My fated Luna.”

Lyra’s lantern light flickered. “Aiden, be careful. You know what they’ll do if they hear you say that. Damian doesn’t believe in mates. He destroys anything tied to the Moon’s will.”

Aiden’s gaze drifted to the window. The forest beyond the borders stretched dark and silent, but he felt her there—somewhere. The same pull he had felt in the dream tugged at his chest, faint but insistent.

“I have to find her,” he said.

Lyra grabbed his arm. “You’ll be banished if they catch you crossing the border!”

“I was never really part of them anyway.” He gave her a small, sad smile. “If she’s out there, she’s alone. I can’t ignore that.”

Lyra bit her lip but didn’t argue further. She slipped him a small bundle of bread and herbs. “Then at least take this. And be careful, Aiden. The forest isn’t what it used to be. Something’s changing in the air.”

He nodded. “Thank you, Lyra.”

By the time the first light of dawn touched the valley, Aiden was already at the edge of the forest. The air was cold, alive with whispers. The scent of pine and rain filled his lungs as he crossed the border—the invisible line that marked freedom and exile all at once.

Every step deeper into the trees made the pull stronger. The forest seemed to breathe with him, its shadows shifting. For the first time in years, he didn’t feel small or weak.

He followed the faint trail of moonlight filtering through the branches until he reached a clearing. The grass there shimmered with silver dew. In the center, something glinted.

A pendant.

A small silver charm shaped like a crescent moon, half-buried in the earth.

He knelt and picked it up. The moment his fingers touched the metal, warmth shot through his veins. A voice whispered faintly in his mind—her voice.

“Find me before the Crimson Moon rises again.”

His eyes widened. The pendant’s glow pulsed once, then faded.

A rustle sounded behind him.

Aiden turned sharply—but too late.

A hand shot out of the shadows, slamming him against a tree. The grip was strong, iron-hard. He struggled, his breath catching as crimson eyes met his.

Damian.

The Alpha’s smirk was cold, predatory. “I should’ve known you’d sneak out. Looking for your phantom lover, aren’t you?”

Aiden’s heart raced. “You don’t understand—”

“Oh, I understand perfectly.” Damian leaned closer, his voice low. “You’re chasing a dream, and dreams get wolves killed.”

His hand tightened around Aiden’s throat. “Tell me where she is.”

“I—I don’t know!”

“Lies.” The Alpha’s eyes glowed brighter. “You felt her, didn’t you? The Moon’s power.”

Aiden’s vision blurred. Spots of silver danced before his eyes. Just when he thought his breath would give out, a shock of light burst from his chest.

Damian hissed and stumbled back, clutching his hand as a faint silver flame flickered around Aiden’s mark.

The power faded as quickly as it came, leaving Aiden gasping, trembling.

Both of them stared at the faint glow still shimmering on his wrist.

“The Moon’s chosen…” Damian murmured, half in disbelief, half in fury.

Aiden staggered to his feet. “I’m warning you, Damian. Don’t come after her.”

Damian’s smile turned cruel. “Oh, I’ll come after her, little Omega. Because if she’s yours, she’s mine to take.”

He turned away, his figure vanishing into the forest shadows.

Aiden stood frozen, heart pounding. The mark on his wrist still throbbed, whispering with her voice. The pendant in his hand pulsed faintly again, guiding him deeper into the unknown.

He took a breath, eyes fixed on the path ahead.

The forest seemed to lean closer, listening. The air shimmered—like the edge of another world waiting to open.

And somewhere far off, under the fading moonlight, a woman’s voice called softly—

“Hurry, Aiden. Before he finds me first.”