The Gathering Storm
Emma's POV
Dozens of werewolves ran through the forest toward us, making the ground shake. Their howls could be heard coming from everywhere, and each second they got closer and louder.
"How many?" As another tremor hit the ground, I let out a gasp and grabbed Kai's arm.
"Too many," Kai said, looking around at the trees with his silver eyes. "Perhaps fifty." "Maybe even more."
My heart beat hard against my ribs. Fifty werewolves? I could barely handle three! There were weak flickers of golden light under my skin. Whatever power had burst out of me before felt completely drained now.
Alpha Marcus slowly got to his feet, brushing dirt off his clothes. His two followers did the same, but they kept their heads bowed like they were still afraid to look straight at us.
"The entire northern territory felt that power surge," Marcus said, his voice strangely calm. "Every Alpha within a hundred miles is coming to see what happened."
"Great," Kai mumbled. "Just great."
The screaming got louder. Through the trees, I could see dark forms moving fast in our direction. My stomach twisted into knots.
"Why are they coming?" I asked. "What do they want?"
Marcus looked at me like I'd asked why the sky was blue. "They want you, little Moon Daughter. They want the power to rule over every werewolf pack in existence."
"I don't understand—" "The prophecy," Marcus interrupted. "You need to know the whole truth."
A branch snapped somewhere to our left. Then another to our right. We were being surrounded again, but this time by a lot more than three werewolves.
"Talk fast," Kai said, moving closer to me.
Marcus nodded. "Three hundred years ago, the Moon Goddess made a promise. She said that when the werewolf packs were broken and fighting each other, she would send her daughter to heal the wounds between us."
"Okay," I said, though nothing about this felt okay.
"The Moon Daughter would have the power to fix anything - bodies, hearts, even the earth itself. But more importantly, she would choose one werewolf to be her mate. That werewolf would become the Alpha King, with the right to rule over every pack in the world."
My blood turned to ice. "Every pack?"
"Every single one," Marcus confirmed. "Whoever you choose as your mate becomes the most powerful werewolf living. That's why they're all coming."
I felt sick. "But I don't want to choose anyone! I just want to help people!"
"It doesn't matter what you want," Marcus said sadly. "The prophecy says you must choose. And when you do, your mate will have power over millions of werewolves."
Kai stepped in front of me as the sound of coming wolves got even closer. "What if she refuses to choose?"
Marcus's face went pale. "Then the werewolf world stays broken forever. Packs keep fighting until we destroy ourselves or humans find us and hunt us to extinction."
The weight of those words hit me like a truck. If I didn't choose a mate, werewolves would die. But if I did choose, I'd be giving someone power over millions of lives. "There has to be another way," I whispered.
"There isn't," Marcus said. "The prophecy is absolute."
A low growl rumbled from the trees ahead of us. Then another from behind. We were completely surrounded now.
"Emma," Kai said softly, "whatever happens, stay close to me."
I wanted to promise I would, but then the first monster stepped into our clearing.
He was huge - even bigger than Marcus. His dark fur was streaked with gray, and his yellow eyes fixed on me instantly. When he changed back to human form, he was tall and muscular with scars covering his arms.
"Alpha Thomas Ironwood," Marcus said stiffly. "You're far from your territory."
"As are you, Marcus," Thomas answered, never taking his eyes off me. "But when the Moon Daughter awakens, territory lines don't matter."
Two more werewolves emerged from different directions. Then three more. Then so many I lost count. They formed a circle around us, all looking at me like I was some kind of prize they wanted to win.
My hands started shaking. These weren't like the werewolves in movies who looked mostly human. These Alphas were huge, dangerous, and I could feel power rolling off them in waves.
"She's just a child," one of them said, sounding sad.
"Children grow up," another responded. "And the prophecy said nothing about her age."
"The real question," said a female Alpha with silver hair, "is whether she's already picked her mate. " All eyes turned to Kai, who straightened his shoulders but stayed in front of me.
"The boy glows with silver light," Thomas noted. "Ancient family magic. Very interesting."
"Interesting enough to claim kingship?" the female Alpha asked.
"That depends," Thomas said, "on whether the Moon Daughter accepts him."
They were talking about us like we weren't even there. Like Kai and I were things to be traded instead of people with feelings.
"Stop it," I said, but my voice came out too quiet.
"What was that, little one?" Thomas asked, cupping his ear mockingly.
"I said stop it!" This time my voice carried across the clearing. The golden light under my skin flared briefly.
Several vampires stepped back, but Thomas smiled. "There's the power. Good. We need to know you're worth fighting over."
"Fighting over?" I repeated.
"Of course," Thomas said. "Did you think we'd just politely take turns asking for your hand? The Alpha King post is too important for that."
Marcus cleared his throat. "The traditional way is for potential mates to prove their worth through trials—"
"The traditional way takes too long," interrupted another Alpha. "I say we settle this with fighting. Last monster standing gets the girl."
"No!" I shouted. "I'm not a prize to be won!"
But they weren't listening anymore. The Alphas were looking at each other with calculation in their eyes, already planning how to kill their competition.
That's when Kai did something that shocked everyone.
He threw back his head and let out a howl that made the ground shake. But it wasn't a normal werewolf howl - it was something deeper, older, filled with power that made my bones tremble.
Every Alpha in the clearing froze.
When Kai's howl finished, the forest was completely silent. Even the wind had stopped blowing.
"Impossible," mumbled the female Alpha.
Thomas's face had gone white. "That was the Royal Call. But the royal bloodline died out ages ago."
Kai's eyes were burning with silver light now. When he spoke, his voice carried power I'd never heard before.
"I am Kai Nightshade, last heir of the Moonborne race. By right of blood and the Moon Daughter's choice, I claim the title of Alpha King."
The clearing burst into chaos. Some Alphas shifted into wolf form instantly, ready to fight. Others backed away in shock. A few actually bowed their heads.
But Thomas just laughed.
"Bloodline or not, boy, you'll have to prove yourself. And I don't think a half-dead refugee has what it takes to lead."
He started shifting into his massive wolf form, and I knew we were about to watch a fight that could end with Kai dead.
That's when I felt something else moving through the trees. Something bigger and more dangerous than all the Alphas combined.
The new presence felt ancient and powerful and absolutely angry.
"Oh no," Marcus breathed, his face turning pale. "She felt the Royal Call."
"Who?" I asked, but I was scared I already knew.
"The Queen of the Northern Territories," Marcus whispered. "Alpha King Magnus's daughter. And she's not going to be happy about Kai's claim to her father's throne."