Flight Through Shadows
Kai's POV
The ground burst under our feet as the Northern Queen's howl shattered the night air.
"Run!" I yelled, grabbing Emma's hand and pulling her toward the thickest part of the forest.
Behind us, chaos exploded. Werewolves snarled and fought each other as the Queen's huge presence crashed through the trees. Her howl was so strong it made my bones ache, and I could feel Emma trembling beside me.
"I can't keep up!" Emma gasped as we stumbled over fallen logs and twisted roots.
She was right. Her human legs couldn't match werewolf speed, and the Alphas were getting on us fast. I could hear them crashing through the underbrush, getting closer with every second.
"Hold on tight," I said, stopping suddenly and taking Emma into my arms.
"What are you—"
I didn't let her finish. The silver light inside me flared, and suddenly I was running faster than I'd ever run before. Trees blurred past us as I leaped over boulders and dodged between giant oak trunks.
But even with my new speed, I could still hear them following. Worse, I could smell them - at least twenty different werewolves, all chasing us like we were prey.
"There!" Emma pointed ahead. "That cave!"
I saw it too - a dark hole in the side of a rocky hill. It might buy us some time. I dove inside, setting Emma down gently before turning to watch the door.
"Why did you stop?" she whispered.
"Listen," I said.
The forest had gone quiet. Too quiet. The werewolves had stopped chasing us, which meant they knew something we didn't.
"They're not following," Emma said, sounding confused.
"No. They're surrounding us."
I was right. Through the cave hole, I could see shadows moving in the distance. They weren't chasing anymore because they didn't need to. We were stuck.
"Can you use that silver light thing to hide us?" Emma asked.
I closed my eyes and tried to feel the power inside me. The silver light was still there, stronger than before, but it felt wild and hard to control.
"Maybe," I said. "But I've never tried anything like this before."
"Well, now's a good time to learn."
I reached for the silver light and tried to wrap it around both of us like a blanket. For a moment, I thought it worked. The light covered us fully, making us invisible to normal sight.
"Did it work?" Emma whispered.
Before I could answer, a voice called out from the trees. "We can still smell you, boy!"
My heart sank. The invisibility might fool their eyes, but werewolves hunted by smell more than sight.
"The girl's magic is like a beacon," another person added. "She might as well be carrying a torch."
Emma looked at her hands, which were glowing softly with that golden light. "I can't turn it off," she said, fear creeping into her voice.
"It's okay," I said, though it definitely wasn't okay. "We'll figure something out."
That's when I smelled something that made my blood freeze. The Northern Queen was close. Really close.
"Come out, little prince," her voice purred from just outside the cave. "Let's discuss your claim to my father's throne."
I'd never met Queen Lydia Stormcrown, but every werewolf knew her reputation. She was ruthless, powerful, and had killed three challengers to her area in the past year alone.
"What do we do?" Emma breathed.
I tried to think fast. The cave only had one way out, and it was blocked by the most dangerous werewolf in the northern regions. But maybe...
"Can you trust me?" I asked Emma.
"What kind of question is that?"
"I mean really trust me. Even if what I'm about to do seems crazy?"
Emma looked into my eyes. "Yes."
"Good. Because we're going deeper into the cave."
"That's the opposite of escaping!"
"Trust me."
I grabbed her hand and led her toward the back of the cave. The tunnel got smaller and darker as we went, but I could feel air moving, which meant there might be another way out.
Behind us, I heard Queen Lydia's laughing. "Running deeper into a dead end? Perhaps you're not as smart as your bloodline says."
Her footsteps echoed in the cave as she followed us. But she was taking her time, probably loving the hunt.
The tunnel curved sharply to the left, and suddenly we found ourselves in a larger room. But this wasn't just any cave - the walls were covered in old symbols that glowed with soft blue light.
"What is this place?" Emma whispered.
I stared at the symbols, my heart racing. "These are Moon Runes. This is a special place."
"Sacred how?"
"These caves were used by the first werewolves for important events. Look."
I pointed to a sign that looked like a crescent moon with a star inside it. As soon as Emma's eyes landed on it, the sign flared brighter.
"It's responding to you," I said in amazement.
Emma stepped closer to the wall, and more symbols began glowing. The entire room lit up like someone had turned on Christmas lights.
"The Moon Daughter returns," Queen Lydia's voice came from the tunnel behind us. But now she sounded shocked instead of amused.
Emma's hand touched one of the bright symbols, and suddenly the cave shook. Not like an earthquake - more like the mountain itself was waking up.
"Emma, what did you do?"
"I don't know!" she said, pulling her hand back. But it was too late.
Light spilled from every symbol on the walls, swirling around us like a tornado made of stars. I felt power rushing through the air, so strong it made my silver light look like a flashlight compared to the sun.
"The ancient protections are activating," Queen Lydia called out, and for the first time, she sounded worried. "Girl, do you have any idea what you've awakened?"
The light got brighter and brighter until I couldn't see anything else. Emma's hand found mine in the chaos, and I held on tight as the world spun around us.
When the light finally faded, we were still in the room, but everything had changed. The symbols were now glowing like fire, and I could feel magic humming in the air.
But the biggest change was Emma.
She was floating three feet off the ground, her hair moving like she was underwater. Golden light poured from her skin, and when she opened her eyes, they were shining like stars.
"Kai," she said, but her voice sounded different - older, more powerful. "I can see everything."
"See what?"
"The past. The future. The links between every living thing." She looked at me, and I saw wonder and fear in her glowing eyes. "And I can see what's coming for us."
"What's coming?"
Before she could answer, Queen Lydia stepped into the room. But she wasn't alone. Behind her stood a person in a black cloak whose face I couldn't see.
"Hello, Moon Daughter," the cloaked person said in a voice like breaking glass. "I've been waiting a very long time to meet you."
Emma's feet touched the ground, and all the light disappeared instantly. She swayed, looking tired and confused.
"Who are you?" she whispered.
The figure pulled back his hood, showing a face that made my blood turn to ice. It was a werewolf, but wrong somehow. His skin was pale as moonlight, his eyes were totally black, and when he smiled, his teeth were too sharp.
"I am Magnus Shadowbane," he said. "The first Alpha King. And according to the promise, I am your grandfather."